Holiday Reviews > Caribbean > Mexico > Xcaret > Xcaret Hotels > Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret > Read Reviews
Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret ReviewsPage 1 2
| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomas Cook |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss N Pulleyn |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
As soon as my partner and I arrived at the Occidental, we were treated like royalty. We had two weeks of paradise!!
The rooms were spotlessly clean, towels and bed linen were changed daily, in the brochure it said that the mini bar would be topped up every other day, but for us it was topped up every day, which was impressive.
The hotel is Huge with golf type buggies which are chauffer driven... so if you don’t fancy walking you don’t have to!!! The A La Cart were amazing, you receive 4 per week then on the other nights you eat at the buffet which is still really good... loads of variety and all the food is fresh. We ate at the Mexican, Los Olivos(Mediterranean), seafood, steak house and seafood.... all of them were great but our favourite was the seafood restaurant as it looked over onto the ocean.... very romantic!!
The entertainment staff are such hard workers they must start at 10 in the morning and you still see them about at midnight, they are brilliant, every night there are shows that are on and there are some talented people in those shows, they did various shows all involving music and dancing which for us was some of the best entertainment I have seen abroad!!
There are all types of alcohol on offer and Mexicans seem to be not shy about how many shots they put in the cocktails!! Ha my partner loved it as it was corona on tap... Mexicans seemed shocked when we told them how much a bottle of corona costs in the UK, but it’s not surprising as they can buy about 8 for the same as we pay for one!
We did trips with our tour operator every one of them was great fun, first of all we went on the Captain Hook night this was great, two ships set sail at about 7ish with irate entertainment and a barbecue on board with lobster and steak, we got back about 10:30..great value for money!
We went on a Catamaran trip, this sailed for an hour with an hour to snorkel and then another hour to sail, now considering that it poured down with rain the whole trip we still had a lot of fun.. The staff on board were top. We also did a night out with the Thomas Cook reps... This night is for all ages and was my favourite trip of them all, I got very drunk and we had a whale of a time.
The last trip we did was swimming with dolphins.. If you have never done this before it is a must, it’s an experience of a lifetime.. What more can I say. I read the reviews on this website before I went away and everyone seems to say the same, but I really think the Occidental is the best holiday I have been on and I will definitely go all inclusive again.
A lot of Americans go here and they were very friendly and also very mental.... the exaggerate everything but my partner and I found them very amusing! Overall this was the holiday of a lifetime.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Select |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss C Keeler |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
The Hotel Was AMAZING!
Very Clean Very Big Very Friendly.
Not Many Teenagers AT ALL! Would Recommend More For Honeymooners. At The Time Of Year We Went There Was Only 40% Of The Hotel Full. Most People There Were Not English. Being There With Teenagers They Didnt Enjoy The Fact That Not Many Children Were There.
The Animal Park Next Door Was Also Amazing!
Night Time Entertainment Was Good Considering It Was DOne By The Pool Staff.
However During The Day We Did Find Ourselves Hiding From Poolstaff In The Day So We Werent Forced Into Any Activities.
The Beach Was Beautiful Too And Food Was Lovely. Was Very Humid And Hot At The Time We Went!
Overal Beautiful Place TO Go.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jul 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Relaxabroad.com |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr I Taylor |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
Travelled as a party of 2 adults and 2 children and it was our first time to Mexico.
Hotel is fantastic definitely worthy of its 5 * rating. We had 2 large king sized beds one for us and one for the kids and had plenty of room.
The bathroom was very nice with a huge shower. We were in the block near to the mini club and it was quite a walk to the restaurants but it wasn't a problem.
The place is quite big and can take a couple of days to find your way around. There are plenty of pools and one for adults only.
There isn't much of a beach just a small inlet but nice enough to go swimming and relax.
Food in the main buffet restaurant was very good lots of choice. We only used one of the a la carte restaurants during our 2 week stay as we enjoyed the buffet so much.
Staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble.
Take a trip to the Xcaret park next door you get one free admission. We swam with the dolphins fab fab!!!. Animation team were excellent and the kids club was great giving kids the option to stay all day if they want.
Worth every penny would def recommend. Booked flights and hotel separately. Flights first choice and hotel relaxabroad.com.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jun 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Jo30 |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
My sister had already been to this hotel and recommended it, so we went on her reviews. We upgraded with First Choice to Premiere and it was the best thing we could have done, extra room, great food and attention all the way there.
We arrived in Mexico to a massive storm, the rain was so heavy it was flooding everything! It took us ages to get to the hotel and some of the stops to other hotels seemed to be out of order and we backtracked several times. It took us one and a half hours to finally get there. When we did I was very impressed with the lobby. This was the only downside to the whole trip... quite a few of us arrived at the same time and the check-in staff were slow at best. After a 10 hour flight and the trip from the airport all we wanted to do was have a drink and change our clothes. We were initially greeted with a lovely glass of juice but then left stood there for 30 mins or more with empty glasses and feeling pretty impatient. When we finally checked in they had booked us close to the reception and near all the entertainment. We asked for somewhere quieter and they happily obliged. As I say, this was the only sticking point, they perhaps need to think of a better way to check people in at busy times.
Our room was in a block next to the Royal Club and opposite a pool. It was the perfect place in between all the restaurants and the beach. Our room was absolutely perfect. It was huge, the bed was massive and possibly the most comfortable one I have slept in on holiday. It was impeccably clean and the bathroom was great with a huge walk in shower. The TV was good and it was nice having the free drinks in the room.
The best bit by far from my point was the adults only pool (Sorry to all the parents out there). We had real peace and quiet there and the seawater pool was a great place to swim in, very cooling and great fun to swim with fish. We even had a turtle in it one day. The pool waiter was brilliant - as were all the staff there - and got to know our drinks and when we wanted them. We ate breakfast and lunch at the restaurant that overlooked the pool rather than the usual buffet. The atmosphere there was great and the views were wonderful.
I had no problems with any of the food and the al a carte restaurants were all good, the seafood one was gorgeous and we watched the moon rise over Cozumel which was very romantic.
The only downside to the hotel was the exhibition centre, on a couple of days the place was packed and very noisy. Us Brits are quite reserved and sometimes the Americans can be a little overwhelming.
Definitely go and visit Xcaret, I really enjoyed it, but go early in the morning as it gets really hot. And do go and see the evening show, yes it is all in Mexican but visually fantastic. We booked a meal and got great seats. It does get really hot in there so wear appropriate clothing and take lots of water.
A trip to a Myan village is a must and we went to Coba and climbed the pyramid, it's a lot smaller than Chichen Itza and a lot closer, but I still couldn't walk for two days!
Playa Del Carmen does have a lovely beach and as other people have said, only $10 by taxi to get to. If you like good nightlife then this is a place to go.
I really enjoyed my stay at the Occidental. I especially have to recommend the First Choice rep Nick, he went over and above the call of duty for all his holiday makers and he was a credit to the company. For somewhere family or couple orientated that is good value for money, you can't go wrong.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs N Dewhurst |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This was the first time we had been to Mexico, but not wanting to stay in the hustle and bustle of Cancun we chose to stay in the quieter area of Xcaret.
What a perfect choice we made, this hotel has definitely got the WOW factor.
A fantastic choice of restaurants and bars to choose from, from the pool bars through to the a la carte the quality and service was second to none.
The hotel is in perfect location right next to the Xcaret eco park just 5 minutes walk away.(Definitely worth a visit, and stay for the evening show).
With 3 pools and a small but fantastic beach there was more than enough room to find your own space.
In a nutshell a brilliant holiday in a 1st class hotel 10 out of 10. Cannot think of any negatives to include because there were none.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Apr 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Kuoni |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs L Saunders |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
Just got back yesterday from this resort. Hotel is wonderful!
Very clean, and very well maintained. Grounds are immaculate. Rooms are good, and are cleaned thoroughly every day. There is also a mini bar in each room with chilled water, soft drinks and beer should you want it.
We holiday quite a few times a year, and have often frequented all inclusive resorts, and we can say that the food at this resort was excellent. Very clean restaurants. Food all very fresh, and great choice.
Should be something for everyone. Apart from the buffet, there are also themed restaurants - we loved the Seafood one, which is on the seafront...very romantic!
Note: Do make sure to book all of your themed restaurants as soon as you arrive though as these can get booked up very quickly.
Hotel is very large, so be prepared for some walking, however the grounds are lovely, and you will see all kinds of wildlife and flora ...which is fabulous. (This is a positive!)
No downsides at all to this resort, other than we happened to pick the Easter holiday week, so the place was full of teenagers and children so was quite noisy.
We did however manage to find the "quiet" pool near blocks 15 and 16, which was great... much more what we were looking for.
(If you do have children, there are a couple of larger pools too which are excellent for them, as there are loads of club activities for them to enjoy)
Hotel has got a small beach, with lovely clear water for snorkelling. If you are looking for a traditional long, white sandy beach, I would recommend nipping to Playa del Carmen in a taxi, as this had a fab beach, with "Ibiza" type lounge bars all along it.
Playa Del Carmen and 5th Avenue the shopping area are only a $10 taxi ride away, so will make a fun day out, or afternoon. Nightlife is also good there.
The Xcaret Park Next Door is good fun, but be prepared to walk a lot as, whilst it is not a huge place, it seems to be built so that you have to walk loads, for example; the Paradise River has a 20 minute walk to get to it!!!
I thought I would mention about the Dolphin Discovery we did. It cost us about $139 pp. Have to say that it was really wonderful to swim with dolphins...something I had always wanted to do... but thought it was all too commercialised i.e.: 8 people in, 8 people out, 8 in, 8 out etc. (A bit like a conveyor belt. )
I also felt that the seal enclosure was very small... as was the one for the manatees, which I didn’t like to see. I also didn’t think that the dolphin water or environment was particularly great, as it was in a marina type area, but see what you think...perhaps I was expecting too much?
After talking to other people about their dolphin experiences i.e.: the Xcaret one, or Delphinus, it seems to be very much the same story. Small areas, with lots of people in and out. Maybe another country would be better for this? Just not what I expected.
I thought it would have been a bit more natural than it was.
Anyway, regarding the hotel, I hope my feedback helps you. It’s a really great hotel. Staff are wonderful, and I would really recommend it.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Mar 2007 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Thomson |
| Submitted
By: |
Miss R Nicholas |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This resort is amazing!
It's tailored to American holiday makers, which means that the standards of cleanliness are much higher and the food is much better than at most resorts in Europe for comparable prices.
We got a last minute deal, all inclusive, and I have never had a cheaper holiday.
All we spent was on tips (as its American orientated it's a dollar a drink, a dollar a bag etc), and I swear my husband easily ate the cost of the holiday at the buffets.
The food is really healthy; there is a great gym and Pilates by the beach in the morning.
I was really not into all inclusive, but this has changed my mind completely and I will definitely come back.
The Eco park next door is great too, I did swimming with dolphins and a sea trek, which were both great. You have to go!
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Nov 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Nolitours |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs L A Hutchinson |
| Overall
Rating: |
9/10 |
| Comments: |
We just got back from this great resort. We arrived on Nov 5/06 and stayed for 1 week. We can't say enough about this place! The staff, restaurants, grounds, rooms, were all to top rate. We have been to Mexico 10 times over the last 6 years and by far this is the best resort overall. It is so big!
We did not even find the quiet pool until our 3rd day! The have pool floatees for you to use and lots of fun activities. There is always something happening. The restaurants were top notch. If they did not have something you wanted they went out of their way to get it for you. The nightly shows were the same as other resorts but better! I am still mystified as how the magician did what he did.
The food was very good, and plentiful!!! The pools and grounds were very clean. The rooms were not special but clean and comfortable. I thought the bed and linens were very good but my husband thought the bed was too hard.
The park next door was great!!! Do not miss it. It is included with your package (at least it was for us) the show at 6 pm was great. The staff was nice and they went out of their way to get your drinks in a hurry. Sports were abundant and fun.
I will go back to this resort with no question. It is very big so don't get lost.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Oct 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
MyTravel |
| Submitted
By: |
momoth126 |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This was a fantastic holiday and fantastic hotel the reviews say it all, have been to Mexico three times now and stayed at Riu Tequilla, didn’t think it could get any better but this was, definitely.
Just be careful when booking trips with the reps as they don’t tell you it can take up to two and a half hours to pick up from other hotels and you are still only about six miles from your hotel.
That was the only downside to the holiday and not by any means the fault of the hotel, once again fantastic.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Sep 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
MyTravel |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr SR Spargo |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This place is amazing. We loved it, and were not disappointed. Loads of bars and restaurants. Quality of food great, staff friendly. Best Restaurant is the Pescador (seafood) overlooking the sea. Book early for this.
The Mexican restaurant isn't great (not worth booking). The food is much the same as that in the Taco place next to it. Free entry to Xcaret park next door. Recommend this and the swim with the dolphins. Also the 45 min swim thru the underground stream is great (and refreshing from the hot sun).
Did not think much to the Xcaret park evening show. Starts at 7pm each night, but is long, and I thought quite boring. Take lots of Sun screen, it’s very hot here, and it’s easy to burn. Also take bug repellent, as lots of mosquitoes outside at night (you're on the edge of the jungle).
Overall an amazing place, that I would definitely go back to. My wife and I can't recommend it enough. A day trip to Chichen itza is well worth doing too.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Aug 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs L J Hackett |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
We visited this hotel for our Honeymoon. This hotel is fantastic! We arrived to a grand reception area, and a lobby with a huge fountain and a river, which we found out you can get a little gondola ride to Xcaret Park which is next door to the hotel (however you can walk - 2mins) if you want. You get 1 x free pass per staying guest to Xcaret Park, which is well worth taking advantage off.
The Hotel rooms are clean, spacious, clean towels and sheets everyday. There are some English speaking channels on the TV, for news updates etc, (but your on holiday so why would you need the TV??). The Air Con is brilliant too! The bathroom was a good size ( i know from some review sites the Americans said they are small!) they are not and the power shower is lush!
There are many pools, the large pool with the Swim up bar is loud, with games etc going on, which we didn’t use, however all the pools were great! We were in Block 15 and the pool there had a great Pool side bar and free lilos and rubber rings so that you can float and totally relax whilst around the pools , and very quiet and relaxed . The Staff are amazing, if you show that you are trying to speak Spanish they absolutely love it, (the Mexicans are very patriotic!) and very nice people.
We are 25 and 27 and were happy with the different age groups and nationalities in the hotel, Expect Americans as it is only 4 hours flight for them! But they stick to the Americans like we English stick together.
We stayed 2 weeks and got 8 I think? Reservations for the specialty restaurants, we hardly used them, as the food was fantastic in The Buffet! I have never seen an All Inclusive that caters for everyone. I am a very fussy eater and I ate every day with no problems at all.
However we do recommend the Sea food restaurant! I however do not eat sea food, but there was Surf and Turf, and if you ask they will try to cater for you best they can, so i asked for steak and fries, with no shrimps, and it was excellent, and my husband had salmon, which he thoroughly enjoyed! The puddings were even better!!
We tried booking this again but it gets booked up so quickly! as the setting is amazing over looking the Caribbean sea!
Every holiday that we have been on one of us has had or heard of upset stomachs - this was not heard of in this hotel, the food was piping hot. Also do take plasters etc as the medical bits and bobs are expensive in the hotel and you can’t get everything that you want! So best to take with you!
All the other specialties are nice, but if you like variety the Buffet is for you! You can also eat in the beach restaurant for breakfast and lunch too which is very relaxing again overlooking the turquoise sea!
The beach is man made and in a cove, so if you like walks along the beach at night... you cant do this! But there is so much to do, that didn’t worry us at all.
The weather was great, in August being hurricane season, we did get showers which can last up to about 4 hours and sometimes all evening, but it stays warm, and they are used to it, and keep the floors continually mopped and as dry as they can for you!
I have never been to a hotel where the grounds the staff absolutely every thing was spotless, to even a man at the beach sweeping sand off the beds, so they were clean every time you went from the sea to your sun bed!
I cannot recommend this hotel any more than I have written! It is Fantastic, and caters for all ages, there’s even a little bus that takes you around the hotel to the beach so that it saves you walking!
The workers are on no more than $6 a day which is about £4.00!!! so tipping when you feel necessary is greatly appreciated by them! We tipped when they made an effort!
Great pool bar workers! They love learning new English words! And so friendly!
Had a great honeymoon and will be returning next year taking our family with us! This hotel is for everyone!
First Choice are great we upgraded our seats! And with that your luggage is last on and first off in Mexico and when you get back to Gatwick! Well worth the money - just for that! We did a trip to The Cober Mayan village - being the furthest hotel away, we spent 3 hours picking everyone up! Which we were not told about! Not happy and the trip was a waste of time! The pyramids are ok, but nothing to rave about! We also swam with the Dolphins, manatees and sea lions in Puerto Aventuras! Well worth the extra to swim with the manatees! They look disgusting! but were better than the dolphins! Great Trip! But do be careful as we couldn’t decide on the pictures and DVDs we wanted so we got 12 photos and 2 x DVD’s for $180 which is about £110! But hey you'll never do it again! That is the only thing - you have to remember to take extra cash for these! Playa del Carmen - we didn’t visit as the shops in the hotel were competitively priced! And other guests that we spoke to said that 5th Avenue, isn’t much to talk about!
Great place, great people! The best Honeymoon I could ask for!
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Jul 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs N HIGGINS |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
Fantastic, amazing,luxury. We went to this wonderful place to get married, we were a party of ten people, my husband and I were treated like king and queen, nothing was to much trouble for the staff all of our wedding plans were arranged for us for when we got there, we had the dream wedding in paradise, it was absolutley amazing. We had two blissful weeks there and will be going back a.s.a.p but this time for longer.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr B Scowcroft |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
We have read previous reviews about this hotel and found them to be completely untrue. People have said that they wouldn't go back to this hotel but why not?
The hotel is just like a massive theme park with wild life sanctuaries in and around and also an ecological park that is also within the compound.
The food is 5 star quality, in 2004 we went to the Dominican Republic and thought that it can't get any better than that, but this hotel is absolute paradise!
We are here on our honeymoon and we cannot fault anything at all, the staff go out of their way to help you without any ulterior motive. Everyone is so friendly and we feel that a visit to this hotel in the future will definitely happen!
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
May 2006 |
| Tour
Operator: |
Booked Independently |
| Submitted
By: |
Mr A Stead |
| Overall
Rating: |
10/10 |
| Comments: |
This was our first visit to Mexico. Having stayed at other occidentals in the Caribbean we thought we had a good idea as to what we could expect. How wrong we were. The others have been good, very good. This however was a class above. On arrival you can not fail to be impressed with the place, from the lake in the lounge to big to call a pond) to the well maintained grounds, and the food.
The food was outstanding, with excellent specialty restaurants (the oriental being our favourite), staff excellent, even with the place over booked not once did we have to wait at a bar for more than a couple of minutes to be served. The hotel was kept spotless by an army of friendly staff. An entertaining show every night, daytime activities for the kids and adults who want to joining in.
Being next door to the eco-park what a good idea to give every guest a free day pass, this is well worth a visit.
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| Board Basis: |
All Inclusive |
| Date of
Holiday: |
Sep 2005 |
| Tour
Operator: |
First Choice |
| Submitted
By: |
Mrs J Perry |
| Overall
Rating: |
8/10 |
| Comments: |
Amazing holiday! Hotel was clean and tidy at all times. Staff very helpful and friendly. The food in the main restaurant changed every night on themes, although there were the standard pasta, chips, and salad every night for the unadventurous.
The food in the beach bar was lovely, and just what you needed after a busy morning sunbathing.
The beach is small and man-made, but clean, quiet and tidy. If walks along the beach is your thing on holiday, then this may not be for you.
The pools are great, but noisy. If you want a quiet day, go to the beach. If a bit of noise and water games don't bother you, then the pools are fine.
The Xcaret park next door is great for a day (or 2) out of the hotel and Cancun is a short trek in a taxi. Cancun is worth a visit, but do the excursions if you want to go in for a few nights out of the resort. They will take you to the better drinking holes that you may not find if you are on your own.
The rooms are clean and tidy and for the amount of time you spend in them, they are fine.
Would recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of going to Mexico.
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