My husband and I stayed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun from June 21st through 28th for our honeymoon and had an amazing time. The majority of the staff is very friendly and willing to help. Although this is an all-inclusive, these people work very hard so we left tips at all meals and occasionally at the bars. The pools are beautiful and we usually hung out at the main pool with our "mates" Craig and Nic from England! However they have salt water pools as well. We had no problems getting rafts as many previous people had mentioned, one would usually turn up even if you didn't get down to the pool too early. As far as getting "prime" spots on the beach (beach beds) or by the pool, you should try to get down there by 8am and at least put your towels and personal items on the chairs and go eat breakfast. The food was above average, and we absolutely loved Spice and Chez Isabelle! At spice you definitely have to make a reservation for their hibachi area as well- excellent! At chez isabelle, definitely try the sea bass! The lobster house was good too with outside dinning overlooking the beach/sea and very good lobster tails. Overall this is a great resort- we had an amazing time and met wonderful people! Would definitely go back!

**One tip- bring bug spray- the mosquitos can definitely get you!:)
And yes there are small bugs that resemble ants they will get in your room if you have food out, but otherwise this is not an issue-just remember you are in a tropical place!

We arrived from UK, after a 7 hour delay, having flown Premium Cabin with Monarch. The aircraft had adequate legroom and the cabin crew were friendly and always on hand to offer drinks etc. Having just landed the heavens opened and we experienced first hand all a Caribbean thunderstorm could offer. Airport to resort took around 1 ½ hours and we were greeted with towels and champagne before being escorted to our suite.

The air-conditioned room was superb with sea, garden and pool views, Jacuzzi bath, wet room,two double four post beds, lounge area. Outside was a good sized terrace with table and chairs. The décor was tastefully done and everywhere was immaculately clean. We did notice a slight dampness about the place as mentioned by other reviewers but the air con soon removed this. Those ants that seem to be mentioned in every review were also in evidence on our terrace but we never once saw them in the room and they are so tiny it would not have been to much of a problem anyway. At no time did we see any other “nasties” unless you count the crab that was scuttling around one evening in one of the corridors.

The restaurants served first class food from a menu with many choices, the best we have ever had in any all inclusive resort. All the food was freshly cooked and piping hot. Presentation was excellent and the waiters all had their little ways of revealing the dishes at your table. Our favourite had to be the French restaurant with the Lobster House coming a close second. No bookings are possible at the restaurants, you were advised how long it would take to get a table and, if acceptable, given a pager to allow you to go off to one of the bars and have a drink whilst waiting. The longest we ever waited was 45 minutes for a table in the French restaurant. We used the grill for lunch each day and that too was excellent. Try the Mahi Mahi in a ginger sauce it is very good.

Some evenings there were themed evenings around the resort with a buffet. These were generally good and on our final night there was even a horse show on the beach!

Evening entertainment was in the theatre and was of a reasonable standard and we found it enjoyable. At 10.30 all outside entertainment stopped and moved into the Alegria bar so as not to disturb those who wish to turn in early. The bars stay open though.

The white sand beach was cleaned several times during the day and we had no difficulty getting sun loungers at all. Waiter service on the beach is good. A lounger near to the old pier is a great place to watch the pelicans diving for fish.

The resort offers a complimentary coach to Cancun. This stops at in our opinion the worst shopping malls on offer. Better to take a cab ($USD35) and explore yourself. Likewise the complimentary trip to Puerto Moreles will hardly inspire, it takes 15minutes to look in the few gift shops and then you sit around in a bar waiting to be picked up. Get a cab to Playa del Carmen instead($USD35) and enjoy the shops, bars and people!

One thing that we did not find out until we arrived in Mexico is the fact that our UK phone chargers, hair straighteners, camera chargers would not work due to the lower voltage. BE PREPARED FOR THIS! Couldn’t get our mobile phones to work either.

We went to Chichen Itza and also Zel Ha. The first was very hot and there is not too many shady parts. Really enjoyed it despite the long coach journey. Zel Ha was great fun, plenty of snorkelling down the river which joins the sea. Masses of fish and marine life, well organised and not to be missed.

Overall a fabulous holiday, the resort is superb and I cannot find one negative thing to say about it. We would return in a moment, and may well go back to Excellence next year.

My Husband and I just spent one amazing week at the Excellence Riviera Cancun! We had a great time and are still sad about leaving 3 days later...

Since I read hundreds of reviews before choosing our stay at the Excellence, I felt it was only fair that I return a review for others.

We arrived at the hotel on Sunday at noon, our flight was short and sweet from Florida. The drive from the airport was only 20 minutes until arrival at the hotel. I had also searched for a reliable transportation company for the transfer to and from the airport. After reading many great reviews, I chose to use Entertainment Plus (http://www.entertainment-plus.net/). They were great and super reliable, would highly recommend!

Once we arrived at noon, we could not check as the room was not ready. We had to wait until 3pm to actually get our room but we just ate lunch and hung out around the hotel. The hotel grounds are absolutely beautiful! Everything is so well maintained and very clean. The pictures just don't do it justice. The pools are spread out throughout the hotel, there were too many to count. Some are salt water and some are chlorine, but all were wonderful. The pool with the swim up bar, is the most popular. Obviously the loudest with people, activities, and music. So if you want quiet, just walk down a little further and you'll find plenty of other spots. The hotel offers a lot of activities if you like that stuff....volleyball, water aerobics, crafts, poker games, etc. If you don't, you can also just do your own thing. It's a very relaxed atmosphere with very friendly staff.

I can't say enough about the staff! They were wondeful and so accomodating and warm. They were always trying to help and go the extra mile. We tipped at every meal and with every drink. I know its supposed to be all inclusive including tips, but we felt they worked so hard at providing great service. Whether or not to tip is obviously a personal decision, but make sure to bring some cash in case. The ATM at the hotel charges $11 per transaction.

The hotel also provides nightly entertainment, which was good. We only saw 2 shows since my Husband isn't much of a show guy. But the ones we did see were actually a lot better than we expected. The acts were actually good and we really enjoyed them! There are plenty of bars everywhere. The liquor and drinks were not watered down and they were made really well. They servce most of the top shelf stuff and a few house wines to choose from... Merlot, Cabernet, and Chardonnay. Nothing extensive on the wine side that was included, but you can upgrade for a price if you like good wine. I never found it difficult to get a drink or had to wait more than 2 minutes, honestly. The bars were well staffed and the waiters were always around to bring drinks consistantly.

The beach was pretty and they have done a lot to clean it up from all the storms. The ocean water...so so. It's murky and not as clear as we would have liked. The color is a beautiful green turquoise and pretty to look at, but I didn't do a lot of swimming in it. There wasn't a whole lot of people in the water, most just walked along the beach or swam in the pools. The prime chairs and loungers on the beach are usually gone by about 9am. We found the weekend obviously prime time to be more busy than the weekdays. The hotel wasn't as crowded and we were able to find better spots with no hassle during the week. You can always find chairs by the pool. Water rafts not as easy, and everyone definitely snatches them up early and holds on to them all day.

The restaurants were good, but here are some tips. Definitely go to the Lobster House for dinner. We thought we would be getting a small little tail, but we were wrong! The tails are huge and the different sauces and sides were wonderful. This was the best dinner we had there hands down. The atmosphere is beautiful and overlooks the beach also. The breakfast buffet at the Barcelona was wonderful and they have a wide assortment of fruits, healthy fare, pastries, omelet station, etc. Something for everyone at that buffet. Most of the restaurants are a la carte and the portions are definitely smaller than american restaurants. If you are a big eater, you might want to order a couple different meals to try. The pizza/pasta restuarant, can't remember the name, but was really good. The Japanese restaurant, Spice, left a lot to be desired. Maybe I didn't like what I ordered, but we weren't too impressed. We did order room service a couple times, and it was super convenient. They brought up our breakfast within 30 minutes. Although we found the food to be less than good for that breakfast. The other meal we ordered was pizza and quesadillas for a late night snack, and those were delicious. I think it just depends what you order. Oh and don't worry about the water, they have purified bottled water throughout the hotel and restaurants.

The room we booked was a junior ocean view suite. It was really nice and definitely clean. I was concerned about some of the reviews I read dealing with ants, construction noise, etc. We didn't experience any of that. There were maybe 2 or 3 ants that I saw along the sink in the bathroom, but that's it. Nothing major.
Our view wasn't directly overlooking the ocean, which I was a little disappointed with. It was quite a distance and we overlooked another building and a pool before the ocean. But hey, we had a balcony and the hotel was beautiful, what else could we ask for. The beds in the hotel were VERY firm. If you are used to a soft bed, this might be a big shock. It wasn't that bad for me, but my Husband had a hard time with his back.

As for tours, trips, excursions, we did the following which can be booked through the hotel...
XEL-HA - The bus ride was about an hour to get there which seemed like forever, but it was worth it. The park is an ecological water park with so many things to do. There is a cenote (spring) that you can snorkel, swim, and tube down. There are cliffs to dive off, dolphin swims (Extra cost), bike riding, etc. We spent the whole day there and had a great time. I think the base cost was $115 including eating and drinking all day per person.
SELVATICA- The bus ride was only 20 minutes to this location. This was a half day filled with zip lining, bike riding, and a swimming hole. The zip lining was awesome! It was a about 25-50 feet up in the trees and we did about 10 or 11 different lines. It was amazing! Please bring bug repellent, there are a lot of mosquitos. After the zip lining they take you on a bike ride to the swimming hole about 1 mile each way. This was a great day as well and the cost was $80 per person.

We had a wonderful 6 days and would definitely recommend the Excellence Riviera to everyone! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

My wife and I were married at Excellence Riviera on June 30, 2008 and stayed at the resort from 6/25-7/3. Our wedding was beautiful and Noemi was awesome. They exceeded our expectations all the way from the decorations, ceremony, photography, video, rehearsal dinner and reception activities. If you would like more info please email me at jgarrett@rgc-glass.com.
Our stay itself was fantastic. The service is super, the friendliness of the staff was unbelievable. Everyone was smiling at all times. The vibe the resort put out sets the tone for everything. If you are looking for stand up on bar, get wild and crazy... DO NOT go here. This is for the more mellow/mature audience as well as romantics. I've never been somewhere more romantic. It was amazing. The resort layout is well thought out, as it never seemed crowded. There was always space, always chairs and always service. Beverages were not weak, top shelf, anything you asked for they had including American Beers for all those who complain about one mexican beer choice.
My thoughts on those who have complained:
1) U are in the carribean, of course there are bugs. The resort is in no way crawling with bugs.
2) Again you are in the caribbean, your room isn't going to smell like roses with humidity and so much foot traffic in and out. I had no problem with this.
Excellence is fantastic. If you are looking for a mellow, quiet, romantic get away book it now. We are headed back in the winter months if all lines up. THANKS to everyone at the resort.