Resort Review: The Excellence Riviera Cancun

I like to travel independently, for the most part.  Book the hotel, book my own flight, discover restaurants using local resources and maybe, if lucky, stumbling upon a place during a long stroll (how I discovered one of my favorites, in London--Sofra Mayfair). But let's be honest, sometimes you want an easy vacation--one that requires you to show up with a passport, appropriate clothes and sunscreen and  little else.  About once a year, I require sort of trip...call it planning fatigue or whatever.  And, all-inclusive make this possible. If you have a vision of all-inclusives being filled with partying college students, watery drinks, endless buffets and everyone forced to wear paper bands, you have not been to one of the Excellence resorts and need to go--immediately!

A lazy river weaves through the property, making
 it easy to have a chair poolside and pick a quiet spot.

In December 2009, Kevin and I spent 4 days at the Excellence Riviera Cancun.  We had never been to the Yucatan and wanted to take advantage of a nonstop flight from Dulles.  I didn't want to stay in the Hotel Zone and I didn't want to deal with the wristbands or standing in line to make reservations.  I wanted an all-inclusive, but one with some class.  I can definitely report that the Excellence Riviera Cancun delivered and exceeded our expectations.

First of all, if you haven't done the Cancun thing--, think again because there are plenty of quiet, relaxing options (just erase the Senor Frog images from your head, okay?).  The best thing about Cancun is the airport--it is the best airport in the Caribbean.  Easy, efficient--it is deft at processing tourists who just want to get to the beach!  We were out of the airport in minutes and picked up by our pre-arranged transfer service (I told you I didn't want to think, not even to negotiate a cab fare). 

Kevin enjoying the view from our private, spacious terrace.

Situated just 20 minutes from the airport on the outskirts of the village Puerto Morelos, the resort is set back from the road and really no other resorts are nearby.  The buildings are low--just 3 stories high so it's easy to use the stairs and the property is really spread out, weaving fountains, pools and loads of lovely gardens between the lodgings.  We were welcomed with a scented, warm towels and champagne and immediately taken to our rooms (this is less than an hour after our flight landed, I should remind you--and less than 4 hours after leaving cold, DC).  We spent the rest of our trip in an easy pattern:  coffee on the terrace, breakfast early, long beach walk, camp out on some pool chairs for the rest of the morning--drinking, napping and reading, maybe a swim, lunch, more of the same relax activities and drinks, late afternoon beach walk, shower, nap, dinner by 8, another beach walk, drinks and perhaps listen to some live music. 

As far as breaking down the various aspects of the resort...

The Rooms:  Very spacious--huge terrace, bathroom, well-stocked  mini fridge, a little sitting area and a big, four poster bed. Very tasteful and open. 

The Food:  The resort offers buffet breakfast or room service (included in all inclusive), but the other meals are at sit-down restaurants scattered throughout the property.  Reservations are not required and I think only at one did we have to wait a few minutes for a table. The food was really solid--I think we liked Agave, the Mexican place the best.  As far as all-inclusive resorts go, this place deserves an "A" for diverse food, gourmet food and minimal buffet lines.

The Entertainment:  We aren't so into shows and such, but they always had some nightly events.  We preferred the live jazz performances and other musical acts that they always featured outdoor near one of the bars.

The beach was nice and the staff kept it clean and tidy.

The Location: Positioned an easy drive from the airport, the resort is great for what we wanted--a quick, easy trip.  The beach was nice and the resort did a good job keeping it tidy.  We enjoyed several good beach walks and made all the way down to Puerto Morelos a few times.  But not really a walkable location--but really being at an all-inclusive for just a few days, we didn't strive to do much.

The Resort:  Lovely, manicured grounds, lots of seating--no need to rush out and "save" spaces, staff were friendly.