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Recommended Reviews - Xel-Há
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I've come here about 9-10 times in the past 10years. The food consistency has not changed at all. This time of year sargassum is bad but nothing here. I love not having to bring towels, snorkels/goggles. The staff have been extremely friendly. I love the food is still good, the margaritas are great as well. Out of all the xcaret parks, xel-ha is the best in my opinion. All day fun, all day relaxation, all day food and beverage. What more could a person want?
Of all the excursions, this is by far one of the best of all the xcaret ones. This place has a little bit of everything. Tubing, snorkeling, bikes, zip line, plenty of areas near the water to relax and just take in the vibes. And yes, as people have mentioned, there are extra activites such as swimming with the dolphins that cost extra. Can you imagine if it was free? People are crazy complaining about it being extra. Regardless though, there is so much to do, that you are ok without the extras. Not to mention unlimited eating and drinking at the bar. It's probably why it is so popular among tourists, especially considering one of the few parks that kids under the age of 4 are still able to go. I think the other parks have other age restrictions. Definately a go to place for me and my family anytime we visit.
Such a great experience. Especially if you have kids. The all inclusive doesn't include some of the activities. Food and drinks are good. Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and pace yourself it's a long day. If you only speak English it's not a problem. The staff is very friendly and fun. Enjoy!
OH Xel-haaaaaAAAAA! Such a FUN in the sun all day excursion. I've been here each time I've vacationed in Tulum. This visit to Xel-ha I had the pleasure to enjoy with my best friend and we had a blast. This trip we decided to enjoy the all inclusive activities included with our day pass and decided next time we will do one or two of the add on ones. My favorite amenities are always the cliff jumping and waterslide. I'd love to see a taller cliff to add to the thrill! I'm sure wishful thinking on my part. However, everything is so fun. I loved how this trip it wasn't busy like past times when I've gone in the months of February and March. If you're contemplating going, I'd say just go. It's fun for all ages! Also, include the photo package in your ticket. Don't miss the fun memories. If you get the all inclusive ticket, food and drinks (nonalcoholic and alcoholic) are included. Let me tell you, they have the BEST mango margarita I've had in my life. We got ours non-alcoholic and it was delicious and refreshing. I've never had another margarita compare. Food is buffet style and fair, nothing to write home about, but you can visit as much as you'd like. I look forward to my future visit including paid excursions (hopefully, in a few short months). Staff are everywhere ready to help. Park is huge, clean and absolutely beautiful. Highly suggest, having water shoes for your adventure. Also, if you can, purchase tickets online in advance and look for a discount code if you like to save mullahhhh! Enjoy your visit and have the bestest time. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Three time visitor... it's still a good time. If you love the water, it's a must come. If you can't swim, they've got plenty of jackets to help you float. Like some of the other folks had mentioned there are plenty of upsells here from swim with "dolphins, manta rays, manatees" oh, my! To be honest some of the experiences are worth doing at least once. The zip-bike experience, instance, give you a unique view of the rainforest and cenotes from a eagle eye view. You can ride on the fast boats anywhere, maybe, or have your feet cleaned and massaged by little fish, but really you could skip all that and be alright. What is included is pretty good. We have enjoyed the lazy river, the cenotes, the caves, the floating bridge, zip bikes, the snorkeling, etc. It's all a good time. This time I talked my kids into joining up the Lighthouse slides. Two things to do up there. You can 1) check out the 360-degree views and score some cool xelfies (band activated cameras) and/or 2) head down the slides from a height of 131 feet. The cool thing is that my kids were psyched out at the height, and the wind at height wasn't helping (nor were the folks zooming down the slides). They got up to the top, and exceeded expectations by not freaking out and jumping into the slide which landed them in a 4 foot pool at the end. Plenty of fish to see amongst the rocks and edges... while on the Mayan Bridge which is connects the eastern edge of the park... it floats, or rather moves with the ocean... if you get seasick or motion sickness... maybe skip it. It's a good time though. We jumped in at one end of the bridge and ran into a barracuda... crazy. Let's talk food. There are four restaurants that serve a variety of the traditional and fast foods. They have a place that serves grilled meats, a place that serves tacos, a place that's more fast food. It's all tasty. Along with the drink bars that serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the restaurants have aguas frescas... stay hydrated! The park has snorkeling gear (masks and fins), lockers, everything you need is available here. The food is great. The attractions are plenty, and plenty more if you pay for them. It's a fantastic water park.
Xel-Há is an all inclusive water park in Tulum. If your main focus is snorkeling, this is not the place for you - you won't see many fish. We'd definitely do Xplor again (we did it in 2015 and 2027) as it has great ziplines, ATVs, water caves and same food buffet. For us Xel-Há was mostly worth it because the snuba caleta helped us prepare for scuba diving breathing. It's pricey at over $900 for 4 people but it's an all day adventure including 3 meals: $114.99pp admission + $120 RT transport for 4ppl + $ $93.99 photo pass for 4 ppl + $54.99pp snuba caleta + fees + optional tips. You can save money by buying 7 days in advance and dropping the photo pass. The transport bus picks up a few locations around Playa del Carmen PDC (Xel-Há does not help you figure out what location is closest to you or provide addresses of the pick locations). The drive from PDC to Xel-Há takes about 45 minutes. You arrive, check in and get your park bracelet (which triggers most of the photos). Then walk to the main central area, get a locker and then wait for the Xula Vista restaurant to open at 9am. Remember while the water park opens at 8:30am, you left your hotel before 7am when the complimentary breakfast starts so you're starving. It is a huge "International" buffet of every kind of food you can think but there is no cooked to order (eggs). You will be assigned a table and waiter for beverages but the rest you get yourself. There are bathrooms with showers and lockers located in almost every area of the water park - most notably missed from the zipline areas. You get a numbered key from a desk at the entrance - you will not get to pick the location of your locker. Smaller lockers are free and the larger lockers are an additional cost. We biked, snorkeled, zip lined and went on water slide. Frustratingly most of the masks leaked and we did not see a lot of the fish as they were mostly hiding along the edges. Snorkels and fins must be checked out/in or you will be charged. We had lunch at La Cocina del Pueblo to try the "Mexican and Regional Buffet." All the food is very good for buffet food and you will find something you like to fill a plate and your belly. We booked the snuba caleta. There are 2 snubas in totally different areas of the park - cenote and caleta - so make sure you got the correct location. Snuba is like scuba diving but a group of you are connected to 1 air tank carried by your instructor. You take a swim around the main cove in mostly shallow water and they chum the water to get the fish closer to you. It was a good experience to help us get used to breathing equipment for scuba diving. Closeby is the Scenic Lighthouse waterslide so we left our watershoes in unlocked lockers and starting hiking the131 feet up the stairs. It was a little bumpy as the slide seams could be felt and there's a bit of an unexpected drop at the end so I definitely got a little waterlogged. We then grabbed some more snorkels and head out to the ziplining area. The zipline area has 3 different low ziplines bringing you back and forth over a small section of water. There are no lockers or snorkel gear desk here so if you have snorkel gear or tevas, most people just leave them on the dock nearby. Normally, this would not be a problem but someone. The staff changed during our ziplining and we think staff took our snorkel gear not our shoes. We had to go to the main desk and explain what happened and beg not to be charged; we were very lucky as a new staff member by ziplining backed our version that an exiting staff member probably took our snorkels otherwise we'd be charged I think $25 (could have been $35) for each unreturned snorkel. We purchased the photo pass for almost $100 and were disappointed as many cameras did not work - none in the zipline area and none at the Lighthouse waterslide so we ended up with photos we triggered near the main area and then the snuba photos - none others. We were pleased that we brought our own waterproof pouches from amazon before our trip $15 for a 4 pack and they worked great. They were selling them in the gift shop for way more (something like $15 each). Overall the staff is generally very friendly and helpful.
Getting sold-up on all the extra-cost experiences (on the bus, throughout the entrance, regularly by photographers) might be enough to take the shine off of A Xel-Ha visit, but we found VERY enjoyable snorkeling the lagoon for the beautiful fish, tubing and snorkeling the River of Life (mangrove part of the ride especially enchanting), as well as walking through the jungle and dipping among the various cool water cenotes on the far side of the park all fun nature-forward day activities. Xel-Ha's all-inclusive adult drinks were enjoyable and not watered down-- with bar staff always willing to mix up more than Piña Coladas and Margaritas, and made extra fun twisting down the tall bumpy lighthouse tower waterslide, and stumbling across the floating bridge as the aggressive surf undulated it underfoot. (Drinking glass depository containers conveniently all throughout the park-- and waters and soft drinks easy to obtain.) The cost-included lunch buffet was replete with tasty Mexican food offerings (very good for buffet food) and pleasant, attentive table service, including festive Three Kings Cake to fit the holiday of our visit. Clean private showers and changing rooms, that included clean towels, snorkeling gear (tho we brought our own), dry bag service, and convenient lockers wrapped up a day of friendly and attentive service.
AMAZING!! I can't even begin to describe how memorable my day was at Xel Ha. From the snorkeling to the caves to the water slides and all of the other activities in between, this is not a standard water park. Even the buffet was top notch. For just over $100 USD it was well worth the experience.
I'm gonna break this review into a couple pieces. Attractions, food and accessibility. But before we start, I need everyone to know that me and my family are water people and this is a water amusement park. If you are not a big swimmer, this might not be the place for you. Attractions: so in general, the attractions are super fun and are almost all based around the water. We had different people participate in: the manatee experience where they got to swim with and feed the manatees; the Seatrek where we got to wear something akin to an old-fashioned diving helmet and walk on the ocean floor while the guides brought fish for us to touch and explore; the lazy river with the cliff jumps, obstacle course, and zip line; the lighthouse waterslides; and of course, tons of free range snorkeling. We were overall very impressed with everything. The snorkeling is beautiful with tons of fish. The water is clean and even with all of the people there, the water never feels crowded. Getting to touch and experience the fish up close was amazing and the zip line is fit for a lot of different ability levels. You're required to wear a life jacket anytime you get in the water. They do have lots of size options although the bigger sizes and the littlest sizes are not available everywhere. The biggest size I saw was a 4X. The jackets are generally larger than you would expect. So someone who would maybe think to grab a large try a medium first. Wheelchair accessibility: Overall, the resort was actually fairly accessible. Some things to know before you go: if you have a manual chair or need shock absorption there are lots of the paths that are cobbled unevenly resulting in a lot of jiggling and jostling which could be a problem. Some of the paths have trees in them. We were able to navigate but we use a smaller chair and somebody with larger power chair or a large manual chair might not be able to navigate as the pathways are narrow. There are also some parts of the pathway where it is sand, and with nothing firm. Which could be difficult for a heavier chair. Most of the water entry points have several stairs to get in. The bathrooms were not the worst for accessibility but also not the best. There's usually an accessible bathroom stall, but almost every time we went in somebody was changing in it, even though they were changing rooms right there. Hallways in the bathroom area are small and crowded. Soap is high like it is everywhere, and a lot of the bathroom sinks are pretty much unusable from a chair . There are drink stations sprinkled throughout the park, but they are also very high and they close at 5 PM which is before you have to be at your buses to leave, so be prepared. The buffet lines are high, but that's pretty standard so if you're a shorter chair user you might need help knowing what's on the buffet and help with your plate. The zip line has some stairs to get up to it, but if you can manage those there is a seated option which was a lot of fun. If you want to do the lazy river, there is a tram to ride to the top. There is a ramp or staircase to get into the snorkeling area; unfortunately they didn't tell us about the ramp so we had to use the stairs. They will bring your chair all the way back down for you, but they will leave it at the guest services next to the fish spa (and they don't tell you where they are taking it) which is not the place you would expect, and is not at the end of the lazy river, so will require somebody else to go get it and bring it to you. The bus from our resort would only let us bring a folding chair, so we couldn't bring our small everyday custom rigid chair. The buses park a good distance from the entrance to the park. There are accessible turnstiles to get in and doors were pretty much nonexistent so shouldn't be a problem. There was a place to rent manual wheelchairs and strollers, but it would be really helpful if they would also have electric scooters to rent. Food: the food here is actually pretty good. We ate at the Mexican restaurant both times, once by choice and once because they told us to. The space between tables is a little bit tight, but the food here is probably at least a 4 in comparison to other travel resort food in the region. There were lots of food options, so that both meat eaters and vegetarian like were happy and the fresh made corn tortillas were definitely a highlight. Overall, we had a wonderful fun filled day with lots of core memories for our family.
Definitely a whole day full of fun water activities. The staff was great and professional. They got lockers for your personal items. Thank you to Eugelio on the drinks (muy buen barrista). The environment of this place is amazing. Here is a great pic with my sister. Totally recommend doing the faro slide.
The park was great. I showed up around 1300 and have plenty of time to snorkel the entire length of the waterway, go for a short bike ride, and inner tube the river back to the main restaurant. Things that are normally complicated like lockers and towels we're relatively simple, but the part was not packed to capacity. There are plenty of helpful employees to give accurate information in English language. Where it all falls apart is when it comes time to eat. Let's be clear. You are paying for the park and the fun and the adventure and the slides and the snorkeling and the unusual privilege of swimming in a river and, effectively, and ocean all in the span of 2 hours. What you're not paying for is the food. The food is a freebee. And, like they say, you get what you pay for. This selection is sparse in the food quality is barely that of a high school cafeteria. If you're looking for good Mexican food, skip it and find yourself a Mexican restaurant somewhere else. If you're looking for seafood, half the ceviche, but skip the chips. The tortilla chips were as stale as wet cardboard. And the desert was soup kitchen in quality. I recommend skipping the meal all together and you will have a much more memorable experience. Surprisingly simple was the parking. I don't know if I was illegally parked, there were no signs saying no parking, but I scored a parking space literally feet from the entrance. Ask for the photo package. I'd say do not do it. put your smartphone in a little waterproof container and hang it around your neck. You'll get all the pictures you need. By no means should you spend roughly sixty US dollars for a collection of pictures that you might not actually be in. All in all, this is a pretty awesome place to visit. It makes simple things like snorkeling and river rafting. As for the swimming with the dolphins, I object wholeheartedly to exposing pinned-up dolphins two humans all day long. It is cruel for the dolphins.
Xel-Ha was not initially on our list during our visit to Tulum, but we decided last minute to give it a try and I'm glad we did! It provided an all inclusive, low key day exploring nature and enjoying the water. It's basically a massive lagoon where you can snorkel different areas, take an inner tube through the mangroves, ride bikes to the mangroves, eat and drink as much as you want (buy the all inclusive package it's worth it), and ride the water slides from the top of the lighthouse. The food was decent for a buffet at a water park. The three different restaurants had a variety of options. The bars around the park would make you drinks with quality spirits for an all inclusive like Bacardi, Malibu, etc. We were trying to order our tickets online the same day but we kept getting an error message. We called their helpline and purchased tickets over the phone. I was glad we did because we received a discount! Lastly, there are stations all around the park where you can get a locker and pickup snorkel gear, etc. Don't go to the first station you see. Walk to the main area of the park and choose a station close to your next activity. They also provide showers to rinse before and after and life jackets to wear while in the lagoon. read more
We spent Day 2 of our Christmas trip at Xel-Há with our family and it was honestly one of the highlights of the trip. This place is basically a tropical playground. Cenotes, caves, snorkeling, river floats, hammocks, zip lines, and all the water activities you could want, all tucked into the jungle. What really surprised me was the food. I normally hate buffets, but this one was actually... good. Like really good. Fresh, flavorful, and plenty of options for everyone, from picky eaters to foodies. We ate well and didn't feel like we were sacrificing quality just because it was all-inclusive. We went back for thirds lol. It's definitely a long day and there's a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes and pace yourself, but that's part of the fun. You can be adventurous or just float, snack, and nap in a hammock with a drink in your hand. The fact that almost everything is included (food, drinks, gear, activities) makes it feel totally worth it. No nickel-and-diming, just show up and enjoy. If you're in Tulum with family or honestly anyone who loves nature and water, Xel-Há is a must. We had an amazing time and I'd go back in a heartbeat. read more
Xel-Ha is by far the most relaxing of Xcaret parks and it gives you the most freedom. Just spent 4 nights at hotel Xcaret Arte and this park was included. It was our favorite of the ones that we visited, and we visited them all except Xenses. It's basically a water themed park where you can get in the water and interact with sea animals or you can just lounge and float or snorkel through the mangroves, float down a natural lazy river, cliff dive, ride the tallest slide in the Riviera Maya, and more. There are also restaurants and areas for kids. The highlight of my day was swimming with manatees, which was a bucket list item for me. It was a beautiful experience, and I really will cherish it. I also rode the giant lighthouse slide, which is the tallest slide in the Riviera Maya. It was really fun, although the end was quite a surprise and felt like I got thrown into a washing machine. My favorite part of the day was floating down the natural lazy river and I honestly loved it. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was 80° and I will remember it forever. This place is truly awesome and it's great for families or couples. I plan to be back in the future. read more
23 days ago
I've come here about 9-10 times in the past 10years. The food consistency has not changed at all. This time of year sargassum is bad but nothing here. I love not having to bring towels, snorkels/goggles. The staff have been extremely friendly. I love the food is still good, the margaritas are great as well. Out of all the xcaret parks, xel-ha is the best in my opinion. All day fun, all day relaxation, all day food and beverage. What more could a person want? read more
11 months ago
Of all the excursions, this is by far one of the best of all the xcaret ones. This place has a little bit of everything. Tubing, snorkeling, bikes, zip line, plenty of areas near the water to relax and just take in the vibes. And yes, as people have mentioned, there are extra activites such as swimming with the dolphins that cost extra. Can you imagine if it was free? People are crazy complaining about it being extra. Regardless though, there is so much to do, that you are ok without the extras. Not to mention unlimited eating and drinking at the bar. It's probably why it is so popular among tourists, especially considering one of the few parks that kids under the age of 4 are still able to go. I think the other parks have other age restrictions. Definately a go to place for me and my family anytime we visit. read more
Such a great experience. Especially if you have kids. The all inclusive doesn't include some of the activities. Food and drinks are good. Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and pace yourself it's a long day. If you only speak English it's not a problem. The staff is very friendly and fun. Enjoy! read more
OH Xel-haaaaaAAAAA! Such a FUN in the sun all day excursion. I've been here each time I've vacationed in Tulum. This visit to Xel-ha I had the pleasure to enjoy with my best friend and we had a blast. This trip we decided to enjoy the all inclusive activities included with our day pass and decided next time we will do one or two of the add on ones. My favorite amenities are always the cliff jumping and waterslide. I'd love to see a taller cliff to add to the thrill! I'm sure wishful thinking on my part. However, everything is so fun. I loved how this trip it wasn't busy like past times when I've gone in the months of February and March. If you're contemplating going, I'd say just go. It's fun for all ages! Also, include the photo package in your ticket. Don't miss the fun memories. If you get the all inclusive ticket, food and drinks (nonalcoholic and alcoholic) are included. Let me tell you, they have the BEST mango margarita I've had in my life. We got ours non-alcoholic and it was delicious and refreshing. I've never had another margarita compare. Food is buffet style and fair, nothing to write home about, but you can visit as much as you'd like. I look forward to my future visit including paid excursions (hopefully, in a few short months). Staff are everywhere ready to help. Park is huge, clean and absolutely beautiful. Highly suggest, having water shoes for your adventure. Also, if you can, purchase tickets online in advance and look for a discount code if you like to save mullahhhh! Enjoy your visit and have the bestest time. I don't think you will be disappointed. read more
Three time visitor... it's still a good time. If you love the water, it's a must come. If you can't swim, they've got plenty of jackets to help you float. Like some of the other folks had mentioned there are plenty of upsells here from swim with "dolphins, manta rays, manatees" oh, my! To be honest some of the experiences are worth doing at least once. The zip-bike experience, instance, give you a unique view of the rainforest and cenotes from a eagle eye view. You can ride on the fast boats anywhere, maybe, or have your feet cleaned and massaged by little fish, but really you could skip all that and be alright. What is included is pretty good. We have enjoyed the lazy river, the cenotes, the caves, the floating bridge, zip bikes, the snorkeling, etc. It's all a good time. This time I talked my kids into joining up the Lighthouse slides. Two things to do up there. You can 1) check out the 360-degree views and score some cool xelfies (band activated cameras) and/or 2) head down the slides from a height of 131 feet. The cool thing is that my kids were psyched out at the height, and the wind at height wasn't helping (nor were the folks zooming down the slides). They got up to the top, and exceeded expectations by not freaking out and jumping into the slide which landed them in a 4 foot pool at the end. Plenty of fish to see amongst the rocks and edges... while on the Mayan Bridge which is connects the eastern edge of the park... it floats, or rather moves with the ocean... if you get seasick or motion sickness... maybe skip it. It's a good time though. We jumped in at one end of the bridge and ran into a barracuda... crazy. Let's talk food. There are four restaurants that serve a variety of the traditional and fast foods. They have a place that serves grilled meats, a place that serves tacos, a place that's more fast food. It's all tasty. Along with the drink bars that serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the restaurants have aguas frescas... stay hydrated! The park has snorkeling gear (masks and fins), lockers, everything you need is available here. The food is great. The attractions are plenty, and plenty more if you pay for them. It's a fantastic water park. read more
Xel-Há is an all inclusive water park in Tulum. If your main focus is snorkeling, this is not the place for you - you won't see many fish. We'd definitely do Xplor again (we did it in 2015 and 2027) as it has great ziplines, ATVs, water caves and same food buffet. For us Xel-Há was mostly worth it because the snuba caleta helped us prepare for scuba diving breathing. It's pricey at over $900 for 4 people but it's an all day adventure including 3 meals: $114.99pp admission + $120 RT transport for 4ppl + $ $93.99 photo pass for 4 ppl + $54.99pp snuba caleta + fees + optional tips. You can save money by buying 7 days in advance and dropping the photo pass. The transport bus picks up a few locations around Playa del Carmen PDC (Xel-Há does not help you figure out what location is closest to you or provide addresses of the pick locations). The drive from PDC to Xel-Há takes about 45 minutes. You arrive, check in and get your park bracelet (which triggers most of the photos). Then walk to the main central area, get a locker and then wait for the Xula Vista restaurant to open at 9am. Remember while the water park opens at 8:30am, you left your hotel before 7am when the complimentary breakfast starts so you're starving. It is a huge "International" buffet of every kind of food you can think but there is no cooked to order (eggs). You will be assigned a table and waiter for beverages but the rest you get yourself. There are bathrooms with showers and lockers located in almost every area of the water park - most notably missed from the zipline areas. You get a numbered key from a desk at the entrance - you will not get to pick the location of your locker. Smaller lockers are free and the larger lockers are an additional cost. We biked, snorkeled, zip lined and went on water slide. Frustratingly most of the masks leaked and we did not see a lot of the fish as they were mostly hiding along the edges. Snorkels and fins must be checked out/in or you will be charged. We had lunch at La Cocina del Pueblo to try the "Mexican and Regional Buffet." All the food is very good for buffet food and you will find something you like to fill a plate and your belly. We booked the snuba caleta. There are 2 snubas in totally different areas of the park - cenote and caleta - so make sure you got the correct location. Snuba is like scuba diving but a group of you are connected to 1 air tank carried by your instructor. You take a swim around the main cove in mostly shallow water and they chum the water to get the fish closer to you. It was a good experience to help us get used to breathing equipment for scuba diving. Closeby is the Scenic Lighthouse waterslide so we left our watershoes in unlocked lockers and starting hiking the131 feet up the stairs. It was a little bumpy as the slide seams could be felt and there's a bit of an unexpected drop at the end so I definitely got a little waterlogged. We then grabbed some more snorkels and head out to the ziplining area. The zipline area has 3 different low ziplines bringing you back and forth over a small section of water. There are no lockers or snorkel gear desk here so if you have snorkel gear or tevas, most people just leave them on the dock nearby. Normally, this would not be a problem but someone. The staff changed during our ziplining and we think staff took our snorkel gear not our shoes. We had to go to the main desk and explain what happened and beg not to be charged; we were very lucky as a new staff member by ziplining backed our version that an exiting staff member probably took our snorkels otherwise we'd be charged I think $25 (could have been $35) for each unreturned snorkel. We purchased the photo pass for almost $100 and were disappointed as many cameras did not work - none in the zipline area and none at the Lighthouse waterslide so we ended up with photos we triggered near the main area and then the snuba photos - none others. We were pleased that we brought our own waterproof pouches from amazon before our trip $15 for a 4 pack and they worked great. They were selling them in the gift shop for way more (something like $15 each). Overall the staff is generally very friendly and helpful. read more
Getting sold-up on all the extra-cost experiences (on the bus, throughout the entrance, regularly by photographers) might be enough to take the shine off of A Xel-Ha visit, but we found VERY enjoyable snorkeling the lagoon for the beautiful fish, tubing and snorkeling the River of Life (mangrove part of the ride especially enchanting), as well as walking through the jungle and dipping among the various cool water cenotes on the far side of the park all fun nature-forward day activities. Xel-Ha's all-inclusive adult drinks were enjoyable and not watered down-- with bar staff always willing to mix up more than Piña Coladas and Margaritas, and made extra fun twisting down the tall bumpy lighthouse tower waterslide, and stumbling across the floating bridge as the aggressive surf undulated it underfoot. (Drinking glass depository containers conveniently all throughout the park-- and waters and soft drinks easy to obtain.) The cost-included lunch buffet was replete with tasty Mexican food offerings (very good for buffet food) and pleasant, attentive table service, including festive Three Kings Cake to fit the holiday of our visit. Clean private showers and changing rooms, that included clean towels, snorkeling gear (tho we brought our own), dry bag service, and convenient lockers wrapped up a day of friendly and attentive service. read more
1 year ago
What a great time! 5 restaurants - snorkel - inner tubes.. jumping from a cliff - zip line - all included at the park! read more
AMAZING!! I can't even begin to describe how memorable my day was at Xel Ha. From the snorkeling to the caves to the water slides and all of the other activities in between, this is not a standard water park. Even the buffet was top notch. For just over $100 USD it was well worth the experience. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
I'm gonna break this review into a couple pieces. Attractions, food and accessibility. But before we start, I need everyone to know that me and my family are water people and this is a water amusement park. If you are not a big swimmer, this might not be the place for you. Attractions: so in general, the attractions are super fun and are almost all based around the water. We had different people participate in: the manatee experience where they got to swim with and feed the manatees; the Seatrek where we got to wear something akin to an old-fashioned diving helmet and walk on the ocean floor while the guides brought fish for us to touch and explore; the lazy river with the cliff jumps, obstacle course, and zip line; the lighthouse waterslides; and of course, tons of free range snorkeling. We were overall very impressed with everything. The snorkeling is beautiful with tons of fish. The water is clean and even with all of the people there, the water never feels crowded. Getting to touch and experience the fish up close was amazing and the zip line is fit for a lot of different ability levels. You're required to wear a life jacket anytime you get in the water. They do have lots of size options although the bigger sizes and the littlest sizes are not available everywhere. The biggest size I saw was a 4X. The jackets are generally larger than you would expect. So someone who would maybe think to grab a large try a medium first. Wheelchair accessibility: Overall, the resort was actually fairly accessible. Some things to know before you go: if you have a manual chair or need shock absorption there are lots of the paths that are cobbled unevenly resulting in a lot of jiggling and jostling which could be a problem. Some of the paths have trees in them. We were able to navigate but we use a smaller chair and somebody with larger power chair or a large manual chair might not be able to navigate as the pathways are narrow. There are also some parts of the pathway where it is sand, and with nothing firm. Which could be difficult for a heavier chair. Most of the water entry points have several stairs to get in. The bathrooms were not the worst for accessibility but also not the best. There's usually an accessible bathroom stall, but almost every time we went in somebody was changing in it, even though they were changing rooms right there. Hallways in the bathroom area are small and crowded. Soap is high like it is everywhere, and a lot of the bathroom sinks are pretty much unusable from a chair . There are drink stations sprinkled throughout the park, but they are also very high and they close at 5 PM which is before you have to be at your buses to leave, so be prepared. The buffet lines are high, but that's pretty standard so if you're a shorter chair user you might need help knowing what's on the buffet and help with your plate. The zip line has some stairs to get up to it, but if you can manage those there is a seated option which was a lot of fun. If you want to do the lazy river, there is a tram to ride to the top. There is a ramp or staircase to get into the snorkeling area; unfortunately they didn't tell us about the ramp so we had to use the stairs. They will bring your chair all the way back down for you, but they will leave it at the guest services next to the fish spa (and they don't tell you where they are taking it) which is not the place you would expect, and is not at the end of the lazy river, so will require somebody else to go get it and bring it to you. The bus from our resort would only let us bring a folding chair, so we couldn't bring our small everyday custom rigid chair. The buses park a good distance from the entrance to the park. There are accessible turnstiles to get in and doors were pretty much nonexistent so shouldn't be a problem. There was a place to rent manual wheelchairs and strollers, but it would be really helpful if they would also have electric scooters to rent. Food: the food here is actually pretty good. We ate at the Mexican restaurant both times, once by choice and once because they told us to. The space between tables is a little bit tight, but the food here is probably at least a 4 in comparison to other travel resort food in the region. There were lots of food options, so that both meat eaters and vegetarian like were happy and the fresh made corn tortillas were definitely a highlight. Overall, we had a wonderful fun filled day with lots of core memories for our family. read more
2 years ago
Definitely a whole day full of fun water activities. The staff was great and professional. They got lockers for your personal items. Thank you to Eugelio on the drinks (muy buen barrista). The environment of this place is amazing. Here is a great pic with my sister. Totally recommend doing the faro slide. read more
2 years ago
10 months ago
The park was great. I showed up around 1300 and have plenty of time to snorkel the entire length of the waterway, go for a short bike ride, and inner tube the river back to the main restaurant. Things that are normally complicated like lockers and towels we're relatively simple, but the part was not packed to capacity. There are plenty of helpful employees to give accurate information in English language. Where it all falls apart is when it comes time to eat. Let's be clear. You are paying for the park and the fun and the adventure and the slides and the snorkeling and the unusual privilege of swimming in a river and, effectively, and ocean all in the span of 2 hours. What you're not paying for is the food. The food is a freebee. And, like they say, you get what you pay for. This selection is sparse in the food quality is barely that of a high school cafeteria. If you're looking for good Mexican food, skip it and find yourself a Mexican restaurant somewhere else. If you're looking for seafood, half the ceviche, but skip the chips. The tortilla chips were as stale as wet cardboard. And the desert was soup kitchen in quality. I recommend skipping the meal all together and you will have a much more memorable experience. Surprisingly simple was the parking. I don't know if I was illegally parked, there were no signs saying no parking, but I scored a parking space literally feet from the entrance. Ask for the photo package. I'd say do not do it. put your smartphone in a little waterproof container and hang it around your neck. You'll get all the pictures you need. By no means should you spend roughly sixty US dollars for a collection of pictures that you might not actually be in. All in all, this is a pretty awesome place to visit. It makes simple things like snorkeling and river rafting. As for the swimming with the dolphins, I object wholeheartedly to exposing pinned-up dolphins two humans all day long. It is cruel for the dolphins. read more
2 years ago
Clean and well run. The slide is awesome and good for most ages. Solid breakfast buffet included with coffee, scrambled eggs, plantains, French toast, pancakes, etc. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
Fantástico great park a lots f fun things to do . Do not forget your water shoes good ones a go pro cam and you are set to have greats memories The TOGOBAN.. water slide is aswome..blue ok...white one super fast ... Cliff jumping atacht your key to your vest or your can loose it so is your wristband buy the pictures package Enjoy your day brings a dry set of shorts And a few dollars to tip out is all you can drink and eat all day But don't over doit because all the fisical actions of the day Ohh Sebastián was super nice at the time to buy the pictures at the end of day read more
2 years ago
Very fun water park where you can snorkel, go down water slides and see dolphins and sting rays. Some attractions cost extra but look interesting. The food was good too as there are a few places to eat. The nice thing is that the equipment to snorkel comes with admission. There are selfie stations around the park to take pictures as well. read more
What a beautiful blend of culture, nature, and water Park fun. Xel ha was all this and more and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Tulum in Mexico for our family vacation. I must say Xel ha had a wonderful balance of being in nature and the park does a wonderful job at staying clean and respectful of nature while creating attractions for the whole family to enjoy. We went in December which is a cooler time to visit but the weather was still quite warm and the water was not cold so the trip was enjoyable. The food and drinks are all included in the admission price so eating and drinking breakfast and lunch there was nice. I recommend arriving early so you can enjoy the breakfast offerings served there. There are premium attractions you can enjoy at an extra cost but we were fine with the included attractions which were plenty. Lockers are free and the lighthouse slide is a fun experience that should be enjoyed earlier in the day to avoid lines and so you can ride it twice as there are two different slide options at the top. 5 yelp stars and two thumbs up for xel ha! read more
2 years ago
We had an incredible time at Xel-Ha in Tulum! This is the most underrated park and we were absolutely blown away. The manatee experience with Yonathan was one of the best experiences of my lifetime. Truly amazing! Would absolutely recommend-I went for my bachelorette party but would 100% recommend for families as well! read more
3 years ago
We had an awesome time visiting Xel-Há during our stay in Mexico. The grounds are massive, so you'll walk around plenty and burn off the food and drink thanks to their all-inclusive option. I'm happy to report that I didn't see any snakes while we were there, for those of you who are also terrified of them. We did see many creatures in the wooded areas, as well as on the pathways. This is their home, so it's a great way to step into nature while having fun. We loved all of the activities, especially cliff jumping. We ate at one of the restaurants early, beating the massive crowds that came later. Since it became so crowded, I strongly recommend getting the main activities done first and then doing the lazy river last like we did. Sunscreen is an absolute must, water shoes, and a waterproof bag can come in handy. I did opt to buy the photo pass for the day, which was great since we wanted to capture photos of us with the beautiful landscape. Towels are also included with the all-inclusive visit, but they won't give them to you until you're done for the day. When we did receive towels, they smelled absolutely awful and musty. I would recommend bringing your own, even if it's from your hotel. read more
2 years ago
Xel-ha Is extremely expensive and for 6 people it was like 1600, this wasn't a problem because it looked really cool. We got into the bus and they advertised the "most recommended attractions" they made them sound super great and had tvs playing the videos advertising them too. As we got out they guided us to a ticket counter where half of the attractions were not included and ranged in cost from 50-150 PER. PERSON. The dolphins were 146 per person which makes it half of what we payed. Idk how that makes any sense because doing 3 attractions puts me at double the cost I had payed before I came in the door. Most of my day was pretty good though. Our family definitely liked the zip lines and it's great for all ages. The waterslides were really fun except the hike up the stairs but that's whatever. The lazy river was cool although because it's in the real water the current brings you wherever it wants and you can say bye to your arms because after 8 hours my arms are sore from going out into the lake after, I scheduled to get them amputated tomorrow I can't take the pain. The buffet had good food, there was a main buffet, Mexican buffet, and American or "fast food" buffet. My favorite was the American because it had onion rings and I LIVE LAUGH LOVE ONION RINGS. Here is a poem about onion rings: Roses are red Onion rings are orangish brownish yellow I love onion rings and I hope you don't too because if you come anywhere near mine I will come after you!! ... and then ask for onion rings nothing else The maps are so confusing and instead of saying how many miles, meters, feet, it says "10 minutes" after walking for about three it says 9 minutes but then after walking thirty seconds it says there's a 5 minute walk. As you walk the trails there are rocks that tell you what each tree is and what it can be used for, super cool!! Except for when half the trees are poisonous. Anyways! I hope you enjoyed my poem because I love onion rings so much. Overall was a great time just wish the other attractions were free or cheaper as we payed so much to get in. read more
3 years ago
All I can say is WOW! This place is seriously a place of wonder! I love the idea of being near the water and having access to an all you can eat buffet lol. Xel-Há is the place to be! It is very family oriented and has many different activities you can do. A giant water slide, lazy river, cliff diving, zip lining, snorkeling, rope walking all types of fun water activities! They also have animal exhibits including dolphins, manatees and fish. I felt bad for the animals since they weren't in their natural habitat so I didn't check them out. I did go to the buffet though, twice lol. The Mexican buffet was sooo good!!! I like how Xel-há allows an all you can eat and drink situation, it really worked out for me. Back to the buffet, they had so many different Mexican delicacies to try so I did my best to fill my plates. From tacos to soups, this buffet had it all. The drinks were delicious as well. Try their Paloma and thank me later. I forgot to mention that they have photo stations where you can scan the wristband they give you, take your photos, pay for them and download them to your phone when ready. I love this place and can't wait to go back!!! I will also be visiting a few of the other XCARET! amusement parks since they are all unique in their own way. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
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More info about Xel-Há
Carretera Chetumal - Puerto Juárez Km. 282
77780 Tulum, Quintana Roo
Mexico
Directions
998 883 0524
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http://www.xelha.com/
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