The Xcaret group presented its exclusive tourist offer within the framework of Fitur to showcase a model of recreation that offers unique and unforgettable experiences to its visitors, both for its services and quality. With iconic theme parks in Cancun and the Riviera Maya: Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xoximilco, Xenses, and Xenses Insomnia, as well as the hotels Xcaret Mexico, Xcaret Arte (for adults only), and the latest one opened, La Casa De La Playa, considered the best hotel in Mexico by Travel + Leisure magazine.
This latest all-inclusive resort with 63 suites from the Xcaret Group debuted in late 2021, just south of the lively Playa del Carmen. When it opened, the goal was to demonstrate that the sky is truly the limit when it comes to what an all-inclusive resort can be. Each of the spacious suites is over 1000 square feet and features ocean views and private pools. The Xcaret Arte hotel, on the other hand, explores art to the fullest with contemporary interior designs and architecture integrated into the landscape. A unique experience facing the Caribbean Sea while paying tribute to Mexican artists.
Restaurant concept
The culinary offerings of their hotels include restaurants run by renowned chefs, spas with salt and mud rooms, and a long list of activities to choose from: an intimate dinner in a cenote or a nighttime bath in an underground river, all included. In addition to the all-inclusive package, they add their sustainability concept with unlimited access to Grupo Xcaret parks, as well as Xcaret Xailing ferries from Cancun to Isla Mujeres. During Fitur, we discovered that Casa de la Playa hotel is about to host XAL, a concept restaurant led by the Basque chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, one of the most innovative culinary artists in the world. Chef Aduriz is renowned for his restaurant Mugaritz, located in the Basque Country. We had an exclusive conversation with the chef, who shared details of this project that he sought after spending a vacation with his family at the hotel.
The inspiration for XAL comes from the Manila Route, a historic commercial route from the 16th century that connected Asia, Europe, and America through maritime trade, but also through cultural and gastronomic exchange. "It is the first globalization," says Aduriz, who has decided to rescue this legacy in a menu that brings together the best of three territories: Mexico, the Philippines, and the Basque Country. In a setting where respect for Mexican roots is part of its identity, XAL stands out for its commitment to mixing tradition and innovation.
"The name is very beautiful because what has united the world in its globalization has been the sea, with an ingredient that is salt. Salt is common to all cultures," Chef Andoni Aduriz told us exclusively about a project where they pair the flavors of Mexico, Spain, and the Philippines. "We are going to work on two ideas, there are dishes that are common in Mexico and the Philippines. We are dedicated to creativity, we are food scriptwriters. This means that there are some very real dishes but we also explore what has not been but could have been. When I present you with a dish that has its points of connection and references, and I present you with a dish that is not true but could have been, you don't know which one is real and which one is not. Fiction and non-fiction about a truth."
For Aduriz, it is important to show the historical relationship of the countries connected in the Manila Galleon Route. "I am here to learn, friend. I have come into the world to learn, not to teach. I can tell you one thing, when one is eager to learn and excited about learning, they learn very quickly, very quickly. I knew that Xcaret has a particularity that is very pro-Mexico. They are very Mexican. They have a vocation to value Mexican culture. They want their culture to be very present. I am from Guipuzcoa and I didn't know what to do, until I started working and found the Manila Galleon. The Manila Galleon route with two Spaniards: Legazpi and Urdaneta, who started globalization by connecting three continents."
Visitors will be able to experience a unique culinary journey in which each dish tells a story of cultural exchange, from the ingredients to the techniques. This approach not only positions XAL as a tribute to the gastronomic roots of these countries, but also as a space to reflect on the mutual influence between cultures. "Its path has left a trace in the fabrics, in the designs, but also in the gastronomy. These years of relationship have left dishes in the Philippines very influenced by America, and dishes in Mexico influenced by this route. We are going to reclaim a story that is very Mexican, has been lost in time, but is true. It is the beginning of globalization as a concept."
"This is the first time in my life that I offer myself to a project, and I promise, I am a person who constantly receives project offers and historically for over 20 years I have always refused. In this case, I sought out the project. It's a bit funny. I was on a trip for a month and a half, and when I travel for so long I try not to do intercontinental trips because jet lag affects me a lot. I took a trip that, hold on, started in Turkey, then I went to Dubai, then to the Philippines, from the Philippines to Mérida, in Yucatán, before going to Brazil. In Mérida, I stayed for ten days and my family came. A friend told me that if I was going to be with my son, I had to go to Xcaret. I ended up in Xcaret. What happened? I was amazed. I said, what is this? I met Akis, the director of the Xcaret complex, and I said: I have been in this profession for 30 years, I have been offered to open restaurants in Japan, China, Russia, in the United Arab Emirates, all over and all the time, I had never seen anything like it. In fact, I asked them if there was a possibility, I would like to do something there."
At the same time, Aduriz works at Mugaritz, which reinvents itself every year with new artistic and culinary proposals. "I want to come and go because for me, this project is very exciting. The idea is to go because we close Mugaritz for six months a year. I can go and come back, and nowadays I can record a video of a technique and see how you are doing it through video." Without a doubt, the identity of one of the best Spanish chefs will be part of Xal. "Undoubtedly. I cannot stop being myself. In the end, I am everything I have lived, everything I do, everything I think, and even if I wanted to take it off, I couldn't. In this project, I am myself. But I have come to learn and I learn all the time. I see the lady making tortillas, and I think that these are the ancestors of the talos that are in the Basque Country. We make a poor version of their tortillas. I learn from their flours, from how they work them in the humidity."
For Aduriz, creativity and innovation are the driving forces of his career. This project in Mexico is a natural extension of his philosophy: reinterpreting traditions, connecting cultures, and exploring the limits of what is possible in gastronomy. “There is so much to learn that is what surprises me the most,” he concludes.