Occidental Grand Xcaret, Mexico, Darrell and Brenda, Halifax, NS

My husband and I have just returned from at the Occidental Grand Xcaret (OGX), Apr 3 – 10, 2011. Would we go back to the OGX? Yes we would. This was our 6th visit to MX, we have also been to Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

We flew out of Halifax direct to Cancun with Sunquest Vacations, Thomas Cook Canada airplane. Both flights arrived early. Flights were pretty good, we did have a few minutes of turbulence each way. On the way to Cancun we were given champaign w/orange juice and a meal. Mine was a pasta casserole (meatless) with cabbage coleslaw and a roll . They also passed out warm cookies. On return, the meal was chicken served on rice with a brown gravy and mushroom sauce, cabbage coleslaw and a roll, again warm cookies followed. They also offered a complimentary glass of wine.

We arrived in Cancun around 9:30 local time. A plane had just landed before us at Cancun so the arrivals area was pretty busy. There was some kind of mix-up at immigration. Some of the group was directed to go to check-in counters a little further down than the first group. However, no one ever came to open the counters. Those people finally filtered back into the original group. Even with that mix-up, we still managed to clear the airport and be on our way in less than an hour.

We arrived at the OGX at midnight, we only dropped people off at one resort before ours. Check in was quick and we found the front desk staff to be very friendly and professional. We were given our bracelets and towel cards. The keypad safe is included with the package. Room keys are electronic credit card type. The bellboy delivered our luggage within a few minutes of us finding our room. My daughter and her fiancé had arrived in the afternoon and were planning to meet us in the lobby. They were told that we would not arrive at the resort until 1:30 so they decided to go have a nap. The front desk gave me the room number and I phoned them from our room, they came and collected us and we went for a short drink. There is a bar open until 2 am that also serves some food.

I had emailed the resort about a week before our vacation to request 2nd floor rooms in Bldg 20 or 16, away from the evening noise. I informed them that we were two couples arriving from different departure airports. One couple arriving in the afternoon, the other arriving in the late evening. I had requested rooms in the same building or bldgs close by each other. We were given room 22112 in bldg #22 ground floor with patio and a forest view. One afternoon we were visited by a very inquisitive Coatimundi and about 15 minutes later there was a deer feeding outside our room. The room was large and well kept. We had two double beds. The mattress seemed to be pretty new and it was very comfortable. The room was clean, no mold, no bugs, no bad smells, no worries, plenty of hot water and the shower pressure was perfect. There is an in room safe in the large closet, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, terry house coats, umbrella, phone, table with one chair and one table between the beds. The armoire had two drawers and also housed a flat TV and a mini fridge stocked with two beer, two soda and four water. The mini fridge was restocked every other day, not always 2, 2 and 4. There was also a long desk and coffee maker. The alarm clock worked fine. The A/C worked great, almost too good. We ended up turning it down it was so cold one night. We did not need our converter for the plugs. There are several English TV channels, including movies. My daughter was given room 20218, 2nd floor room in bldg 20. The bldgs were close to each other, separated by a pool. They had a king size bed and balcony with jungle view also. Both rooms were fine. Our buildings were pretty central. About 5 minutes to the lobby and maybe 3 to 5 to the beach Three pools within a minutes walk.

As for weather, the days were simply gorgeous. We had not one drop of water all week and some days didn’t even have a cloud. The temps were between 28 – 31. Make sure you bring sunscreen, I saw a lot of sunburned people.

The actual lagoon beach is a good size and is sufficient unless you like the mile long type beaches. We didn’t have any problem finding chairs at the beach. If you want shade, make sure you get there early. There were still spaces available around 9:30 or so. There are lots of loungers placed on three or four terraced levels. You can enter the water pretty easily, and is great for children. I would classify the snorkeling in the lagoon as snorkeling for beginners. There are a couple of good size schools of fish. There are no corals. There is one sand whale that didn’t seem to bother anyone. Lots of people were sitting on it. If a person likes to walk, there should be no problem at this resort, you can log miles. There are jungle trails and lots of walking on the resort if you want to do it. There is also a shuttle that runs every 10 minutes or so. I did not see any water sports at the lagoon. We bring our own snorkeling equipment. There were tubes you could sign out at the pools. Towel huts were by the pools and beach. There is a dive shop on site.

There are four pools in the main resort. The three pools on the side of the resort we were on were plenty big. One was an activity pool, one had a net for volley ball and the third had a basketball hoop (I think), this pool had a swim up bar with snack bar above it. The pool with the volley ball net also had a bar. I don’t know if the activity pool had a bar. The fourth pool was over by Bldg 16 and was referred to as the “quiet pool”. It has some sun beds that had curtains. I didn’t spend any time at that pool so I cannot comment on pool activities. A couple of the pools have whirlpools in them. The adult salt water pool was by the ocean in front of the beach buffet. Not sure if anyone swam in it. It had green stuff growing on the sides like you would see in the ocean on rocks. There was another pool in the Royal Section that was only for those guests. Finding shade around the pools was a little trickier depending on the time of day. Most days we had no problems. Once or twice we just dragged chairs.

There was a board posted by the Tennis Court that highlighted the day’s activities. We did not take part so I cannot comment. There was a putting green at the end of Bldg 22, Archery next to the tennis court which was by Bdlg 18.

Nightly entertainment – I get up early in the morning so I am usually gone back to the room long before the entertainment starts. Every evening around 6pm there was a Mayan Ceremony in the canal and lower lobby pool.

There are several bars at the OGX, the lobby bar is located in the lower lobby, go straight to the back (towards the forest) and go down the stairs. The sports bar is located in the entertainment/main buffet area. Entertainment area bar beside the buffet in front of the entertainment stage. Beach bar and beach buffet bar. Swim up bar by one of the pools, another pool had a free standing bar. I can’t comment on the other two pools, but they probably had bars also. Bar shots, beer, frothy, blender drinks. Some drinks were better than others. Try them all and then you can pick your favorite. : )

We ate at the main buffet, beach buffet, Pacos Tacos, pool snack bar, Steakhouse and Italian Restaurant. We had no problem finding food. Breakfast was great, lots to choose from. Bacon, sausages, egg station, pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, etc etc. Lunch was good also. There was always something in chicken, pork and fish, vegetables, rice, salads, no shortage of fresh fruit, deserts, breads and rolls. Hot dogs and hamburgers were at the beach buffet and I think some days they had them at the main buffet also. Supper – We did get tired of the buffet meals at supper time. We went to two restaurants and they were both great. If we go back to the OGX we will take advantage of the four restaurants. Pacos Tacos switched it’s menu every other night. One night pizza and sandwiches the next night more Mexican type food. It was good, not an extensive menu, a few choices.

They had computers (fee) in the lobby and in the business office on the lower level of the lobby. $5 for 30 minutes. There are lots of shops and a couple of tour desks (purchase tours) in the lobby. If you want to take advantage of the discounted entrance to Xcaret Park $55 when we were there, pay for your tickets at reception. Take your receipt to the Xcaret sales office (open at 9 am) and they will give you your bracelet. Once you have your bracelet, follow the canal to the park. The park opens at 9:30 am. We got a copy of the park map ahead of time and we planned our route. Keep in mind that the big cats will be sleeping in the heat of the day. If you want to see them moving about, get there early or go later in the afternoon. Save the river for when you get hot after walking around for a few hours. Lots to do and see at this park. We spent a few hours in the morning, came back to the resort in the afternoon and returned for the evening show.

Wildlife – there is a deer enclosure beside Bldg 21. There are four deer living there. The Coatimundi visit this enclosure quite often to eat the feed the deer leave behind. When the Coatimundi leave, some very pretty blue birds go in for the final crumbs. There are also deer wandering around the resort. Somewhere in the jungle there is supposed to be a monkey cage (we didn’t get around to finding that). There are also Monkeys in the trees. One day by the pool there was a huge crashing noise. It was a monkey jumping from one tree to another. Scarlet Macaws are perched in the lobby daily for your viewing pleasure. I think there may be about 4 or 5 pairs of them. Iguanas are everywhere. Geckos, colorful birds and Agoutis a large rodent type of animal about as big as a cat that has no tail, it was timid.

Overall, we had a great vacation. The OGX is a great place. We personally had a great vacation and we have no complaints about the resort. We would go back if the opportunity presents itself and we would have no problem recommending this resort to family and friends.