An immersive Mexico family vacation
My sister Michelle Bruderer and her family of seven recently returned from a trip I helped them plan to the Occidental Xcaret in the Cancun area. This was Michelle and her husband Steve’s third time to Mexico, but her kids, who range in age from 18 to 9, had never had the amazing experience of an all-inclusive resort south of the border. Michelle’s three youngest kids, who are all in Spanish immersion programs in school, were especially excited to try out their language skills.
Michelle chose the Occidental Xcaret specifically because it seemed like more of an authentic Mexico experience, and her family was not disappointed. The resort has a very jungle-like feel, complete with winding paths, native animals like turtles, birds, and monkeys, and even some real Mayan ruins onsite. The Occidental Xcaret is adjacent to the Xcaret Park, which is another reason Michelle chose it.
Michelle’s highlights from her trip were:
The property has a fairly small beach/cove area. If you’re a “big beach” type of person, this resort may not be for you. But Michelle’s family loved it; they could always find a chair, and because of the trees, some shade by the beach. Another perk of this secluded beach is that there was no seaweed, which can sometimes be a problem for the Cancun area.
Michelle loved that their all-inclusive resort bracelet had a room key built in! And the resort staff enabled all of their bracelets to unlock either room—a huge plus for their large family and young kids to never have to remember a key card.
The drawbacks that Michelle noted were: they daily had to request that the sodas in their minibars be restocked, and for a fourth towel to be stocked in the room. (This was probably because of post-Covid staffing challenges.) The large resort included paths which made for some adventurous wandering at times, before learning the layout of where everything was. However, the Occidental Xcaret has golf carts throughout, so you can wait for a cart to come pick you up.
They booked their specialty restaurants through the concierge at the resort. They were only supposed to be able to pre-book three of them, but the concierge assisted them in reserving a specialty restaurant every evening.
Michelle loved that the resort is right next to the Xcaret eco-park; her family spent a fun day there and even came back to their resort for lunch, so they didn’t have to spend more for a meal at the park. The other excursion they did was visit the amazing Xplor! park, which is also close by. Michelle’s tip: call the Occidental prior to arriving, regarding transportation to the parks. It’s a little tricky because they’re so close and yet you still need some type of transportation.
Overall, Michelle and her family had an amazing time on their vacation. She was super happy that she chose to stay at a resort where she’d never been previously, and glad that they chose the Occidental Xcaret. Her kids had plenty of chances to practice their Spanish, which they loved.
We had a great conversation, and Michelle included lots of tips and recommendations for those traveling to this area with a family. Tune in and listen or watch!
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