I never send reviews but this resort deserves one. My husband, I and our 6 adult children selected Xpu-Ha for a family Thanksgiving vacation because it offered us complete relaxation in what we hoped would be a beautiful setting, reasonable food, and friendly service. We definitely did not want the "Cancun" scene, and we didn't want the pressure of getting dressed every night and "going out." Xpu-Ha met all of these expectations and exceeded them in every way. We all agreed we would recommend this resort to anyone who wasn't looking for an upscale setting (like the Aventura Spa cement palace up the highway) and wanted to truly relax, while having options for short trips and other water activities. Despite the fact that we that arrived on two different days, the management respected our request to stay near each other in the reef village, near the ala carte restaurants, North Pool, and snorkeling reef and away from the lobby, South Pool, and beach area. We really liked this area. Reef village rooms 2004-2011 looked like the had water views! When you get there, try not to stay in the bird or mammal villages. These were too interior and not near anything. None of our rooms in the reef village had views to speak of, but they were all nice, were cleaned very well, and the supplies including drinks replenished without fail. The room service (which we used only for late night snacks and early continental breakfast) was pretty prompt, considering the distances. The air conditioning worked well, and the beds--while hard--were also fine. The room jacuzzis were super. The food was much better than we expected--and the drinks were premium liquor (you could even specify what type of tequilla!) and plentiful. In the North pool restaurants (Bambu and a Mexican one) at breakfast you could ask the cooks to make anything from pancakes to omelets, and brfeakfast was was excellent. The Mexican restaurant was the best, but the Italian wasn't bad either. At lunch we liked the fajita bar at Ragazzi and the South pool has an outdoor restaurant which was really quite good--lots of guacamole, pico de gallo, and so forth. Don't order anything too complicated and you won't be disappointed. We never ate at Ragazzi for dinner as it looked a bit crowded with lots of young families. The staff were all very nice, especially the waiters and bartenders. If you get up reasonably early (by 9:00) there is no problem getting palapas at the beach or reef, and the bikes are pretty easy to come by so getting around was not a problem for us. The setting is truly beautiful throughout the resort. You can walk a long way on Xpu-Ha beach and it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves everywhere. You can wander around the reef areas and walk the paths along the water from the beach to the reef. It is so lovely. Although there were children around during the day (this was Thanksgiving afterall) they were generally very well behaved and their parents paying good attention to them. The resort had about half Americans and lots of other language being spoken. Not much in the way of nightlife, but we are all tired from swimming, snorkeling, and eating more than we should! I don't think you would want to go here in rainy season because you really need to be outside here to have a good time. My one tip that I have not read before is that the vans to take you to the resort from Cancun are not obvious for first timers. You need to keep walking out after Customs toward the exit. Chaza travel is at the very end of the van area in the first row. There are people to meet you right before the exit who ask if you are going to a palace resort. We just said "Chaza" and "Xpu-Ha" and they pointed us the right way. Other advice, learn a little basic Spanish--It goes a long way when you ask for help or want something!

We just returned from an 8-night, 9-day stay here, and it was WAY too short! From the bungalow (very comfortable and clean) to the restaurants (great food, excellent service, and extremely friendly staff) to the beach (pure white sand, plenty of chairs, waitresses there when you need them to 'quench your thirst' with any drinks you want, lots of activities throughout the day hosted by multi-lingual, funny, and enthusiastic staff) to the "natural" exhibits (crocodiles, flamingoes, monkeys, an aviary, turtles) to the gift shop (oh, come on, you want souvenirs!) to the snorkeling (beautiful fish in even more beautiful water), this was the best vacation we've been on, and this from two people who've been in over 50 countries. We were in a lower bungalow, but that afforded us the opportunity to talk to an anteater who wandered by in the morning. It was great! The only (and we mean ONLY) slight disappointment was the rather short distance we were able to kayak (being avid kayakers), but there were plenty of other things to take up our time. We didn't bother with shows (hey, after so much fun from sunrise til 8 p.m. or so, we needed to rest up for the next day!) We'd recommend Xpu-Ha to anyone, including families, since there's much to do and see for kids (even young teenagers... a bunch of them had a blast during the beach activities).

My wife and I just returned yesterday Dec. 19 from a short vacation at Xpu Ha Palce and loved it!!! We've vacationed all around the Riviera Maya over the past 7 years and this by far was the best. Definitely bring comfortable shoes (lots of walking). Nice beach, pools, lagoon area, and snorkeling cove. The service was outstanding!!! Much better than other resorts on the same level.

My husband and I just got back from an 8-night stay at Xpu-Ha. It was our first time in Mexico and our first time at an all-inclusive. If you’re deciding if Xpu-Ha is right for you, it’s best to think about who you are, because Xpu-Ha is definitely not for everyone.

This is my husband and I. If we sound like you, then you’ll probably love Xpu-Ha—
We love being outdoors. We love animals. We love to walk. We love the beach. We like our space and our privacy. We like being left alone but when we need help, we want it to be there. We like decent food but we aren’t gourmets. We don’t like to party but we do like to have fun. We don't like to be surrounded by obnoxious people. We like cleanliness. We love to snorkel. We love to go on tours. We don’t mind being surprised by tiny lizards in our room. We love air conditioning. We hate cigarettes. We love double sinks. We love being busy or just doing nothing.

The room
The room was great. Definitely get one on the second floor. The thatched roof alone is worth it. There are paths in front of the bottom floor rooms and sometimes that seemed like not the greatest thing for privacy. We stayed in the Reef Village and were quite happy with the location. A previous post complained about black stuff falling from the ceiling. Yes, that does happen, but as the brochure warning you about this in your room says, “It’s part of the adventure.”

The towels
Yes, they’re rough, but use them and you’re dry in an instant.

The people
I was very nervous about language problems but my fears quickly went away. Most of the staff speaks excellent English and are very friendly and very accommodating. They do appreciate it if you try to speak some Spanish but will quickly switch to English if they see you don’t understand.

The food
The most important thing to understand is that you’re in Mexico. Nothing—not even Mexican food—will taste the same as in the U.S. I had minestrone soup one night that didn’t resemble anything I’ve had in the U.S. but it was delicious nonetheless. It’s also important to remember that you may actually be in the minority when you stay there, so you, as an American, aren’t the only audience. We were surrounded by Spanish-speaking couples and families, and their idea of good food is probably totally different from ours. Definitely try the Mexican pastries. You can always go to MacDonald’s in Playa Del Carmen if you’re desperate.

The “Celebration”
You’ll receive a “Welcome Package” from Guest Services when you arrive. It’s basically a timeshare sales pitch disguised as an “invitation” to a “celebration” for the first anniversary of the Golf Club at Moon Palace (at least that’s how I understood it). They’ll ask you to sit through a 90-minute presentation at the Adventura Spa Palace. If you don’t want to spend the whole morning stuck with a salesperson, tell them you’ve already had breakfast and then go eat when it’s over. The pressure to buy wasn’t that bad—I just told them very bluntly that we were there for the free stuff and they backed off. We got a bottle of tequila, $100 in “Palace” money to be used for anything at the resort (we got an ATV/speedboat tour), and a buy 4 nights get 3 free certificate. We were in and out in an hour and spent the rest of the day at Spa Palace. It’s completely different from Xpu-Ha—all marble and glass—and was a bit too fancy for our taste.

The entertainment
Xpu-Ha is definitely not for partyers, although there’s a free shuttle to the disco at Adventura Spa Palace every night. As for other entertainment, I’ll just have to come out and say that it’s pretty lame and judging by the half-hearted applause and half-filled theatre, I wasn’t the only one. I do have to say that the performers are extremely enthusiastic. Most nights it’s a series of dance routines—Mexican, International, Pre-hispanic, or Caribbean. The Mexican night was definitely the best. Then there’s the “Crazee Parody Night.” Unless five guys dressed up as the Spice Girls complete with balloon breasts are your idea of high comedy, I’d avoid this one. Again, it may be a cultural thing. The most entertaining evening we had was when we sat in the Lobby Bar and listened to the live Mexican band and watched other guests salsa dancing. We had a great time.

The included tours.
Definitely take them. It’s so interesting to get away from the resort. We went to Tulum and Chichen Itza and had a wonderful time on both tours. Also take the Xpu-Ha Eco and Animal Lover’s tours. We got to hold baby turtles, crocodiles, and boa constrictors.

I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at tarakingsmill@yahoo.com.