Oh and take time to go up to top pyramid chapel. Breathtaking!

You have breakfast where they collect your info, then you walk around the resort, and finally they end at the chapel where they try to give you all the numbers.

We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas morning mass at the chapel at the top of the Xpiral.

When I was done with brunch I was rolled back to the chapel where Daniel again picked me back up.

We did have access to Xcaret Mexico, which made for great walking adventures as well as going up to see the view from the Chapel.

but ended up experiencing a visit to a mass production, industrial complex that herded vacationers through a well engineered but rigid process.

It was like spending a week inside an art gallery, with magnificent views, luxurious pools and natural beaches.

We had fun with the pottery, painting and weaving classes offered onsite and brought home our creations to serve as special reminders of our awesome vacation.

There are cozy, romantic places to relax all over, and the activities are endless.

Absolutely love Xcaret The staff is incredibly welcoming, the amenities were top-notch, and the picturesque surroundings made it a true paradise.

We went to Cantina for a post dinner drink one night and it had a good atmosphere and plenty of drink options.

The adult-only hotel, art classes, food, and access to all parks was well worth it!

Price was less than we would have spent at the resort spa, and the atmosphere was much better (well if you like to hear the ocean waves and feel the ocean breeze).

We just came back from Xcaret ARTE, we just can’t get enough of this place,  everything is amazing starting with  very comfortable rooms,  perfectly kept grounds, very unique restaurants  ( I love their decor ) and specially the amazing and friendly staff,  our

Best vegan I have tasted

Daniel & Cristian really got out of their way to recommend & explain the menu

The view and the ambiance delightfully

There is hand washing ceremony that is too cool

The event was so festive, beautifully decorated with vibrant colors, delicious food stands, many games to play and the best way to describe it is as if we were in the movie, 'Coco.'

From start to finish, everything was exquisite.

The resort  uses state of the art technologically while blending organically  with the lush, natural surroundings.

The hotel is just beautiful very tastefully decorated with lots of very interesting features and displays.

Room was clean, bed was cozy, and overall suite was spacious and felt glamorous!

Beautiful property and artwork throughout.

* We did a watercolours painting workshop which was so much fun.

From the food, do the decor, to the staff, and all the exciting things to do we cannot wait to come back.

The activities, super dining and beautiful design are top notch.

I send several emails made plenty of calls and I never got a clear answer about my honey moon photos, not even a “no you won’t get”, they took my data many times by phone,

I almost ruined my trip because I lost my husband’s phone. But!!!

First, the room service menu is not readily available, you have to call the concierge and they will hand deliver a QR code 1 hour after you call.

(Reservation)

2> Cayuco-  Octopus rings,  wouldn't order this again.

We are here now- we got a phone call two days ago that one of our 2 rooms was booked in arte and the other on the mexico side.

I had to call to get the sprites I requested.

The staffer said she couldn't contact them and then proceeded to call the staffer (Erick) right in front of me.

Also the pictures are not working at any of the parks, maintenance or something, that’s a bummer, because we hardly have any pictures from the parks, since we left the phones at the hotel, no one advised us, the photos wouldn’t work until further notice, they just said maybe until the end of the day.

Photo opportunity all over the grounds, beach, pool, and river you dont have to carry a camera or your phone

Had to call in front desk to get refills which was annoying.

The two maintenance guys also got into a huge shouting match with each other outside our door to the point where we had to call reception.

Then 10 to 15 minutes later our waiter was asking the guests around us for last call.

After paying our $700 deposit they call us to tell us our discount is no longer any good since we already did their membership tour and declined it… 
They punished us for THEIR mistake.

And i can't do it until a month out and then when I call there are only late times available.

- The mini fridge was only stocked one day out of six, I had to call and request that it would be refilled almost daily.

I then go to their room and call for a Manager to come to the room.

And if that still isn't enough, the buildings have smaller coves, as I call them, with a bar and beach area that lends access to a river you are able to float through around the property.

The little water proof phone holders were snapping off for people.

hydrotherapy sessions must be made the day off - call early the day of to book

- picture taking stations (Xelfie) either didn't work OR amount of guests waiting to use them (especially when doing multiple poses with no regard to the others waiting) was frustrating.

this should be able to be done via email or phone.

I was also unable to obtain an invoice that broke out the taxes and fees from the total reservation cost when booking with the hotel directly  - so I could not get a price match.

Definitely does not worth the price they are asking.

By the way, we paid full price for a  presidential suite, so this is an authentic, unbiased  review. #tripofalifetime

This resort did not live up to my expectations for its hefty price.

Despite the horrible presentation, we did enjoy my birthday being there and was looking forward to coming back to utilize our membership now we feel it's not worth what we paid.

Not to mention how much the prices have gone up since we got our membership.

Just be upfront about it, don’t use the same old cheap tricks.

For the exorbitant amount paid for this hotel, one would expect a modicum of attention to detail and customer service.

When we asked about the hotel busses, we were told we couldn't board them, so ended up paying $120 USD for a taxi.

I also said I would look into pricing and let them know what I found out.

For this, we were given over a $100 USD and given no notification or warning.

We then inquired at the front desk about a refund as we had already paid up front for the photo package.

If you go to Xel-ha be prepared to get bored within 3 hours, you have to pay for 90% of the activities, even if you’re staying at the hotel.

The only regret that I have for the whole trip is that we didn't stay longer and also that we didn't take advantage of their special promotion by booking a return trip at a discounted rate when we left.

Also annoying that their nightly rates have been going up significantly, for no visible improvements.

I understand offering extra amenities to those who pay more,

I WILL NOT BE PART OF THIS RESORT"S DISCRIMINATION EVER AND NEVER AGAIN WILL I BE HERE> I WILL NOT PAY THIS MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL_ NOT WORTH MY TIME TO BE DISCRIMINATED> SORRY!!!

But the staff said then we need to upgrade and pay for it ours selves.

You can either go by staying at the hotels, or on your own paying the entrance fee, not big deal.

Hotel Xcaret Arte

price

phone

Free parking

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Pool

However we did visit the chapel which was sweet.

Next to the chapel, there's a new arcade.

That was disappointing as drills and group lessons would have given me the opportunity to meet other guests for tennis and other social activities.

other reviews Spoke about some of the construction and upgrades that are going on on property.

We swam, snorkeled, scuba dived and paddle boarded

The only disappointment was that for the second year in a row, the main road to the beach was under construction during most of our stay so the shuttle service had to take us on a long, winding path across the golf course to get to the beach, where we spent most of our days.

Few cons:
- still lots of construction noise

-50% of this hotel is under construction, the areas that are finished are great

Their largest pool is under construction, so is their adult only pool.

The facility was still under construction,

Most of the resort was under construction, which we knew going into the trip.

The hotel is under construction and there are some amenities that were closed

though there was some construction and some of the areas were closed, the staff did everything in their power to make the experience first class.

though the property is still in the middle of a large construction project, it didn’t hamper anything.

Again parts of the SPA are in need of the facelift, as the steam room was being repaired and it looked like a water feature also wasn't functioning.. 

BEACH / BEACH SERVICE- Due to construction you do need to get a shuttle from most of the property to get to the beach.

Despite the ongoing renovations, there was absolutely no impact of construction on our stay in any way.

When some of the new resort construction is done I think the ride will be shorter.

(Signature casita and deluxe casita)

Construction on-going

The resort was under construction during our stay.

The construction changes the experience a little.

It’s frustrating that you are still charged regular prices for both the resort and the food and drink package when the resort is under construction and there are only three restaurants open.

The beachside restaurant--Brisas-was torn down and is in the midst of a significant construction job.

The construction is completely non intrusive, you are barely aware of it.

We opted for the all inclusive plan and had a fabulous selection of dining options with ambiance and impeccable service.

We loved all the Christmas decorations that were up and all over the resort!

This is our first time before Christmas and the resort was decorated great and made the holidays so special.

The surroundings are gorgeous with lush trees and nature.

Our wedding weekend was more beautiful, fun, and low-stress than we could have imagined - in large part to all of the work Jaime Alarcón did behind the scenes.

The warm wood accents are tasteful and the property is beautiful to walk around.

The Fairmont Mayakoba is a truly exceptional destination, offering a perfect blend of luxury and family-friendly atmosphere.

Love all the ecological environments around all the casitas!

Our Room was big and bright - the general cleaning on a daily basis was not 100%

The casitas on the beach are beautiful, newly re-done, and the service was spectacular.

What a beautiful property, with the luscious jungle atmosphere, the white sand beach, the golf course, and the lovely new beach club!

The beach was pristine, with minimal seaweed and algae, and the attendants were quick to serve up the freshest fries I've ever had.

Spacious, nicely furnished, very good beds and perfectly air conditioned.

Fresh fish and seafood in a great ambiance.

From the second we entered the open air, gorgeously decorated lobby greeted by Erika and helped by Ana, to the very last second we left, everthing about our stay was absolute perfection and luxury.

This Hotel and the surroundings are top notch and when you look at the views, swim in the pool and walk to the ocean is just idilic.

The Fairmont Resort is in a lush jungle on the beach - unlike anything you’ve seen … the most incredible landscaping and amenities … restaurants knocked it out of the park - Tauro’s smoky salt is delicious and the waitstaff went above and beyond at every meal; the Concierge was professional and made our stay amazing and memorable, the spa staff gave the best relaxing couples massage, Noah, our boat tour captain, was knowledgeable on ALL things Mayakoba and I just can’t say enough good things about the entire experience!

We also attended a Ricky Martin concert with limited seating so it felt more intimate, really nice.

The grounds and views were pristine everywhere you looked.

It was our baby’s first beach trip and she accommodated us by bringing little plush turtle, baby slippers and toiletries and along with some Mexican baby approved candy and picture frame!

Beautiful clear waters, some days you need to stay away from seaweed due to some small jellyfish

My wife could not see the edge due to darkness and stepped off the edge causing her to fall hard onto the concrete path.

If I wasn’t due for more cancer treatment I’d stay there and never go back to the UK!

Whilst we were there the resort was overrun by over 100 people there on an incentive trip (ie free) mixed in with paying customers plus a wedding and - due to the sheer numbers - this led to chaos.

The restaurant reservation are made through an app called Fairmont Staytus, and it is just dreadful to make reservations through there due to the response time and method; they take long to reply and they ask you for a date/time, so if there is no availability on that date/time you have to start all over.

Several times I’ve observed a group of waiters laboring over the computer screen while guests wait for a table due to tables not being cleared, drinks not being filled, etc.

However, all-inclusive guests can only order a few items off the menu, so Tauro was not a place you would want to eat at repeatedly due to limited choices.

The kids club is temporarily located in 2 very small hotel rooms due to the renovation.

But this route was commonly shut down/off limits due to (I assume) golfers.

The beach restaurant was not very pleasing, due to the weather and that it was a makeshift.

At times, it seemed like they were overwhelmed either due to being short staffed or just getting back into the post-pandemic crowds.

but the space was tighter due to the configuration and it was in a second floor which was nearly impossible to go in and out with 2 toddlers, a stroller, diaper bag and beach bag, I would have to carry both kids up and down and my husband everything else, everytime we wished yo go in and out, which with babies it was several times a day.

My wife and I had to delay our honeymoon in 2020 due to Covid and were finally able to make the trip on our 2nd anniversary.

but due to weather it was moved in doors to a bland corridor accessing conference facilities.

We had to cancel this trip 3 times due to pandemic

We knew that the experience might be somewhat different due to the remodeling,

but due to the renovation, it's understandable.

Besides this lamp, there is another part of the ceiling (about 1ft in diameter) that is significantly bulging downward due to another large leak pouring water onto the floor.

The carts to the beach had an average wait time of 20 minutes and the route to the beach was everchanging due to construction.

I believe there are all-inclusive options,  However, we were not offered any, most likely due to the fact that the first half of the trip was paid by our company as part of a rewards vacation.

We are not big drinkers and with 2 little kids we would have ended same or even cheaper going ala cart.

My only complaint would be that the food prices, if you're not on the all inclusive plan, were very high for the quality and quantity received.

This is not value for money and the Fairmont's standards are not what I would expect for this price.

A little overpriced based on the ambiance.

We were all inclusive and if I had to pay for meals here I’d be really disappointed.

Upgrading from a King room to double Queen came at a cost of 50usd a night, which honestly seemed like a weird upgrade cost since rooms are the same size.

I felt that the everything (food, drinks, extra amenities) was extremely overpriced to the point of gouging.

Expensive and restricted food at restaurants.

The restaurants are eye wateringly expensive and to be Frank are not worth their prices!

I do not recommend the cafe Maya because it was overpriced and the food was below average.

Let me reiterate, I’m not upset or shocked by the prices.

-Yes, there are silly fees that should be included in the pricing, and taxes of course,

The young man checking us in tried to trick us into upgrading (for only $100 USD more a night) to casitas by telling me everyone else in our group had already done so.

I will beg of everyone who would even think of coming here to STAY AWAY FROM THE FAIRMONT MAYAKOBA AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!! !

Here’s my only recommendation- the food is really expensive.

Fairmont Mayakoba

construction

Valet parking

AC is horrible - it airs to your face which makes your sleep very uncomfortable - a very strange HVAC design.

Example: our air conditioning was not getting enough cold.

The fan was falling down ans tiles were broken.

Though, next days after this accident AC worked much worse,

I ignored this smell and thought maybe the air needed to circulate.

Our only reservation about the hotel in general was that their AC only cooled the rooms down to about 70F (which is fine if that is what you are used to - we were not).

1) The air conditioner in our room didn't work.

Here are some examples:
•	Light in room didn’t work
•	Tap in bathroom drips
•	Aircon in room needs updating – it is noisy (bit hard to sleep

Also, the gym air-conditioning never worked in the week we were there which made for a very sweaty and uncomfortable workout each morning.

We asked lobby four times to fix our ac until finally the manager told us the temperature will not go below the set temperature.

Upon entry to room (which you had to go up a flight of stairs before reaching the first level of the unit).

Or maybe it was the ceiling fan blade that was mostly disconnected.

The only issue we had was lack for air conditioning at dinner time at Spice Restaurants.

Only complaint is lack of A/C in the restaurants which was extremely uncomfortable as it was very hot, also no answer when calling the front desk, or operator.

although slightly dated and the AC is definitely not what we have at home.

although the room never totally cooled off to our satisfaction.

The air conditioner in the rooms barley work.

After getting to our room, showering and changing, we went to the restaurant to see if we could get in early and were delighted to see the restaurant only had about 50% of the tables occupied.

had leaks from the ceiling - what a horrible vacation!

The shower is too small and the bed and mostly the pillows are maybe the worst I have ever experienced (lumpy).

We couldn't shower or even flush the toilet.

half of the pools were down/broken
the toilet in our room kept running

However, everything is quite outdated: bath tab with some spots and scratches, fossettes, even some electrical switches are not functioning well.

Rooms were dated and one sink didn't work.

Missing toilets seats in public washrooms, missing light bulbs, beach no longer groomed, seaweed and plastic not raked up, not enough umbrellas at pool, chairs being reserved at 5am, lots of vip signs reserving chairs.

However, on night one at the hotel, my husband woke up at 3 am to use the restroom and found our room flooded in standing water.

The room amenities are very disappointing  only 1 x 30ml shampoo in the shower.

The restroom nearest the buffet and main pool had gaping holes in the floors under the sinks where the tile had been jackhammered to allow plumbing repairs and had never been filled back in.

Room - Perfect
Negatives: There was some bad looking patch-work in the bathroom on the ceiling.

The only issue with the room was the whirlpool in our bath was not functioning.

The bath jets had corroded, and as a result were rusted and brown, the bath itself was dirty.

First dirty, second toilet flooded and shower broke.

Main Level of room, had couch, TV, Bathroom, so he would only have to go up the flight of stairs to bedroom when we were actually going to bed.

Im not sure what was going on with the faucet,

It wasn’t just my wife who felt hot there, there was others who were saying that after the meal they had to go their room to have shower because during the meal they sweat so much.

Also, our toilet clogged in the middle of the night and we were unable to get a hold of anyone to come and fix it.

We even went to Sunday mass at The Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen.

but this is the charm that we love about it, the location and beach and views from the pool are hard to equal.

Villa style rooms were very nice and clean.

This quiet, elegant, excellent and romantic get away.

🏖️The layout of The Royal Hideaway has such a chill and relax vibe.

Also, the property was in the best shape we’ve seen it; our room was immaculately clean and freshly painted.

Usually when I review restaurant I separate food, service and decor.

It theoretically offered a cool atmosphere, more secluded, surrounded by trees and greenery.

We would definitely Recommend this Hotel for people seeking an Elegant setting, close proximity to Playa and Not too noisy by the pool during the day.

Beautiful grounds, friendly staff, quiet surroundings!

Speaking of restaurants, they are intimate and are the real thing, not a formula in disguise, thanks to the creative Chef and his incredible kitchen team and wait staff, paired with a very enlightening sommelier.

Royal Hideaway, Playacar is a small, laid-back resort with everything you need for a relaxing vacation as a couple, or with friends and family.

•	When you arrive at the hotel, the lobby is like some sort of European palace in style,

The ambiance was lovely, perfect from start to finish.

The architecture, grounds, food, service, and beach were perfection.

Beautiful well-kept grounds and right on the beach.

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