Occidental at Xcaret Destination - All Inclusive

Arrival - Booked an all inclusive with Thomas Cook (x10 nights) during Easter holidays (Apr ‘25) - 2 adults, 2 kids (8 & 12). Hassle free flight with BA from Gatwick, no issues at border control in Cancun (through very quickly), private hotel transfer with Nexus (excellent) c50 mins to Xcaret. Warm welcome at the hotel (very impressive entrance), offered drinks on arrival, given all the info we needed about the hotel/our stay. Minor environmental tax to pay based on # nights stay (c.£15 total) - paid in MXN Peso cash. Hotel - huge, so many pools, the beach, bars, restaurants and activities throughout the day. Highlights were the macaw parrots in the lobby, iguanas (who do get in the pool with you!), spider monkeys, a few snakes, deer and what looked like ring tailed lemurs - all living freely in the complex. Due to the time difference we were able to go down to the beach restaurant and watch the sun rise on the first few mornings which was a great start to the day. Extra bonus - nobody woke up early to reserve sun beds - most people didn’t come down to the pool until lunchtime. checkout is at 11am but we were able to pay extra to remain in the complex and use the pools and restaurants for about c.£35 total until we left for our flight late afternoon (there is a shared hospitality room for you to take a shower and get dressed before you leave if needed). The boys will also look after your luggage. It’s a lot more if you want to keep your room after checkout c.£50. Catering - Food and drinks a plenty, something for everyone and lots of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can book the additional restaurants via guest services up to 3 days in advance - we did the Mexican Hasenda, Oriental and Olivio’s Italian twice each - there is a dress code for men only of long trousers and closed toe shoes. We also did a mix of the main buffet restaurant, Paco Taco and the Pizzaria (no booking needed and no dress code). I’m vegan, my husband vegetarian - neither of us went hungry. All the staff at the food/drink outlets (and in general) were super friendly, chatty and kind. Xcaret - our Thomas cook package didn’t include free entry to the Xcaret park - we bought a single day ticket, (there is a travel shop on site to buy tickets). It’s pricey c.£320 (2 adults, 2 kids) for the basic package (if you have your own snorkels). You can go back to the hotel for lunch/dinner. You don’t need to buy a locker at Xcaret while doing the cave swim, you can put all your stuff in a free large duffle bag which they lock and transport to the cave exit for you. Bring water shoes for the cave swim as the rocks are sharp. Playa del carmen - we took a taxi to the town for a day trip which is worth a visit lots of tacky shops and restaurants. Cost c.£15 each way. Top tips: -MXN Peso is fine, you don’t need USD. We are from the UK - the exchange rate was better for local currency (we didn’t take any USD). -Bring your own snorkels (the ones in the hotel shop are expens

Poor service need more staff hotel needs to be cleaned daily rooms need to be cleaned daily. It was raining and there was puddles in the hallways. Nobody was cleaning it, and nobody was adding hazard cones.