Rating:
"ERC is a great resort where you can do as much as you want or just kick back on the fantastic beach with a book. The beach is perfect for those long beach walks too! So it made sense for us to return this year (we were also there in January 2011). We had a great time at ERC once again; it was as if we never left! We felt at home as soon as we arrived and were treated so well. We were upgraded to a room with a bit of an ocean view which was fantastic and we also received gifts (beach bag, hat and polo shirt). There were more amenities this time as well. Our favourite bartender (Ferlini) was no longer there so the Martini Bar was a bit different. Last year the French restaurant was our favourite, the duck was amazing! This year, the duck was not so good (overdone and rubbery, almost like it had been cooked in a microwave), which was brought to the attention of management who were genuinely concerned about the feedback. On the other hand, last year the Italian restaurant didn't do much for us but this year it was fantastic (the Osso Bucco was yummy!). We really like the no-reservation system!! We had many meals in the palapa restaurants (The Grill for lunch and Lobster House for dinner a few nights). It was wonderful sitting outside instead of being in an air-conditioned restaurant! Unlike last year, we didn't have the same server twice, other than at the breakfast buffet. It was fun last year chatting with the servers we had seen more than once but we didn't have that opportunity this year. All in all we had a great time and will definitely go back to ERC once again. The ACV onboard service was great too (especially in executive class with the pod seating) ! Nancy at Escapes was very patient with us; she's great to deal with and works hard to find you the perfect vacation."
Reviewer: reviewer3117
Date: Jan. 27, 2012

Rating:
"We were lucky enough to spend 2 weeks at ERC. It is the perfect place for relaxation and to be pampered by the incredible staff. Overall, ERC is a very relaxing piece of paradise where you can reconnect with what's important!

Our highlights include:

It all started with being greeted withe champagne at check-in. It was wonderful! And of course, check-in was very efficient and friendly. JJ took us to our room and gave us a resort tour as well which was very informative.

You have to visit Ferlini at the Martini bar, he is the best bartender and very friendly.

We splurged on a Pier Dinner. It was very romantic and the service was amazing (thanks to Rosalia, Ricardo, Alfredo and the harp musician, Gabriel). All this was arranged even before we arrived.

You could walk as far as you want on the beach. It is the typical Caribbean beach, sugary sand! Puerto Morelos is a nice 45 minute walk each way. We spent an evening at Cantina Habanero listening to Mark Mulligan. We were fortunate enough to meet the owner, Ed Hoffman, before he passed away so suddenly.

There were 9 restaurants and no reservations were required!!!! It's not really a vacation if you have to make dinner reservations a week out :-)! We ate fairly early so we didn't have much of a wait, if any. If there is a wait, you get beepers so can go to the central plaza and listen to the live music. We really enjoyed the Lobster House, The Grill (we ate lunch here pretty much every day (fajitas, Mexican combo, shrimp), though never had dinner here. It was nice to be outside in a non-air conditioned restaurant), Basmati, Chez Isabelle (duck is fantastic!), Oregano (el Mexicano pizza is delicious), Barcelona's breakfast and lunch buffets were incredible for its selection. We never spent enough time int he rooms to take advantage of the room service.

There were lots of activities. A newsletter was delivered every night to let you know about the upcoming day's activities and which restaurants would be open. We tried the bike tour to Puerto Morelos -- lots of fun, don't take bike 7 and if you take bike 12, make sure the rear brake is disconnected (you still have front brakes but it isn't so hard to pedal :-)). We also tried yoga but make sure the instructor knows you're a novice (we were silly enough to try everything and ended up being very stiff for 2 days after our first ever yoga session)!

The staff were amazing - JJ (porter), Ferlini, Isiah, Mariana, Veronica (Martini Bar), Rosalia (concierge), Frank, Alberto, Ramon, Paulo (Barcelona, The Grill), Roberto (Basmati). It was the best service we've had at an all-inclusive.

The pools were beautiful. We enjoyed floating on the mats on the endless river pool, it was very relaxing -- watch out, some people staying on the lower floors would store mats in their patio tub if you can believe it!

The grounds were beautiful, very lush and tropical with lots of iguanas/lizards!

The central plaza was a great meeting spot. Live music started at 6:30pm until the show started and then after the show.

Minibars were always stocked -- coronitas, corona light, M&Ms, snickers, oreos and chips as well as juice and pop.

The shows were very entertaining: the circus show was amazing (the strength and flexibilty were awe inspiring), the hoola hoop lady was incredible; Michael Jackson was fine and of course Mamma mia and Grease were fun!

If you would like to see pictures of the resort, try this link:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/577719088CokrkN?start=36

All in all, it's probably the only all-inclusive where we would return. Look out ERC, we'll be back :-)!

Thanks to Jason at Escapes.ca for dealing with our arrangements and helping us to choose ERC. He was really helpful and great to deal with and we will definitely be booking through him and Escapes.ca for our future package trips!!"
Reviewer: CanuckJake
Date: Jan. 30, 2011

Rating:
"We had the opportunity to vacation at the Excellence Riviera Cancun resort the first week of April 2010. We have traveled and experienced several different resorts including 5 star resorts in Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, etc.

Excellence, from the beginning of our vacation to the end, was the absolute best we have ever experienced. We arrived at Excellence and were greeted with a moist towlette and a glass of chilled champagne. Due to our early arrival time, our room was not ready (not a problem) as we packed bathing suits, hats and sunscreen in a carry bag. We attended the Grill Restaurant for lunch, enjoyed some chilled white wine and a wonderful meal of fresh fish, followed by exploring the resort and enjoying one of the many pools on the resort. At 3 p.m. our room was ready and we were pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness and quality of our room which was consistent throughout the week.

During our vacation at Excellence, we enjoyed many of their restaurants (which were gourmet) and we know gourmet as we frequently enjoy cooking gourmet meals together. All of the restaurants have white table linens, and we were greeted by wonderfully well trained staff in bright white and black uniforms. After quoting our room number, we were seated and served immediately. The service was excellent in every way.

For dinner service, if they were not able to seat us immediately, we were given a pager to respond to when our table was ready. Keep in mind they do not take reservations so you can eat at any restaurant on any evening. You can frequent the same restaurant every night if you wish. Our longest wait for dinner was 20 minutes. It should be noted that during the 20 minute wait, we enjoyed a drink of the day outdoors in the courtyard while listening to local very talented musicians (which happened to change every day). After dinner, we enjoyed more live musical talent and many of the guests, including us, enjoyed dancing.

Each restaurant (there are eight of them) offer a menu that is posted outside the entrance for guests to look at. Most a la carte dinners were four course and we didn't have a thing that we didn't enjoy, from venison, to beef tenderloin, to escargot, to lobster, fish, Mexican fare, Japanese, pasta, etc.(whatever your heart desired was available). We were in heaven for a week.

The morning breakfast meal was usually held in the Barcelona Restaurant, accompanied by live classical entertainment (cello, piano, violin). The selection of food consisted of everything you could possibly imagine, from smoked salmon, cream cheese, to freshly made to order omelets, eggs, fresh fruit, pastries, and there was also a health bar with several wonderful items to choose from; freshly squeezed juices, egg whites, etc. Also available was a bloody mary bar and a mimosa bar to nurse any prior hangovers or to just enjoy.

The resort was the cleanest we have ever been too. There were constantly people cleaning every aspect of the resort, including the grounds, the bars, the restaurants, the rest rooms, the beach, everything. We did not see a bee the entire time we were there.

Activities were posted on a board on the resort, and sent to each room the prior night. Room service was available for any meal of which we only enjoyed the morning we left and it was wonderful too!

As you can see, we can go on and on about the resort and how much we enjoyed it. You can be as busy as you want and get involved in all of the activities and work out, or you can be as relaxed as you want and spend most of your time on the beach. The choice is yours.

We would go back in a heart beat and are already planning our next trip to the Excellence Riviera Cancun. The staff at this resort are impeccably dressed and trained and absolutely wonderful people. They added to the enjoyment of our vacation.

We would rate this resort a 5++. They are everything they say they are in their publications.

"
Reviewer: reviewer960
Date: Jun. 18, 2010

Rating:
"The Excellence Riviera definitely lives up to its name! We went there 3 years ago for a special birthday celebration and loved it!
The food was great........a lot of choice in restaurants and no reservations needed. The accommodations and service was terrific.
The staff really do go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need. We decided to go back this year for our 25th anniversary and again had a wonderful stay. The Excellence is truly a 5 - Star resort!
"
Reviewer: reviewer4657
Date: Jun. 17, 2010

Rating:
"We went on a whirlwind trip from Vancouver to The Excellence Riviera 4 days three nights.
Every part of our trip was topknotch,
We flew A/C from Vancouver to Toronto, then next day flew in to Cancun.
The gauntlet at the arport is a little confusing as there are so many time shares reps. waiting to trap the unsuspecting tourists.
But if you are patient you can escape and find your proper transfer to your hotel.
The bus ride to the resort was only minutes away.
And there was a cooler of refreshments on the bus.
When we arrived at the resort the grounds are really amazing.

As usual the rooms were not ready ( this is normal so we did not give it a thought )
We were invited to go to the outdoor restaurant for drinks and snacks.
Service & quality were really great ( This is truly a Five star experience ),
as the staff really make the difference they are attentive and friendly but not pushy.

The food and drinks are the best I have had in six trips to Mexico.
The room was big and nicely decorated and quite central to pools and restaurants.

Take my advice and pay the extra money to go here it is so worth it.
if spending an extra six to twelve hundred dollars is the difference between a great holiday and a bad experience spend it!"
Reviewer: Isla1987
Date: May. 14, 2009

Rating:
"We were at Excellence the last week of January and the first week of February 2009. It was our 3rd vacation to the Mayan but the first at this resort. We were blown away by every aspect of the resort from the second we arrived to the day we left. We stayed in Block 5 with a beachfront room in the Excellence Club area. The service was terrific whether it was bar staff, front desk, cleaning staff and many others. But it was the quality of the restaurants especially at dinner that was unbelievable. The quality of the food was as good as we have had anywhere and the restaurant service was more than 5 Star. We also used room service for a meal - the food arrived very quickly, was very warm and fresh.

We were able to make use of Excellence Club service and private concierage. I would strongly recommend Excellence Club, it is an additional cost but so worth the level of service we received. You have access to the private Excellence beach area and bar, The concierge service is as good as you could receive in any international hotel.

We also made use of the Spa on 2 occasions - once for a couples retreat and then separately. It was fabulous!

There really is no negative that we can think of considering our time there. It truly is the finest resort we have ever stayed at. "
Reviewer: Canuck
Date: Mar. 23, 2009

Rating:
"Very good service. Wonderful food. Nice beach and pools. Great service at the spa. Rooms were well appointed."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Jan. 02, 2009

Rating:
"Great Resort - Stayed in block 4 and had 3 adjoining swim-up rooms. Was the way to go if you have a group. We were able to have both sun and shade for most of the day right outside our room with a quick dip in the lazy river (which flowed in a circle around the spa) if you got hot. We had drinks delivered to our loungers and could go back in the room at any time for drinks from the room. Enjoyed most of the resturants our favourite was the Asian but everyone hated the mexican (two got sick from an appetizer) You can do as much or as little as you want. Really enjoyed the X-lounge and would have used it more if there was only two of us. Liked the fact that the guys trained you on using the hobbycraft. Most places won't let you take them out if you don't have experience. The beach although has sea grass on it, is cleaned regularly and the water is not too rocky. The only comment is I would have liked to have a snack bar open at all times - sometimes you did not enjoy your meal and would like to have gotten a bit to eat. You could order room service - which we did and it was fantastic, but large portions and we only wanted a bit. We did have some problem getting our airconditioner fixed which didn't work for the last week, thankfully it wasn't too hot the last week. Did not give it an excellent rating because of the airconditioning and the mexican resturant but the rest of the holiday was great. Really enjoyed the spa."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Dec. 17, 2008