❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Love Excellence Riviera Maya. We went there in 2017 for our Engagement Celebration and now we are going on our 5th year Anniversary almost 7 years later. I have been traveling around the world, mostly on cruises (just did my 65th cruise in Alaska 2 months ago) but never an all inclusive resort until Excellence Club Honeymoon Suite in 2017. I have never in my 70 years of life experienced anything as Amazingly Awe-striking as your product. We are seriously looking to come back and stay in our very same category and Room as our 1st stay. It was so convenient to everything for us Senior citizens. We met awesome people in our club pool that we are still friends with today. Hope to see you soon with the excitement of our first time coming to you and being Wowed all over again ❤🎉😊
We are planning a trip for next summer with another couple. They want to do an excellence club swim up suite, and I can't decide if I also want an EC swim up suite, or if I want an EC ocean view on a higher floor and just hang out at their swim up below us!
We did the same thing this year with friends. We both had swim-outs onto the club pool in building 8 BUT the resort could not guarantee we would be beside each other (which I understand, of course). So we ended up hanging out at one or the other. Next time we decided one of us would do the swim-out and the other would do the rooftop so we would have both options. It is unlikely you would be beside each other so if you prefer the view up higher I say, go for it. 😊
We are on a mission to do them all. We have done the Mexican ones many times and we always have a great time. Jamaica is booked for October and Punta Cana asap 😁😊
Thank-you for the wonderful information - what a great place- I would choose a swim up suit in the club part of the hotel - My husband & I are looking to book a trip to Mexico for my 60th birthday which has been postponed for 2yrs due to covid ERC looks a great option
We just returned from another stay at ERC and we booked the ocean front club swim out this time. It was a great room and location. To be honest, I enjoy most room categories at ERC and which one we choose depends on who I'm travelling with.
great video, Have hard walking to far and booked the wrong ec swim pool view and wanted EC swim up ocean view. what building will we be in. 9 is way to far for me to walk to get to club pool etc. hope I can upgraded if something opens up. ty
You will likely be in building 9 with a pool view swim-out. Can't hurt to email the resort and ask them to check to see if an upgrade to building 7 or 8 swim-out onto the club pool is available. They may be able to help. If nothing is available ask them to note on your reservation that you have some mobility issues and could they please put you in the most optimal location to address your concerns.
Which buildings house the non-Excellence Club Jr. Suites with swim up terrace? Of these, which building do you recommend for quiet and privacy, considering proximity to active pool as well as foot traffic by staff and other guests in front of your doorway? Conversely, which non EC swimup building do you recommend for “tanning” sunlight on the suites terrace daybed? Thanks. Your videos are so professional, informative and beautifully shot. Excellence should hire you for PR.
Wow! Thanks for the compliment! That is so nice to hear. 😁 The swim-outs at ERC are very nice. For sunshine, building 6 swim-outs that look out across the pool onto building 9 have a lot of sun most of the day. (Pull up the resort map and you'll see where I'm talking about.) If it gets too warm there are almost always free palapa loungers on the opposite side of the pool. It is also fairly quiet in this area. The most peaceful swim ups (with the least amount of foot traffic) in my opinion, are in buildings 2 and 3. You can hear the spa music and unless your neighbours turn out to be jerks it is quiet. It is also a slow "float" to the juice bar. 😊 Building 5 around the lazy river has the most foot traffic and noise. Service is a bit slower around the lazy river but it is still good. None of these buildings are too far from the activities if you want to participate but you won't hear them if you don't. Hope this is helpful. You won't really go wrong with either option.
Thanks so much for the information. Your replies, like your videos, are succinct and informative, giving me exactly what I wanted to know. Looks like building 3 or 6 for us, depending on whether we want to tan or enjoy the quiet. Will probably put in one as the priority request and the other as an alternative request and allow the “Excellence Gods “ to decide for us.
@@michaellandry6873 good idea! Both buildings are nice and the swim ups are the way to go. Have a great time! Spice was almost ready to re-open when we were there the beginning of September. 🙂
Hello, thank you so much for your very detailed videos and reviews. I have been to ERC alone a year ago and I am trying to come back again in April of 23 with my sister and mother for her 70th birthday. You mentioned the Jr Suite with 2 beds on the non-club side. Do they have any of these on the club level? It isn't a deal breaker, I just need to know how to book. Thanks for your help.
Hi! Thanks! 🙂 There are a few Jr. Suites non club that have two beds but I have never seen any on the club side. I have heard that there are a couple of rooms in building 9 with two beds but I haven't laid eyes on them myself. The easiest way to know for sure is to try and book 3 people into a room. If they dont have two beds available in that category they won't allow you to book it. I was told they dont allow 3 people in any room on the club side. It may be interesting to price out a comparisson of two rooms with 3 people vs. 1 room with 3 people and see the $ difference. Depending on when you go, it may surprise you how little extra the second room actually costs. In my experience, it can be negligible. Have a great trip!!! What a great way to celebrate your mom!!
Thank you for your videos. We are undecided to try Excellence resorts, we are member of Karisma, but over the years seen a lot of deterioration in service and quality. What would you recommend? thanks :)
Hi! Like Karisma, Excellence has been changing too. The pandemic has not been kind to these resorts and coming out of it seems to be a challenge for the Cancun area just like everywhere in the world. I have not been to the El Dorado resorts since before covid but we have been to Excellence Riviera Cancun, Excellence Playa Mujeres, and Beloved in the last 6 months. We actually just got back from ERC on Friday. ERC and EPM have gone through some serious upper management changes and staffing turn over coming out of the pandemic. I was expecting to see service having gone down, as it has in many resorts, but apart from a few minor hiccups it was still very good. Excellence seems to be working through the post covid changes quickly to get back to their former "excellence". We just finished a stay at ERC in a excellence club ocean front swim-out and we were really happy with the service and quality that we received. It was not as good as in years past but we expected that as many of the staff are new. The restaurants were good to very good (with the exception of the Kitchen Table for lunch which was just bad.) That being said, the Guest Service Manager, Fatima Young, from ERC has left and gone to El Dorado Royal. She is AMAZING and she really knows what she is doing in guest services! I have high hopes that at least the El Dorado Royal will return to what it once was with Ms. Young. It is hard to really say but my opinion would be to wait another year to see how Karisma recovers. The FB pages will tell you a lot about the service and quality. If it helps at all, we travelled last week with another couple who has never tried an Excellence property and as 'first timers' they said they had a great time. If you do decide to give Excellence a try, my advice (as a repeat guest of their properties) is that if anything is not to your liking just politely let them know. In my experience they will try to fix any issues that come up if they are able.
Hey there again! What are the differences between the rooftop terrace suites other than location and the typical EC amenities? Pretty much asking how are the suited themselves different? Does the Excellence club version offer something more in the suite?
Nope. No significant differences. You are right that it is the location and amenities that make them EC. Just a thought, if you're there with friends it can be fun to have someone with a swimout and another with a rooftop and ask that they be directly above and below each other. That way you have the best of both worlds. 🙂
Great suggestion. I am leaning towards either the non-EC RTT and the EC swim out . The EC RTT is $700 more for our expected stay and not sure if it is worth it for that price difference. Do both RTT has the smaller jacuzzi on the balcony?
@@michaelkass4617 the RTTs that we have stayed in did not have a jacuzzi on the smaller balcony, rather they had the large plunge pool on the roof. The swimouts have a small jacuzzi on the terrace. They all have a big jacuzzi tub the the room. Room choices, for me, depend on what time of year I am going to be there. For example, I have booked a swimout for the end of June 2022 because it is so hot at that time of year that the rooftop isn't usable during the day because of it's lack of shade. Also, the seaweed is bad in June so I know I will be in the pool more than the beach. Conversely, over the Christmas holidays the RTT are great because you have fantastic views (either club or not club) and the weather is less humid so using the rooftop is much more inviting. I like the EC upgrade because I enjoy the club pool, but the "20 somethings" on our team don't bother with it because they spend most of their time playing vball on the beach or in the active pool socializing so the club expense is a waste (for them).
Interesting points. I lean towards the RTT even in July (when we will likely go) because it is a unique room especially at the affordability. I was planning on taking advantage of it in the mornings and sporadically At night and day. The swim out suites in EC are also compelling especially as you described. I will be debating gear to do for the next few weeks
@@michaelkass4617 You won't go wrong with either but you are right that the RTT are really unique rooms and it is not something you find everywhere. They are great at night after everything closes at 1am, any time of year. Have fun planning!😊 On a side note, if you book through the resort directly there is almost always a 5% promo code happening. The FB groups are good at posting what the most current codes are.
The sliding patio doors onto the terrace lock from the inside. You can't lock and unlock it from the terrace, only from inside. I tend to leave ours open so I can go in and out. Housekeeping will almost always lock it when they are cleaning up.
This resort looks perfect except for one thing that may be a deal breaker for me. I need shade since I burn easily. What I hate is always stressing to find it especially when people get up early to snag spots. I figured a swim up room would solve that. I'm looking at the club ocean view swim up suite. The problem is it looks like there is no shade?? Do any of the swim up rooms have shade? I'm now doing a deep dive into EPM because they have a daybed in shade but honestly I am more drawn to ERC. Plus it's more my buget.
ERC swim-up club rooms have a small day bed as well as a jacuzzi on the terrace. There are A LOT more shade umbrellas around the main club pool now then there used to be. There are almost always palapas available on the club beach. It can be a challenge to find some shade on the non-club side. You should be fine finding shade when booking the club ocean view swim-up. I will be back in that exact room in June for current pics, if it helps.
@@newtravelescapes I appreciate anything you share! By any chance has your team visited any of the excellence properties in Punta Cana? I know the beach is superior there but I question the quality of the food. I haven't been to an all inclusive in over 15 years but I remember DR food being barely edible and one of us always got ill. It could be because we did budget resorts but maybe DR has stepped up its game given all the new resorts?
@@natalieroy4849 Thank you! 😊 We actually had both of the Excellence properties in the DR booked to visit the beginning of 2022 but had to cancel them because of the covid stuff. Ugh! I'm still waiting to rebook and visit them both, as well as their Jamaican property. I have a friend that went to Excellence Punta Cana for her honeymoon a couple of years ago. She enjoyed it but she has never been to Mexico so her opinion doesn't really give me a good comparison between the two. The general consensus on the FB groups is that the DR is sub par on service and food but as you said the beach is far superior. The Excellence Resorts rank pretty high in the DR. I have also heard really good things about Secrets Cap Cana in the DR but have yet to visit there myself.
@@newtravelescapes thank you for your feedback. This was the sense I was getting from reviews as well. And I hear you on cancelled Covid trips. We had a trip planned for Costa Rice for the spring of 2020 and we were also going to do Jasper/Banff that summer as well. It's back on our bucket list but for this year it's visiting our family in Canada we haven't seen since 2019. Enjoy your trip this June.
@@natalieroy4849 Enjoy visiting Canada now that the borders are easier to navigate. My brother and his family are in Michigan and I am looking forward to seeing them again soon too.
You list as a perk a complimentary private transfer for Excellence Club guests ..... their website mentions NOTHING about a complimentary transfer of any kind for Excellence Club guests.
The top two Excellence Club suite categories include transfers to and from the airport to the hotel. If you click on those two suites and look under "standard amenities" it is listed 3 up from the bottom in the middle column. This is really only relevant if you book those suites through a third party travel agency. For ALL guests, not just Excellence Club guests, if you book a flexible rate directly from the resort it states "Free cancellation with no penalties up to 24 hours before arrival date. FREE TRANSFER INCLUDED with a minimum 3-night stay." This applies for ALL rooms, not just club level rooms for most (not all) travel dates.
I love this review! So thorough!
@@hmcvalesano Thank you! I have an updated one coming out this weekend from our trip there last month. 😊 I hope you like it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Love Excellence Riviera Maya. We went there in 2017 for our Engagement Celebration and now we are going on our 5th year Anniversary almost 7 years later. I have been traveling around the world, mostly on cruises (just did my 65th cruise in Alaska 2 months ago) but never an all inclusive resort until Excellence Club Honeymoon Suite in 2017. I have never in my 70 years of life experienced anything as Amazingly Awe-striking as your product. We are seriously looking to come back and stay in our very same category and Room as our 1st stay. It was so convenient to everything for us Senior citizens. We met awesome people in our club pool that we are still friends with today. Hope to see you soon with the excitement of our first time coming to you and being Wowed all over again ❤🎉😊
Happy anniversary 🎉 💕and I hope you have an amazing vacation! ☺️
Thanks for the ERC content, I’ve already booked but each video just gets me more and more excited.
Same here!!!
We are planning a trip for next summer with another couple. They want to do an excellence club swim up suite, and I can't decide if I also want an EC swim up suite, or if I want an EC ocean view on a higher floor and just hang out at their swim up below us!
We did the same thing this year with friends. We both had swim-outs onto the club pool in building 8 BUT the resort could not guarantee we would be beside each other (which I understand, of course). So we ended up hanging out at one or the other. Next time we decided one of us would do the swim-out and the other would do the rooftop so we would have both options. It is unlikely you would be beside each other so if you prefer the view up higher I say, go for it. 😊
This was an excellent description! Thank you :)
You're so welcome!
Excellent resorts are so choice. We have never been to ERC, yet, but have been to EPM 7 times. This Fall will be our 8th
We are on a mission to do them all. We have done the Mexican ones many times and we always have a great time. Jamaica is booked for October and Punta Cana asap 😁😊
Really great video helpful thanks for this
Very helpful planning video. Thanks a lot!!!!
Thank-you for the wonderful information - what a great place- I would choose a swim up suit in the club part of the hotel - My husband & I are looking to book a trip to Mexico for my 60th birthday which has been postponed for 2yrs due to covid ERC looks a great option
We just returned from another stay at ERC and we booked the ocean front club swim out this time. It was a great room and location.
To be honest, I enjoy most room categories at ERC and which one we choose depends on who I'm travelling with.
Thanks for the video. Very informative.
Great review!
Glad you think so!
great video, Have hard walking to far and booked the wrong ec swim pool view and wanted EC swim up ocean view. what building will we be in. 9 is way to far for me to walk to get to club pool etc. hope I can upgraded if something opens up. ty
You will likely be in building 9 with a pool view swim-out.
Can't hurt to email the resort and ask them to check to see if an upgrade to building 7 or 8 swim-out onto the club pool is available. They may be able to help.
If nothing is available ask them to note on your reservation that you have some mobility issues and could they please put you in the most optimal location to address your concerns.
Which buildings house the non-Excellence Club Jr. Suites with swim up terrace? Of these, which building do you recommend for quiet and privacy, considering proximity to active pool as well as foot traffic by staff and other guests in front of your doorway? Conversely, which non EC swimup building do you recommend for “tanning” sunlight on the suites terrace daybed? Thanks. Your videos are so professional, informative and beautifully shot. Excellence should hire you for PR.
Wow! Thanks for the compliment! That is so nice to hear. 😁
The swim-outs at ERC are very nice.
For sunshine, building 6 swim-outs that look out across the pool onto building 9 have a lot of sun most of the day. (Pull up the resort map and you'll see where I'm talking about.)
If it gets too warm there are almost always free palapa loungers on the opposite side of the pool. It is also fairly quiet in this area.
The most peaceful swim ups (with the least amount of foot traffic) in my opinion, are in buildings 2 and 3. You can hear the spa music and unless your neighbours turn out to be jerks it is quiet. It is also a slow "float" to the juice bar. 😊
Building 5 around the lazy river has the most foot traffic and noise.
Service is a bit slower around the lazy river but it is still good.
None of these buildings are too far from the activities if you want to participate but you won't hear them if you don't.
Hope this is helpful. You won't really go wrong with either option.
Thanks so much for the information. Your replies, like your videos, are succinct and informative, giving me exactly what I wanted to know. Looks like building 3 or 6 for us, depending on whether we want to tan or enjoy the quiet. Will probably put in one as the priority request and the other as an alternative request and allow the “Excellence Gods “ to decide for us.
@@michaellandry6873 good idea! Both buildings are nice and the swim ups are the way to go. Have a great time!
Spice was almost ready to re-open when we were there the beginning of September. 🙂
Hello, thank you so much for your very detailed videos and reviews. I have been to ERC alone a year ago and I am trying to come back again in April of 23 with my sister and mother for her 70th birthday. You mentioned the Jr Suite with 2 beds on the non-club side. Do they have any of these on the club level? It isn't a deal breaker, I just need to know how to book. Thanks for your help.
Hi! Thanks! 🙂
There are a few Jr. Suites non club that have two beds but I have never seen any on the club side. I have heard that there are a couple of rooms in building 9 with two beds but I haven't laid eyes on them myself.
The easiest way to know for sure is to try and book 3 people into a room. If they dont have two beds available in that category they won't allow you to book it.
I was told they dont allow 3 people in any room on the club side.
It may be interesting to price out a comparisson of two rooms with 3 people vs. 1 room with 3 people and see the $ difference. Depending on when you go, it may surprise you how little extra the second room actually costs. In my experience, it can be negligible.
Have a great trip!!! What a great way to celebrate your mom!!
Thanks for quick response. The 2 beds would be for mom and sister. I'd be in my own room.
Thank you for your videos. We are undecided to try Excellence resorts, we are member of Karisma, but over the years seen a lot of deterioration in service and quality. What would you recommend? thanks :)
Hi! Like Karisma, Excellence has been changing too. The pandemic has not been kind to these resorts and coming out of it seems to be a challenge for the Cancun area just like everywhere in the world.
I have not been to the El Dorado resorts since before covid but we have been to Excellence Riviera Cancun, Excellence Playa Mujeres, and Beloved in the last 6 months. We actually just got back from ERC on Friday. ERC and EPM have gone through some serious upper management changes and staffing turn over coming out of the pandemic. I was expecting to see service having gone down, as it has in many resorts, but apart from a few minor hiccups it was still very good. Excellence seems to be working through the post covid changes quickly to get back to their former "excellence".
We just finished a stay at ERC in a excellence club ocean front swim-out and we were really happy with the service and quality that we received. It was not as good as in years past but we expected that as many of the staff are new. The restaurants were good to very good (with the exception of the Kitchen Table for lunch which was just bad.)
That being said, the Guest Service Manager, Fatima Young, from ERC has left and gone to El Dorado Royal. She is AMAZING and she really knows what she is doing in guest services! I have high hopes that at least the El Dorado Royal will return to what it once was with Ms. Young.
It is hard to really say but my opinion would be to wait another year to see how Karisma recovers. The FB pages will tell you a lot about the service and quality. If it helps at all, we travelled last week with another couple who has never tried an Excellence property and as 'first timers' they said they had a great time. If you do decide to give Excellence a try, my advice (as a repeat guest of their properties) is that if anything is not to your liking just politely let them know. In my experience they will try to fix any issues that come up if they are able.
Hey there again! What are the differences between the rooftop terrace suites other than location and the typical EC amenities? Pretty much asking how are the suited themselves different? Does the Excellence club version offer something more in the suite?
Nope. No significant differences. You are right that it is the location and amenities that make them EC.
Just a thought, if you're there with friends it can be fun to have someone with a swimout and another with a rooftop and ask that they be directly above and below each other. That way you have the best of both worlds. 🙂
Great suggestion. I am leaning towards either the non-EC RTT and the EC swim out . The EC RTT is $700 more for our expected stay and not sure if it is worth it for that price difference. Do both RTT has the smaller jacuzzi on the balcony?
@@michaelkass4617 the RTTs that we have stayed in did not have a jacuzzi on the smaller balcony, rather they had the large plunge pool on the roof. The swimouts have a small jacuzzi on the terrace.
They all have a big jacuzzi tub the the room.
Room choices, for me, depend on what time of year I am going to be there. For example, I have booked a swimout for the end of June 2022 because it is so hot at that time of year that the rooftop isn't usable during the day because of it's lack of shade. Also, the seaweed is bad in June so I know I will be in the pool more than the beach. Conversely, over the Christmas holidays the RTT are great because you have fantastic views (either club or not club) and the weather is less humid so using the rooftop is much more inviting.
I like the EC upgrade because I enjoy the club pool, but the "20 somethings" on our team don't bother with it because they spend most of their time playing vball on the beach or in the active pool socializing so the club expense is a waste (for them).
Interesting points. I lean towards the RTT even in July (when we will likely go) because it is a unique room especially at the affordability. I was planning on taking advantage of it in the mornings and sporadically At night and day. The swim out suites in EC are also compelling especially as you described. I will be debating gear to do for the next few weeks
@@michaelkass4617 You won't go wrong with either but you are right that the RTT are really unique rooms and it is not something you find everywhere. They are great at night after everything closes at 1am, any time of year. Have fun planning!😊
On a side note, if you book through the resort directly there is almost always a 5% promo code happening. The FB groups are good at posting what the most current codes are.
Hello! Going there in a couple years. Can you tell me if the Jr suite swim up has a door to the terrace that can be locked??
The sliding patio doors onto the terrace lock from the inside. You can't lock and unlock it from the terrace, only from inside.
I tend to leave ours open so I can go in and out. Housekeeping will almost always lock it when they are cleaning up.
This resort looks perfect except for one thing that may be a deal breaker for me. I need shade since I burn easily. What I hate is always stressing to find it especially when people get up early to snag spots. I figured a swim up room would solve that. I'm looking at the club ocean view swim up suite. The problem is it looks like there is no shade?? Do any of the swim up rooms have shade? I'm now doing a deep dive into EPM because they have a daybed in shade but honestly I am more drawn to ERC. Plus it's more my buget.
ERC swim-up club rooms have a small day bed as well as a jacuzzi on the terrace.
There are A LOT more shade umbrellas around the main club pool now then there used to be. There are almost always palapas available on the club beach. It can be a challenge to find some shade on the non-club side.
You should be fine finding shade when booking the club ocean view swim-up. I will be back in that exact room in June for current pics, if it helps.
@@newtravelescapes I appreciate anything you share! By any chance has your team visited any of the excellence properties in Punta Cana? I know the beach is superior there but I question the quality of the food. I haven't been to an all inclusive in over 15 years but I remember DR food being barely edible and one of us always got ill. It could be because we did budget resorts but maybe DR has stepped up its game given all the new resorts?
@@natalieroy4849 Thank you! 😊 We actually had both of the Excellence properties in the DR booked to visit the beginning of 2022 but had to cancel them because of the covid stuff. Ugh! I'm still waiting to rebook and visit them both, as well as their Jamaican property. I have a friend that went to Excellence Punta Cana for her honeymoon a couple of years ago. She enjoyed it but she has never been to Mexico so her opinion doesn't really give me a good comparison between the two.
The general consensus on the FB groups is that the DR is sub par on service and food but as you said the beach is far superior. The Excellence Resorts rank pretty high in the DR. I have also heard really good things about Secrets Cap Cana in the DR but have yet to visit there myself.
@@newtravelescapes thank you for your feedback. This was the sense I was getting from reviews as well. And I hear you on cancelled Covid trips. We had a trip planned for Costa Rice for the spring of 2020 and we were also going to do Jasper/Banff that summer as well. It's back on our bucket list but for this year it's visiting our family in Canada we haven't seen since 2019. Enjoy your trip this June.
@@natalieroy4849 Enjoy visiting Canada now that the borders are easier to navigate. My brother and his family are in Michigan and I am looking forward to seeing them again soon too.
You list as a perk a complimentary private transfer for Excellence Club guests ..... their website mentions NOTHING about a complimentary transfer of any kind for Excellence Club guests.
The top two Excellence Club suite categories include transfers to and from the airport to the hotel. If you click on those two suites and look under "standard amenities" it is listed 3 up from the bottom in the middle column. This is really only relevant if you book those suites through a third party travel agency.
For ALL guests, not just Excellence Club guests, if you book a flexible rate directly from the resort it states "Free cancellation with no penalties up to 24 hours before arrival date. FREE TRANSFER INCLUDED with a minimum 3-night stay." This applies for ALL rooms, not just club level rooms for most (not all) travel dates.