The All-Inclusive Hotel Xcaret Mexico Welcomes LGBTQ+ Families

All-inclusive resorts can be a tricky landscape for LGBTQ+ travelers. Some cater to families with young children, while others focus on straight couples looking for a romantic beach getaway. But what happens when members of the LGBTQ+ community visit an all-inclusive resort? We’ve visited quite a few, and the experiences have overall been good. Our recent visit to Hotel Xcaret Mexico on the Riviera Maya, however, was a true pleasure. We put it at the top of our list for an all-inclusive resort experience that was inclusive to all guests.

From the moment we set foot on the property, Hotel Xcaret (pronounced “esh-ka-ret”) Mexico greeted us with warm smiles and generous hearts. This is not an LGBTQ-exclusive resort and yes, there are families with kids here – and straight couples too. Yet given this mix of people from the US, Mexico, UK, Germany, and beyond, this world-class resort near Playa del Carmen welcomes all.

Something for Everyone

One of the reasons Hotel Xcaret Mexico stands out is the variety of choices it offers to guests. It’s an ideal place if you’re looking for a chill beach vacation on the sand where someone brings you umbrella drinks. You can also experience the local nightlife or indulge in adrenaline-pumping activities that challenge and delight your senses. At this resort, you can choose your adventure and pursue any or all of these experiences.

Xcaret is massive but does not feel that way. It’s nicely arranged on 200 acres and features 900 suites of various sizes and configurations. We were really impressed with the resort’s impeccable architecture, including how the buildings are shaped by nature and built from products sourced in Mexico. Rock walls cascade down into bubbling pools, wood and glass are combined to create interesting design accents, and sculptures dot the landscape throughout the resort.

Inside the rooms, comfortable beds, soft linens, and solid furniture are high-quality and well-designed. We stayed in a suite with a living room, dining room, kitchen, and balcony – all designed using natural wood, bright paint colors, and traditional Mexican accents. We spent a lot of time enjoying the patio hammock.

Choose Your Adventure

When we travel (pretty much anywhere) my husband and I dedicate the first day to relaxation. At Xcaret, we could easily have visited their world-class spa for massages or a nice steam sesh. Instead, we headed for one of the swim-up pool bars to unwind. As we waded towards the underwater stools, the stress began to melt away after tasting our first delicious Tamarind Margarita Sour. This sweet and salty concoction with a smoky hint became a regular part of our visit.

Right then and there, we plotted the next several days of adventure at Hotel Xcaret Mexico. There is plenty to choose from here, and with our All-Fun Inclusive Package, we had quite a few options, including all the food and drinks we could consume at any restaurant or bar, and all the excursions and activities we wanted to experience such as ziplining. 

Action-Packed Excursions

The resort’s 13 pools, hammocks, lounges, and endless retreats may be enough for some. However, if you are into action and adventure experiences too, Hotel Xcaret Mexico has got you covered. Guests can fill every day and night of their stay with different activities and adventures offered by the resort at no charge with the All-Fun Inclusive package. 

Available activities include ziplining, exploring local cenotes (natural freshwater swimming holes in the Yucatan jungle), and taking on an extreme obstacle course with ropes and suspension bridges. Check. Want to jump through fire-lit hoops? Double-check. This all-inclusive hotel has your wildest adventure dreams covered.

Here is just a sampling of some of the hotel’s offerings:

Xenotes

For our first adventure, we chose the Xenotes excursion, where we were transported with a group of other guests deep into a Mayan jungle. This experience includes a visit to four different cenotes in the jungle near Xcaret, guided by experts who show you the ropes (literally). 

Less sporty guests are given low-impact options, and other options are provided to guests wanted to turn it up a notch or more. We loved how no one felt left out, and every single person in our group was smiling ear to ear throughout the day.

First up was a zipline excursion, where we zipped off a cliff over the K’áak’ cenote below. We were instructed to wait until we heard the guide yell, “Guacamole,” before we’d let go and drop into the water. On another zipline across Ilk cenote, we were encouraged to stay seated even as we hit the water. “Don’t worry,” they said. “Your bottom will slow you down!” We laughed to ourselves as we slid along, and sure enough, when our rear ends hit the water, we skidded to a splashy stop.

At the Há cenote, we helped other guests slip into two-person kayaks to paddle along a cenote canyon. There was time to chat while we waited our turn, and other guests were eager to learn a bit about their cohort. Everyone was friendly. Not one eyebrow was raised when we introduced ourselves as husbands and dads of two wonderful girls.

After more zipping, splashing, and collective laughter, we all sat down for a late picnic lunch overlooking a jungle waterfall. We laughed and talked with our new friends, enjoying the meal and each other’s stories of the day’s triumphs and wipeouts. 

Xavage

At first glance, you’d probably think this was a typical water park, but it is so much more. Xavage offers a variety of water activities – from the sublime to the extreme. For more relaxed adventurers, water slides and lazy rivers dot the park’s landscape. Meanwhile, white-water rafting and jet boats are a couple of fun options for thrill-seekers. 

On land, guests can work their best butch genes by driving monster trucks on a curvy path through rocky canyons, mud, and other obstacles. There are also four intense ropes courses here with 24 obstacles ranging from traversing ropes woven into unstable spider webs to riding a bicycle between platforms, all suspended 26 feet to 118 feet in the sky.

Xenses

If our kids were still young, we would have taken them to Xenses for some family fun. There are no intense cliff jumps or heart-stopping adventures here. Instead, this artfully designed experience challenges your five senses. We saw many families – including several with same-sex parents – queued up to board shuttles headed for this fun outing.

Nothing in this park is what it seems. For example, the mind-bending path of Dwarves and Giants makes guests doubt their physical size through optical illusions and changes in the architecture. In some spots, you feel like a giant and in others, you feel so small that you can hardly reach the doorknobs. In the Xensatorium, a cave of darkness challenges guests to use senses other than sight to explore our planet’s ecosystems which include the desert, jungle, meadow, and mountain.

Xplor

Experience Xplor, an extreme adventure park that offers exciting activities and amenities, such as safe spelunking (cave diving), underground rivers, and waterslides. Part of this experience includes a new activity called Underground Expedition, which takes guests deep underground for a hike through waterways with views of colorfully-lit caves, stalactites, and stalagmites.

Xplor Fuego offers guests the opportunity to enjoy all this fun in the dark, which includes a zipline adventure on hammocks through a ring of fire. You can also drive an amphibious vehicle and speed through tunnels set afire. This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Spectacular Spectacle of Espectacular

Xcaret Mexico Espectacular is a non-stop cavalcade of singing, dancing, hot bodies, and elaborate costumes. We were stunned at the high production quality of this show, in the middle of nowhere, on the Riviera Maya. 

Held in an arena that seats 6,000 people in the round, Espectacular is an evening show that honors Mexican traditions through reenactment, song, and dance. It tells the history of Mexico, starting with the ancient Mayan customs and continuing through to the present day, honoring the indigenous culture and traditions that make Mexico so special. 

The show starts with a colorful production depicting an ancient conflict between Mayan and Aztec cultures, complete with kings, headdresses, and shirtless warriors. Soon after, a traditional game of pitz (touted as the first team sport) is played with a rubber ball and stone hoops. It’s like a cross between soccer and basketball. After the battle between the two teams, the production moves on through the ages by tracing the traditions of each era through dance and song. I can honestly say we were riveted. If you enjoy an engaging show with good stage production, this one is not to be missed. Xcaret Mexico Espectacular is a two-hour extravaganza suitable for guests of all ages.

World-Class Cuisine

A good vacation isn’t complete without delicious food and drink, and the food choices at Hotel Xcaret Mexico are among the best we have ever experienced in Mexico. The resort has curated a collection of Mexico’s top chefs, creating restaurants that serve food that will please foodies with the most sophisticated palates.

For example, the resort’s signature dining spot, Há Restaurant is the brainchild of celebrated Michelin-star Chef Carlos Gaytán. We enjoyed an eight-course menu with wine pairings and were wowed by dishes such as Langostino with Vanilla Beurre Blanc and Cured Egg Yolk, and Onion Tartlette with Comte Cheese, Balsamic Spheres, and Roasted Poblano. Not only is the food innovative and delicious, but the presentation is an important part of the experience. Plus, the water features inside this restaurant defy gravity.

Another highlight was brunch at Las Cuevas. Here, caves carved into limestone set the stage for a unique dining experience. We lost count of the number of serving stations at the massive spread for brunch. Young or old, picky or adventurous, palates of all types were pleased here. Las Cuevas features a crepe station serving up Crepes Suzette or crepes with Nutella, bananas, and strawberries. Another highlight was the shellfish area, where servers shucked fresh oysters and peeled steamed shrimp as ordered. In an outdoor kitchen, meats and fish were prepared with traditional Mexican ingredients and served in fresh-made tortillas of corn or flour.  

Of course, Hotel Xcaret Mexico does have a daily all-inclusive buffet which is a must for breakfast, where we watched a woman roll and press corn masa into tortillas, and then fill them with meats, cheeses, and salsas. I’m sure I visited her at least 10 times during our stay, but there are many other stations to enjoy.

Final Thoughts

Hotel Xcaret Mexico is not only welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers – it offers several activities for guests who have a myriad of interests. This beachfront hotel has two nearby sister properties accessible by foot or shuttle service. For guests 18 and older, the Hotel Xcaret Arté is dedicated to the arts, which owners weave into the onsite programming and design. This resort is meant for guests over 18 years old. And if you’re looking for a 5-star experience, you should consider checking into La Casa de la Playa by Xcaret. Each room includes a private pool, outdoor stone soaking tub, sun deck, and butler service. La Casa de la Playa is an adults-only property, and the cuisine and spa here make the extra splurge worth it!

Visit Xcaret’s website for more information about its properties, restaurants, and activities featured in this hotel review.