Hotel Xcaret Arte: The Ultimate Guide *Start Here*

If you are considering a trip to Hotel Xcaret Arte, or just trying to find some more information, you’ve come to the right place!

When planning a trip for our family of 6 (myself, husband, 2 young adult kids, and their 2 significant others), it’s a fun challenge to find a destination that will suit everyone’s taste. My travel style is typically go-go-go, but I recognize the value of travel that includes some true vacation down time!

For New Year’s 2023, I was looking to splurge on something special. We are at the point where all 6 of us can put away some food and drinks, so I was leaning toward all inclusive, and just looking for the right one. These were my criteria:

• Activities, preferably no additional charge, to break up the pool/beach time
• Great food (something all inclusive resorts are NOT known for)
• Gorgeous pools and resort grounds
• Culture/location – most resorts are not the *best* place to get a feel for the culture of an area, so I was specifically looking for a resort that puts culture front and center.

Why Hotel Xcaret?

A Little Background:

Once I started reading about Xcaret (the “X” is pronounced “Ish” – you will see the “X” a lot!), I got more and more excited. It was exactly what I was looking for. The Xcaret complex is about 8 miles south of Playa del Carmen, so about 1 hour and 15 mins from the Cancun airport (more with traffic, and there’s usually traffic). It consists of 3 hotels: Hotel Xcaret Mexico (the OG), Hotel Xcaret Arte (adults only), and La Casa de las Playas (also adult only, this is a recently opened ultra high end option). Hotel Xcaret Arte was our resort of choice, and will be the primary focus of this series (although we were fortunate to enjoy aspects of Hotel Xcaret Mexico as well).

1. The Activities

There are also 3 different “eco-parks” on the main campus: Xcaret Park, Xplor/Xplor Fuego, and Xenses. And this leads us to the main thing that set Hotel Xcaret apart from other all inclusive resorts – they are also what they refer to as “all-fun” inclusive. There are the 3 parks near the resort (a shuttle runs approx. all day every day on a 20 minute circuit between the hotels and parks): Xcaret, Xplor, and Xenses. In addition to the nearby parks, there are many other options to keep you busy (at no extra charge!!) You can take a catamaran or ferry to Isla Mujeres (Xailing), you can do a Mexican “floating fiesta” (Xoximilco), you can tour Chichen Itza (Xichen), and much more! See my post delving into the available parks and activities in depth (Hotel Xcaret Arte: Time for Adventure – the Activities and Excursions).

2. The Food

Great food and drink are super important to our family, especially on vacation! Xcaret kept coming up as I searched for the elusive resort that boasts quality delicious food. The consensus is that while Hotel Xcaret Mexico‘s food is delicious, Hotel Xcaret Arte (to no surprise, as it is adults only), is for a more sophisticated palate.

Arte has restaurants requiring reservations (Tah Xido, Kibi Kibi, Encanta, Chino Poblano, Xaak – this one is an additional cost) and restaurants that don’t (Cayuco, Arenal, Cantina VaIPy, Apapachoa, Mercado de San Juan). They also have poolside service, room service, food carts, and various bars/walkup cafes. And the best part, it’s not quantity over quality. It’s easy to see that the staff takes pride in their food craftsmanship!

3. The Resort/Grounds

For the portion of our trip we weren’t eating great food or doing fun activities, we were hoping to be served drinks in a tropical paradise. Hotel Xcaret Arte checked that box too! For lounging by a body of water, you have ample pools (including rooftop pools at all the casas except La Paz), Coves and rivers throughout the property (with fish!), and of course, the beach. It should be noted that if the beach is your #1 criteria, Xcaret may not be the best bet. We only went down to the beach once during our stay – we were more than happy enjoying the unique cove/river environment. It’s a small beach, but there is bar service and some chairs if that’s your preference! We were happy mainly enjoying the view of the turquoise ocean from the rooftop pools.

4. The Culture/Location

Xcaret has outings to both Tulum and to Chitzen Itza with tour guides to explore the ruins of the incredible Mayan civilization. The main park, Xcaret Park, has its own ruins as well. Everywhere you look at the resort, Mexican culture is front and center. The treats left daily in our room were all handmade Mexican candies in locally handmade woven containers (I love my collection!). Other assorted snacks in the room throughout our stay are made locally as well. There is an emphasis on Mexican art throughout the property and in the rooms themselves. The casas represent different art forms and have workshops for each: Musica (music), Diseno (design), Artistas (art/painting), Piramide (pottery).

Once I determined that Hotel Xcaret Arte had absolutely everything I wanted, I started working on making it happen! This is NOT a budget resort, but in my opinion, it was worth every penny. If you come across a deal, don’t hesitate to grab it and go have an amazing time!

Follow along for the rest of my upcoming complete guide to Hotel Xcaret Arte here:

Hotel Xcaret Arte: How To Maximize your Vacation ++ Complete Packing List

Hotel Xcaret Arte: Time for Adventure-the Activities and Excursions

Hotel Xcaret Arte: The Best Restaurants and Bars + Menus

Hotel Xcaret Arte: Diving into the Resort and Grounds