Excellence Riviera Cancun Luxury Adults Only - All Inclusive

if you are a seasoned travel avoid this one. The hotel is not about customer service, but rather about filling up the rooms and providing not more than 3 star service. The food, the service, the dining conditions all added up to a less than stellar experience. The best part of the vacation was the spa where the service was amazing and the experience what one would expect. Much too expensive for what is provided. Very disappointed.

Many issues with the staff at departure time. Charged for more than they were supposed to.

If you want to be treated with respect, do NOT choose Excellence! The staff here are incredibly rude and do not treat you as the guest. I have had a better time at a 60 USD/night Holiday Inn!

I had the worst resort experience at Excellence. The staff, although friendly when I arrived, were rude from the moment the charged my credit card - they are only interested in taking your money! On top of that, the food wasn't that great, the gift shop extremely over priced (go to the mall or the airport - you'll find the same things at half the price), the rooms were decent, but the service was always late in the day. I would never go back.

The Excellence Riviera Cancun was a beautiful hotel, amazing staff, and set in a wonderful location. I would recommend this to a friend with a few conditions stated... first, the drinks were just ok - a little watered down at times and not a very large selection. We lost electrical power three nights - no air conditioning or internet.

Location was great, the service was fantastic, much like a 5 star hotel, but the food wasn't simply below average...it bordered on terrible at all of the restaurants whether lunch or dinner...we actually longed to get back to the states for some fast food. In addition, the bed was very uncomfortable. We actually dreaded going to sleep each night for we knew we wouldn't be rested the following morning.

This was our 4th stay at ERC and we had a good time. However, in the past the service has been better, the rooms cleaner, and the maid staff more invested in our happiness- towel art, bubble filled tub on our anniversary. This was the first time we have noticed a definate need to tip, for example to have the mini bar filled per our request ( diet soda only ). The mosquitos were terrible the 2nd week, but no problem at all the 1st week. We never noticed the staff spraying for insects as they have done in the past. All that said, the resort is beautiful. Nothing was unacceptable and with a few well placed tips thkngs were fine. The rooms are comfortable. There is a lot of activity to choose from. There is a 50% chance we will return.

We went to the hotel for some rest and relaxation on our honeymoon. The swimming pools were not heated at all when we went January 31 - Feb 7, 2009. We were told on the phone that they were and the staff also told us that they were. The water was freezing and very dirty!! That was a huge disappointment. One evening we went for dinner and were told we would have to wait 20 minutes. An hour and a half later we went back to see what was going on. He said there was no tables and that he "Buzzed" us. When we told him that it didn't go off he said it must not be working. When he called it, it worked fine. When we were frustrated by this and told we had to wait even longer he was smirking and walked away. I really couldn't believe it. I wouldn't suggest tipping. We went with another honeymoon couple. We had some laughs that we tipped every day and left some packages of candy out for them and they had better maids. The tub was dirty and gross!!! Room service was very convenient, but whenever we ordered they always wanted a number of people in the room and basically an explanation of why we wanted the food. Some of the staff was very happy and friendly. I found that a lot of staff weren't as friendly and enjoyed mostly talking to each other and when we came around were somewhat annoyed. It was a very quiet resort. Not much nightlife. Went to the disco one evening. It was pretty bad. The resort was really beautiful. Food was good. Enjoyed breakfast. They allowed us to play our logitech ipod at a few of the bars. Not much music playing throughout the day. Spa was enjoyable. One of the bartenders even let us go behind the bar to make our own drinks. The shows were entertaining. Beach was cleaned. High wind and waves that time of year. Cooler weather.

When we arrived in our rental car, the valet guys rudely told us to pull through and ignored us. They didn't allow me to get out under the covered area and it was raining. We had to park our car to the side and walk in the rain. They were only offering certain people champagne as they walked into the lobby. We were not one of them. Arrived early. Didn't get our room until 4:00 or later when check-in was 3:00. First room had weird smell, long walk, and thermostat didn't work. They didn't recognize our Anniversary when that's why we were there and told them that. They have signs they put on the doors that say "anniversary" or "honeymoon". Ours had nothing and we didn't get our welcome champagne and fruit. Contacted front desk and asked for a closer room....after a lot of urging, finally got one the next day. When we did get the room, it smelled better, they recognized our Anniversary and we got champagne and fruit...which was great! Although this room was better, it was really loud at night and early mornings and the hot water thermostat in the shower was messed up and we were constantly getting burned or frozen...not very pleasant or relaxing. The bed was very hard and uncomfortable. Poolside service was sketchy. We had one guy that was good and attentive. Most everyone else ignored us. Food at the restaurants was mostly good. The best was the French restaurant. We ate there 2 nights. Nightly entertainment not bad. Gym is nice. Quality, top shelf drinks available at the bars. Overall, we have stayed at other comparable resorts in Mexico and this one did not impress me, but it wasn't bad. I just expected more by the reviews and awards it has received. I probably would not go back.

We booked our stay at this hotel based on the reviews on several websites and a friend's recommendation. Here's the good: the resort itself is beautiful and the upkeep is unparalleled. I loved the meandering pools. My massage at the spa ($120 for a 50-minute massage, a little pricey) was excellent. The bad: the food, the wait for food (1 hour to 1:30), and the battle for beach chairs. The so-so: the service. This was my 13th trip to Mexico, 3rd trip to the Cancun area. I'm not a snob by any stretch of the imagination. I'm a middle- middle-class Midwesterner whose favorite hotel in Mexico has pink shag carpeting. I guess my biggest gripe, as probably evident from above, was the food. It ranged from acceptable to inedible. I was served fetuccini alfredo (alfredo sauce should be cream, butter, parm, and seasoning) that had bits of other pasta dishes in it, partially undercooked (not al dente) pasta, and a sauce that was a roux-based sauce thinned with milk, but mostly chicken stock and topped with something that resembled mozzarella. I had almost raw potatoes served to me at the Lobster House. We went there for lunch and my veggies were incredibly oily and my fish was cooked to oblivion. I don't even know what to say about the eggs served at any of the breakfast places or in room service. It's almost impossible to mess up scrambled eggs, yet they were lumpy and chewy. If you don't get to a restaurant when it opens for dinner, you're in for an hour to 1:30 wait. We returned from a trip to Chichen Itza at 6:30 and had to shower and get dressed (to their dress code) and by the time we got downstairs at 7:15, we wouldn't be eating until clost to 8:30/9:00. I guess that would be alright if we could nibble something over cocktails, but we don't drink; I'm 5 months pregnant. We sought help from the front desk and were seated at Spice within a half hour with apologies. The staff, which many reviewers raved about, was about average for Mexican resorts. Even though we tipped well and often, it didn't really improve our experience. Finally, if you're not out by 7am, you don't get a lounge chair. The "no saving lounge chairs" rule is not enforced. I've found this to be a problem at about 2/3 of the resorts I've visited in Mexico and I guess I just find it to be obnoxious. I'm in Mexico to relax and *gasp* sleep in a bit. This was the most expensive stay we've had in Mexico by a long shot but, I wouldn't return to this resort again. Don't let its fancy facade trick you into booking here.