Since I had a highly enjoyable stay at Hotel Xcaret Mexico in 2018 (read my resort review here), I had high expectations regarding my 2023 stay at the adults-only (age16+) Hotel Xcaret Arte.  It turned out to be most of what I had expected with some surprises, but let me start at the beginning of this overall amazing all-inclusive resort experience.

There is no perfect vacation.  Not a news flash for anyone who travels, but all great travel experiences typically include some hiccups or, God forbid, disasters.  I could share my initial China trip disaster back in 2016 which actually turned out to be one of the most fascinating trips I’ve ever taken, but I would be digressing in a major way.  A similar thing can be said for my vacation at Arte–the beginning of the resort stay started out in a very disappointing fashion, but by the end I was thoroughly enjoying myself in a luxurious and beautiful resort environment.

I really, REALLY wanted to vacation in a River Suite with diving platform at this resort.  In fact, it was one of my primary reasons for choosing Arte.  For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, these are rooms which are on the ground floor overlooking the river which winds through both Hotel Xcaret Arte and Hotel Xcaret Mexico.  River Suite rooms on the ground floor have a balcony from which guests can safely jump into the river below and a ladder which also allows balcony access to your room from the river.  However, there is no separate room category for this particular room type.  Vacationers are only left with the option of booking a standard River Suite, making your room request to the hotel, and hope for the best.

I had booked our stay through Booking.com and received a pretty good deal but had some trepidation about how I made my reservation.  This was a very expensive resort which only allowed me a stay of three nights given my travel budget even with a wholesaler discount.  I’ve had some disasters with wholesalers, and wasn’t exactly encouraged when Booking.com never answered any further questions about my trip once they gave my booking over to the Hotel Xcaret reservation system.

My travel party and I arrived by shuttle after our stay at Catalonia Royal Tulum (you can read that resort review here).  We were dropped off at the Group Check-In entrance (the area shown in most resort videos as being the initial greeting area for guests was at the entrance at the other end of the resort but apparently was not in use for this purpose at the time).  One thing I liked about both Xcaret resort properties was that you were immediately greeted by staff and had your reservation confirmed by them without getting in line at a desk or counter.   Once our reservation was initially verified we were handed off to another staff member who gave us iced popsicle treats (no initial drink, however) and gave us a mini-tour of the resort as he was taking us to our assigned Casa–we did not yet know which one that was, however.

Now I am going to digress because I think it’s important to understand some basics about how this resort operates.  Arte, in terms of accommodations, consists of the following types of guest rooms:  Garden, River, Ocean View, Oceanfront, Jr., Master, and Presidential.  Depending on which category you choose for your booking, there will be several different room categories available within each type of room.  For example, if you want to stay in a River Suite like I did, you will have to choose whether you want a standard River Suite, a River Spa Suite, or a River Adults Suite.  Once the resort has that information they will assign your travel party to a room in one of several Casas, or guest room buildings.  Each Casa has its own check-in area plus a theme with workshops specifically designed to address its theme–guests are invited to make reservations for Casa workshops.  Workshops typically only have room for 8-10 guests, but there are multiple ones scheduled–book them early if interested, they fill up quickly.  Keep in mind that some room categories can be found in several Casas, while others can only be found in one particular Casa–River Adults Suites can only be found in the age 18+ Casa de los Artistas, while standard River Suites can be found in several different Casas.  Hotel Xcaret Arte has the following guest room buildings, or Casas:

• Casa de los Artistas.  Oceanfront age 18+ only.  This is the most exclusive Casa at Arte with additional amenities like its own restaurant.  Its theme is art with workshops related to painting, drawing, and engraving.  This Casa has a rooftop pool which is only accessible to Artistas guests.
• Casa del Diseño.  Another Casa which is closest to the beach and main pool, some rooms have direct ocean views.   Its theme is design with workshops related to spinning, weaving, and fabrics.  This Casa has a rooftop pool which is accessible to all resort guests.
• Casa de la Pirámide.  This Casa has views of Xpiral which is the pyramid which separates Hotel Xcaret Mexico from Hotel Xcaret Arte.  Its theme is pottery and ceramics with workshops involving making and firing clay projects.  This Casa has a small beach which makes the river accessible, and it also has its own pool with a swim-up bar. It also has its own rooftop pool which is accessible to all resort guests.
• Casa de la Música.  This Casa is located towards the back of the resort; it has its own pool and swim-up bar along with a rooftop pool which has a DJ playing music which supposedly can be heard underwater (I never checked that out–there’s only so much one can find out about a large resort in only three days).  Its theme is music, and workshops revolve around learning different types of Latin dances.  This Casa is supposed to have small beach areas with river access, but again I didn’t personally check this out.  The large open-air theater is located at the back of this Casa.
• Casa de la Paz.  This Casa is located at the very back of the resort; it’s furthest away from the beach and the main pool.  It is the only Casa without its own rooftop pool, and there are no River Suite diving platform rooms whatsoever in this Casa.  Instead, the rooftop offers a vegan restaurant, plus it is outfitted for “aerial yoga”, whatever that is.  This Casa is dedicated to rest and relaxation and it is home to the spa; in fact, the main Casa elevator goes right down to the spa’s interior where the entrance desk is located.  Workshops include vegan cooking classes as well as aerial yoga classes.

While this all sounds complicated…well, I’ll be honest it was complicated.  Arte may work out better for vacationers who aren’t too particular in regards to final room location.  I didn’t find out which Casa we were in until we were eventually led to Casa de la Paz’ check-in–it was a very small room with a library of primarily Spanish speaking materials, but then again this Casa is dedicated to rest and relaxation and reading certainly comes under that category.

It was at actual check-in that I discovered that unfortunately I did not get my request of a diving platform room (I found out later that this Casa did not even have diving platform rooms, nor did it have its own rooftop pool which all other Casas have).  Needless to say I was underwhelmed and majorly disappointed, but before I could draw a breath to complain I was offered a complimentary room upgrade to a River Spa Suite.  River Spa Suites had something other River Suites did not–a steam shower plus a balcony soaking tub made out of volcanic rock.  Plus, guests of Casa de la Paz had complimentary once daily access to the spa’s hydrotherapy circuit, a real plus since all other resort guests have to pay for that amenity.  I decided to accept their offer since members of my travel party were more into spa services than I generally am, plus I assumed there were no available diving platform rooms left for the dates of my stay, so what the heck.  If you have been following my blog resort reviews or blog posts in general, you probably already know that, while hotels and wholesalers will disavow it, it has been my personal experience over the years that booking with wholesalers will most likely end up with something going wrong such as inferior room locations, overbooking problems, the resort is unable to find your reservation once you get there, or even non-payment to resorts which were booked and paid for through the wholesaler (that was my horror story regarding my stay at Secrets Akumal–they weren’t going to let me leave the resort until I either paid them–again, or resolved the issue with the wholesaler.  Ugghh.).  I will always wonder whether I could have gotten my requested room category if I had booked directly with the resort and paid a little more.  A reminder to me that cheaper is not necessarily better.

Just a note on the spa–my adult son took advantage of the free hydrotherapy circuit and had this to say about it:

• Pros:  Large hydrotherapy circuit area, easy to make a reservation–call on the room phone or show up to make an appointment, if you don’t have another spa service following your hydrotherapy circuit you can take longer than 60 minutes, free for Casa de la Paz guests, enjoyed the ice room, nice views once in the pool water, there are jets and loungers in the pool area, if you go late in the afternoon (around 6 p.m.) there are not many guests so you can have the place mostly to yourself.
• Cons:  Afternoon appointments are difficult to come by, staff may not come and guide you to your next hydrotherapy circuit option in a timely manner, not enough hydro-jets for anything other than the shoulder area, weak foot hydro-jets when present.

The River Spa Suite guest room was actually quite lovely, but then given my resort experience at Hotel Xcaret Mexico I was expecting it to be exactly what it was–a well-appointed room with beautiful hand-made Mexican wall art, exquisite hand-painted shower tiles, room for everyone to move around, and balcony hammocks with a great view.  The room did not disappoint and I began to think this might not be so bad after all.

Just a note on bathroom privacy since this has become a primary concern for many vacationers staying at resorts…while the large sink area and Jacuzzi tub were exposed to the rest of the room, there was a sliding door which closed off the shower, toilet, and closet areas.  The toilet also had its own door for extra privacy.  That means you can shower, use the toilet, and get dressed in complete privacy.  The only hiccup was the steam shower, you have to set the desired temperature and wait 10-15 min. for it to heat up, so plan in advance and expect a humid room afterwards.  Also, the toilet room at Hotel Xcaret Arte was the same as at Hotel Xcaret Mexico–push the button once you get into the toilet room for either having a view or having privacy; look at the pics below to see what I mean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A neat and clever idea.  I guess the view helps out those who tend to be claustrophobic or takes the place of reading material…If you want a view while taking a shower, just leave the sliding door open; the room layout is such that the opening above the sink allows both room and exterior views.

While the River Spa Suite was almost identical to the room I had at Hotel Xcaret Mexico, the resort layout at Arte made it more difficult to find what I was looking for in comparison to its sister resort.  Such things as finding the Encanta restaurant or making my way to the main pool from Casa de la Paz took some time to master with several initial requests of staff in how to get to my final destination.  Make no mistake, this is a large resort with 900 guest rooms and insufficient signage.  It’s a stunning looking all-inclusive with many luxury amenities, but definitely plan on staying for at least a week in order to become familiar with its layout and find all the hidden gems like the various food carts in different resort areas and the outstanding speakeasy nightclub which is tucked away at the back of the resort.  I found that the best way to deal with the resort layout while staying in Casa de la Paz was to take the elevator to the ground floor and move around via outdoor pathways rather than move from building to building.  While the suspension bridges and myriad of hallways will eventually get you from point A to Z, you can easily and quickly find unwanted points K or Q in between–in other words you may get lost from time to time if you travel from building to building solely within their interior spaces.

Here’s another reason for staying at least a week at Hotel Xcaret Arte–take advantage of their All-Fun Inclusive program! That means you get free transportation and admission to local parks as well as free tours to places like Chichén Itzá.  During my recent stay my travel party and I went to Xplor Park and spent the day ziplining, swimming in the park’s underground river, and driving their amphibious vehicles; I also went on their brand new All-Fun Inclusive addition, Veleo Catamaran 2-hr. cruise which left from Casa de la Playa’s marina (Casa de la Playa is the property adjacent to Arte)..  During my stay at Hotel Xcaret Mexico in 2018 I visited Xcaret Park twice, went to Chichén Itzá, Xenses Park, and Xoximilco all for free.  Some parks you don’t have to make a reservation for, but some you do along with tours.  I have already written a blog article about Arte’s “Wishlist” and how you make reservations for things to do at the resort as well as things to do away from the resort; you can read that article here.

Hotel Xcaret Arte had some awesome cuisine with top notch chefs running the restaurants.  There were 10 dining experiences and Encanta restaurant is even run by a Michelin star chef.  Since I only had three days at this resort, my opportunity to sample all the wonderful food here was limited.  Here’s a list of my dining experiences at Arte:

• Breakfast at Mercado de San Juan buffet.  Possibly the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever had at an all-inclusive resort.  I’ve already written a blog post about it, you can read it here.
• Dinner at Encanta.  A wonderful multi-course dinner with pre-selected items; you must have a reservation.  I’ve already written a blog post about it, you can read it here.
• Cantina VI.AI.PY.  This restaurant did not require reservations; its emphasis was on Oaxacan foods.  It was located on the same floor as the main “lobby” where guests enter upon arriving at the resort.  The food and service were excellent–try the melted cheese appetizer and the rib-eye tacos.  This restaurant turns into Latin dance central later on in the evening with a DJ and dancing; the Latin dancing is very popular so get there early to snag a seat at the front of the  restaurant near the entrance.
• Cayuco Restaurant.  This restaurant did not require reservations; its emphasis was on Mediterranean-Mexican foods and it was run by an Italian celebrity chef.  It was located next to the main pool–it was incredibly easy to find in comparison to some other restaurants.  The food and service were excellent–don’t miss the salmon carpaccio.

If you want to enjoy a meal in peace or just want to enjoy your balcony views, try Room Service.  You can order it via your room phone–I cannot remember if you could order it on the TV as well so check out that option.  My travel party and I took advantage of this amenity on our first afternoon since our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9:30 p.m.–the order came within 45 minutes of ordering and the food was excellent.  A lot more variety than just hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and pizza.  Even the dessert was delicious.

 Speaking of food, don’t miss the late night taco cart situated outside of the speakeasy nightclub entrance.  Guests rave about these tacos but the cart is at the back of the resort so you have to hunt to find both it and the nightclub entrance.

Using the taco cart as a segue, I must mention the Speakeasy El Deseo nightclub.  This is a must see at the resort, even if you don’t stay until the wee hours.  It was hidden at the back of the resort near the gym which meant it wasn’t far from our room in Casa de la Paz.  Don’t worry about finding the door to the nightclub during the evening hours, it was open with intermittent flashing red lights on the ceiling which led to the nightclub’s entrance.  During the day it would be very unlikely you could find the door, it was nondescript and went through a more industrial part of the resort meant primarily for staff.  A very trendy amenity since many cities, at least US cities, have their own speakeasy nightclubs formatted after prohibition bars hidden from the general public.  You have a choice to make here, the nightclub was not that large so seating was limited–if you want a seat you have to get there early.  I came on different nights at different times–I found a seat at 10 p.m. and even at 10:30 p.m., but if you come after 10:30 p.m. consider yourself lucky to find a chair at a table.  If you get there before 11 p.m. keep in mind that the light show doesn’t start until 11 p.m. when the place gets buzzing with dancing and revelry.  I’ve posted several video of the nightclub on my Instagram account (allinclusivegal), so look there if you want an extended view of what the nightclub atmosphere was like.

Hang in here with me, there are just a few more “must see and do’s” at this resort I feel I need to cover.  I can’t forget to mention the main pool with its super large swim-up bar, comfortable in-pool “sofas” and cushioned areas along with wonderful views.  The pool was shaped like a “T” with multiple loungers and shade umbrellas.  Towels were situated in carts which were located at various points poolside, you could take as many as you could find.  There were several sets of steps to enter the pool, one set was near the ornamental pond while the other was located on the far left of the beachfront section.  Smokers can find their designated place to do their thing at the beachfront section of the main pool by the set of steps into the pool on the left side.  There were brief periods in the late afternoons of some live poolside music, but no piped-in continual tunes were played.  Don’t expect a party atmosphere at this pool.  Just a note about the swim-up bar, don’t be shy about asking for your favorite top-shelf liquor even if you don’t see it displayed on the bar shelves.  As is common for many all-inclusive resorts, their best stuff is often hiding out of sight on shelves below the bar area or in the bar fridge.  I asked for Don Julio tequila and the bartender had to pull it off a hidden shelf.  FYI:  Just a note, try and avoid the older female bartender at the main pool swim-up bar, she wasn’t the friendliest and she wasn’t that familiar with what the bar had to offer that wasn’t already displayed.  I don’t appreciate having to argue with a bartender about a drink ingredient I just had 20 min. ago without the bartender checking to see if they had it…

While the main pool was easy to access, both the lagoon beach and the ocean beach were not so easy to access.  There was a set of stairs leading down to the ocean beach area from the nets over the lagoon, but it was blocked off during my stay.  The easiest way to reach the lagoon beach from the main pool area is to either take the stairs down to Arenal Restaurant on the south side of the main pool, or take the spiral walkway on the north side down to Arenal Restaurant.  I never did find the ocean beach access, I believe it may be over by Casa de los Artistas.  Just a note about the beach from what I have read, it’s a small ocean entry area and it’s rocky when you get in, so bring water shoes just in case.  Guests have to make a reservation to take out kayaks or paddleboards, you can do so by the lagoon grotto channel.  Taking out equipment is typically for 30 minutes; there are buoys to remind you where you can and cannot swim or take your equipment.

Here’s another don’t miss resort area–find the overwater nets and spend a relaxing time enjoying the view; if you get thirsty there is a makeshift bar right across from the nets.  These are first come first served, so just wait around a bit if they are all full.

Last reminders about Hotel Xcaret Arte:

• If you’re looking for an elevator, just look for the large sea shells which are lit up at night
• Don’t forget to stop at the thatched palapa roof space located on the same floor as the “lobby” to make your return shuttle transportation to the airport.  This is a complimentary service provided by the resort.  You must give the resort at least 24 hours prior to your flight to schedule your transportation.
• There are Mayan performers who walk through the resort in costume on some days and perform while native drums are played, they also travel through the resort’s lagoon.  Look for them Saturdays around 1 p.m.
• Another live musical performance occurs on the island across from Casa de la Paz in the late afternoons.  Some days it was the saxophone, other days it was the guitar.  We could hear them from our River Spa Suite balcony.
• The island had various walking paths and equipment for “circuit training”.  The waterslides were not in operation when we were there.
• For coffee addicts, there were TWO coffee bars.  The main one was adjacent to the Group Check-In area, and the second one was near Cantina VI.AI.PY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I’ve covered all the major amenities and my overall three day experience at Hotel Xcaret Arte.  If you are looking for even more information about this resort, there is an extremely thorough resort review from comiviajeros.com, I don’t think English is their primary language so some of their word choices may seem strange (the repeated use of the word “brutal”, for example), but the authors did an outstanding job of providing info as well as a resort map.

Would I go back to Hotel Xcaret Arte?  While it was gorgeous and had plenty to see and do on-site, I probably would stick to Hotel Xcaret Mexico if I were thinking of returning because of the ease of getting around that resort.  Arte was a bit convoluted in its resort layout, but if you’ve got enough time to spend roaming around and figuring out where everything is you can’t beat its overall amenities.

Take a moment or two and enjoy the photo gallery below–just click on any of the thumbnails to get a larger view of the picture; you can also click on the side arrows to take you from one picture to the next.

The comments in this review are those of the author/reviewer.  This trip was paid for in its entirety by the author; at no time were any monies or services exchanged for this review.

Location:  45 min. south of the Cancun airport

Telephone:  52-984-257-7200, USA 1-844-795-4525

email:  reservaciones@hotelxcaret.com