Venue Guide
Your Wedding at
Hotel Xcaret Arte
Playa del Carmen
Hotel Xcaret Arte is an adults only, art themed resort in the Grupo Xcaret complex on the coast at Playa del Carmen. It hosts weddings in two chapels, on a shared beach, on stone terraces above the resort river and in two indoor ballrooms.
Check your dateWhat couples ask first
5 figures, each with the caveat that comes with it.
- 1.1Outside photographers
- $1,000 per photo or video vendor.An outside photographer or videographer costs a $1,000 vendor fee each, and an outside decor or AV vendor $870.
- 1.2Capacity
- Ceremonies run from 30 guests at Mirador Artistas to 120 in the chapels; receptions from 30 outdoors up to several hundred in the two indoor ballrooms.
- 1.3Wedding packages
- Paraiso package, $16,750 for up to 30 guests.Published rate. Confirm with the venue.
- 1.4Best months
- November, February, March and April are the driest and least humid.
- 1.5Airport transfer
- About a 45 minute drive from Cancun International Airport, with the airport shuttle and transport to the Xcaret parks covered by the All-Fun Inclusive rate.
What couples choose it for
- 2.1
The stay runs on the All-Fun Inclusive programme, so a guest's room rate also covers food and drink, unlimited entry to the Xcaret group parks including Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xplor and Xoximilco, transport between them and the airport shuttle.
- 2.2
The Todos Los Angeles Chapel sits on top of the Xpiral Pyramid with a 180 degree panorama of the Caribbean and holds recognition from the Roman Catholic Church, which is rare for a resort chapel in the corridor.
- 2.3
The venue range is unusually wide for one property, from a 30 guest balcony above the sand to a divisible ballroom configured for several hundred, so a small wedding and a large one can both be hosted well here.
- 2.4
The resort hosts same sex weddings and typically runs only one wedding a day, with no more than two in peak season across a property large enough that events do not collide.
- 2.5
Dining is a genuine draw for a multi day wedding group, with nine restaurants under named chefs, a dedicated vegan kitchen, ten bars including four rooftop bars, and the Muluk Spa with its own bridal suite.
Where you would actually get married
Ceremony
3.1Todos Los Angeles Chapel
A circular chapel perched atop the Xpiral Pyramid with a 180 degree view of the Caribbean, seating up to 120 and recognised by the Roman Catholic Church.
3.2Ecumenical Chapel
A non denominational covered open air chapel in the furthest corner of the resort, facing the ocean and seating up to 120.
3.3Playon Piramide
An open air stone terrace framed by natural coves, with views of the resort river and the Piramide building.
3.4Fuego Inlet (Caleta Fuego)
A small inlet of emerald water set into the coastline, offered for ceremonies and vow renewals in a setting surrounded by nature.
3.5Palmeras Beach
The beach ceremony site shared with Hotel Xcaret Mexico, set back from the water among a row of palms.
3.6Mirador Artistas (Artists Balcony)
A small sand terrace on level two beside the Artistas building, elevated above the beach with an ocean view.
3.7Caracol
A lawn in front of the Paz spa building centred on a tall shell shaped water sculpture and entered down a staircase.
Reception
3.8Diego Conventions Center (Diego Ballroom)220 seated
The largest indoor venue, divisible with air walls and fitted with retractable projection screens, with flexible layouts published for 200 to 220 guests.
3.9Frida Ballroom
The smaller of the two indoor ballrooms, with sections of natural wood wall and lower ceilings than a typical ballroom.
3.10Playon Piramide
The main outdoor reception terrace, on stone rather than sand, with thick foliage, palms and ambient lighting strung through the trees at night.
3.11Garden Ecumenical
A grassy space connected directly to the Ecumenical Chapel, suited to a cocktail hour of up to 50 or a seated dinner of up to 30.
3.12Mirador Artistas (Artists Balcony)
A hard surfaced terrace overlooking the resort river, with a permanent seating group and a built in tiki bar.
3.13Playon Musica
A wide open lawn, pool and pool bar area in front of the resort amphitheatre, reserved for very large groups.
When another venue fits better
Every point is drawn from the venue's own published terms and documented weddings. None of it makes this a bad venue.
- You want children at the whole wedding.Hotel Xcaret Arte is 16 and over and enforces it for weddings. Children may attend a ceremony only at Palmeras Beach or the Todos Los Angeles Chapel, and cannot attend the cocktail hour or reception at all.
- You have guests who want to stay off site.At least 80 percent of the wedding guests must stay at the resort for a minimum of three nights, and anyone staying off site pays a 90 USD entry fee that admits them 60 minutes before the ceremony and requires them to leave when the reception ends.
- You want the party outdoors and long.Outdoor events and amplified sound must finish by 11pm, so couples who want a long party generally move the reception into the Frida or Diego ballroom, where there is no fixed end time.
- You are picturing a wide expanse of soft sand.The beach is compact with a rocky shoreline rather than a wide expanse of soft sand, and the loungers have no umbrellas, so shade on the sand is limited.
- You want a Catholic ceremony.The Todos Los Angeles Chapel is consecrated and available only for Catholic ceremonies, with the priest engaged separately and all documentation verified through the Parroquia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen.
- You are flying in close to the date.A legal ceremony requires the couple to be on site three to four business days beforehand, while a symbolic ceremony only needs a couple of days for the final walkthrough.
The honest considerations
- 16 and over, enforced for weddings; children may attend a ceremony only at Palmeras Beach or the Todos Los Angeles Chapel, never cocktails or reception.
- At least 80 percent of guests must stay 3+ nights; off-site guests pay a 90 USD fee, enter 60 minutes before the ceremony, and must leave when reception ends.
- Outdoor events and amplified sound end by 11pm; couples wanting more time often move the reception to the Frida or Diego ballroom, with no fixed end time.
- A legal ceremony requires the couple on site three to four business days ahead; a symbolic ceremony needs only a couple of days for the final walkthrough.
- Todos Los Angeles Chapel is consecrated, Catholic ceremonies only; priest engaged separately, documents verified via Parroquia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen.
- The beach is compact with a rocky shoreline rather than wide soft sand, and loungers have no umbrellas, so shade on the sand is limited.
Arrival, and where you get ready
- 6.1Fly into
- Cancun International (CUN).
- 6.2Then drive
- About 45 minutes. The airport shuttle and transport to the Xcaret parks are covered by the All-Fun Inclusive rate, so check what your booking already includes before arranging a private car.
- 6.3Arriving at
- The Grupo Xcaret complex on the coast at Playa del Carmen.
- 6.4Tell guests
- Give the full name, Hotel Xcaret Arte, and the resort's own map pin, since the property sits inside the wider Grupo Xcaret complex. Say that it is 16 and over before anyone travelling with children books.
- 6.5At the airport
- Ignore anyone offering a ride between the arrivals door and the curb, however official they look. Only pre-arranged and federally authorized transport may pick up at the terminal, and the walk-up offers are where the overcharge stories come from. Ride-hailing apps work for the trip back to the airport but are unreliable for arrivals, so do not plan a pickup around one.
- 6.6Book the drive before you fly
- Reserve a private transfer in advance: the driver meets you with a name sign, at a fixed price agreed up front, and tracks your flight if it runs late. We use Private Driver Cancun, WhatsApp +52 984 132 3989, mixofcultures.com. USA Transfers and eTransfers are two long-established operators for larger guest lists.
Where you get ready
Details below are venue-published.
- Bridal suiteWithin Muluk Spa, tucked inside Casa de la Paz. Accommodates about 9 people. Hair and makeup stations; 3-sided mirror; private restroom; direct salon access.
What to ask the wedding office
- 6.7
The current outside photographer/videographer vendor fee, waived if they book our room block 3+ nights? We've seen 1,000 USD per vendor.
- 6.8
Does the 90 USD off-site entry fee apply to anyone on our list, and exactly what does it admit them to?
- 6.9
How is the 80 percent at three nights minimum counted against our real guest list, and what happens if we fall short?
- 6.10
The Paraiso package price at our guest count and the per additional guest rate, in writing, since third-party guides disagree on the per guest figure.
How the light works at Hotel Xcaret Arte
Along this coast the sun rises over the water and sets behind the jungle, so a late afternoon ceremony on the sand or on a terrace sits in open shade: the direct sun drops behind the buildings and the tree line while the sky stays bright, nobody squints, and skin tones go soft well before the published sunset time. The Todos Los Angeles Chapel sits on top of the Xpiral Pyramid with a 180 degree view of the Caribbean, which makes it the one spot on the property where the sea is the backdrop rather than the light source. Mirador Artistas is raised above the sand with an ocean view and a hard surfaced reception area overlooking the resort river, so a first look, a ceremony and dinner can all happen within a few steps. Playon Piramide is stone rather than sand and carries ambient lighting strung through the trees, which gives an after dark reception a warm base layer to build on.
The best time to start your ceremony
Arch's own rule for this coast is to begin the ceremony about 90 minutes before sunset, which leaves the vows in soft light and still keeps time for portraits afterwards. Start times are rounded down to the half hour. Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. UTC-5 all year: the state left daylight saving in 2015. Times are town level, so they run within a couple of minutes of the property.
- 4:30 pm
- January, October, November, December
Sunset around 6:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- February, March, September
Sunset around 6:30 pm - 5:30 pm
- April, May, June, August
Sunset around 7:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- July
Sunset around 7:30 pm
Planning a wedding at Hotel Xcaret Arte?
We are based in Playa del Carmen, so there is no travel fee anywhere in Cancun or the Riviera Maya.