Mexican Caribbean resort offers free admission to its parks
IAN STALKER
Playa del Carmen-area Hotel Xcaret Mexico has a great park-ing place.
The 900-suite oceanfront resort falls under the same umbrella as Xcaret’s seven area parks, with admission to those parks being free for resort guests.
Three of the parks are within 10 minutes, including one — Xcaret, a showcase for Mexican culture and nature — that can actually be reached by gondolas that float along a canal between the park and the resort, with the 15-minute journeys enabling hotel guests to avoid going through the park’s main gate.
The three closest parks — Xcaret, Xenses and Xplore — see regular shuttle service from the resort and shuttle service to the others can be arranged through the resort concierge.
The hotel provides all-inclusive stays but its Karla Campos says the property doesn’t use the all-inclusive term to describe itself.
“It’s an all-fun inclusive,” she says. “It’s not a regular all-inclusive. We try to make it as fun as possible for all ages. We are the pioneers of all-fun inclusive.”
That is clearly the case, with Hotel Xcaret Mexico having many unusual features, among them suspension bridges used to link multi-story buildings housing guest units (elevators and stairs are also available for those nervous of heights), prompting Compas to state, “A lot of thought was put into the creation of the hotel.”
Hotel Xcaret Mexico is a family resort, although one guest building has been set aside as adults-only and has an exclusive restaurant. Butler service is available for some guests.
Campos reports that Hotel Xcaret Mexico has a year-round average occupancy rate of 86%, adding that that impressive figure is a “happy problem for us.”
Traditional Mexican art can be seen throughout the hotel, which also includes a Mexican eatery among its restaurants.
Campos says Hotel Xcaret Mexico helps preserve Mexican tradition, including Mayan culture.
Campos says the property has what she describes as “eco-integrated architecture” and adds Hotel Xcaret Mexico is “very respectful” of its natural setting, with plants and animals native to the region found throughout hotel grounds that are extremely green.
Among hotel features are a Kids Club with a waterslide; a spa; 10 swimming pools; and a tennis court. The hotel also hosts weddings.
Grupo Xcaret is now the largest park company in Mexico and Campos says hotel guests who spend a week or so at the property will divide their time between it and park visits.
She adds that the Maya influence is very strong in the region, with tourists able to visit archeological sites. They can also visit cenotes, the underground water bodies found throughout the area.
