The Excellence resort was a blessing to myself and my wife. We had a great time and will be back in the future! Every single worker puts in the effort and time to make sure you feel welcomed and at home.
Just finished a 5 night stay in a rooftop terrace with excellence club, building 8 Room: we loved it. The room was clean in great co condition. We didn’t use the roof top as much as we thought but it was a nice place to relax later in the afternoon. I’m not sure we would pay the extra again for the RTT but it was great to have. The bed was very comfy compared to other Mexican resorts Grounds and pools: absolutely gorgeous, clean and well manicured. Zero complaints. We didn’t spend a ton of time on the beach but there was some seaweed but nothing excessive. Food: I am by no means a foodie and can be picky sometimes but we loved the food. Flavor market was probably our favorite. The meat and cheese board was perfect. We had agave our last full night and it did not disappoint. I had chicken flautas and wife had fajitas. Both had great flavor. Other restaurants we hit up were, spice, magna, lobster house. For lunch we did pizza multiple times by the main pool and it was delicious. Las olas had great food and speedy service for a snack by the pool Drinks: we drank way too many! I drank a lot of mimosas and icebergs that were all tasty. Wife had a lot of mojitos. We had no issue with them not being strong enough. Spa: did the hydro therapy (kinda different but kinda fun) also had a 70 minute couples massage that was perfect. No complaints except maybe the price lol Service: by far the best we have ever had at an all inclusive. Drinks constantly being brought to us, rarely had to actually go to the bar. All very friendly and happy to help. Only real negatives: had to go to second choices for dinner a few times because we didn’t double check what nights they were closed. No biggie. Steaks at all inclusive always disappoint compared to us steak houses. Not a huge deal as I expected that going in. Just don’t get your hopes up. We have done all inclusive 5-6 times previously including sandals. In our opinion it blew sandals out of the water from top to bottom. We would definitely book again…
Coming back the second time was as good as the first!! We came on our honeymoon 12 years ago. Even better with friends! The spa experience was my favorite and really enjoyed the beach and pools! Food was great at dinner in every restaurant! Would highly recommend!
Get your pool and/or beach chair early! Be sure to eat breakfast at Toscana every morning. It is the best meal you will have while at the resort. Fantastic! Don't plan on buying any incidentals during your stay. The dental floss at the gift shop was $17.00 USD!!
We enjoyed all of our time spent outside of our actual room. The service at the pools, beaches and restaurants is absolutely wonderful and the food is great. Unfortunately we found the bed rather uncomfortable (very firm mattress) and didn’t like that the water closet lacked privacy due to the glass door. Would’ve been an issue if one of us were sick but thankfully we were alright. I will also say that I had to visit the on site doctor for an allergic reaction and she was incredibly attentive and kind. She got me what I needed quickly so I could enjoy the rest of our stay. Thank you Dra. Blanca!
Had a fabulous time!! Highly recommend. Went with my husband and 6 other couple friends. Service was on point. Everyone was so friendly and very helpful. Favorite part was tennis clinic and the spa! Can’t wait to go back.
We traveled to EPM from May 21-29. This was our 9th trip to EPM with the last being December 2021. This was our sixth time returning to EPM during the pandemic and this was our BEST trip yet (they have all been 10/10 but this one was just that little extra). I don’t even know how to describe it! We have not experienced this level of service and kindness from another property during this time or prior to Covid. EPM staff goes above and beyond in all areas. We have never had the relationships we have at EPM anywhere else or had staff even care about us the way they do at this establishment. Each day, we would go around chatting with our friends who now are just like “family”. EPM is very special for us in this way. On this trip, many Covid protocols were lifted and the new Las Olas opened. It was so great to be a part of the staff (our friends) being able to take off their masks since March 2020!!! We were there the actual day this happened. This was so special to see complete faces again and some that we have never seen but have interacted with for all this time! Now EPM can move away from Covid and focus on making the resort even better! We flew from JFK direct to CUN on Jet Blue. This was the first trip in several where the starts aligned and we had an assigned gate, no line in customs and were out of the airport in about 20 min after landing. We do carry on only. We used Kalido Transportation instead of Seasons free service. We had a few poor experiences with Seasons and prefer to pay the $70 RT for peace of mind. Room / Club Detail We booked an Excellence Club Swim Up, our favorite room after trying several different room types. We make full use of the room, using the patio, the access to the EC/pool and bar and having meals delivered there. The minibar was stocked well and everything you could want to start was in there as well as plenty of water. Snacks were also there. Anything I asked for during our stay came in about 30 min. They then followed up with a call to make sure the item was received. We had no issues with the room or the service. Club Pool 8b Our favorite bartender Martha took care of us all week along with Roger who covered when she was out. We have known Roger a very long time and love him! I went to the Lobster House bar every morning for a cocktail from him too! We do not sit at the beach so I don't have any experience with that area. The seaweed was cleaned daily and we were able to swim no issues. Main Pool We spend a few hours at the main pool when you can enjoy the quiet of early morning. The dynamics change around 12-1pm and we left at that time back to the EC area and our swim up. Our waitress Jessica never disappoints and we were so happy to have her all week. We never had to look for her, she was always back asking if we needed a refill or more water. Jessica is another member of the staff that is very special. Housekeeping We left the room early daily and I would say our room was cleaned by noon if not much earlier. No shortage ever of towels or any toiletries. We received a REAL turndown overnight no matter what time we vacated the room. No issues or lags. Room Service We called at all different times of the late day for snacks only. The wait was 45-60 min for food (exactly what they said it would be). They were never out of anything. They also answered the phone right away. The food was very good, fresh, tasty and came HOT. Mini Bar Was stocked and I left a note remove items and will with others. No issue there. Martini Bar / Prelude A fun place situated in the middle of the hotel lobby to have a cocktail during the day or before/after dinner. This year we had the pleasure of meeting Sergio at this bar. Sergio has so much personality and goes that extra mile! He would make you drinks to try out and they were always great. The focus is always on Caesar, but Sergio is a standout! We always allowed time to stop and have Ceaser (or now Sergio) surprise us with a new and interesting martini! Aroma We started every day here for cappuccinos. The cafe is a great place to have gelato after dinner or a pastry too! The ladies work extremely hard in the café. Restaurants - I said that we know what to expect when we come to Excellence. That being said, there are restaurants we choose for dinners and ones we don't. We live just outside of NYC and are somewhat picky in our choices and how we order. The restaurants below are the ones we frequent on our trips. I have seen the reviews of long wait times. We are good at knowing when to avoid those since our first trip in 2012 and it is very rare we ever have more than a 30 min wait. You need to be realistic knowing a resort is booked to capacity. We found all our meals to be very good and no complaints. Magna (EC ONLY) - we had every breakfast at Magna this trip, in addition to two dinners. We did not feel like waiting on line for Lobster House and we are not interested in the crowded buffet. I prefer the more formal service in Magna. Jorge was our server almost daily in Magna for breakfast. He remember my favorite drink and had it right at the table, I didn’t even have to ask! This was our first time with Jorge and we asked for him every day! For dinner we had Angel and Lorena again and it was so great to see them. The service we receive from them could rival any restaurant we frequent at home. Lobster House - we had a few lunch meals here. We do not eat dinner here. We were happy to see our friends Jose and Daniel here as we missed them so much from Magna. You truly make friendships at Excellence! Food was also consistent with what we are used to from this restaurant. Grill - we had lunch there 1-2 times here. We do not have dinner here. Food was consistent. Basmati was and will always be hands down our most favorite restaurant, we went several times over the course of the week. Our server Alfredo is a gem who we ask for every year since 2019 when we met him. We met the Chef twice and that is always a treat to me! Flavor Market - we enjoyed having appetizers there before dinner elsewhere. I love coming here at least once as it is something different. The portions are small so we order at least six. Chez Isabelle - we had two very good dinners here. Ceasar is our waiter year after year, he is great! We also had Roberto when Ceasar was off and he was excellent as well. It wonderful to continue these relationships time after time and why we keep coming. Agave - we had one dinner here and it did not disappoint. Toscano - we love the a la carte lunch and were so happy EPM made this change from buffet! Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and we are not pleased with this change. This was the only indoor lunch option on the resort. It was great to go and cool off and have a nice civilized lunch. Now this restaurant will move outside and without the pizza oven. Italian food outside just is not appealing at all. I understand all the resorts after the updates will follow the same model, I get it, but it is disappointing to us. We also enjoy our friends Guadalupe, Freddy and Ciau here. This was our first trip since the dress code change. I was hoping that guests would have enough decorum to get properly dressed for dinner, however, not the case. We avoided the majority of the restaurants that seemed to pull the worst of the guests with their t-shirts, cargo shorts, hats, slippers and such. I can see how Excellence wants to cater to this young crowd that wants to be “comfortable” but it also brought in a different type of guest. You could see the change start on a Thursday and by Monday things calmed down. We avoided as much of this as we could but with effort and a lot of not looking. We are truly disappointed in this decision by the management. The clientele change is dramatic. We have some trips that were put on hold due to the pandemic and we will take those and monitor this situation. I feel badly that return guests keep complaining to Guest Services about this. Th problem lies with the management of the Excellence chain. They opened pandora’s box with this. I know here have been shift changes with staff. Many of our friends were on days and are now on nights. One friend, Emiliano, a server now at Prelude, would love to come back to days but is on nights. He mentioned to us he is really hoping to come back. We would specifically go and look around to say hello to him as this was the only way we would ever see him. We also made it a point in this same way to seek out our most beloved, Lucia, also at Prelude bar. We have known her a very long time. Both Emiliano and Lucia provide excellent service at this location. I have mentioned this in past reviews and nothing has changed. Excellent needs to address the call in center. The actual Excellence hotels can't "manage" your reservation. You are forced to work with the call center only. How many times I am holding for 30 minutes and a recording says I am next in line only to be disconnected. It can take hours to get through. The agents are rude and not very helpful. However, I make time for these calls and eventually things work out but it is pulling teeth most of the time. I want to give a very special thanks to Andrea Ruiz, Nelson Kalixto and Gonzalo for making our vacation the most special one yet. We felt so well taken care of and watched over. We have been traveling during difficult times, yet this resort operates like a well-oiled machine where the guest does not see the "behind the scenes" struggles. They do it with a smile all day long every day. Everyone is working extremely hard to give us unbelievable vacations and memories and it shows! We also (as I mentioned earlier) got to see their masks come off. How great to see Andrea and Gonzalo as we had never seen them without masks! We missed Nelson’s smile! I have told them that it is hard to express how we feel about them and all they do for us on our vacations. I hope my review will help others in their planning to chose EPM as their next destination.…
We came across the resort when searching for all-inclusive in the area and they really did a fantastic job. We have stayed all all inclusive resorts all over the world and this is by far a favorite of ours. Food is great, lots of options and large serving sizes, unlike a lot of all inclusive options. Staff was very nice and always asking what they can do for you. and always someone around to grab you a drink, food, anything you need! SPA is a MUST! I have been to 20+ and this was a GREAT experience, see about the gals that come to the pool, they can offer discounts ;)
From arrival to departure, our stay was EXCELLENT! Staff went above and beyond to meet all of our needs and things we did not even ask for! I recommend the roof top room with plunge pool. We had an amazing adventure for our anniversary.
If you want top service, great food, clean and luxurious accommodation then look no further. The Excellence exceeded our expectations and we were sorry to leave after 2 very relaxing weeks. We could not fault a single thing. The staff all worked very hard to ensure you had a great holiday. Amazing rooms and restaurants and all set on a beautiful Caribbean beach
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