Last April we spent a long weekend at XCaret Arte, an all-inclusive resort in Mexico to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. This resort had come highly recommended, and after visiting it’s easy to see why.
What is Hotel XCaret Arte?
Hotel XCaret Arte is located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. To get there from Houston, we flew into the Cancun airport and took about an hour drive to the resort. We booked through Costco and the travel to and from the airport was included.
The hotel is an adults-only, all-inclusive resort that pays homage to the best Mexican artists (hence the arte in the name). It is part of a group that also owns Hotel Xcaret Mexico (the family friendly sister resort) and La Casa De La Playa, as well as several theme parks that are included for guests. The great thing about staying at Arte or Mexico is you have access to the sister resort during your stay, including the restaurants and most amenities. La Casa De La Playa is the highest end resort, and we were not able to visit that one without staying there. I’ve heard its very nice though!
XCarte Arte Day 1: Travel Day
This was our travel day. We stayed in a river suite in Casa De Artistas, and it was so lovely! The hammock on the balcony is my favorite part. You can my room tour in the post below!
Pro tip: Make sure you are in touch with the resort BEFORE you arrive to book dinner reservations and any other excursions/classes/etc. We booked through Costco and didn’t realize this was necessary. I think they reach out to most guests, but somehow we were overlooked. This lack of communication made our first day a little more challenging as we were trying to get things booked for our stay. Additionally, making reservations things before you arrive will allow you to get priority on when and where you want to eat each day/evening. There are lots of restaurants to choose from!
We LOVED the rooftop pool at Casa De Artistas. This pool was exclusive for those who were staying in our building, so it was never crowded. It had a beautiful infinity pool, a great food and drink menu and top notch service. We visited every day, and they kept our bellies full of aguachile (a Mexican seafood dish of raw fish or shrimp marinated in a spicy, green chile water) and watermelon margaritas!
XCarte Arte Day 2: Relaxing Spa Day
This was our first full day. We started our morning at Mercado de San Juan, which is their HUGE brunch buffet. I am not usually the biggest buffet fan, but let me tell you – this was incredible! They had lots of authentic Mexican options and plenty of the American classics too, any mimosa or cocktail you could want, tons of fresh fruit and freshly squeezed juices, Mexican sweet bread, and a huge spread of the most beautiful desserts. There was something for everybody! We ended up going to Mercado de San Juan every morning of our stay.
The highlight for me, maybe of the whole trip, was Muluk Spa. Most of the spa is set in caves, including the room we got our massages in 🤩 It is absolutely gorgeous, and our couples massage was divine.
I definitely recommend getting to the spa at least an hour and a half early so you can move through the hydrotherapy rooms (steam room, sauna, different pools and hot tubs) and then also enjoy the beautiful pool. I recommend going after a big breakfast, because other than tea and a few small snacks, there are not any food options at the spa. You don’t want to have to leave because you got hungry!
We spent the afternoon at our rooftop pool and then for dinner we went to Encanta, an authentic Mexican food restaurant. They served a tasting menu, which I always love. It included small portions of creative courses with unique presentation. We added on a wine pairing (this was not included in the all-inclusive rate). We sat on the patio, which overlooks a stage for live music and a water fountain light show!
After dinner we went to Cantina VI.AI.PY for more drinks and a little dancing! You can see more of Day 2 below:
XCaret Arte Day 3: Adventure Day
Marcus and I love to relax on vacation, but Xcaret offers so many unique adventure parks, we had to get in on the fun. When you stay at Xcaret resorts they have theme parks you can go to for FREE! They have some similarities to theme parks in the US, but were overall less cheesy and more appealing to adults. There were some small children there at the parks we visited, but I’d really say these are for 10 years old and up if you want everyone to have a great time. You lock up your phone in lockers at these parks, so. I wasn’t able to capture much content. If you want to keep your phone with you I recommend a waterproof case on a lanyard.
We chose Xenses and Xplor, spending a half day at each. Both were water parks, so I would definitely recommend wearing swimsuits, water shoes (old school, sock-like water shoes that won’t fall off your feet), and bringing a dry change of clothes.
Xenses Park
I’ve never been to such a place unique as Xenses. The idea is they are playing with your senses with a bunch of different mini attractions. So many head-scratching moments! Our favorite was the sideways town and the “fly like a bird” zip line you ride on your stomach. This is a place you kind of have to see for yourself!
If you have a really weak stomach or inner ear, this might not be for you. But I really think most people wouldl enjoy it! See a neat YouTube video on Xenses part here.
Xplor Park
Xplor a water park built into real caves. It’s beautiful! There are different adventures like zip lines, atvs, slides, rafts, etc. We did the zip lines and the underground expedition. There is a buffet that is included with entry to this park, which we appreciated. It’s nothing fancy, but it was nice to not have to carry money around or have an additional expense.
Being at this park without our kids kind of made me feel like Marcus and I were getting to be kids together. Highly recommend doing something like that with your spouse 💗
Pro tip: I would wear a fairly conservative swim suit. I had on a one piece, but wish I had brought swim shorts and a rash guard. Or possibly have just worn a swim dress. You are being pretty active/going down slides/spending some time waiting in outdoor lines in direct sunlight. I would have been more comfortable in a little bit more clothing. I’d also recommend wearing your hair up or in a braid. You will most likely be getting your hair wet.
There are free buses that run from the Xcaret resorts to the Xcaret parks, so you don’t have to worry about transportation. It’s all very well organized – we were impressed!
We finished the day with some beach time and our favorite meal of the trip at Fuego at the Hotel XCaret Mexico resort. This was such a fun day together!
You can see more of our adventure day below:
XCaret Arte Arte Day 4: Rooftop Pool Day
On this final day, we wanted to just relax and enjoy the resort. We opted for the amazing breakfast buffet one last time.
We went up to see the Capilla de Todos los Ángeles (All Angels Chapel), located on the highest point of the Xpiral Pyramid. Catholic mass is held every Sunday, and all guests are welcome to attend. They also host weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies there.
There is a river that runs through the entire property. You are able to swim, kayak and stand up paddle board in it at your leisure during the day. This is an included amenity that we really enjoyed.
After more rooftop pool time, we enjoyed dinner at Las Cuevas (Spanish for caves) at the @hotelxcaretmexico resort right next door. I recommend making a reservation for this one even before you arrive at the hotel. I would call 3-4 weeks in advance and make all your dinner reservations if you think you’ll be particular on dates and times.
We loved our time at Xcaret Arte and would absolutely return!
For more travel posts- check out my review of our Disney Wish cruise or for my local Texas friends- my guide to staying at Cinnamon Shore in Port Aransas.
