Beautiful Resort, Great Time, Bad Food.

tomsuelaw Nov 21, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

This resort is huge and absolutely beautiful. We loved the location and the area. The grounds were beautiful and the pools ... were great. The beach is small but very picturesque. There are so many places to lounge, sunny and shady, on the beach or at the pool. They have hammacks, canopy swing beds, and lounge chairs throughout the resort. Lots of places to get a drink. The room was nice, normal hotel size, clean but a little run down. The shower is the best part of the room, it's huge and tiled from floor to ceiling with large glass door and great shower head. The bed was very uncomfortable, hard and worn out. We had one issue with the back door not locking but that was resolved quickly after calling the front desk. Rooms are very noisy from guests in common hallways, lobby area, and next door neigbors. We brought ear plugs and we were so glad we did. Slept like a baby with them...couldn't sleep without them! I would highly recomend ear plugs. The food was our only real complaint. The only meal we enjoyed each day was breakfast. Breakfast is wonderful, lots of choices, and they clearly cater to Americans and Europeans. The omelet station was awesome. Lunch is okay, we liked the snack bar best. Dinner was the worst (perhaps because we expect more at dinner). The buffet at dinner was not that good, everything was bland and had no taste. Sometimes bland is good, but we prefer at least some flavor. Most of the specialty restaraunts were only slightly better. The steakhouse was good, and I heard the seafood place was very good. The Mexican place was ok, the Tortilla soup rocked! Pacos Tacos was ok, but nothing to write home about. Great waiter in Paco's Tacos, named Ramon, he alone makes the experience worth while :)Bottom line: we didn't really like the food but we definately did not go hungry. Quantity of selection enables you to always find "something". Discount tickets and proximity to Xcaret Park was excellent. Great price and an easy walk. Plus you can come and go from park to eat at the resort so you don't get ripped off at the park. Spa was nice. We got 15% discount during special promotion on couples massage. Overall atmosphere was fun. We met lots of nice people and made some friends. Lots of activities each day if you want to keep busy. If you are bored, get involved, you will have fun. Staff were great and made us laugh and smile. Overall service was great. Almost all employees were very nice and worked very hard. If and when service was not so good, it was not the fault of the staff...usually out of their control (ie poor staffing, or unexpectedly busy). All in all, we had a great time and would return. The food would be our only reservation to returning but food it subjective. Overall, the good outweighed the bad and you can't beat the price we got.

It was ok

Jersey Girl Nov 18, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The hotel grounds are beautiful. I was there for a family wedding. About 60 family and friends were there. So i did see a few ... rooms while i was there and did happen to see things that were in others rooms that were not in my room.Some rooms had towel sculptures or little candy baskets or both(each room had were it was booked from next to the name)never saw this at any other hotel When we checked in about 1pm we were not able to get to our room until 3:00pm which was fine they did give us our food bands so we could eat and have a drink. The"fine dinning" restaurants we were unable to ever get into they say they have 7 but only 2 0r 3 open at a time so in the 6 nights i was there my family of 5 we were not able to get a reservation. The one night that the groom had made a reservation for 14 (with 2day notice) they broke it down to 2 tables and told us that it would be extra to sit together this was for a 930pm sitting my husband and i did not get severed because my husband had dress shorts on so someone else went in our place. The LE buffet was friendly and the food was good just not hot. The beach buffet breakfast/lunch food was ok but 2 mornings took 30 to 40 mins to get coffee.The staff their were not friendly.So if it is not out your not going to get it Just also wanted to mention that after 11pm on Saturday night only one bar is open and it was short staffed The look of the hotel is a 4 star the service is just a 3. On a sad note the wedding planner failed to be their and the bride and groom had extra stress. Thank goodness they had some spanish speakers to help but the wedding did go off fine. I have been to many all inclusive i always give a tip but this was one resort that expected it, Bar tenders even have tip jars. I prefer to give in US dollars so i can keep better track of $$ spent. The staff as well as the front desk would not break larger bills down. Also the mattress is very FIRM.

OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET (OGX)

kepage61 Nov 17, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Having never been to Mexico, I have no real base of comparison; but here are my opinions none the less. Based on my searches ... of the various travel sites, OGX was by far the best deal (star rating/price), so we ended up in Building 10. Building 10 seemed like a blessing at first because of its proximity to the a la carte restaurants, shops, front desk, sports bar, & dance club(discoteque). In retropspect, unless you are a night owl, Building 10 is not for you. Commonly, the resort's shows would last until 11pm or midnite and were only drowned out by turning up the TV to just shy of loud. Additionaly, the few drunks departing the Sports Bar/Discoteque (depending on the night) found it necessary to "howl at the moon". My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the resort. While a large resort, if you're not in horrible physical condition -- and you utilize bug spray for jungle or evening walks, you will have no problem. In fact the size of the resort adds to its variety and keeps it interesting. The buffets are mediocre to good, depending on what type of food you like. That being said, the buffet at the Beach Club was the best (perhaps it was the view). Sonora Grill, Los Olivos, and La Hacienda were excellent. I really enjoy seafood, and I wasn't a big fan of El Pescador. The ambiance was great, but the house wine wasn't. I had the grilled Snapper, & my wife had the salmon; neither of which were enjoyable. Unfortunately the highlight of our evening was the Crab & Corn Chowder. The servers at the buffets are a tad brusque & slow in service (probably due to work load), but the a la carte servers are reasonably accomodating. Words of wisdom:1)If you don't have the time to spare for a 90 minute presentation/free ticket to Xcaret Park -- slightly overated in my opinion, although I heard the evening show is incredible -- then just tell her (the ladies w/ the badges that say 'Concierge') flat out that you aren't interested; 2)The same goes for the Gentlemen on the Lagoon Beach that are attempting to sell excursions (SCUBA, deep sea fishing, etc.); 3)There is no expanse of sandy beach here. The Lagoon is small, sandy -- and awesome. The Beach is rocky -- and awesome. The Beach pool is a touch algae-ridden; 4)Beds/pillows were VERY firm; 5)A/C is limited to approximately 22C/71F (quite comfortable w/ the ceiling fan on); 6) There's a U.S. dollars ATM immediately to the right of (when facing) and a little behind the Front Desk; 7)Even when Guest Services tells you that no reservations are available for a restaurant for a particular evening -- not to be confused w/ closed -- approach the maitre'd and ask, usually there's a table available. The only real hiccup in our trip was trying to book our prepaid, return shuttle to the airport. [...]I spoke with the front desk, guest services, the hospitality desk, & the car rental desk before realizing -- w/ some eventual guidance from the staff that booking a private shuttle to the airport was my best option. Finally, the night before our departure, between 22:00 and 24:00, I awoke to find a message slipped under our door indicating that we needed to be in the lobby at 09:30 for out return shuttle. I don't have any guidance for this particular issue. Additionally, you have to request extra (beyond the two you're given on a bi-daily basis) beer, water, sodas, etc. (knowing written Spanish and tipping, greatly aid in this process). Washclothes weren't replaced -- unless requested. Perhaps it's a cultural thing. Overall, a great resort w/ a variety of settings for all tastes.

Beautiful Resort...Mediocre Food

Jenn Nov 15, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Beautiful resort but if you love the beach, this is not the resort for you. They have a small man-made beach which is nice ... but it is like you are swimming in an aquarium there are so many fish in the water. Rooms were clean and I think they actually stocked our fridge every day rather than the every other day as advertised. Pools were big. We spent all our time at the "quiet" pool and never had a problem finding a chair. If you want a chair at the "beach", better get there at the crack of dawn. Our biggest complaint about the resort was the a la carte reservations. Because we were there for 7 days, we could make 4 a la carte reservations.....BUT they only had two nights available for us and one of those nights was at 9:30 PM at the Mediterranean Restaurant...wasn't worth the wait. Food was NOT good. The next night we had reservations at the Mexican Restaurant. It was definitely the best meal I had all week. All in all a good week. Would we go there again? Probably not..we will go somewhere that has a real beach.

Occidential Wonderful Alamo terrible

Reba Nov 12, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The hotel was wonderful even though we had rain every day of our trip. We spent a lot of time in the hotel and the ... restaurants were wonderful. We had an Alamo rental car in our package and the were terrible. They gave us the wrong phone # if we had issues. The guest services rep. made over 20 calls for us to get a new car and she stated that they had many problems with them in the past. Would never rent from Alamo anywhere again.

Great Resort Would Stay there again.

Bigskibum Nov 12, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

When we first got there we had mixed feelings with some of the reviews we read, but when we got there the staff was great and ... very helpful. They put us in Building #14 which is by the quite pool. The only problem was they put us in a room with 2 Double beds so we stayed in that room for 2 nights and they them moved us to Building #15 and it had a King bed. This was out 3rd All-Inclusive that we have stayed in and the food and service was the best here that we have had. The resort is a great location and only a 5 min 10$ USD taxi ride to Playa Del Carmen for some great shopping. The only thing that we wish the resort had was a better and bigger beach. The lagoon they have is nice but very small. We had a blast and would stay there again.

Would not recommend

Jd Nov 9, 2009

One employee at the front desk was extremely unfriendly. We arrived early due to the time change and understandably had to ... wait for our room to be cleaned. We went ahead and checked the room out while house keeping was cleaning. Two hrs later we were told the room was still being cleaned and we're asked to switch rooms. Tired of waiting, we said yes. Within 5 minutes of seeing the room which was as dark as a basement due to bushes covering the window and only two small lamps for light, a toilet that leaked continously into the hallway and a tv that didn't work, we went back to the front desk to exchange rooms. However, we were told our original room was no longer available and would have to be put on a waiting list the following day. The hotel was half empty due to the swine flu. The food and drinks was horrible, even at the a la carte restaurants. Scheduling reservations to eat was difficult due to only two restaurants being open at a time. The drinks at the bar had little to no alcohol unless you tip ahead. Entertaiment was repetitive and lacking. Most of the entertainment was movies so there was nothing to do at night at the resort. They had dancers a couple of nights a week which was worth watching. The pluses were that the resort was that the scenery was beautiful. The resort is a short walk to the park which was worth the trip.

unbeatable loaction for price and servic

single traveler Nov 5, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The room was always clean. The shower door latch was broken and was repaired without my reporting it. The staff was on top ... of any problems that may arise. The staff was always friendly and smiled. The specialty resturants were very slow with service and the portions were small.

Fantastic family getaway

Gil Oct 28, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

One of the best vacations I've had. ...

Amazing location

traveler Oct 20, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The location is absolutely amazing,the pools are unbelivable,the man -made lagoon is fabulos.Great tennis courts with great ... tennis instructor.Staff is frendly,but most of them want to sell you something...The waiters are slow,the food in the bufet is the same every day.But we had a great vacation

Great Carribian vacation

Proud Mom Oct 8, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

food was great.beds comfortable enough,landscape is phenomenal ...

Occidental Grand Xcaret

Honeymooner Aug 10, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Good food, friendly staff. Most rooms have no ocean view. The cheap rooms also do not offer room service. Great pools and ... an amazing beach. Food was hit or miss, sometimes great sometimes average.

Vacancy advantage

Scuba duba Aug 8, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The hotel was spectacular and the staff were very friendly. I'm embarrassed to admit we (I) got suckered in by "free gift" ... passes to the wonderful park next door that we thought were part of our package deal anyway, our initial morning. Huge mistake, I'd rather wake up to botflies! Kills the romance and reminds you of why you needed the vacation in the first place when you have breakfast with a lifetime-upgrade salesman before you even get your bearings. We were happy with the food selection and dined at every restraunt except the Mexican one. Our favorites were the Italian and the steak house. If you don't mind the summer heat/humidity, it was an ideal time to go due to the current high vacancy rate. I suspect the grounds would be quite crowded when this hotel fills up though. Higher percent of families than we expected as this hotel is associated with a major theme park next door. We visited Tulum, snorkeled with whale sharks off Isles Mujares, snorkeled senotes, snorkeled with sea turtles and scuba dove in Akumal bay. In the adjacent park we swam with dolphins and snuba dove. We had a blast! This was our first all-inclusive and I expected to see overdrinking, however we never saw anyone even close to sloppy. Unfortunately, our primary interest was scuba and snorkeling and this is the wrong beach front hotel for that, as they restrict their own coastal access. We will have to go someplace more diver-friendly our next trip to this amazing area.

good but cooling system not so

Sandra Jul 26, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

It is a nice place, great location close to playa del carmen, the only thing its that the AC doesn't work properly and the ... rooms tend to feel dampped

Riviera Maya Vacatioin

Dad in charge. Jul 26, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The Occidental was wonderful, clean, well maintained with good food at most of the restaurants-they had bars almost ... everywhere, too. The 4 kids (16-24) loved the Explor theme park right next door. My wife and I had a nice time at the Xcaret Park, also next door. I recommend it for just about everyone, especially those who love a more natural environ.

Riviera Maya Trip

MT Jul 19, 2009

I choose this hotel because I was attending a wedding. The wedding was beautiful! The service of the staff in the ... restaurants is first class. It is not a five star hotel, but the rooms are clean and as I mentioned before the staff will bend over backwards to please you. My biggest problem was the airconditioners in the room. Some of the rooms are poorly airconditioned! I had to switch rooms in order to have a well airconditioned room.

pretty good with exceptions

al Jul 14, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

It was a good vacation except the Xcaret park tickets that were included in our pacakage were not honored by the hotel as ... promised in our booking, so we had to pay an additional 180.00 dollars, and the transfer service was not at our hotel every day as were the other transfer service guys so we were not able to book other events, food was great, and hotel was clean and friendly..........

Great Honeymoon Spot

NewlyWedMan Jul 7, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

This is a great choice if you plan to spend a lot of time at the resort. It is spread out and there is decent amount of ... activities to do while you are there. The nightly entertainment was fun and I would rate a 7 out of 10. Each night there is a different show. There are lots of different animals on site such as flamingos, monkeys, macaws, turtles, and fish. There is also a small Mayan ruins site on location as well. Since the resort is so large they offer shuttle service throughout the day to get you from your room to dinner etc. Don't pay extra for nightly turn down service if offered because we payed $19 a night extra and they do it anyway. The Xcaret park is included with purchase through orbitz, however, most activities inside the park cost extra. Swimming with the dolphins at the park costs extra but was the best dolphin program that i have seen. You are in the water for almost an hour and you even get a foot push from two dolphins that push on your feet and propel you through the water.

Occidental Grand Xcaret

Olja Jul 3, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

It is very nice location,great pools,food. We are enjoyed to stay there. But only made us sad is waisting time with ... receptions. Look like they don't know anything. If you ask them a question,they are trying to sent you to someone alse.

Disappointing

OneNole4Life Jun 21, 2009

We checked in at 230pm. After calling the front desk 4 times (each time told it would be taken care of) we managed to get ... our room cleaned. They checked us into a room that was not clean (dishes in the bathroom sink, bed undone, bugs on the floor, full of mosquitoes). Room service finally came and we began out vacation. Due to the recent flu outbreak, they had over 100 vacancies. Thus, they cut staff and service. We tried to reserve a dinner any of the 3 nights we were there and were told they were full. Very disappointing. Buffet every night was not bad, but got old. We decided to go into town our last night for dinner. Again, not desirable when you pay for an all-inclusive resort. Lets talk about the anemeties. The beds are not comfortable. You might as well sleep on the floor they are so hard. Make sure you run the shower and sink to get rid of the yellow water in the pipes. Bring bug spray, the rooms and properties are stocked with them. Again, since the hotel is not staffed accordingly, expect to wait for your drinks, menu, or anything else. They are doing their best.