First of all I just want to give you some background about myself, so you can understand my perspective on the resort. I'm from New York City and have travelled many places throughout the caribbean, mexico and hawaii staying at mainly Hyatt hotels. I overheat on a 90 degree day, am disgusted by unkept surroundings and have a New York attitude when it comes to incompetance.

With that being said - I just got back from the Excellence and my boyfriend and I had an OUTSTANDING vacation. I could go on forever about all of the pro's of this resort, but I'll try to keep this somewhat brief.

FOOD: Like the previous reviews said, food is hit or miss -- ranging from excellent to fine. Nothing really to write home about (not Bobby Flay).. but nothing that any normal person would not be content eating (not Taco Bell). The morning buffet is robust full of fruits, cereals, prepared foods, omelet station and much much more. For lunch you can grab some standard grill food (burgers, chicken fingers, etc) or get a pizza at Oregano. The pizza actually wasn't half bad (and this coming from a new yorker!). My favorite restaurants at night were Spice (pan-asian) and the French restaurant. I would have loved to take advantage of the Grill or the romantic dinner on the beach, but unfortunately there were just too many mosquitos out at night. Never-the-less, I was there for 7 days and only ate at the same restaurant twice. There's also nachos and frozen yogurt available at all times (what's better than that?!)


GROUNDS: BEAUTIFUL! Everything was perfectly manicured with lush foliage. You look out your window and the colors are just amazing. The 6 pools 'meander' around the property with an abundance of chairs lining them in single rows (not in hordes like other resorts). There were always ample charis and towels -- no racing for a chair by 9am garbage. There are these cool beds on the beach and by the pool which were the only things snatched up relatively early in the day. Another good thing about the pool set up was that you could be in the action by the main pool bar or find many spots at other pools that were more chill... and some that had no people there whatsoever.

The one thing I didn't like was that you had to go into Cancun to do watersports like Jet Skiing/parasailing/etc, since it is a private beach.

ROOMS: We stayed in tower 6 in an oceanview jr suite. No construction noise at all. The rooms were uniquely set up with an open bathroom featuring a huge marble shower and water closet, then a huge jacuzzi tub that leads right into the bedroom. Following the bed, there was a couch and table w/ desk then a huge deck with a couch and chairs. Not sure what the previous guy was saying about the bathroom door not going to the floor - who really cares if someone sees your feet? I will agree that the bed was a bit hard, however. Nothing was stolen from our room.


STAFF: So gracious and will accomodate anything you want. They are always walking around smiling and happy, saying hello to all guests and trying to accomodate their every need. Numerous times I got food that wasn't on the menu, speedy room service, accommodating concierge, late checkouts and even easy rescheduling.


WEATHER: I was worried about going to mexico in July, as i thought i would melt, but it really wasn't bad at all. As I said, I melt in the NYC summer heat, and it was actually much more comfortable down in mexico. There is a constant breeze, so you don't really feel the heat and humidity (except when you see your hair start to curl!)

ENTERTAINMENT: During the day, there were an abundance of activities like archery, tennis, water aerobics, bingo, volleyball just to name a few. You could either take advantage of these or just lay by the beach/pool and relax without feeling pressured or annoyed by rowdy guests. At like 5pm there was a live cover band, that was pretty good (until the 7th day when you start to hear the same songs over and over again -- mexicans sure love Bon Jovi!)

At night, there were shows at night that ranged from magic to dance shows to 50's style music. Kinda corny I guess, but after a couple of drinks they were pretty entertaining to watch for a little while. Went to the 'discoteque' one night -- pretty cheesey also. They also had a mexican themed night and a casino night. If you're looking to party and stay up all night, I'd suggest leaving the property and going into Cancun as there's not much going on and no casino.

SPA: The spa was absolutely amazing. You cannot visit this resort and not go to the spa! Yes, it's a bit expensive.. but I got the Excellence massage and it was fantastic. The best part was the whole water circuit they do for the hour before your treatment. I don't want to give it away - but it's not to be missed!

All in all, I had a great vacation and would recommend the hotel to all of my family and friends. Definitely best for young/mid aged couples.. and perfect for a special anniversary or honeymoon, since they were just so willing to do ANYTHING for their guests.

We just got back from a week at Excellence Riviera Cancun. Prior to booking, I researched SEVERAL hotels in the area, along the Riviera Maya including Playa del Carmen. Finally, I chose the Excellence because it was secluded- away from busy Cancun and the public beach areas of Playa. Now the beach at Excellence is public (all beaches in Mexico are) but I hardly ever saw anyone who didn't seem to be at our resort.
The grounds- they are beautiful- great European/Mexican feel with palm trees and Mayan statues. There are several pools, one close to the beach with a swim up bar, which gets a little busier, but the others always have a spot, whether in the shade or sun. I still recommend getting a towel when you get up. The lazy river is a nice change. We liked the pool facing building 6 near the ping pong tables.
The rooms- Our room was in Building 6, no construction what so ever, facing the whole resort and ocean. It was a perfect view. I don't know who really would care about a gap at the bottom of your toilet room door- I knew if I left the light on that way and the doors are so heavy and huge, they are private anyway! The bed is more firm than others but you can request feather pillows which made it much better. I almost booked a swim-up, but when I saw that barely anyone ever layed out by their room and that you would have to go around it you left your spot to eat (because you would lock the patio behind you, etc, I knew I made the right decision. We never had anything stolen from our safe but did not bring any valuables with us. You don't need your designer bags or fancy jewelry here. Who cares?
The food- The food was good. Agave was the best- it was different from some Mexican food in the states but I lived in AZ so I loved it. Spice and Toscana are close seconds. Word of advice- our meet was always overcooked at the Grill...
The beach- the beach has beautiful white sand. The water at the beach is aqua. There were a few grass strands but no seaweed. I am not picky when it comes to the beach anyway. Always enough spots on the beach.
The spa- it's awesome! Beautiful white curtains instead of doors. The staff is very helpful. So it is pricey but you are on vacation! The water rituals are relaxing and the massages and facials great.
So, there is no internet service unless you bring your laptop, you are on vacation, why do you need it? The staff at Olympus toors were very helpful if you had questions about excursions. We went to Tulum/Xel-Ha, Playa, and the Jungle wave runner tour. Do the wave runner/snorkel tour in Cancun. It is awesome! Just listen carefully for your name when they call you for the bus.
If you give a tip to your housekeeper, they will give you even better service. I loved it here and have also stayed at Sandals which is on the same level. Take other negative reviews with a grain of salt. We stay at 4+ hotels all the time, is it the Ritz no, but it is certainly a 4.5 star resort and I would go back in a hearbeat.

My husband and I just returned from a 6 day stay at the resort. We have travelled extensively thru the Maya Riviera(Adventura, Iberostar, Gran Bahia, Ceiba Del Mar, etc). We loved this resort!!!
We arrived and our room was ready. The bellboy escorted us to our room after a nice drink and cool towel. He gave us a quick run down of the resort. We chose not to partake in the Excellence Club. If it is your honeymoon, indulge! We were in building 6.Great room with a small amount of construction next door.I was not impresses with the swim out rooms. Remember . they are on the first floor.No privacy!Yes, you do have an outdoor jacuzzi, no privacy.Our room was great!! Great T.V. (adult channels), jacuzzi, no thin walls, great shower,etc. Our room service was wonderful!The presentation by the waiter was very nice. We did not dislike 1 restaurant. I enjoyed the French and Barcelona. My husband loved the Mexican. Remember the bug spray. Stop moaning about mosquitos! We have plenty in Connecticut. Make sure your partner dresses accordingly. No T-shirts without sleeves allowed. Be sure to pack your vacation wear! My husband always looks like a movie star!We worked out a few times. The gym is fine. I expected a little more. Just basic.The yoga instructor was very challenging! Definetely, not for yoga resort. Don't atttend if you never took a class. You will be lost!Make sure you visit the spa. Try the Hydrotherapy for 2!!!Well worth it! Remember to visit the X-Lounge after dinner with your loved one. Very, very romantic. I did not find one negative aspect of the resort. The staff were kind, caring, and attentive. Treat them with respect. We did not run into any unpleasant situation. Another piece of advise I will offer. Purchase your own snorkel gear if you travel extensively. Do you really believe they are properly sanitized anywhere in the islands or Mexico????We will see Excellence again!!!!!

We have just returned from a great holiday from 2nd to 16th July.

After a 10 hour flight from UK we were pleased that our private transfer only took 20-30 mins to the hotel. On arrival we were greeted with a glass of Champagne and cold flannels which were both very welcome.

We were quickly given a guided tour to our room 9104 by the bell boy. Although the room was close to the construction it did not bother us at all as we were hardly in the room. The bed was a huge four poster king size bed that had been decorated with rose petals and swans as we were celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary and there was a bowl of fruit and bottle of champagne waiting in the seating area.

The room was very clean with no musty smell or ants. It was nice that the toilet was separated from the shower room and washing area. The shower room was huge with shelves and hooks. There was a large jacuzzi near to the bed but we only used it once as it took a while to fill and was rather cool due to this but a great touch none the less. There was a double vanity unit and drawers to store stuff. The turn down service was a bit hit and miss but the room was cleaned everyday. The bed was firm but very comfortable and there was no problem with the linen as read in other reviews. I took my mobile phone and hair straighteners etc and had no problem getting them to work or charge up, I suppose it would just depend on the make and age as most now have multiple voltage.

The restaurants were excellent and catered for every choice. Our favourite was Chez Isabelle - Cesar and Louis were great. We were given a voucher for a special meal due to our anniversary and it was certainly memorable with the table being decorated in rose petals and champagne with strawberrys floating in the glass, the service was truly special. We ate at all the restaurants as we were there for 2 weeks and did have our favourites. This was not due to the standard of the food or service but to our own food preferences but we can honestly say we did not have a bad meal in any of them.

The staff were always very friendly and helpful and gave good service even though we did not routinely tip. All the staff had a smile and spoke to us. We were suprised however by the way some guests (only a tiny minority) spoke to the staff - very demanding with no please or thank you and also at times very rudely.

The pools were lovely and clean and we did not see any beer cans etc in the pool. The pool guys generally cleaned the pools about 8am onwards and also went round more than once if needed. The pool with the swim up bar was the coolest which was a blessing at times but all were a good temperature. It did seem that if you wanted a shady spot in the main pool then you did need to reserve a space quite early as they did go fast, however there was plenty of space at other quieter pools. There were some people who took the floats and kept hold of them all day even if they were not using them which I thought was very rude and inconsiderate the same went for reserving loungers but did not use them until late afternoon. The only downside to the swim up bar was that it was monopolised by large groups of people who would take over the bar area from 9am when it opened until it closed. They started drinking as soon as the bar opened and got louder the more drinks they had. They even ordered their lunches 10-12 lots of cheeseburgers to be by poolside so they would not have to leave the area and left the side in such a mess. They were in the minority but all seemed to have the same appearance of tattoos and shaven heads and worse of all smoking in the pool which we found disgusting.

The beach was great white sand and felt as if you were walking on flour. Yes there was sea grass but what do you expect it is the Ocean.

The entertaiment was a bit hit and miss some shows such as the band were great but some of the dance type shows were dreadful. We would of prefered some background music to be played in the theatre before shows but instead they seemed to have this hard rock guitar game going on which we thought should have been elsewhere maybe the night club out of the way as we felt it ruined the ambience somewhat.

On reflection we had a great time and would definately come back again at some point and would recommend it to anyone.