Photo by BDMiller - One of the Excellence Club pools. This was taken from our rooms balcony just before heading out to a nice dinner.

The Excellence Riviera Cancun ..

Wowed us again, as we left satisfied and not wanting to leave. To keep this review brief and to the point, I figured I would touch on the largest pro’s and con’s of our recent, as well as our second, stay at Excellence Riviera Cancun. We traveled to this destination at the very end of August. We find this a great time to get away and usually the resorts are nowhere near full capacity. We find it a lot less crowded and the best part, we rarely have to fight for a chair at the pools, bars or restaurants. Although the wait times are little to non and lounge chairs at the beach and pool are readily available, the down side to this is that the resorts find this to be the best time to update the facilities. It makes perfect sense to us and we realize this fact before booking a trip. Be prepared for construction noises in some areas of the resort.

This aside, the resort definitely has its pro’s, and I will limit them to our top three:

1. Outstanding Service -

Expect the service to be outstanding. One of the top reasons we keep going back to the Excellence Resorts in Cancun (Excellence Riviera Cancun and Excellence Playa Mujeres) is due to the top notch service. Rarely do you pass a member of the staff without recognition that you are there. They go above and beyond to make sure they let you know that you are welcome there and your choice is appreciated.

Source Great service from the beach to the restaurants and everywhere in between.

2. Awesome Food -

I suppose everyone has a different opinion about food quality and taste, but we have always been quite impressed with the quality, presentation, and taste of the food choices offered at this resort. There are definitely some meals we had that did not impress us, but overall I think the food was terrific.

Photo By BDMiller - Weird face but I gave it a thumbs up! I have never really been that photogenic. Amazing Filet and some sort of crab meat on top in a blush sauce. Not what I typically would order, but it was awesome!

3. Pools, Grounds and Spa -

They are always hard at work keeping the pools clean and grounds pristine. There are plenty of pool options at this resort. The more active and lively area by the swim up pool bar, moderately active fitness and games area, and for a quieter more relaxed vibe, there is a lazy river around the spa and gardens area. Even though this was our second visit here, we still discovered new interesting things around the gardens and pools. If your thing is the Spa, this one will not disappoint you. Even if your not into spa treatments, take advantage of the water circuit (included with an excellence club level room, or small charge for any other room category). It may be just enough for you to kick off your vacation and forget everyday life waiting for you at home. I book a massage and took full advantage of the water circuit and facilities. We left relaxed and in a calm state of mind. Money well spent!

Source - This was the spa looking from the back side. Stunning area that was designed for relaxation. Very friendly and informative staff.

Photo by BDMiller - The view from our room. It looks out over the ocean and the pool. This happens to be one of the Excellence Club Pools, with their own bar and beach area.

Photo by BDMiller - The entire grounds were lit with nice soft lighting. This is before the dinner crowds arrived and entertainment started. This is considered the main area for nightly entertainment. Everything going on is within a minute or two walk from this central point.

Now for our top three con’s:

1. The Service at the Beach/Pool Excellence Club Area -

Although it was pretty and relaxing, I placed it in the con’s section for two reasons. First, the excellence club service there was not as attentive as the service received from a recent visit to Excellence Playa Mujeres. We felt like just another guest at times, instead of receiving an above and beyond hospitality experience. Our past experience was one were we felt pampered and like family. It just didn’t materialize for us this time around. I suppose a big part of it was the lack of them asking how they could help us and offering certain services versus us asking them to help us with our wants and needs. Overall service was outstanding, but when you pay for a club experience, you sort of expect a more personalized one. If they recognized you from previous visits, you may get that personalized attention. Second, and of no fault or control of their own, was the seaweed. Sorghum is a huge problem for any/most resorts along this stretch of beach. They really do a great job despite the never ending supply that washes up on the beach. It looks, smells, and feels unpleasant. Like I said, It is not their fault and they have little control over it, It is just a fact that this stuff sucks. It ruins the beach experience as a whole.

Photo by BDMiller - The water quality at the beach sucked.. plain and simple. We spent little time here for this reason. Despite the service out here, which was lacking. I don't blame them for not comming out there, no one was there except the die hard sun bathers who needed their beach fix.

Photo by BDMiller - Looking up the coast at the resort. They worked their hardest to get rid of the stuff, but as fast as you pick it up, more arrives!

2. The Bar Service -

The service and the drinks we received from the bars this time around, fell short of our expectations and did not compare to our previous experience here. There was nothing to complain about, employees were more than friendly, we just felt the staff was not as entertaining nor were the drinks consistent in taste. In their defence, we did not visit all of the bars, but we did try most of them. I would say that the evening bar service is when we noticed this inconsistency and minimal bartender, guest interaction. Maybe we got spoiled at Excellence Playa Mujeres, where this would have been in our top three pro’s.

Photo by BDMiller - The wife and I enjoying a few espresso martini's at the martini bar. They were inconsistent but still drinkable. Except for the cucumber espresso martini..that was just plain weird.. blah! Guess he wasn't paying attention when making that one :-/

3. Entertainment -

The entertainment is just okay here. We always forget how just okay it is, until we get here and go to our first show. About half way through we are ready to go back to the martini bar or go up to the room for the night. The entertainment is better than some resorts in the area and worse than others. I should mention that they make a great effort to have something going on to keep your attention, most of the evening. For example, a single musicians playing sax or piano at the martini bar, or a local band/group playing music before and after the shows. The main shows are where I think improvement is needed. Some are terrific, while others put me to sleep. It’s not the theme or type of show, but rather the performers seem bored with what they do, which is felt by the audience. Many times we notice a fifth or so of the audience get up and leave after several minutes into the shows.

Photo by BDMiller - And the show begins! Not so hot stuff, but the other musical entertainment was worth listening to.

Photo by BDMiller - Mexican themed night (In Mexico - hahaha) was a blast! Food and entertainment was what I was expecting all along. Well Done for sure!!

Photo by BDMiller - This was the silent party. Everyone wore headphones with a different music playing in them. You could switch between several channel options. It was a riot to watch and really cool to participate in.

I know that my opinions are just that ..

Opinions, so please take it for what it’s worth. Regardless of what pro’s and con’s I listed above, I would highly recommend Excellence Riviera Cancun to anyone thinking of booking a trip to the Cancun area; Put it in your list of resorts to research at least. I don’t have the memory or time to list every little detail.. Like the towel animals or individual waiter experiences, but they are present at this resort and will definitely provide an experience worth the money. I think if we decide to go back to Cancun again next season, we may consider returning to Excellence Playa Mujeres again instead. We like that resort a bit more.

Photo By BDMiller - Me (on the far left) and the rest of my vacation gang. We took a side trip to Isla Mujeres.. a tale for another day. We are ready for a return trip!

Either way, one things for certain, we can’t wait till our next vacation!

One last thing ..

Photo by BDMiller - I couldn't end this without sharing our accumulation of towel pets. Doesn't compare to our Molly and Pepper waiting at home for us, but they were cute!

Until next time ..

LOVE to all my fellow Stemians!

Photo by BDMiller