I did not know the resort was meant for couples and honeymooners when I booked it for my brother and I. It got 4.5 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor (out of 1200+ reviews) and the price, $1080 per person for an all inclusive package, including airfare, all your meals and drinks, and three nights lodging, was just too good to pass up. But that didn’t stop up from enjoying this wonderful resort, everyone was there to have a good time, and as long as you’re enjoying yourself you’d fit right in.
The Excellence Playa Mujeres resort is located in the northern part of the area, secluded away from the chaos that is downtown Cancun and the hotel zone. It boasts 8 restaurants, 11 bars, and 7 swimming pools, and being an all-inclusive resort, guests can use any and all of these services gratis! Even the room service was free.
The room was the best hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. It has a marble floor, a jacuzzi, a large walk in shower, fancy leather couches, and a huge king size bed. Vinny and I took turn sleeping on the couch and the bed, alternating every other night. The mini fridge was fully stocked with water and coronas, and right outside our back door was the lazy river, inviting us to dive right in to cool off from the humid Cancun air.
The service at the resort was excellent! As soon as you arrive, they give you a glass of champaign and a warm clean towel to freshen up. After checking in, they take your luggage and take you to your room, giving a tour and rundown of the resort on the way. Everywhere you turn you see nice touches to the resort that hints of the thoughtfulness they put in making your stay wonderful. Everyone is friendly and eager to help, should you need directions or a drink or have questions regarding tours and such. We tipped when appropriate, but we saw many people not tipping and I don’t think it was a big deal. The all-inclusive package did say “tips included”.
The resort had 8 restaurants, offering the following cuisines: Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, French, Mexican, Tapas, Lobsters, and Steaks. We only had the opportunity to try 4 of them. We had dinner at The Lobster House the first night, breakfast at the Barcelona the next morning, dinner at Chez Isabelle the next night, and finally tapas at the Flavor Market the last night there. The tapas were my favorite, although if you are into lobsters, the grilled lobster at the Lobster House was excellent as well. There was a wide selection to choose from, and being an all-inclusive resort, they’re all paid for. You just roll up to any restaurants and ask for a table. The one bad thing, however, is the wait time it took to get seated. All three nights we had to wait 30 to 45 minutes to get through the waiting list.
The 7 swimming pools in the resort included 2 lazy rivers that wrap around the 8 buildings that houses the hotel rooms. There are bungalows and beach chairs lining them on either side, and hammocks hung at strategic places. You can spend the whole day relaxing in the resort. I saw many loungers and couples just chilling reading a book or drinking mai-tais during the couple of times we decided to go for a swim. Being the hurricane season, there weren’t many people there and the pools weren’t very crowded. And if you wanted to swim in the ocean, the beach is just a hop and a skip away.
There were so many things to do in Cancun, I immediately regretted only booking the trip for three days. The resort itself provided free activities such as rifle shooting, poker by the pool, wind-surfing, snorkeling, yoga, archery, just to name a few. They even have nightly shows for us to watch. Outside the resort, we can choose to go visit Mayan ruins, swim with dolphins, four-wheeling through the jungle, visit the XCarat water park, among a million other things. They do cost money however, ranging from fifty to a couple hundred dollars.
Speed boat tour, 2 hours, $60 (dollars) each.
Chichen Itza, the famous Mayan pyramid, $99 (dollars) each.
Included in the Chichen Itza tour, we visited a water hole/springs where part of an underground river is exposed and you can jump in and swim with the blind catfish with vines hanging all around you.
All in all, we had a great first visit to Cancun. The resort we stayed at was awesome, and Cancun itself was beautiful. We did risk it by going during the rainy hurricane season, but it only rained at night during our stay. I was sad we had to leave so soon.
Here’s the link to the photos of this trip on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=205812&id=508893098&l=c7e976421e
Also, read my warning about timeshare sellers if you’re planning to go to Cancun:
http://hueyly.com/2010/09/word-of-warning-regarding-timeshare/
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