Excellence Riviera Maya Review
My husband and I got back from Excellence on Monday (just in time to miss the hurricane).
The resort was WONDERFUL!! We were so happy with everything!
Let me start with this story...
One day after a few drinks on the beach, I left my digital camera sitting on the lounge chair. HOURS later I realized what I had done and was sooo upset. I thought someone (guest or worker) would have taken it (this based on past experiences at other resorts where items were stolen from our room). We went up to the front desk and she called lost and found. They said they had a camera. The man asked me to describe it and describe the first picture that was on it. He brought up the camera and IT WAS MINE!!!! I was sooo happy! The people down there are very trustworthy and honest! It blew me away!!!
The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE! My husband is a VERY picky eater and the staff was more than willing to accommodate him in EVERY WAY!!! We ate at Spice (our favorite), The Grill, Oregano, and Toscano. They were all terrific and the Service was impeccable! There is a buffet for breakfast and lunch. Again we were amazed by all of it!!! Room Service was always quick and VERY hot!!! The drinks were a bit weak, but just ask for them strong and they will gladly make it 'a double.'
The rooms are gorgeous and very clean. We had a pool/spa view and are so glad we did. The swim-ups looked nice but we only saw one couple taking advantage of their lounges the entire time. Majority of the swim-up rooms are in shady spots. The beds were very comfortable the pillows were flat so make sure you ask for some extra pictures. There was a bit of a musty smell to the room. But it’s MEXICO!! It’s humid and the a/c is on ALL day! So what do you expect? Just make sure you bring a candle and keep it lit while you are in the room and the smell will diminish.
The pools were perfect! There were always chairs, hammocks, rafts around for us. The pools were ALWAYS clean and occasionally visited by a little crab! We tended to spend our time at the two pools towards to back of the resort (the quiet pools). You will not believe how quiet and relaxing these pools are! The main pool with 'Blue' (swim up bar) was fun the one time we went. It’s a constant party over there!
The beach...The beach/sand were GORGEOUS! The servers were working their butts off, getting everyone their drinks and occasionally coming around with burgers/hot dogs. There were ALWAYS chairs on the beach...always empty chairs! A lot of people played beach volleyball and seemed to really enjoy it. Everyone once in a while there were a few topless women, don’t look and it wont bother you!!!
The water at the beach...The water at the beach was a little disappointing. I knew what to expect from reading a lot of reviews though. The sea grass was a bit of a pain, but if you waded out far enough you got passed it to nice clean WARM water. They do clean the beach off about twice a day. The sea grass got worse as the hurricane got closer as well. Not many people went into the water at the beach. I think we were the ones that swam in it the most.
Excursions…I am still a bit annoyed about both of the excursions we did. So I will hold off on posted about them until I get it out of my system! But we did visit Xcaret (absolutely PACKED) and Tulum (beautiful, but if you go with a guided tour, separate from it! You will see so much more on your own!)
Hurricane Preparedness…My husband and I arrived at Excellence on Sunday 8/12 and had NO idea of the oncoming storm. As the week went on, we watched the news and became a bit anxious. On Wednesday we asked Concierge (who were also ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!) about the hurricane and they were very reassuring in telling us about their evacuation plans. Marisol (the most helpful Concierge) told us not to worry, to enjoy our vacation and let them worry about it. So we did until Sunday. From Thursday until we left Monday there were constant notices slipped under the doors to let everyone know what was going on. We were constantly informed about any progress the storm was making and any steps the Mexican Government was taking in response. All day Saturday and Sunday there was FREE internet access for all guests (to make flight plans, email family/friends). Anytime we went to ask questions at concierge (and believe me we went OFTEN as well as every other guest!) they were always SO VERY calm and we would always leave their desk feeling that way as well. Sunday night a final notice came around explaining that the Government would most likely evacuate everyone from the resort to a local public school (that was used STRICTLY for Excellence guests). I am not sure what happened if people were evacuated or not b/c we left the resort at 9:30 to catch our 3pm flight. I am sure if they were evacuated it was a smooth calm process. I definitely have so much respect for all the workers who remained SO calm throughout the entire process!!!
All in all I would HIGHLY recommend Excellence Riviera Maya to EVERYONE!!!
Enjoy the planning and if you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me!!!
I also have more pictures (about 300 of them!!)
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=325211187749553191/l=285349015/g=12733773/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
The resort was WONDERFUL!! We were so happy with everything!
Let me start with this story...
One day after a few drinks on the beach, I left my digital camera sitting on the lounge chair. HOURS later I realized what I had done and was sooo upset. I thought someone (guest or worker) would have taken it (this based on past experiences at other resorts where items were stolen from our room). We went up to the front desk and she called lost and found. They said they had a camera. The man asked me to describe it and describe the first picture that was on it. He brought up the camera and IT WAS MINE!!!! I was sooo happy! The people down there are very trustworthy and honest! It blew me away!!!
The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE! My husband is a VERY picky eater and the staff was more than willing to accommodate him in EVERY WAY!!! We ate at Spice (our favorite), The Grill, Oregano, and Toscano. They were all terrific and the Service was impeccable! There is a buffet for breakfast and lunch. Again we were amazed by all of it!!! Room Service was always quick and VERY hot!!! The drinks were a bit weak, but just ask for them strong and they will gladly make it 'a double.'
The rooms are gorgeous and very clean. We had a pool/spa view and are so glad we did. The swim-ups looked nice but we only saw one couple taking advantage of their lounges the entire time. Majority of the swim-up rooms are in shady spots. The beds were very comfortable the pillows were flat so make sure you ask for some extra pictures. There was a bit of a musty smell to the room. But it’s MEXICO!! It’s humid and the a/c is on ALL day! So what do you expect? Just make sure you bring a candle and keep it lit while you are in the room and the smell will diminish.
The pools were perfect! There were always chairs, hammocks, rafts around for us. The pools were ALWAYS clean and occasionally visited by a little crab! We tended to spend our time at the two pools towards to back of the resort (the quiet pools). You will not believe how quiet and relaxing these pools are! The main pool with 'Blue' (swim up bar) was fun the one time we went. It’s a constant party over there!
The beach...The beach/sand were GORGEOUS! The servers were working their butts off, getting everyone their drinks and occasionally coming around with burgers/hot dogs. There were ALWAYS chairs on the beach...always empty chairs! A lot of people played beach volleyball and seemed to really enjoy it. Everyone once in a while there were a few topless women, don’t look and it wont bother you!!!
The water at the beach...The water at the beach was a little disappointing. I knew what to expect from reading a lot of reviews though. The sea grass was a bit of a pain, but if you waded out far enough you got passed it to nice clean WARM water. They do clean the beach off about twice a day. The sea grass got worse as the hurricane got closer as well. Not many people went into the water at the beach. I think we were the ones that swam in it the most.
Excursions…I am still a bit annoyed about both of the excursions we did. So I will hold off on posted about them until I get it out of my system! But we did visit Xcaret (absolutely PACKED) and Tulum (beautiful, but if you go with a guided tour, separate from it! You will see so much more on your own!)
Hurricane Preparedness…My husband and I arrived at Excellence on Sunday 8/12 and had NO idea of the oncoming storm. As the week went on, we watched the news and became a bit anxious. On Wednesday we asked Concierge (who were also ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!) about the hurricane and they were very reassuring in telling us about their evacuation plans. Marisol (the most helpful Concierge) told us not to worry, to enjoy our vacation and let them worry about it. So we did until Sunday. From Thursday until we left Monday there were constant notices slipped under the doors to let everyone know what was going on. We were constantly informed about any progress the storm was making and any steps the Mexican Government was taking in response. All day Saturday and Sunday there was FREE internet access for all guests (to make flight plans, email family/friends). Anytime we went to ask questions at concierge (and believe me we went OFTEN as well as every other guest!) they were always SO VERY calm and we would always leave their desk feeling that way as well. Sunday night a final notice came around explaining that the Government would most likely evacuate everyone from the resort to a local public school (that was used STRICTLY for Excellence guests). I am not sure what happened if people were evacuated or not b/c we left the resort at 9:30 to catch our 3pm flight. I am sure if they were evacuated it was a smooth calm process. I definitely have so much respect for all the workers who remained SO calm throughout the entire process!!!
All in all I would HIGHLY recommend Excellence Riviera Maya to EVERYONE!!!
Enjoy the planning and if you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me!!!
I also have more pictures (about 300 of them!!)
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=325211187749553191/l=285349015/g=12733773/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
