Excellence El Carmen: Extraordinary Service!

Overall the resort is a modern multi- building, multi pool paradise with a spectacular beach! There are many places to start your day whether it's in the well staffed gym or coffee bar, beach front restaurant or incredible buffet. The same holds true for wrapping up your day with delicious dinners and a show in the theatre or a quieter drink with new friends. This resort is luxury but above all they pride themselves on friendly, genuine staff who appear to effortlessly meet your every wish!

Excellence El Carmen: Its all in the name... Excellence (El Carmen)!

The Excellence El Carmen is a relatively new, adult only resort about 45 minutes from Punta Cana Int'l Airport. This was our 6th Excellence visit, but 1st to this property. The property is nicely laid out, with easy pathways in and out of the sunshine (helpful if it rains!). There are many pools to suit everyone's tastes, quiet, busy, mostly with nearby bars for beverages of choice to self pickup or wait-staff delivery. The beach is fantastic, with plenty of protected seating, and also serve [... read more]d by beverage wait-staff. The rooms are very spacious, with King Beds (at least ours was), generous bath facilities including Jacuzzi tub, a spacious sitting area, a balcony/terrace with table, chairs and loungers. We were fortunate to be assigned a suite with a private pool, and small grassed area right outside our door. There are about 5 buildings with these suites on the ground floor levels. The Restaurants are numerous, with lots of variety, and we did not have enough time to sample them all. As we have found on our previous Excellence visits, the staff are outstanding, genuine, friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. Personally, I suffered a leg injury 2 weeks before departure, and my mobility for the trip down and back, and while on site was severely restricted. TripCentral Rep Jenn Black ensured that the resort and the Airline were able to accommodate my temporary mobility needs, and I am happy to report that these measures were well executed in all respects. We will be returning to Excellence properties in Punta Cana again, and will certainly be pleased to work with Jenn Black and the talented and dedicated TripCentral.ca team again.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Perfect second stay at the ERC

We traveled as a couple from Sept. 18 to 25, 2017. Booked an Ocean Front Roof Top Terrace in the Excellence Club. We arrived around 13:30 and check in was a breeze at the EC lobby. Our room was perfect and the Terrace, WOW, spectacular! We did enjoy the view, the plunge pool every morning and every night. We absolutely LOVED it! Everything was perfect from day one until we left. Everyone one we meet is smiling, acknowledging you with a warm and friendly Hola!! Always making sure we are having [... read more] a great time and more than willing to help out in any way! Service from everyone was great everywhere on the resort. If you want a shaded spot by the EC pool, get ready to be out before 7 to reserve a spot. Otherwise, there were always plenty of available chairs or bed on the beach. Servers come every 10-15 minutes to make sure you have all you need. EC staff come with you, brings a bunch of towels to prepare your chairs for you, bring some treats during the day, clean your glasses, etc... We were spoiled!!! Food was great like last time. We enjoyed Chez Isabelle Twice, Basmati, The Lobster house and a romantic dinner on the beach. Every meal was great! The lobster house for breakfast close to the beach is a must. One morning my wife wasn't very hungry and asked if she could have a plate of a few assorted cheeses. You should have seen the plates they brought. It is never a bother, always so helpful and trying their best to make sure you have the best vacation possible. We have tried many 5 star resorts over the years and The ERC is the one for us. Just big enough that no matter where your room is, you are no more than a 5-7 minute walk away from anywhere you want to go, great beach, Quiet and not so quiet pools everywhere, great rooms, clean, wonderful gardens, amazing staff, no bracelet, no dinner reservation, 9 or 10 restaurant to choose from and close to the airport. Again we highly recommend it, great value well worth the money!!

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Magnificent place

First, I would like to begin saying that this was our first time in Mexico, however, we've been to plenty all-inclusive hotels before. Excellence Playa Mujeres completely blew our minds. Even though we found out about the existence of 'Excellence club' (VIP program that grants free beach bag and Bulgari toiletries) upon arrival, there was absolutely no difference in the way we were treated. We were greeted with the cold towel and a glass of champagne and check-in was super quick and we went to  [... read more]our room shortly after arrival. The area is really big, so if you are into hiking, you would have a plenty of routes without leaving the territory of a hotel. Grounds are well kept and very clean. Great variety of free activities. Plenty of restaurants, but we were not able to visit all of them, even though we did not go to the same restaurant for dinner twice. Front desk staff is extremely friendly, hospitable and helpful, especially Andres. Also, we were amazed, that staff were able to remember our names right away and were able to recall the names up until the end of our stay. There was only one minor issue. The way the washroom is placed is a great design idea, however, the semi-transparent door and absence of soundproofing are a poor aesthetical decision if you are staying with someone else. The sound waves bounce off the beautiful marble walls and propagate to the bedroom. Overall, great resort and wonderful staff, clean beach and lots of activities. Would recommend, 9.9/10!

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Perfection

Our stay at the Excellence Playa Mujeres is beyond our expectations. We knew going in that it was going to be nice but we didn’t realize how nice. Everything was pretty much perfect in my opinion. From check in, room, food, service, etc. We had a wonderful trip and could ask for anything more. We opted for the Plunge Pool room, and the decision was the right one. It was private, quiet and the pool was much larger than expected. The room was great. Clean, big and very comfortable. Fu [... read more]lly stocked mini bar, with booze, beer, snacks and refreshments. What I appreciated about this resort is bottled water isn’t in short supply. You don’t have ration out your water every day. It was nice to know you weren’t going to get dehydrated. Beach and pool were amazingly maintained. Staff went above and beyond to make sure you were cared for and the surrounding areas were clean and well presented. Our beach waiter was incredible. Very attentive and we were never without a drink. He even brought us fresh drinks when he saw that our drinks got a little warm. The drinks were very well prepared. From margaritas to pina coladas to a fresh cold beer. The local Tulum brand of beer being my favorite. The beach bar grill was delicious. Every day was a different theme, so the food didn’t get stagnant. It was fresh and they took precautions to keep everything cold/warm. Restaurants were a hit. We didn’t have a bad meal. We preferred the Indian and Mexican restaurants but had great meals at the French, Lobster House, and Barcelona. Breakfast is my favorite when Im on vacation and the Toscana buffet didn’t disappoint. Huge selection and well prepared. The Egg cook was the best. Having been to Cuba many times, I can tell you that Mexico, especially Excellence, blows them out of the water when it comes to food. I can’t praise this place enough. The fitness center with cold towels and fresh juice. The coffee/snack bar. The maintenance crew always looking to improve something. The cleaning staff making sure our room was spotless. The wait staff at all the restaurants. The front desk making sure we were doing ok. Everything was great and I cant see rating this less than 5 stars. We will be going back.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Excellent food, service and pool; Lots of night-time and beach noise

FOOD (and service) ranged from absolute 5 stars to 3.5 stars in terms quality. Skip "Barcelona" and "Basmati" and your dining experience will be 5 stars all the way. Special mention to Rafael (French), Irving (The Grill), and Tracy (Tapas) and who wowed us with their calm professionalism and charming personalities. 95% of the staff were outstanding and made for the highlight of the resort - no easy task so major kudos to management. ROOMS were beautiful and spacious. Our garden/poolview room  [... read more]had a nice balcony and jacuzzi. Issue with the 7th block buildings is definitely the noise level that comes from the entertainment - Impossible to go to bed before 11pm as the very loud music would end at 10:45pm every night and sometimes the party would go on after. Guests staying farthest from the main entertainment square would not have this problem. BEACH was not the main draw of the resort - quite small and with lots of seaweed both on/offshore. The main issue for me was the noise from the sea-weed clearing tractor, the bar music, as well as the sea-doos and boats that would run from 9am-4pm. If you swim by the deeper-end of the seaweed before the noise starts you'll catch stingrays and larger fish (1ft+ in length), which I was able see almost every morning. The best seats (most quiet, least traffic) would be taken by 7:30am, with almost all seats taken by 9am. Also, the entire length of the beach is lined up with a row of beach chairs, which unfortunately blocks the views of those in palapas. POOLS were very clean with quiet spots to be found all around the resort at any time of the day. While I'm not usually a pool person when staying a beach resorts, I ended up preferring the lazy river during the day as it was a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the beach. CONCIERGE (and overall management) was extremely helpful and attentive - special thanks to Brenda for helping us arrange for rental car and following up on various requests we had throughout our stay. We had made several comments in their survey and management would be earnest in addressing the issue - perhaps even a little too earnest as we would have several people follow-up with us on single issues, asking how things were. ENTERTAINMENT as far as I could tell was excellent - from casino nights to cross-fit training, Elvis impersonators to spanish classes, ping pong tournaments to cocktail classes; being bored is impossible at the resort. I took part in a few dance and fitness courses that were very well-led.

Excellence El Carmen: Awesome Resort

Beautiful and quiet modern resort! If people want to have a quiet resort, this resort is the right place to be at. There were a lot of seaweed at the beach but the workers work hard to have it cleaned.

Excellence El Carmen: Stunning Luxurious Resort with the most amazing people!

From the moment you step out of the airport transfer which was included in our package you are immediately welcomed and your bags taken. They start the checking in process quickly and have champagne waiting for you before you even walk inside. These giant dark doors automatically open and you get a glance of the huge stunning lobby with beautiful polished stone and rich finishes. It's hard to pay attention to guest services while your checking in because it is so nice. Our bell man Sergio "b [... read more]est of the best" was more fantastic and very energetic and always making us laugh and feeling good. We were in our room and had our bags quickly. Our room was gorgeous, we choose a 2nd floor suite in the main building facing the center of the resort with a outstanding view of the resort, palm trees and the ocean in the back ground and the sunrises were really beautiful. It was a Terrace Suite with plunge pool and again was amazing. High end finishes, stone everywhere, custom glass enclosures, flush mount rain showers, in room safe in a custom floor to ceiling cabinets. A huge king size bed that is sooo comfortable as well as a jam packed mini bar and 2 flat screen Tvs. Giant patio door and all glass wall makes for a wonderful view even from bed. Whirlpool enclosed in glass with private shutters if wanted was a nice touch and we loved our plunge pool and laying on the sun loungers on the terrace. They kept the room clean and the mini bar stoked and adjusted when asked. Only tired room service once and it was ok nothing to rave about and nothing to complain about. The property is very well laid out and maintained and they are always working on it constantly. It is really a piece of paradise. We had breakfast at the buffet every morning in theThe Kitchen Table and it was great! Fresh food of all kinds the biggest selection I have ever seen and all soo good. Our favourite was the omelette station and El Jeni who made our mornings fun and always made us smile and made a damn good omelette. We also tried The Lobster House and The Grill and both were very tasty with fresh well seasoned and uniquely prepared food. My steak came out a beautifully cooked med rare sirloin strip and it was melt in your mouth good and seasoned perfect. We went on a few excursions so we didn't have much time to eat alpt at resort. We did get to do it beach dinner and it was so cool! We were served a tropical drink on our way in and spoke to hostess and were seated immediately. A buffet fit for a king with unlimited authentic booths of food prepared in so many different ways and flavours, grills fill the air with such a savoury smell while the band plays authentic and current music with a Caribbean twist. We met a great couple at this dinner and had a blast till it was over. The beach is beautiful and I love here little huts and comfy sun loungers. They get lots of seaweed sometimes but work hard on taking it up. The swim up bar is perfect and when your relaxing at the pool in a lounger or in the pool they make sure your drinks are never empty or not for long. There were a few minor things but really nothing not expected for a new resort and if anything arouse it was taken care of quickly and we were happy with all the service we received. The shows were all good but our favourites were the circus and the fire show. The live music at night is fun and they get you up dancing and having a good time always. We can't wait to go back as we absolutely loved EEC and the people throughout. I want to give a special thank you to all the people in general, the front desk staff and especially Yamirsy "shaky shaky", Sergio "best of the best" bell man, Julio, Bruno mars, Spaghetti, El Jeno "omelette king", Christiana "happy birthday", & our west jet rep Ernesto. Together they made our stay unforgettable. I'm forgetting names as well. I can't wait to go back as we now plan to spend a lot more time at EEC in the future.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Absolutely Amazing Resort

Pools were amazing. Loved the lazy river! Rooms were beautiful. The only downside at all was the ocean had a lot of seaweed in it. Service was excellent anywhere you went. Drinks were great. Loved not having to reserve restaurants.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Fantastic resort!

We stayed at the Excellence Playa Mujeres the week of May 19th. From the first moment we arrived, until the time we left, our expectations were exceeded. The grounds, staff and food were some of the best we have experienced at an all inclusive resort. I would highly recommend this resort and will return.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Best resort ever !!

Everything was stellar Super clean Extremely accommodating Always made sure u had what u needed Food was very good and good variety Beach service drinks etc . Was superb Lazy river was awesome Coffee and snacks were excellent including room service

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Great Resort

Beautiful resort. Staff is very friendly, helpful and willing and ready to help when needed. Pools and pool area clean and towels always stocked and waiting to be used. Rooms are beautiful, spacious and clean.

Excellence Punta Cana: 2nd Visit - Great resort

This is a beautiful resort, good food and great staff. We had a Terrace Suite with a plunge pool which was fantastic. All the restaurants were great and we loved that we did not need reservations. The entertainment each night was very good, some were better than others, but the Michael Jackson and Circus shows were great. The beach was great, but the waves are strong all the time so swimming is limited in front of the resort, but if you walk to the right of the resort there is a very calm are [... read more]a. This resort is well worth the money and my wife and I will be back.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Unforgettable

In all sincerity, our stay at this astounding resort had such a profound and calming effect on us, we didn't want to leave. We were treated like royalty (in a most sincere and genuine way) from the minute we entered the premises, until we sadly departed. It is absolutely exquisite in every sense of the word. The service was outstanding!! Never had better. Kudos to management...job well done. Can't stop thinking of the great time we had, and can't wait to go back. Below is what we experie [... read more]nced at the fun loving Excellence Playa Mujeres: a quick and easy check in beautiful, spacious room delicious food lovely grounds clean (spotless everywhere) superb entertainment top shelf alcohol stocked fridge gorgeous pools and beach superior service (always with a smile) plenty of beach towels comfy loungers beautiful birthday celebration (in room and in restaurant) super room service elevators ice machine on every floor top notch security no vendors tons of activities Hope this review convinces you to treat yourself to the best!!! In closing, we would like to extend a big thank you to Nicolle Kirk for the great service she provided us.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: more than excellent resort

As this was our third time at this resort, we knew what to expect and believe or not it was better than we thought. The service from the time we got there to the time that we left was unbelievable. They just seemed to go that extra mile to make sure you were looked after. The food was excellent as well as the pool and the lazy river.

Excellence El Carmen: Excellent resort in every way

I have to tell you that this is by far the best resort I have visited to date. The gardens are beautiful, the lawns fresh and green and the beach is sandy and clean with lots of lounge chairs with shade. Clean towels were rolled and ready all day in stands all over the resort . Every building had their own pool plus there was a swim up bar pool close to the beach . The rooms were amazing. Ours had 2 walk in closets, king size bed, sofa and comfy chairs, double sinks [... read more], big shower and separate toilet area. The balcony had a double cushioned lounger, private jetted tub and anot her outside shaded bed with pillows. We are early risers so every morning we'd watch the ground and pool crews come out and quietly go to work . Lots of joggers doing laps as there are good secure areas available . The dining was amazing . We did not have one bad meal the entire time we were there. There are a variety of restaurants with different themes so something for all palates. Wonderful presentation . The morning buffet had a great variety also with all breakfast menus covered. There were bars open scattered throughout the resort plus the main lobby area had a great martini bar, sports bar and more. Entertainment was provided in the form of morning exercise routines at the beach area, pool tables in the main lobby area plus spectacular theatre entertainment every evening . But none of this can compare to the royal treatment you got from each and every member of the staff . Always smiling and ready to go that extra for you . From getting that perfect omelet in the morning, serving you drinks at the beach and all the pools, asking about food allergies, remembering how full you like your coffee cup and even going to get your favorite drink from another bar because they ran out, WOW. The restaurant staff, the 24 hour room service, the maid service and even the grounds workers, all remarkable .

Excellence El Carmen: Excellence El Carmen - A true 5 star resort

The Excellence El Carmen was wonderful. The resort was exceptionally clean and well cared for. Our room (terrace suite with plunge pool) was spacious and comfortable. The rain shower was fabulous. No hot water issues and great water pressure. The service was the best that I have ever seen at any resort. Room Service was fantastic when we ordered. We met some wonderful people (other guests) at this resort as well. The staff were friendly, helpful and a lot of fun. We received the same le [... read more]vel of service whether we tipped or not. The evening shows were the most professional compared to any resort we stayed at. Even though we did not partake in the Excellence Club, both my husband and myself felt nothing lacking. We had one meal that was not very good (Grill House). My husband's steak was exceptionally rare, but the restaurant was very busy and had a birthday party going on at the same time. Talking to other guests, they had a wonderful meal when they went, so we just put it down to an exceptionally busy night. It in no way affected our overall opinion of the resort. We are looking forward to going again for our 10th anniversary. This is a 5 star plus resort in our opinion.

Excellence Riviera Cancun: Total Luxury

Best service we have ever experienced at all inclusive. Rooms Spotless Room service great and prompt Staff can't do enough for you Every meal was great They had live Music everyday in the afternoon at main pool Which we loved !

Excellence Riviera Cancun: AMAZING!!!

We have never been anywhere south so we have nothing to compare to but we were so overwhelmed and impressed on the first day. The staff truly are amazing. They go out of their way to talk to u and make sure your stay is excellent. Their entertainment was great too. The activity staff never stops, they were always putting something on for the guests. Our room was always spotless. My only complaint was for a luxury hotel the towels were pretty tough feeling in the rooms and the bed was hard but th [... read more]ats minor. The grounds were always kept so clean. We would definitely go back to this resort and recommend to anyone going to Mexico. It's close to the airport so you are not wasting time traveling and the staff really do make you feel like royalty. Food was great too. The only restaurant we were not a fan of was the lobster house a and that is only because we are from Atlantic Canada and seafood is our thing and this was a different taste. But overall LOVED IT and miss it already!!

Excellence Playa Mujeres: 2nd time just as good as 1st

There is a reason 90% of the people you talk to at this resort have been to either somewhere else in the excellence chain or have been to EPM before. They never disappoint and are always looking for ways to make your trip better. Will be going back for a 3rd 4th and 5th time.