This was our second trip to Excellence Playa Mujeres – once in 2018 for our Honeymoon & then again from 5/31–6/6 for our anniversary + group trip for a friend’s 40th. Resort + Room: It feels prestigious to go through the security gates & the employees know your name immediately. The cold towel + glass of champagne is a wonderful way to start a vacation. A few weeks before our trip, we decided to add on a night at the start of our stay. EPM didn’t have our room category so we chose the lowest Excellence Club room that was available (Pool view). Because we had the EC category for this first night, we were able to use the EC check in. Bruce helped us at the EC check-in, & was informative & helpful. He was able to secure us a fan for our room! Arrived around 1 pm; they took our bags & instructed us to use the resort. We packed pool clothes in carry ons; we did a quick change & headed for lunch. Our room was ready before our meal arrived. The bellman (Emilio – who was AWESOME) took us on a short tour & to our room. We were in building 8 (room 8151), & they could’ve said that room was an ocean view! Was a corner room & on the 2nd floor, so one flight of stairs. Was ample storage space, & room was immaculate! Safe was easy to operate; we have a smaller safe with another code we keep everything in & place inside the provided safe. The bathroom is still weird - be prepared to see it all when at this resort. I would recommend asking the bellman how to work the lights/fan/etc. if you’re not familiar. I also recommend bringing a battery-operated candle. If you turn the light on in that room overnight, it lights up the entire room. After organizing a bit, we decided to walk the property. Look at the map (in the app) & walk around! It will be helpful if you do decide to partake in an activity later in your vacation. The room is always set on 68 & cannot be lowered unless you call the concierge. I find 68 is cool enough! Also, if you leave the sliding door open, the AC will NOT run. Assume every single surface is slippery. Most of them are – shoes or not, just walk carefully! The rooms have Bluetooth speakers/alarm clocks (JBL brand). The pools were all nice temperatures. If you are wanting something quiet, I recommend the lazy river by buildings 3 & 4. Hop on a float there & never hear another person! There’s also a pool with hammocks in between the lazy river & the main pool. The shaded cabanas around the pools are first come first serve. The main pool is where most people hang out. There’s music & the swim up bar. There is also shade underneath the two restaurants, so if you want to be in the water but not in the sun, you can do that! There is one more pool (where they play pool volleyball) in front of Sol Bar. This is a nice pool, as well, & was never busy. The ocean was clear the entire time we were there. Our friends got in a few times & said it was cool one day & warm the next. There were also water activities the resort offers for free (kayaking, paddleboarding, etc.). You can also pay to jet-ski which looked scary one day due to the wind & rough waters. Pay attention to the weather if that’s something you want to do. Our 2nd room was on the top floor (two story rooftop terrace), & we preferred the first room because the stairs took up storage space. We also only got into the rooftop pool one time, & it was cold! The view was spectacular, but we just didn’t use the space like we thought. Food/Bars: I’m going to preface this portion with we are NOT picky when it comes to food. We managed to eat at 6 different dinner spots in 6 nights! Aroma: Aroma has coffee, gelato, & other dessert, but the most important thing for us is the sandwiches! We love having those in our room if we are hungry but don’t want to go to a restaurant or wait on room service. They also come in clutch on the way home from the airport. The banana dessert & the fruit tarte were our favorites! My husband is the coffee drinker said the coffee is “fine.” He drank espressos & cold coffees – nothing fancy, but I did see people with different types of drinks (lattes, cappuccinos, etc.). They do have some sweeteners, syrups, & creamers available. It opens at 7, but they did have coffee & pastries (as self-service) at the lobby bar if you wanted either of those before then. Magna: this is the fanciest restaurant & requires long pants for men. Because we arrived a day earlier than our friends & had EC privileges for one night, we chose to eat at Magna for dinner. It has such a romantic ambiance & the food was just fancy! The cauliflower soup is THAT good. Justin got the ribeye (Bruce told us to get there early if we wanted that, so we got there right at 6). I got the special which was steak & shrimp. It was just two pieces of shrimp which honestly, is perfect for me, but if you want more, order more! We both had a Magnarita, & it was spectacular! We got 2 desserts, including a macaron & a chocolate brownie. I would rate this dinner a 5 out of 5. We ate breakfast here the next day since we only had one day to do so! They have the most fun pastry cart I have ever seen! We shared an apple turnover – it was good but I do wish it would’ve been warm. I’m sure they would’ve warmed it up for me had I asked. Justin got a meat filled egg white omelet with a side of bacon. I got a fruit plate & eggs benedict, also with bacon. They will get you whatever you want or need! Service was great, again. Flavor Market: went to this restaurant on the first night our friends were there; they had a table for 6 but I didn’t see any tables bigger. I’m sure they could seat larger groups together but 6 was a great number for this resort, as each restaurant could accommodate easily. I remember the ham & cheese croquettes from our previous trip to EPM & another trip to EOB. We ordered just about everything on the menu. They bring out items as they are ready which is just a fun way to spend a dinner with friends. Our friends got the paella & said it was good! The ham & cheese croquettes were just as good as I remembered & I almost snuck over there a few other nights to get them again. At the end of the meal, they brought out a birthday dessert for our friend & sang happy birthday! I would rate this dinner 5/5. The Grill: This restaurant has a nice setting (but dark). I’ve heard people say the chairs are uncomfortable, but I didn’t experience that. Recommend the beef empanadas (with the green dipping sauce they bring) for an appetizer. 5 out of 6 of us got different steaks. Justin ordered the chicken skewer & another friend got the salmon. Everyone said their steaks were perfectly cooked & ate all of it! My steak (flank steak) had so much flavor & was perfectly cooked to medium rare. Justin’s chicken (I thought) was overcooked, but he said he liked it a lot & didn’t care at all. We ordered one of each dessert for after dinner, & that brownie was chef’s kiss! The peanut butter dessert was also amazing. Once again, they brought out a birthday dessert for our friend & sang to him, again! The dinner did take about 2 hours; now, I am assuming that’s because we were in a large group…but if you want to go to a show/entertainment, just keep that in mind! We enjoyed chatting with one another, so it wasn’t an issue. I would rate this dinner a 4 out of 5. Agave: This restaurant has indoor & "open air" seating. We got one of each of the appetizers, but you get chips & salsa with your meal. I was full before our food even came out! I got the Mahi Mahi & it was just okay. Our server (who was AMAZING!) even asked me as he took away my half-eaten meal if I wanted something else or if that wasn’t good enough for me. I couldn’t catch his name, but it started with a Y & one of the best servers we had all week. They brought another plated dessert for our friend’s birthday & sang…we didn’t order any desserts as a group though – too full! I would rate my meal a 3/5 but the entire dinner & service makes it a 4/5. Basmati: This was the first time we have done the Indian restaurant at any resort! We like a lot of food but have just never tried Indian. We decided to try this on our own this night since we were all meeting up for the nighttime entertainment. We told our waiter, Benjamin, we had never tried Indian food before, so he helped us order. I wanted samosas for an appetizer, but he ended up bringing 3-4 things for us. There was one made of cabbage which was like a little cabbage pancake! It was delightful. For our meal, we got chicken tikka masala, chicken kidha, & vindalo beef. The tikka misala was delicious but the other 2 were too spicy for me. I’m a wimp when it comes to spice, but Justin enjoyed them! I would rate this dinner a 4/5. Spice: we were not able to get a hibachi reservation; they open the reservations at the concierge on Sunday mornings for the entire week. We wanted to do hibachi for our friend’s birthday but couldn’t get in unless it was 9 pm. We decided to go there & enjoy the food, anyway! They seated us in a semi-private room which was great since we can be loud. We ordered one of each of the sushis for our appetizers. Cold & fresh –all you need from sushi IMO. We also had a few of the warm appetizers. They were good but not super memorable. I got the pad thai with chicken & shrimp & Justin got beef sashimi for an appetizer (he did not like it but likes his meat well done. I thought it was good), chicken teriyaki & the green curry chicken. The green curry chicken was so flavorful! I would rate this dinner a 4/5. The Kitchen Table (breakfast & lunch buffet): this place has a lot, but if you’re planning on staying longer than 5-6 days, I would try to alternate & not eat at this place more than 1 time a day. They have a lot of the lunch items on the buffet during breakfast-definitely allows for a lot of repetition. It is a quick meal which is nice. Fresh fruit & vegetables, a great little Mexican area (the chicken tostadas here were on of my favorite things I ate all week), & some chef stations. You can get a customized omelet in the mornings, customized pasta in the afternoon, & they have steak, chicken, sausage, & pineapple on a skewer they can cut off fresh for you. I did tip the person making the omelets, but not everyone does. Not expected, but if you want to, you can. We arrived right at 12 when it opened one day, & those skewers weren’t ready even by the time we left. Also, where they do the omelet station, you can have a burger or hotdog made for you! I didn’t know about the burgers until the last day. They were tasty! Don’t sleep on the cheesecake that’s there, too. Sports Bar: Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat at the sports bar! I was sad about this because we had been eyeing the burgers on the menu (specialty ones only avail here). We planned on going after the Silent Party, so we headed over around 11:15. The app shows that the sports bar is open until 1 am (which is true) but apparently the kitchen closes around 11? We had eaten a “light” dinner hoping for the late-night burgers, so we headed back to the room to order room service. It was nearly 2 hours before we gave up on waiting for it and fell asleep. Las Olas (lunch): this restaurant is on the beach & has snack-y food. The steak quesadilla is the best there. They also rotate another type of food each day (Jerk, Mayan, Tacos, BBQ). I was sad that it closed early one day for a wedding, but the app didn’t say that. We were planning on having lunch there around 1 but it was shutting down. We had already had the buffet on that day, so didn’t want to go back. Las Olas (Lobster House breakfast while renovating): I wanted the Lobster House menu, so we went to Las Olas for breakfast one morning. The breakfast food is similar across the resort, so nothing spectacular here. Just a great view! Room Service: We did afternoon room service & late-night room service. The menus are pretty similar & I can’t comment on the difference between EC room service & non-EC. I absolutely loved the turkey club & fries – I think I ordered it 4 times throughout the week. We also got the fajitas & nachos a few times. Those are both typical room service foods. Our normal ordering protocol is to go back to the room & order room service in between the pre-show & entertainment for the night (usually around 8:45 because most evening shows start at 9). If you wait & try to order after the show, everyone is ordering at that time & it can take forever! You can request it at a certain time & BE SURE to ask them to leave it in the box. If you do not explicitly state that, they will not drop off your room service! Prelude: We didn’t use this bar too much except for during the silent party. It seems to get backed up quickly, so plan ahead! Drinks are fine. The ice cream machine is near this bar. GET THE VANILLA. Martini Bar: We loved stopping here before & after dinner. Cesar is famous at this bar, & that’s for good reason. He is fast & such a showman. He muddled some fruit in the bottom of our champagne glasses to help make our champagne a bit fancier & taste slightly different. He made a great apple martini for me one night & an espresso martini for my husband. Sol Bar: This was my favorite bar! The bartenders, Henry & Victor, are great! They make anything & everything & so friendly & fast. We mentioned wanting something without sugar & they whipped us up a fruity beverage in no time! We got pizza from Sol the first day & it was just okay. I decided to try it again one afternoon (meat lovers + pineapple) & it was way better that day! Swim Up Bar: We would typically get 1-2 drinks from this bar per day. They are pretty slow (I just think they need more people down there). No one was unfriendly but nothing like some of the other bars. Daytime Activities: We like to participate in as many of the activities as we can! To each their own on vacation. Bike ride with Kenya (I apologize if that’s not the correct spelling – her nametag was misplaced, so I’m just going off phonetically)-the ride can take anywhere between 30 & 60 minutes. The app says there is a max of 6 but we had 11 (depends on the number of bikes that are available). Just be sure to show up at the tennis courts early & you must have shoes with back straps on! Flip flops without backs won’t be sufficient. This is about a 3/10 on the exertion scale. It takes place every day at 9 - highly recommend you take advantage! We did this on day 3, but this was the first experience I had with bugs in the area. After this day, we had issues on the resort, too. Recommend heavy duty bug spray for the bike ride & for your trip in general! For Pickleball, they use some makeshift court edges on one of the tennis courts but have paddles & a ball for folks to use. One day, we went over to the tennis courts in the morning to use their equipment! It was HOT & partially in the sun, so be sure to wear sunscreen. No one was there & the equipment room was locked, so I used the Excellence App & chatted with someone. She sent a member of the E-Team over (Alejandro) & we were playing tennis within 8 minutes of sending the chat in the app. We also took part in archery which was fun, too! Kenya did a great job leading the large number of people through a tournament. I took advantage of the ceramics cart that is in between buildings 7 & 8. I chose an iguana ($13). It took me about 20 minutes to paint it & then you leave it there for it to be fired. The cart is there every day (except Sundays) starting at 10 am. Because I painted mine on a Saturday, I couldn’t pick it up until Monday, so plan accordingly. They added some awesome detail to mine & made it look nearly professional, which I appreciated since I am NOT an artist. Aquafitness is each day around 12. I saw numerous different ETeam members leading it, but it was Super Mario on the day I did. We had about 7 participants, & it’s a fun way to just get some movement in. It is about a 2/10 on the exertion scale. The music is fun, & people walk by & cheer you on! This took about 30 minutes. Wear a suit that won’t come off if you move “quickly” in the water. Our friends played water volleyball one day. They had 6 or 7 on each side, I think! Kenya led this as well. Each day at 2, they have water casino in the main pool. I kind of played one day, but it was at the tail end, & the folks playing wouldn’t pay attention. When it was busy, they brought out a second floating poker table. Every day at 3, there was a cocktail/food demonstration at Sol Bar. We watched 3 or 4 of these. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, so I recommend looking at the app to see which day has the drink/food you want to sample since they give them out at the end! This lasts around 15-20 minutes. One of my favorite things to do was to play Texas Hold’Em at Sol Bar with Alejandro. First, he used to be a dealer at a local casino, so he totally knows what he is doing. Second, he will hold money for people who want to bet. I did not, so I just played with the rest of the crew but 2 or 3 of the players decided to all throw in $20 each. Alejandro was our favorite E-Team member. He was always respectful, fun, & on the move! Evening Activities/Entertainment: They do have some sort of activity or entertainment each night in Prelude Plaza. There were some live cover bands, a casino night, & an electric violinist! We sat in the theater for 1 of the shows (Michael Jackson), & it was so cheesy & wonderful. But – the real thrill is the SILENT PARTY. This is held on Sundays & Tuesdays (as of June 2023) & if you’re going to EPM, be sure to stay at least one of those nights. They hand out headsets with 3 different stations, & you can change your own at anytime. Each station has its own color, so you know who else is listening to what you are listening to. It runs for about 2 hours, & is the absolute most fun thing that this resort does. Prepare to sweat! Oh, & this is done under blacklight, so wear white/light clothing or bring glow bracelets, etc. Makes for a fun little extra at this party! We saw pieces & parts of other shows – they are exactly what you would think. Expect to be entertained for 30-45 minutes, & they always started on time (while we were there). Miile Spa: Each day, spa representatives walk around asking if you want to book an appointment. They are always in navy blue shirts. I stopped to ask what specials they were running, & she said we could do the 50-minute couples Swedish massage for 20% off which was $306. I decided that was a good enough deal, so we booked for the next morning! They did try to push us to the 75 minute one (which also came with Hydrotherapy) but this was toward the end of our trip, so I didn’t want to spend 2 hours at the spa. The spa is in the center of the lazy river & covered with a lot of greenery. I heard it was renovated recently (in the previous 6 months), & it looks it! We were taken upstairs to change into our robes (you can use a locker inside the locker room & take the key with you to keep your belongings safe). Justin & I both chose to keep our undergarments on, but you can choose otherwise. Deysi & Anna were our massage therapists, & we both thoroughly enjoyed the massage. I did have to ask Deysi to go a bit lighter at one point, & I’m glad I did because I was SO SORE the next day! Once you change back into your clothing, there’s an opportunity to leave a tip in an envelope with the therapist’s name at the front desk. I appreciate this opportunity since you can’t take the cash with you into the room unless you keep it in your robe. We asked to charge the CC on file which was then charged when we checked out. Gym: we went to the gym each day. It has lots of cardio equipment, free weights, & machines. There’s also a side room where they hold some fitness classes, or you can do your own thing. The gym was busy in the mornings but after 11 or so, there was hardly anyone in there.…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.