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Luxury adults-only resort nestled among seven swimming pools on a powdery white sand beach, in a community that boasts a spectacular Greg Norman signature golf course. This jewel of Cancun sets a new standard of luxury for all-inclusives with finely tuned amenities such as one-of-a-kind accommodations including two-story rooftop terrace suites with a private Plunge pool, meticulous service, gourmet cuisine, an exquisite spa and the signature Excellence Club.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Excellence Playa Mujeres is celebrated for its vibrant atmosphere and exceptional service, with staff earning accolades for their attentive and professional demeanor. While the resort's cleanliness and amenities, including various pools and activities, are highlights for guests, some have raised concerns about noise levels and the value for cost.
The hotel's location is generally well-regarded despite sporadic construction noise. Although room experiences vary, with cleanliness and views praised, issues with temperature and dated decor have been noted.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Noise level
Mixed
Service
Attentive
Amenities
World-class
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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.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Excellence Collection, Guest Services / Front Office at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Jun 27, 2023
Dear guest, First and foremost, we would like to thank you for choosing Excellence Playa Mujeres to celebrate your anniversary and for taking the time to share this review with other travelers. Thank you for adding very generous remarks of the positive sides of your vacation with us and mentioning the services that made your stay more comfortable. We really appreciate your detailed feedback. It means so much when it comes from our returning guests. At Excellence Playa Mujeres, we strive to make every stay, as close to perfection as possible and we will continue working hard in this direction, in order to have happy clients with kind words for our work. We appreciate all your comments that will certainly encourage other readers to stay with us. We look forward to welcoming you back in a heartbeat. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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My wife and I have been traveling to this area for years, both as a family trip as well as a couple’s trip with friends. We have stayed at numerous resorts in the Cancun through Playa del Carmen and have found a location that is truly ‘home’ when we return each year. The Excellence properties in this area are both great. The one in Puerto Morelos was not near a golf course, but the Playa Mujeres resort had one that was close, so after a few years down south, we transitioned here for the past two years.
We stayed in the Imperial Suite, a spectacular room with its own pool and landscaped yard. Each day, Pedro, our butler, would greet us and assist us with our daily activities. Our beach concierge, Manuel, was fantastic. Each morning, before we awoke, our beach chairs were made, and our lounging area was ready for the day. He checked on us multiple times throughout the day to make sure all was god.
After a few mile walk along a very quiet and well kept beach, we would make our way to breakfast. We like the Lobster House for a breakfast with service, and the buffet when we wanted to graze.
After breakfast, we made our way back to our area and were greeted daily by Moises, our bartender. He and Manuel were the life of the party. Always coming by with something. Whether a frozen fruit tree, or cocktails, we were always taken care of. Moises, with his famous line, “I’ll be back in 5 minutes” was there when you needed him and disappeared when you didn’t. The trip to Excellence is always fantastic We typically book this room every year, and attempted to do so for next year at the same time. We were extremely disappointed to find out that it was booked during the dates we wanted, so we will have to try something else and plan further ahead in the future. There were too many “Pros” to list – it was all great. I didn’t really find a CON, on a suggestion if you have a need…..just ask, and they deliver. The AC in the room has a limit of 70 degrees for energy savings. Our friends wanted their room a bit colder – “no problem, whatsoever. The tech came by and dropped it down. Moises was delivering some drinks with a local Mezcal in it and I made a comment about how much I liked the spirit. On my last day he left me a parting gift. Such great people in a great place.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The Club rooms are well worth it. Great views, upgrades, and services offered.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ExcellenceCollection, Online Brand Controller at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Mar 30, 2020
Dear guest, First and foremost, we would like to thank you for choosing Excellence Playa Mujeres as host of your holiday destination and for taking the time to share this review with the TripAdvisor community. It is our pleasure to know that our colleagues and amenities exceeded your expectations, making you feel relaxed and pampered all the time. At Excellence Playa Mujeres, we strive to make every stay, as close to perfection as possible and we will continue working hard in this direction to provide the best vacation experience ever. We look forward to welcoming you back soon for another getaway. We will be pleased to make you another wondrous adventure time. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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Let’s get something out of the way. Is this the best resort on the Yucatan Peninsula? No, of course not! But at this price point you get a lot of value. This is a large resort but no matter where your room is, the walk is only a couple of minutes to anywhere else on the property. One of the things Excellence does well is spacing for guests along the grounds. Too often, these all inclusives can feel like a giant cruise ship on land. This is not the case. While you’ll have areas that are busy, they have plenty of beach front and many pools with lounges and foliage providing shade and privacy. Although the resort seemed to be pretty full, we never had a problem finding a quiet spot by the pool or beach for the morning or afternoon.
We booked one of the basic rooms that had a great view of one of pool areas and a bit of ocean in the background. It was comfortable and a good size. The shower was huge with both the rain feature and normal nozzle, plenty large for two people.
The breakfast buffet was incredibly vast with selection and I was surprised how good the quality was! We loved having Gilberto and Adrian for breakfast every day and then Gilberto again for lunch over at the Grill! He made the trip so much fun.
The restaurants that we tried were very good, although the French, surprisingly, was our least favorite. They have a coffee shop called Aromas. The concept is great. You could stick your head in first thing in the morning and grab a double espresso or cuppacino before a walk on the beach. They also had plenty of danishes or treats for a quick snack. I must have eaten about a hundred macaroons this week!
The other thing they did really well was the evening entertainment. They have an open air amphitheater with really quality entertaining shows. There is also an open courtyard area where they set up for an executed the best theme parties with food and drinks. Their level of dedication was unbelievable. No joke, they started setting up by 8am for an evening party and then spent the rest of the night breaking the whole thing down.
So, if you’re comparing prices and see 25 other resorts in this price range, definitely pick this one!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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This was our fourth visit to XPM in celebration of our 15th anniversary . We splurged for an Excellence Club Rooftop Terrace Suite (we normally get an EC Ocean View suite). We were blown away with our room. Didn't even know it existed but we were pleasantly surprised with a single level terrace suite located in building 8A. The suite was incredible. We loved the convenience of the plunge pool right out side the door rather than upstairs.
Restaurants: We were only there four nights so we had to make some tough decisions regarding dinner. This was our first visit to enjoy Magna (exclusively for Excellence Club guests) and it is now our favorite restaurant there. The food was AMAZING (do not eat there w/out getting the cauliflower soup and lobster thermidor) and Lorena provided superior service (as she always does!). We also enjoyed our dinners at Agave (Mexican), Basmati (Indian), Chez Isabelle (French, Alonso was an attentive server), and the Lobster House. Did you catch that we have five dinners and only four nights. We doubled up one night, lol! Early dinner at one and late dinner at the other! We've decided we need to do six nights next time so we can work in all the restaurants! Lunches were also very good. Fresh seafood was our go-to! Enrique from the Lobster House, Luis from the Grill, and Jorge from Toscano each added to our amazing vacation!
Spa: We took advantage of an online special for a couples massage. The hydrotherapy that precedes spa treatments is a must do! Both our therapists provided amazing massages. An Excellence Club benefit is a hydrotherapy session so if you are trying to decide between Excellence Club or not, this is a great perk! Luz and Yadid definitely stood out at the Spa!
Beach: As Excellence Club guests, we had access to the Excellence Club Beach. Bali Beds, full sun bed loungers, and lounge chairs w/shade are all available. Moises and Juliana were both very attentive and provided great service. The beach is cleaned multiple times throughout the day for any seaweed. Both food and drinks can be ordered from the beach.
Pools: While there are several pools around the property, we spent most of our pool time at the main pool. Rubi took care of us and was AMAZING. There is daily entertainment at the pool (bands, DJs, games, etc.). Both food and drinks are served poolside. There is also a swim up bar at the main pool. Floats are provided at the pool.
Our trip was a little different this time around due to Covid but it definitely had its positives. The staff was all over it with cleaning and sanitation ... the resort was immaculate. Occupancy was lower than usual but that meant we were able to access prime seating at the beach and pool almost any time of the day. We did miss the theme nights but, our trip was still fantastic!
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Excellence Club level rooms are closer to the beach!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Excellence Collection, Other at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Jul 22, 2020
Dear guest, First of all, we would like to thank you for your recent stay at Excellence Playa Mujeres and for taking the time to share this review with the TripAdvisor community. We are very pleased to read that we surpassed your expectations successfully since the beginning. As a luxurious all-inclusive resort, we take care of every single detail in order to deliver an unforgettable guest experience, as exceptional and unique as it can be. We pay attention to offer good food quality, keep our grounds and facilities well maintained, and provide you with an excellent service in order to exceed your expectations. In addition, it is a pleasure knowing that you thoroughly enjoyed the treatments offered at Miilé Spa and the benefits of being an Excellence Club member. We look forward to welcoming you back soon and have another opportunity to pamper you with our superb service. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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My sister and I stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres for 5 nights in early December. We had a great room a club level jr swim up suite at Bldg. 8b. The beautiful pool was steps outside of our patio with the Cielo bar located next to the pool. Martha at Cielo took the best care of us, remembering what we like to drink after one day. The pool was quite chilly at this time of year, I believe they turned pool heaters on after we left. We are used to cold water being from New England so no big deal. I loved to walk down to the EC beach early morning and pick out a bed in the sun for after breakfast. Erick the ec beach concierge always greeted me with a smile and would set up the bed with some beach towels for us. The beach is very pretty and they have water sports available.
This resort is very walkable, all the restaurants are in close proximity and no reservations are needed, except for hibachi at Spice. We enjoyed room service for breakfast a couple times, food was delicious and arrived hot and within 1/2 hour. We are not really lunch eaters but did grab personal pizzas at the bar by the beach a couple times and they were very good. Favorite restaurants for dinner were Spice (asian cuisine) and Chez (french). Portion sizes were just right for me. One of my favorite places for a sweet treat is Aroma the bakery that is open morning until night.
We enjoyed the mixology class with the super fun Tonatiuh Gerardo our bartender at Havana Cigar Bar. Definitely worth attending! Also stopped in Havana another night for a drink and were entertained by another great bartender Diego who makes amazing jellyfish shots.
Just loved the atmosphere at this resort. All the employees are so friendly and helpful. I was so happy here that I just booked another trip to EPM so my husband can experience it with me.
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Date of stay: December 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ExcellenceCollection, Online Brand Controller at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Jan 23, 2020
Dear guest, First of all, we would like to thank you for your recent stay at Excellence Playa Mujeres to vacation and for taking the time to share your feedback with other travelers. We are very pleased to read that we were able to surpass your expectations in all areas and we would like to thank you for adding very nice remarks on the positive sides of your vacation with us and mentioning the highlights of your stay, such as the mixology class at Havana Cigar bar, wood fired pizzas by the pool for lunch, among others. We look forward to welcoming you back and have another opportunity to pamper you with our service creating another experience to remember. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We've stayed at several resorts in the Cancun area and this one tops them all in every area — from the food, to the extraordinarily happy and helpful staff, to the gorgeous location.
My husband and I were at Excellence Playa Mujeres for our 13th anniversary and the staff constantly made us feel special. We received a special dinner, a complimentary head, neck and shoulder massage, beautiful sand art and a fun coconut drink on our last day.
We enjoyed the food at all of the restaurants. Unfortunately we didn't discover the ice cream until over half way into our stay — don't miss it, it's some of the best ice cream I've ever had.
We stayed in an Excellence Club pool-view room and it was absolutely lovely. We could see a bit of the ocean from our room too. The housekeepers kept our room looking great each day and kept our toiletries replenished and mini-bar and snacks stocked. We primarily booked the excellence club room because we read that the excellence club pools were heated and going in January we were VERY glad we did this. The main pools were very cold and we prefer to be IN the water and not just sit next to it. However, we were very happy with the other Excellence Club perks like being able to eat at Magna (super yummy) and the Excellence Club beach.
During our stay we enjoyed plenty of alone time together — each evening after dinner we enjoyed walks around the property and lying on the swing beds together looking at the stars. We always felt we could find a place to tuck away just the two of us where nobody would interrupt us.
But we also enjoyed time socializing too. We spent time each night at the bars chatting with all of the other friendly couples at the resorts. We made many new friends! And you can't beat the bartenders at the resort Caesar, Diego, Jason (and more I can't remember their names) not only keep your drinks full, but will keep you laughing and smiling all night long.
We didn't go to all of the shows, but the ones we did go to we enjoyed (Michael Jackson show and African Acrobats). My husband's favorite evening event was karaoke — we wish it were offered more than one night. Probably the only negative thing I can say is that the music played before and after the shows was way too loud. We loved some of the artists from a distance, but if we tried to get up close where we could be in the center of things it gave us a headache because it was just too loud. That was unfortunate, but a minor annoyance and certainly wouldn't stop us from coming back.
My only question now is, is it too early to begin planing our next trip? We can't wait for another opportunity to go back!
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Date of stay: January 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the second of the Excellence resorts we have been to at Xmas and New Year, the first was in Punta Cana. Both are run by wonderful staff. The resort, immaculate gardens and rooms were superb. For me the beach with plenty of shaded sun loungers at Playa Mujeres was perfect; the sea was mostly calm and the sand was cream velvet with lovely views towards Isla Mujeres. There are shady loungers at the beach but be aware, if they are unattended for too long, items on them are stored by the concierge so that everyone can enjoy the beach. It happened to me after being away for an hour but I was soon found another lounger on my return which is quite right; it means there is room for everyone to enjoy the beautiful beach. There is a large lagoon pool which wraps around the hotel and smaller pools, enough to find a quiet spot away from the occasional group of friends. If you can afford it, the Excellence club is worth the upgrade in this resort as there is access to a private club restaurant and bar with outstanding food at breakfast and dinner, rooms are also close to a smaller private heated pool with concierge service. The concierge on duty constantly checked if we had everything we needed in our rooms and we were spoilt by very attentive staff. Within 24 hours of our arrival at Playa Mujeres we had our bearings of the resort, which is large. We needed the exercise with all the food and drink we consumed and I have to say that we were mesmerised by the landscaped gardens, not a blade of grass out of place and beautiful plants and birds. If you are wanting to meet people in this large resort, then the Martini bar is a great place to start at in the evenings and of course the swim up bar during the day, where lots of activities take place, such as sports and games, including afternoon bands in the Lobster bar. We loved the nightly entertainment and also the themed evenings, including a white party, the amount of work that went into making sure there was something for everyone to enjoy, both younger and older age groups was brilliant and I especially liked the Mexican singers who came to each table to ask for our favourite song, mine was Cielito lindo and we can't wait to return. The food was fantastic but I can't single out our favourite as it's a personal choice but we were very impressed by all the ones we tried and miss the variety now we are back home! Thank you to the staff at Excellence Club, especially Antonio at the Lobster House, Daniel at Magna, Monica, team rep, Emilio and Nachos at the pool, lovely Josceline at the hotel shop and all the staff at Playa Mujeres for making our stay so memorable, we will be back. We also loved the stately iguanas posing around the property, don't worry they are very laid back.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The bottom line - it was a wonderful trip and we felt very safe.
Corona effects on the trip: Before we left, the airline warned us that masks would be required while on the plane and in the airports. (We took different types of masks so that we could change when we felt uncomfortable - with flight time and airports we wore masks for over 6 hours.) We also looked at the multiple page list of protocols the resort followed and were impressed. They had thought of things that I had never considered like disinfecting the bottoms of our shoes as well as our luggage before taking it to our room and. All the staff wore masks the whole time at the resort. As we boarded the transfer to the resort I saw the driver disinfecting 2 bottles of cold water before he offered them to us (after he had us use hand satirizer before we boarded). All the restaurants had space between the tables (sometime this caused waits but they had pagers and you could make reservations). The bar stools were in pairs with 6ft of space between each set.
We had been to Excellence Playa Mujeres twice before and were hopping to enjoy a similar experience. This visit exceeded our expectations. All the restaurants were open (some closed for one night a week but most were open every day). There was a production show every night with live music preceding it. There were activities all day, every day. I played water volleyball twice most days but my wife did the Aqua Fun and Aqua Fit. Poker and Black Jack in the pool and on the beach. We both played Mexican Lotto and wish it was offered everyday instead of twice a week. There was live music at the main pool most afternoons. We had a server that took care of the area where we usually sat at the pool, she was absolutely wonderful. Here name was Lucia and she brought us drinks with a smile on her face and was very friendly and attentive to our needs.
We both had birthdays while we were there and Carolina the Guest Services Manager, somehow arranged for us to receive cakes at lunch, dinner and in our room on our birthdays. All the servers and the Maitre D’ at the restaurants worked hard to make each meal the best it could be while being happy and friendly . Due to covid there were only limited menus but there is an Excellence app for the smart phone that had full menus. Each Maitre D’ stand offered hand sanitizer.
In the past we had always rated the ice cream very highly. The resort responded by removing ice cream from the buffet and installing a 20 flavor case in the café (coffee shop) so you could get some any time, day or evening without having to touch a scope.
We meet the GM (Pablo Bueno) pool side one day and not only did he greet us but stopped and engaged us in a conversation, asked our names and if there was anything he could do for us. We saw him a couple of times over the rest of our stay and each time he called us by name and again asked for our comments and suggestions. One day he made reservations at restaurant for us that evening.
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Date of stay: September 2020
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Excellence Collection, Other at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Oct 8, 2020
Dear Guest, First and foremost, we would like to thank you for your recent stay at Excellence Playa Mujeres and for taking the time to share your opinion with other travelers. Thank you for adding very generous remarks of the positive sides of your vacation with us and mentioning the services that made your stay more comfortable. We really appreciate your detailed feedback and mentioning also some of the health protocols stablished on property for the wellbeing of our guests. It means so much when it comes from our guests. At Excellence Playa Mujeres, we strive to make every stay, as close to perfection as possible and we will continue working hard in this direction, in order to have happy clients with kind words for our work. It has been a pleasure hosting you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back again. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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Our stay at the Excellence Playa Mujeres was Dec. 25-Jan. 1. We have had the opportunity to stay at many 5 star all inclusive resorts and all of the reviews rated this resort a 5. I would not. I will not come here again. We had 3 rooms for 2 parents and 4 adult children, totally $20,000. The rooms were ready when we arrived at 2:00 which was nice. We had regular rooms with balconies on the 2nd floor. The rooms are nice sized and have a bed on the balcony with a breakfast table. The shower is a great size as well, but leaked onto the marble floor making it incredibly slippery. There were double sinks, with sun shaped mirrors over them. I am 5'7 and had a difficult time seeing into the mirror, it was mounted too high, and way too small. Our honors bar was never refilled, leaving us to always call guest services, which usually amounted to nothing. There are a few beers, a split of white wine and 3 bottles of hard alcohol in the room upon arrival, including Cuervo, captain morgans and stoli vodka. The pools are beautiful, plenty of chairs to lay by yourself, but very cold. A Lot of the pools are in the shade of the rooms which impact their warmth. I was incredibly surprised to ask for towel service at the chairs and they said they don't offer that. 3 pool employees watched us every morning as we set up our chairs and as my daughter and I carried 4 chairs to make a group of 6. The drink service was plentiful, and they regularly ask. When I asked for a lunch menu to peruse and get everyone's order together, it was refused to me, because it wasn't noon yet. The restaurants are nice. The buffet becomes an Italian restaurant at night with no real ambiance. The two outdoor breakfast/lunch restaurants are nicely located by the pools and ocean. We wore full coverups everyday, but the hostess still gave us a hard time because they were sheer. The french restaurant is excellent. The Hibachi is delicious as well as the Asian. The Mexican restaurant was horrible and a complete waste of 3 hours. Order nachos and taco's at the pool and skip this restaurant. The gym had good equipment but is small and was packed every morning. The hotel locked my daughters out of their room on the 31 claiiming the reservation was only until 31 and when they finally got keys, they were told they had no other rooms and had to pack their things. 2.5 hours later, the admitted to their mistake, gave us a key and offered 50% off a btl of wine. not enough.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner and I were very happy with our stay at Excellence Playa Mujeres. The service was truly outstanding. Many of the bartenders and servers went above and beyond to make our stay more enjoyable. The food was fantastic. My favorite was the Indian restaurant, followed by Agave. Only complaint with the food is that I wish more of the restaurants were open for lunch, since even though we were there for a week we weren't able to try everything we wanted to. The rooms were gorgeous, we had the rooftop plunge pool. The bathrooms are interesting with an open air glass door, so just be prepared to get to know your partner a little more than you wanted to. In hindsight, I would've opted for the poolside rooms, since waiters will come around and ask if you need anything while you are lounging on your balcony. We were happy with the entertainment. My partner did pool volleyball every other day and we saw all of the shows. Some of the shows weren't as good as others. I would also say the spa is amazing. Definitely do the aqua therapy, which is included in some rooms (an included with all services at the spa). I went 3 times and all of my services were great. The facial in particular, my skin felt amazing afterwards. In regards to Covid, we felt safe in the sense that they were highly encouraging sanitizing everywhere and the resort seemed very quiet so for the most part it was very easy to keep distanced. The staff all wore strange see-through face masks, but the guests did not wear any masks. Also, we waited until the last day to tip some of the waiters/bartenders who provided excellent service, but I would say probably better to tip early as we definitely saw a change in service after we tipped (even though they were still excellent without a tip).
All in all, I would say this is the best service I have ever received during this type of trip. We were happy and relaxed, which is what we wanted from this vacation. We would go back!
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Date of stay: October 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from The Excellence Collection, Other at Excellence Playa Mujeres
Responded Oct 30, 2020
Dear guest, First of all, we would like to thank you for choosing Excellence Playa Mujeres to vacation and for taking the time to share your feedback with the TripAdvisor community. We are very pleased to know that our colleagues went out of their way to make sure that every need was met, and you enjoyed eating at all restaurants, especially Basmati and Agave for dinner. It is also lovely to know that you took advantage of the Excellence Club perks, such as the hydrotherapy session. Our valued guests consider that our Spa is a must to visit because the staff goes out of their way to provide amazing treatments, which replenish and restore your inner and outer beauty, allowing you to embrace the experience of pure relaxation along with the different treatments we offer. It has been a pleasure hosting you as our guest and we look forward to welcoming you back soon. Please, receive our warmest regards from The Excellence Collection.
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New York City, New York689 contributions13 helpful votes
No. Haven't seen guests with speakers on the beach as that would be disrespectful to others. If you need music, use your earbuds that's what we do when reading or listening to music in general. No need to bring speakers as this is not that type of resort.
Well it's not canada and the new management at playa mujeres , will not do any deals with a travel agency or a airline, so it can get all the money instead of paying kick back to travel agents or airlines ,so it's more expensive now to travel with excellence resorts even though we are 20 years of traveling with them. It saddened us we may have to find another resort for our next vacation .thanks rick & sharon campisano
waves are minimal as well as the tides. good place for swimming, snorkeling ok but not much to see. Would not suggest going to the Hotel Zone. Lots to do here and the beach is fairly easy walking for miles.
I don't believe you can no... we've stayed twice and I've never seen anyone topless... however...we did see a woman topless on her daybed in one of the swim up suits in the section of the resort that surrounds the Mille Spa... this section (in the back of the resort) is very quiet and private... some in our group remarked that they liked it and would book that section in the future. hope this helps
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