My wife and I recently spent 6 nights at the Excellence Riviera Cancun (ERC) during the middle of October, 2007. We are both 28 years old, from New Jersey. Let me start by saying that we have stayed at 5 star resorts in Maui and Kauai, Hawaii on our Honeymoon, as well as the very nice Radisson in Aruba. We have also stayed at one All-Inclusive before, Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, Bahamas. We both agreed that this was our favorite vacation to date! Not because it was in Cancun, Mexico, but rather because of the actual Resort itself. Excellence is the nicest brand of Resorts we have ever stayed at. We are already looking into their other properties for our next vacation. There is another in Punta Cana, DR and they are building another in Mexico as well as Jamaica, scheduled to open in 2009. I will try to break down our trip and make it as detailed as possible. Enjoy!

Airport & Arrival – Flight from Newark, NJ to Cancun (direct) was a little over 4 hours. Security in the Mexico airport was actually very organized and detailed. I was randomly selected (on the flight home) for a security check. They pulled me aside, checked my carry on in detail, made me take my shoes off, and scanned me with a portable metal detector. This was done just as I was about to board the plane at the gate (they also do this at regular security check in). We found our transportation van outside the airport, which was booked through our travel agent. NOTE – Walk directly outside after getting your bags. You will be walking through a bunch of individual vendors on each side of you trying to get you to book your transportation through them or sell you on different activities. Just keep walking straight! The ride to the resort was a little over 30 minutes. We waited about 25 minutes for the van to actually leave, as there were 3 other couples we had to wait for.

Check In & Lobby - We pulled up to the front security gate at the Resort, where they make the driver mention each couple’s name to make sure they belong at the resort. The Resort staff quickly grabs your bags and proceeds to make arrangements for them to be brought up to your room. Check In was a breeze. Hotel Lobby is magnificent. After check in, a friendly hotel staff member will take you to your room. He will walk take you on a bit of a tour, explaining the hotel and where everything is. They do a wonderful job of making you feel right at home from the start. NOTE – The main Lobby is where the concierge is located as well as a business center with Internet. There is also a Cigar Bar in this area. A beautiful master staircase from the lobby will take you down to the Martini (Lobby) Bar.

Room – We were in Building 6, which we found to be a great location. It is in the Spa area, but was the first building you get to while walking back to your room from the pool / restaurants. We had a third floor room with a Spa / Pool view, which was very nice. It was just a junior suite room category (which is their most basic room category), and we found that it was just fine for us. NOTE - We read many reviews about people having problems with ants in their room. We did not see one ant during our stay, possibly because we were on the top floor. (Each building only has 3 floors). The room itself is spectacular -- Very big and spacious. A Jacuzzi is in every room, and is in the main part of the room near the vanity area. The shower is HUGE, they call it a Shower Closet. The toilet is in its own separate area with separate door. King size bed with canopy, kind of hard however. Nice size balcony with table/chairs as well as a cushioned seating area. Cleaning service was just fine.

TV – Good variety of American channels. Some Spanish only channels. There are 2 adult channels (37 and 38) which vary in intensity. One of them in a simple Playboy channel, and the other is very graphic. Just wanted to make mention of that so you aren’t shocked when you are changing the channels and then BOOM!

Grounds – Absolutely beautiful. Beautiful fountains and lush shrubbery dominate the Resort. You will also find cactuses and Mexican art throughout the grounds. Walkways were always clean, garbage cans always empty. Very impressive the way the entire Resort was kept at all times.

Restaurants – We found the food to be very good. I am more of a picky eater than my wife is, but I was able to find something in every restaurant we tried. Our favorite was Agave (Mexican). We ate there twice, and ate outside both nights. The Fajitas are excellent. Very nice atmosphere. We also ate at and thoroughly enjoyed Spice (Asian) and Chez Isabelle (French). Our least favorite was Toscana (Italian). We did not eat at Barcelona (Mediterranean), Lobster House or The Grill for dinner. The Lobster House and The Grill are both open air restaurants, and a bit more casual. I will get to the dress codes in the next section. There was also a Caribbean themed buffet one night outside. I believe they have something like this at least once a week. A huge breakfast buffet is served every day at Barcelona and Toscana, as they are attached. Breakfast was pretty good, but was the same every day. Good variety of fruits, eggs, meats, fishes, breads, pastries, cereals, etc. Lunch is served at The Grill and Oregano. The Grill has a nice lunch menu including sandwiches, burgers, etc. Oregano serves many different styles of Pizza, and has a lunch buffet as well. This place takes a little longer for lunch, as they make your personal pizzas to order. However grabbing some food at the buffet while you wait is the way to go. NOTE – One restaurant is closed each night. This will be noted on your daily Excellence Newsletter that is on your bed stand each night for the following day.

Dress Code – For breakfast, you will need to be “covered up.” Girls make sure you have on shorts or a skirt to cover up your bathing suit, as well as a shirt. No bikini tops are allowed. Guys, you can go in your bathing suit, but make sure you have on a t-shirt. They will not allow you to enter even if you have a sleeveless shirt on. For Lunch, you can eat at either The Grill or Oregano in your bathing suit. Guys must have a shirt on; sleeveless shirts are okay for lunch. Girls should at least cover up their bottoms. For Dinner, Guys need to be in long pants and close-toed shoes. The Grill and Lobster House are exceptions, as I believe they let you in wearing nice shorts and leather sandals. I am not 100% positive on this however, as we did not eat at either place. Girls can wear nice dresses, skirts, or pants, just no shorts. Open-toes shoes are fine for the girls. We went to change a few times after dinner into more casual clothes before going to watch one of the shows, or grabbing some drinks at any of the bars.

Bars – There are 10 Bars on the Property; Martini Bar (Lobby), Café Kafe (coffee), Blue (swim‐up bar), Sol (pool/beach bar), Cielo (exclusive Excellence Club pool bar), Alegria (dance bar), Stars (theater bar), La Habana (cigar lounge), Revive (health bar) and X Lounge (chill‐out deck on the beach). The Martini Bar is the most popular bar, as it is right in the middle of most of the restaurants. There are people at this bar all evening. It has a great atmosphere, and is located directly at the bottom of the main staircase. Café Kafe (coffee) has a self serve Soft Ice Cream machine, which is great for the late night snack after dinner or a show. There is usually a musician playing near this bar after the show ends.

Pools – There are 2 main pools. I will call them the Activity Pool and the Spa Pool. The Activity pool is much more lively (loud) throughout the entire day. This is also where the swim up bar is located. Daily games such as water polo and water volleyball are played here. Also, around this pool there are other activities such as tequila tasting, texas hold’ em, and arts and crafts. The Spa pool is definitely the quiet pool. It is a complete circle around the Spa, kind of like a lazy river. Both pools are very impressive and clean. We spent most of our time near the Activity Pool. Be prepared to be asked by the entertainment staff to participate, although a simple “No Thank You” will be sufficient enough for them not to bother you anymore. Just remember it is their job to try and get people involved, so you should not get annoyed at them for trying. NOTE - We never had a problem getting towels or lounge chairs near the activity area. And we did not get down there at 7 a.m. like others suggested you need to do to make sure you have a spot. I would say on average we got there between 9 and 10 am and got a spot every time. There are various spots around the pools to get your towels. The resort does not keep track of towels, as you can get as many as you wish. Some people do take advantage of this however.

Beach – Like others have stated before, the beach itself is wonderful, however the ocean is just okay. It was very calm, but there is a lot of sea-grass both in the ocean and that is washed up on shore. There are staff members throughout the day to try and keep up with this, but it is a tough task. The sand is very soft and white. No problems ever getting beach chairs. There are staff members that come and bring you drinks on the beach. NOTE – there are many women that will go topless on the beach. We saw about 10-15 throughout our stay. Only a couple were at the pool, most on the beach.

Staff – Absolutely the highlight of our stay at this resort. By far the best staff we have ever encountered. You honestly do not walk by a staff member without a big “HOLA.” They truly make this resort what it is. Everyone from the Bartenders to the Entertainment Staff to the Maintenance crew. The entertainment staff are wonderful. A big hello to Alfonso, Leticia, Tony and Marcus of the Entertainment Staff. The wait staff really go out of their way to become your friend for your entire stay. They remember your names and try to learn as much as they can about you. The staff really makes the entire stay very special for you. Alberto was the best!

Activities – You can do nothing at all, or get involved in many different activities, it is completely up to you. Each night you will receive an Excellence Newsletter in your room detailing the following day’s schedule. Daily FREE activities include: Tennis Clinic, Bicycle Tours, Aerobics, Tequila Tasting, Archery, Water Polo, Water Volleyball, Beach Soccer, Cocktail Lessons, Texas Hold’ Em, Towel Decorations, Bocce, Aqua Aerobics, and more. These activities are spread out throughout the day in half hour and hour intervals, depending on the activity, so you can literally do most of them if you wanted.

Theatre & Shows – A very impressive theatre highlights the nightly entertainment. There is a show every night, usually lasting about 1 hour. Some are kind of corny, but some are very good. We found it a great place to relax and digest after dinner for a bit. Great wait staff will bring you drinks so you do not have to leave your seat. Very comfortable seats by the way!

Town of Cancun – Excellence Riviera Cancun is actually located in Puerto Morales, about 15 miles from Cancun. We took a day trip one afternoon into Cancun. We left the resort about 11 a.m. After a $30 private limo took us to the town, we did some shopping and had lunch. NOTE - You can go outside the main lobby and there is usually a limo there waiting to take people wherever they want to go. You do not have to pre-arrange for a limo service. There is a flea market area and an outdoor shopping mall. We did both, but after about a half hour at the flea market, we decided to head over to the La Isla shopping mall. La Isla is about 3 miles from the flea market area, so it makes for a long walk, or a $10 cab ride. The flea market was very stressful! The shop owners do not let you walk by without trying to entice you into their store. La Isla is the place to go in our opinion. We had a nice lunch there, and did some shopping. We headed back to the resort around 2:30 and spent the rest of the day by the pool.

I hope I covered everything. Sorry for the length of this review, but I rely on this site often to make travel decisions, so I wanted to give back and detail our trip for others. I hope this helps you make your decision. I would honestly recommend this Resort to anyone! Enjoy if you decide to go!

We just returned from ERC on July 10th. Beautiful resort- wonderful rooms- staff is very accomodating- Food is actually not bad, some better than others- we didn't care for the lobster house & we ate there twice- once for lunch & once for dinner- spa is great- pool needs some maintenance but overall very nice- we never had a problem with chairs by the pool, at the beach, or with the pool floats- We did however have a ring and some cash taken from our locked safe on our last day there. We reported the theft to security and they investigated. It appears that several people have keys with access to the rooms and security and who knows who else have access to the safes- even when they are locked. We know this as we had a problem prior day unlocking the safe & called security only to have them plug a machine into the safe & open it up immediately. Just be extremely careful if you take valuables, or leave all your valuables at home- It was a mistake to leave the ring in the safe rather than wear it- unfortunately, I learned the hard way. The hotel does have a policy that they are not responsible for items not locked in the safe. We are unsure yet about items locked in the safe- Also, when you are a victim of crime in Mexico, you have to go to the police station, and pay to have the necessaary paperwork filed. When pressed as to what the fee was, we were told 10 or 20 dollars- bet if we had gone to the station, it would have been considerably more. We have been to 6 All inclusives- Cabo, Punta Cana, Playa, Cancun- have never had problems like this- did not feel safe here after this happened- Just be careful!!!!!!!!!

Well I am back from my 10 day stay at the Excellence, and after reading so many reviews and choosing this destination for my honeymoon, I know I made the right choice. Now to write a review to help people out the same way all the reviews I read helped me.

I must start out the review by saying, that anybody who gives this resort less than 4 stars, is either out of their mind, or had a very isolated incident that they let ruin their trip. This resort is 4.5-5 star resort all the way. We are a young couple who have travelled to numerous all inclusive’s in Cuba, Dominican and Mexico and this is the best resort we have ever stayed at.

Flight: We flew in via JetBlue from Florida. My first time on Jetblue and was very happy with the flight and lots of leg room!! Arrived early and had Lomis Travel pick us up in a Limo and take us the resort.

Arrival: We arrived 25 mins after leaving the airport and arrived to be great by name with a glass of champagne and an ice cold cloth for our faces. Within 2 mins we were being taken to the Excellence Club Lounge to check in.

Check-In: Went very smooth. I had requested a top floor room, king size bed with the best view. I got exactly that. We were in room 7354 in the Excellence Club and I HIGHLY recommend this specific room....its a corner unit, overlooking the entire ocean and the Sol Bar. We were also notified that we were going to get the Romantic Dinner on the Beach free of charge and also a 60mins couples massage free of charge (I was very impressed with this). Within 20 mins everything was booked and we were on our way to our room.

Rooms: To me, the rooms were very nice. A nice big bed with rose pedals and swans, a big Jacuzzi inside and on the balcony, a nice big marble shower and a sitting area. The view from the balcony was amazing!! I would pay for Excellence Club again just for the view! The rooms do need a little "sprucing up" though. I think a nice new paint job and a 42" Plasma TV on the wall would just make the rooms amazing. I hope they do this in the near future.

Excellence Club: Is excellence club worth it? In my opinion, yes! If you do have the extra cash, I would highly recommend it. The ocean view, excellence club lounge with nice big couches, unlimited internet access, and top top shelf liquor, and the amazing service of Amablee in the Excellence Club pool area, makes it very worthwhile!! If you dont have the extra cash, don't worry about it. But chances are, if you’re going to the Excellence, you do have the cash, so cough it up!!

Pools: The pools are great. The swim up bar is really neat and is the place to be for activities and socializing. We spent most of our time at the Excellence Club Pool area, simply because we wanted the peace and quit, and the service by Amablee was superb (she is such a sweet heart). The lazy river winds throughout the resort and is very nice. Simple put, there are plenty of pools, all very nice.

FOOD: I have to say, I don`t eat this well at home! The food blew us away! Never got sick or anything-not even once. Breakfast you can either get room service (anything you want) or to the big breakfast buffet, which had everything!! all fresh and very tasty. We usually had lunch at The Grill, which was always really good. Summary of my fav foods below:

The Grill- Loved the chicken wings. Loved the pepper steak and the grilled mahi mahi fish were my daily favs

Lobster House- Eat lobster there once at night. It was good, nothing great. They always over cook it! But worth it to go once.

Spice- Not as great as I had hoped, but it was good. My favs were Pad Tai, Tom Gai Soup, Dim Sum and pan fried snapper....being from the westcoast of Canada the sushi didn`t even come close to what we have on a daily basis.

Chez Isabelle- Ate there once and had the Chateaubriand, which is a thick cut sirloin with 2 amazing sauces. Damn was it good!! A must have if you love steak!

Toscano- This is the Italian place and we ate there twice, both times I had the Oso Boco (lamb shank simmered in sauce for many hours). Oh man, best I have ever had!!!! If you love lamb, this is a must have aswell.

There were a few other restaurants that didn`t seem that appealing to us, but I am sure they were good also.

Don`t forget 24 hour room service, which has many choices and always arrived within 20mins and hot and tasty.

Spa: As I said, we received a 60min couples massage free of charge. You also get the marine wellness thing (60 mins) free of charge is fun doing it as a couple. The massage was very good, prob one of the best I have had. It is damn expensive though!!! And not sure if we would have done it if it wasn`t free.

The People: We met a lot of people....mostly Americans...lots of people from Texas, Buffelo, Phili, and other southern states. Not Canadians though.....we heard some were there but never met any....we felt lonely..haha. But lots of good people that we chatted with.

Staff & Service: TOP NOTCH. Concierge staff, waiters, cleaning ladies, bartenders, drink servers were all amazing. Always friendly, prompt and never expected a tip! But were very grateful when you gave one! The Service is what really defines this resort!

Bars & Drinks- There is 10 bars! All with cool names. Martini Bar is great for a before dinner drink and mingling, and Kafe Cafe is great for after dinner before going to the theatre. I also enjoyed a nice cigar in the Havana Cigar lounge after dinner. They only sell Cubans there and they are a bit pricey. Met some good people there. Drinks are all top shelf liquor (make sure you ask for what you want!). I couldn’t get enough mojitos. So good! They have good coffee drinks as well.

Concerns Addressed:

Ant Issue- Yes, there were little microscopic white ants, mainly near the mini bar, sitting area table and sink area. Did it ruin my trip....no.....do I wish they weren’t there.....yes. They are so small i just put my finger over them and they were dead....not a big deal. We came prepared and wiped the areas down with Lysol wipes....seem to reduce the problem....only a few here and there. Suggest you do the same if they bother you.

-Small musty smell in room. Turn AC down to lowest setting, light a candle and spray some air freshener...within 2 hours we had a fresh room for the rest of our trip.

-There was some hogging of pool floats and saving of chairs but not as bad as I expected.....we would come out at 10am and still find chairs and a great place to spend the day....of course, it was July and resort was only at 75% capacity....and even dropped to 70%. During busy season of 100% capacity, I could see issues with float hogs.

Overall, we had a great honeymoon and would highly recommend this resort to any couple. Definitely 5 star all the way. I just don’t understand how people could complain about this place....really.....they must go through life very miserably. TRUST ME, this resort is TOP NOTCH. Ignore the bad reviews.

This resort came highly recommended by my travel agent and delivered as promised. I’ve read some mixed reviews, but our experience was nothing short of a fantastic vacation.

As for the people that have said they were “robbed”, in this day and age, why on earth would anyone travel with large sums of cash when ATMs are available around the world? You’re just creating your own misery. My guess is that someone was able to access your room safe because you most likely used the default code (1234) they provided for you when you arrived. You’re supposed to use a code that is unique, that way no one knows it. We had digital camera, ipods, wallets, jewelry, travel documents, cell phones, etc. in our safe and never one problem.

The room was fantastic. Very clean, well stocked mini bar, cleaned 2 times per day, none of the bug problems others have mentioned.

Pools we’re always clean and we managed to find a place to sit in the shade every single day whether we were around the pool or hanging on the beach.

Restaurants were all very good. I recommend if you eat at the Mexican restaurant that you use some insect repellent (the restaurant has it – just ask) as there’s no breeze there so mosquitoes will attack!

Staff – I’ve read complaints that staff we’re not all that friendly. Rubbish! I can’t recall one person that walked by me without smiling and saying hello. Bar tenders and wait staff were all great.

Tipping – didn’t do it. It’s called all inclusive for a reason. My service didn’t suffer because of it at all.

Grounds – impeccable. Everything was so well taken care of and beautiful. Can’t really say enough.

Must do while there – don’t overlook the XO Lounge after dinner. This was a wonderful experience we took advantage of every night before going to bed.

Off resort – we did a day trip to Chechen Itza and Ceynote swimming. Fantastic and pretty cheap ($70 per person with lunch included).

Rain – we only had rain one day. The lightening storm was amazing to watch! The resort staff keep you well entertained in times like this with activities in the theater area. They had plenty of games going on and movies on the big screen.

Entertainment – no opinion here. We got to bed early most every night to enjoy as much daylight as we could!

Spa – my wife loved the prenatal massage she got!

Loud Americans? HA! First off, I take offense to that. Second, there was a group form the UK that was so drunk and obnoxious that the staff had to ask them to leave the pool and go sober up. Touche!

I would recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation at a wonderful resort. Will I go again? Not likely – we never go to the same resort twice. Too much to see in the world for that!