Cancun All-Inclusive Resort Review | Occidental Tucancún, ADO Bus, Taxi Issue & WestJet Cancellation

After travelling to 100 countries, we found ourselves back in Mexico for the third time—and this time we returned to a resort we had already visited in 2020.

Our destination was Occidental Tucancún, an all-inclusive resort in Cancun's Hotel Zone. We originally stayed here six years ago and even made a video that remains one of our most-watched YouTube videos. Six years later, we came back to see how the resort had changed and whether it was still worth the money.

We travelled from Valladolid to Cancun by ADO bus, dealt with an unexpected taxi issue after arriving, enjoyed the all-inclusive food and drinks, reviewed the buffet and specialty restaurants, experienced the Cancun beach and sargassum, and then had our WestJet flight to Toronto cancelled—forcing us to stay in Cancun for several extra nights.

If you're planning your first all-inclusive vacation in Cancun or looking for a relatively affordable option in the Hotel Zone, this guide covers our experience, room, food, pools, restaurants, transportation and what happened when our flight was cancelled.

🌎 Back in Mexico After 100 Countries

Our 100th country was Belize, but instead of immediately moving on to another destination, we found ourselves back in Mexico to celebrate the milestone and enjoy some downtime.

This was our third time in Mexico, and there was another reason this trip felt familiar. We had previously stayed at Occidental Tucancún in 2020 and filmed a video about our experience. That video continued to attract viewers over the years, so we were curious to return after six years and see whether our experience would be different.

This time, our goal was simple: experience an all-inclusive Caribbean resort without spending a fortune, relax for a couple of days and see whether Occidental Tucancún still offered good value.

🚌 Valladolid to Cancun by ADO Bus

We started our journey in Valladolid, one of Mexico's colourful colonial towns, and headed to the ADO bus station for our trip to Cancun.

The ADO bus was spacious and had a toilet and Wi-Fi. However, the Wi-Fi was extremely limited. We were given around 60 MB of access and could essentially use it for WhatsApp for only a few minutes.

We paid approximately 440 Mexican pesos for two people when booking online in advance. The price was higher when purchasing at the station, at around 386 pesos per person according to our experience.

The journey was expected to take approximately 2.5 hours. Our bus left around 10:07 AM and we reached Cancun ahead of the scheduled arrival time.

🚕 Taxi Issue at Cancun ADO Bus Station

Once we arrived at the Cancun ADO bus station, we discovered that we couldn't simply request an Uber from immediately outside the station. We therefore took a local taxi to Occidental Tucancún.

The first driver quoted us 250 Mexican pesos. That initially seemed reasonable, especially because six years earlier we had paid around 300 pesos for the same general journey.

However, there was a misunderstanding: the driver thought we were going to Occidental Costa Cancún, which is a different hotel and closer to the bus station. Once he realised we actually wanted Occidental Tucancún, he changed the price to 400 pesos and asked for another 150 pesos.

We disagreed because the misunderstanding was on his side, asked to be dropped off and got our money back. We then decided to find an Uber instead.

Our tip: If you're taking a taxi from the ADO station or airport, ask to see the official fare chart and show the driver the exact hotel name before getting into the vehicle. This can help avoid confusion over destinations and pricing.

🏨 Occidental Tucancún – First Impressions

We arrived before the normal check-in time, but the staff were kind enough to give us a room that matched our request. We received a top-floor corner room with an ocean view and an amazing view of the Caribbean Sea.

We immediately received our all-inclusive wristbands and, after the journey, our first priority was food.

🍽️ All-Inclusive Food & Buffet

The buffet lunch was available until around 4:00 PM, and we arrived around 3:00 PM. There was plenty of food available, including chicken, fish, meat, mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables, fruits and desserts.

The all-inclusive concept quickly became clear: eat, drink, relax and repeat. After a huge lunch, we took some time to rest before heading back out for the evening.

During our stay, we found the buffet food to be consistently good. When we returned after six years, we felt that the food quality had improved compared with what we remembered from 2020. The food and fruit were fresh, and the service also felt better.

Breakfast was another highlight. We particularly enjoyed the fresh food, coffee and the mimosa, which we thought was one of the best we had tried.

🍹 Drinks, Sunset & Resort Nightlife

Drinks are included in the all-inclusive package, and we enjoyed cocktails, beer and wine during our stay. We tried drinks including a tequila sunrise, margarita and Blue Hawaiian.

One evening we watched the moon rise over the Caribbean Sea. The moon initially appeared orange before becoming bright white, creating a beautiful reflection across the water.

After 10 PM, the resort atmosphere became livelier, with people singing and dancing. We even grabbed some pizza and another drink before eventually admitting that we were too tired and heading back to our room.

🍽️ Specialty Restaurants at Occidental Tucancún

Apart from the buffet, the resort has specialty restaurants including Mexican, Italian and seafood options.

One important thing we learned is that the specialty restaurants require reservations. Reservations need to be made in the morning for dinner that evening. This wasn't clearly explained to us during check-in, so we missed the opportunity on our first day.

There is also a dress code. For men, a half-sleeve shirt or T-shirt is required, and sleeveless clothing isn't allowed in the restaurants.

🌮 Mexican Lindo Restaurant Review

On our second evening, we successfully booked Mexican Lindo, the resort's Mexican specialty restaurant.

The experience started with margaritas and hibiscus water, followed by nachos, sauces and pork tacos. The appetizers were excellent and the portions kept coming, making it increasingly difficult to save room for the main course.

We tried chicken fajitas, steak, soups, tortillas, guacamole and other Mexican dishes. For dessert, we had chocolate churros and flan with ice cream.

Overall, Mexican Lindo was our favourite specialty restaurant. The food quality, portions and service were all excellent compared with our experience at the seafood restaurant later in the stay.

🦐 Seafood Restaurant Review

We also booked the seafood restaurant during our extended stay. The menu included appetizers, soup, main courses, desserts and drinks.

We tried sangria, a seafood trilogy served as tacos, lobster bisque, grilled seafood, lemon chicken, cheesecake and vanilla ice cream.

Unfortunately, this restaurant didn't impress us as much. Some dishes seemed overcooked while others were undercooked, and the taste was fairly average. We also didn't particularly enjoy the sangria.

If you only have one specialty restaurant reservation available, based on our experience, we'd choose Mexican Lindo. The buffet remained another reliable option throughout our stay.

🌊 Cancun Beach & Sargassum

The Caribbean Sea was beautiful, but our beach experience was affected by sargassum. There was a significant amount of seaweed along the beach during our stay, making swimming in the ocean difficult.

We were told that this was a period of higher sargassum activity. Fortunately, the resort has several pools, so we could still enjoy the water without going into the sea.

Even with the seaweed, we still wanted to touch the Caribbean water—it's become a tradition for us whenever we see the ocean.

🏊 Pool Time in Cancun

With the beach conditions making swimming difficult, we spent more time around the resort pools.

Our unexpected flight cancellation eventually gave us several extra days at the resort, which meant more time to enjoy the pool, have margaritas and simply relax in Cancun.

✈️ WestJet Flight Cancelled – Stuck in Cancun

Our relaxing vacation took an unexpected turn when we woke up to the news that our WestJet flight to Toronto had been cancelled.

We spent approximately four hours on the phone with WestJet customer service trying to understand our options, including whether they could put us on another airline or provide accommodation and meals.

Unfortunately, the call didn't result in an immediate solution. We checked out of the resort at 11:00 AM as planned and went to the airport to speak with WestJet directly.

By then, most alternative flights were sold out. We found a Flair Airlines option for around CAD 2,000, which was far too expensive for us to pay out of pocket without certainty about reimbursement.

WestJet ultimately rescheduled our flight for three days later. We therefore booked three additional nights at Occidental Tucancún ourselves, expecting the eligible accommodation costs to be reimbursed under the airline's applicable arrangements.

Travel tip: If your flight is cancelled, check the airline's terms and conditions and understand your available options before paying for another flight or hotel yourself. Keep all receipts and documentation for any expenses you may need to claim later.

🛏️ Our Room & Premium Club Villa

During our extended stay, we were upgraded to a Premium Club villa close to the beach.

The room had a large mirror and wash basin, a bathroom with shower, spacious cupboard storage, a complimentary minibar that was restocked daily, two double beds, a couch, connecting-room access and a work station.

The highlight was the patio overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

For the additional three-night stay, we paid approximately USD 236 per night. Our original top-floor ocean-view room had cost approximately USD 202 per night. Based on our experience, booking further in advance can make a significant difference in price.

💰 How Much Does Occidental Tucancún Cost?

Based on our stay, we found that approximately USD 200 per night for two people all-inclusive can represent good value in Cancun's Hotel Zone, particularly considering the location and ocean views.

Prices vary considerably depending on booking date, room category and availability. During our stay, the other hotels we compared in the Hotel Zone were often considerably more expensive.

Our booking was not sponsored by Occidental Tucancún. This review reflects our personal experience during this stay and our comparison with our previous visit in 2020.

✨ Our Occidental Tucancún Tips

• 🚌 ADO is a convenient option for travelling from Valladolid to Cancun; booking online in advance can be cheaper based on our experience.
• 🚕 If taking a taxi from Cancun ADO, confirm the exact hotel and fare before leaving.
• 📋 Ask to see the taxi fare chart if there is any uncertainty about the destination or price.
• 🍽️ Make specialty restaurant reservations in the morning for dinner that evening.
• 👕 Check the restaurant dress code—men need a half-sleeve shirt or T-shirt; sleeveless clothing isn't allowed.
• 🍹 Take advantage of the included drinks and cocktails if you're booking an all-inclusive package.
• 🌮 If you have only one specialty restaurant reservation, our favourite was Mexican Lindo.
• 🍽️ The buffet was consistently good during our stay and is a reliable option.
• 🌊 Check current beach conditions before travelling because sargassum can affect swimming.
• 🏊 The resort pools are a useful alternative when ocean conditions aren't ideal.
• ✈️ If your flight is cancelled, check the airline's rules and keep receipts for additional expenses.
• 🏨 Compare room prices and booking dates because rates can change significantly.

💰 Our Cancun Costs & Prices

• 🚌 Valladolid → Cancun ADO: Approximately MXN 440 for two people when booked online
• 🚕 Initial taxi quote from Cancun ADO: MXN 250
• 🚕 Revised Uber fare after destination confusion: USD $12.88
• 🏨 Original Occidental Tucancún ocean-view room: Approximately USD 202/night
• 🏨 Premium Club villa during extended stay: Approximately USD 236/night
• 🏨 Additional stay: Three nights booked after the WestJet cancellation

Prices are based on our trip and may vary depending on the season, availability, booking date, room category, exchange rates and the exact service booked.

🎥 Watch Our Cancun All-Inclusive Resort Experience

Returning to Occidental Tucancún after six years gave us a chance to see how much had changed since our 2020 visit. Despite the unexpected WestJet cancellation and the extra days we had to spend in Cancun, we ended up getting even more time to experience the resort.

For us, the biggest positives were the location, Caribbean views, all-inclusive concept, buffet food and the value we received at around USD 200 per night for two people. The Mexican specialty restaurant was another highlight, while the seafood restaurant was much more average in our experience.

Cancun wasn't originally supposed to become an extended stay, but sometimes travel doesn't go according to plan. And when the alternative is being stuck somewhere else, being stuck in Cancun with a pool, margarita and Caribbean Sea isn't the worst problem to have.

100 countries down, and our journey around the world continues. 🌎✈️