Riviera

My wife and I have come here for the 3 years this is actually where we got engaged!! Most amazing place for a honeymoon!

The staff, the food, the pool, the activities, the shows, everything was amazing. We will def come back.

We had a fantastic time here. We were honestly blown away with the service and how easy everything was. We will be back!!!

As I wrote in the survey, the restaurant wait times we're terrible. We came here for our 30th Anniversary and wanted to feel special....the wait times did not make us feel welcome. Also, the wait times impacted us seeing some of the evening entertainment. Last year we were at a resort that had a reservation system for all restaurants...no issues. Otherwise we loved the resort. But, the wait time issue will likely prevent us from coming back...too bad!

We went to the resort for our honeymoon and the stay was absolutely perfect. The staff was amazing and treated us so well. Oswaldo on the entertainment team remembered our names from the first time that he met us and took the time to chat with us whenever he saw us. The rooms were kept very clean and the staff that took care of the rooms made sure to come back on the few times that we were still in the room and they were doing rounds. The food tasted delicious and each of the restaurants felt true to what they were aiming for. And once again, Hector who was our server on the first night that we were there remembered us when he saw us again. The sargassum made it so that we couldn't get in the ocean but we still enjoyed sitting on the beach our lounging at the pool. For what we paid, I doubt that there would be another resort that provides anywhere close to the same service and value.

My wife and I spent our 10th wedding anniversary this past week for an amazing 10 nights. The resort as a whole was amazing!! A special thanks to a few staff members. Mario, the Excellence Club pool 9 concierge is amazing. He provided us the most amazing customer service ever and made our stay special. He is a hard worker and happy every day. He truly loves his job and making everyone’s stay memorable. He arrived super early to set up and decorate our pool bed on our anniversary! There are no words to express how awesome Mario is!! Elizabeth was our pool waitress and she never let us go empty handed! She was awesome! Also a special thanks to Alejandro the Guest Service Manager. He is amazing, he assisted us prior to arrival and checked on us throughout our stay. Truly, the entire staff is amazing, from the housekeepers to the bartenders in the evenings, every staff member made our stay amazing and memorable. We will be back for sure!

We recently completed a five-day celebration at Excellence Riviera Cancun, staying in the Excellence Club Two Story Rooftop Terrace Suite with ocean views. Having arrived early after our noon arrival at Cancun airport, we were delighted to relax at Las Olas, enjoying outstanding appetizers and cocktails while taking in the scenic beachfront atmosphere as we awaited room check-in. Culinary Excellence Throughout... The resort's dining options impressed us tremendously. We enjoyed an authentic Northern Mexican experience at Agave with a special visiting chef, and while we ventured out for several group dinners—including Thursday evening at Rosewood Moyakoba and a memorable dinner at Ilios in the Playa del Carmen area—the standout moments came at Magna, the exclusive Excellence Club member-only restaurant. Saturday's breakfast at Lobster House featured exceptional service from Benjamin, who graciously offered us authentic Mexican breakfast dishes beyond the standard menu. This experience was matched only by our breakfast at Magna, where Restaurant Manager Hugo remembered us from a prior conversation and arranged for Executive Chef Gonzalez to prepare a special off-menu Mexican dish. These touches of genuine hospitality elevated our stay to five-star status. Spa and Overall Experience... Between our social activities, we found perfect rejuvenation at Miilé Spa by Excellence Riviera Cancun, where we felt completely recharged and relaxed. The Only Caveat... The central Riviera Maya region experiences significant sargassum during late June. While this is entirely beyond the resort's control, it did limit beach use. However, the exceptional service, world-class dining, and superb spa more than compensated for this seasonal environmental factor. Final Thoughts... This was an absolutely blissful five days that we wholeheartedly recommend. Having previously visited the newer Excellence El Carmen in Punta Cana, we can confidently say that Excellence Riviera Cancun demonstrates the seasoned excellence, attention to detail, and genuine focus on service that El Carmen is still developing. While El Carmen shows promise, it hasn't yet achieved the well-oiled operational polish we experienced here. We're eager to visit Excellence Punta Cana next—a property I enjoyed over 20 years ago—to experience Punta Cana through the lens of one of Excellence's more established and proven flagship resorts. Excellence Riviera Cancun has set a high bar. 5-Stars, without reservation.

We have just returned from our 19th visit to Excellence Rivera Cancun which makes a grand total of 30 visits to Excellence resorts. Returning to ERC always feels like coming home! There are so many resorts that offer delicious drinks and food, entertaining activities, luxurious suites, amazing choices of pools, and tropical landscaping. ERC has all those things for sure, but what makes it rise above the others in our opinion is the AMAZING staff. So this review will focus on some of the many hard-working people who are the main reason the resort is so successful. And why we keep returning! We loved the Honeymoon Suite 7057 and look forward to staying there every time we return. We were quickly checked in by JESSICA in the EC lounge. We also had the pleasure of meeting ALEJANDRO, the awesome new Guest Services Manager and reconnected with DAVID at the front desk in the lobby.. Then it was off to the Kitchen Table where we were warmly greeted by long-time favorites, CARLOS , YULISSA., EDY, and manager CHRISTIAN POOLE. Don't miss ordering a custom omelet from MATEO, who is the best omelet maker ever! While we were enjoying lunch at Las Olas overlooking the ocean, FERNANDO, the Food and Beverage Manager, dropped by to say hello. JOELand ITAMAR at the EC pool were all smiles as always. Dinner the first night was at Magna. We enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops and the chicken cordon bleu artfully prepared by CHEF MARUCIO and served by EDGAR.. It was so nice to catch up with JEN in her new position as manager of Magna, We enjoyed CLAUDIA TREVINO's beautiful voice for the evening's entertainment. Day 2 was our 36th wedding anniversary, and we were surprised at the breakfast buffet with the delivery of an assortment of tasty treats with a chocolate Happy Anniversary sign on it. Thank you. CARLOS, for that and for finding the passion fruit juice that I love. On the way to the lazy river, we had a chat with RICARDO, one of our favorite bellmen. Lunch at Las Olas with KEVIN was very tasty. Don't miss the carnitas! Our anniversary dinner in the wine room at Chez Isabelle was over the top in every way. Thee vase of white roses, the special plate of desserts, and the anniversary plaque on the table were such thoughtful touches.. CHEF DAVID and CHEF ARMANDO outdid themselves on preparing the beef Welington and the original mushroom crepes. Our server MARCO. was very attentive. JUAN continues to do a great job as manager at Chez. Our 3rd day started at Aroma with RAQUEL for a quick breakfast of coffee and pastries. Don't sleep on Flavor Market for dinner where HUGO was our server! We devoured a huge assortment of delicious appetizers prepared by CHEF DAVID.. Afterwards I was so full that I could only order the gazpacho. Pace yourselves! We had lunch at Lobster House with GERONIMO one day and CHRISTIAN FLORES another day.. The fish tacos and the flavorful caprese sandwich were both delicious. We also enjoyed dinner at Oregano with MARCELO where the smoked salmon and chicken gorgonzola were especially tasty.. We had the unexpected pleasure of visiting with PEDRO CANUL who was at ERC for the day from his job at the corporate office. We truly miss him at ERC. Our farewell dinner was at our favorite Chez Isabelle.where we were once again well-taken care of by CHEF DAVID and CHEF ARMANDO. It is always so great to reconnect with our 1st and forever friend, LUIS EK. His friendliness and level of service and attention to detail on our 1st trip to ERC were the reasons we booked the 2nd trip, And we never looked back! We love ERC and the amazing staff who work so hard to ensure each guest has a memorable vacation. Already counting the days until we return.

If you’re looking for a beautiful beach, go somewhere else. The beaches are covered in smelly seaweed. The resort is beautiful but the beaches are not.

We had an incredible 5-night stay at Excellence Riviera Cancun, and it was exactly the reset we needed before heading into a very busy wedding and event season back home. This was our fourth stay at an Excellence Resort, and once again they delivered an unforgettable experience. June is definitely hot and humid, and while we enjoyed our trip, we both agreed we prefer visiting the Caribbean during the winter months. That said, the resort itself was absolutely beautiful. The grounds are immaculate, the pools are spotless, and the staff works tirelessly to keep everything looking perfect. Our favorite restaurant was Spice—we ate there twice because it was just that good. For our anniversary dinner, we treated ourselves to a bottle of sake, and it made an already amazing meal even more memorable. We also purchased a private table with wine service during Mexican Night, and it was worth every penny. The food, entertainment, atmosphere, and service made it one of the highlights of our trip. The entertainment throughout the week was excellent. We had a blast playing bingo (and even won!), spent time at the blackjack tables in the casino, enjoyed the nightly shows, and loved relaxing by the pool with great service throughout the day. One thing that continues to set Excellence apart is the staff. Every employee we encountered greeted us with a smile and genuinely seemed to care about making our vacation special. Their attention to detail and hospitality are second to none. If we had one suggestion, it would simply be to continue refreshing some of the rooms, as a few areas are beginning to show their age. However, this did not take away from our experience in the slightest. Overall, Excellence Riviera Cancun once again exceeded our expectations. Between the outstanding food, beautiful property, friendly staff, and relaxing atmosphere, it was the perfect getaway. We left refreshed, recharged, and already talking about when we'll return. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) Thank you, Excellence Riviera Cancun, for another amazing vacation! We can't wait to come back.

We loved everything about this place from the moment we walked in. Everyone was friendly, polite, and courteous, making us feel welcome right away. The food was amazing, with plenty of delicious options to choose from. Nothing ever felt rushed or forced, which made the experience even more relaxing. It’s the perfect getaway for couples looking to unwind and enjoy quality time together. We would definitely come back and highly recommend it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Second time visiting the excellence resorts and both times we have had a 10/10 experience. Will continue to visit this wonderful resort!

We were looking for a relaxing, luxurious vacation and that is exactly what we got! Service was prompt and cheerful, the restaurants and bars offered such a variety of options, and there were so many fun activities to choose from. Alexis and Eliseo, who led the tennis, pickleball, and pingpong made those activities so enjoyable and memorable for us.

Staff and Service was very friendly and accommodating! Pools were great! This was one of my favorite resorts in Cancun and will definitely be back to visit.

We were there 9 years ago and were so please that our second experience was even better than we remembered!

Dinner was very good, breakfast and lunch was excellent. Lazy river was a nice calm relaxing change from the club pool which was nice and very social. The music at the central pools and Blue Bar was loud and hard to escape.

Staff is 100% best i have ever been exposed to at any resort. Highly recommended. Facilities were nice and entertainment was very ...... well entertaining.

The best service. Clean grounds, clean room. I had a swim up suite and enjoyed my serenity but also loved the club pool. It was a fantastic trip.

We had a wonderful time visiting ERC to celebrate our anniversary. The staff went above and beyond to make it special for us. I highly recommend being a part of the excellence club, the bar and pools alone are worth it! The Jacuzzi in the room was a little dated and did not work, which was a bit of a bummer, but we had a pool right outside our room that was quiet and practically private which made for a relaxing and restorative trip. I would also recommend the spa. We did a couples massage and aqua therapy, both were incredibly relaxing and well worth it.

This resort exceeds our expectations ♥️ everyone was courteous and friendly. Everyone worked so hard to meet the needs of the guests. The Seasons shuttle service took us to and from resort, Abraham is a very cautious and kind driver.

This is an amazing resort! The people go above and beyond every time. The food was great. The staff around the pool was very responsive.

This was our 8th visit to Excellence Riviera Canacun. As always great service and food. We had a minor issue with our room to start but staff went above and beyond to resolve the issue. We are looking forward to our next visit.

Horrible experience. Came packed with short and tanks for a beach resort. Got booted out of every restaurant. Will never recommend to anyone. They completely ruined our 16th anniversary. No heads up of dress codes. Forced to download their app to access anything at the resort. I do not recommend to anyone

We had the best time in this resort. Checking in was very smooth and we got settled to our rooms right away. The staff were all outstanding. The housekeeping was perfect, always kept the fridge full, and always provided with new towels. All the staff in this resort was definitely accommodating and friendly. The food is great! Bartenders make good drinks as well. The entertainment crew made sure everyone gets involved in the daily activities, they also did an amazing job. Overall, we had the best time. Will definitely come back.

For context this was our 7th trip to Excellence Riviera and our 22nd Excellence holiday having spent over 250 nights with the brand which ticks all boxes. We arrived here after spending 2 weeks at the new Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres so we’re only here for 7 nights instead of our usual 14. I had selected room 9355 from the interactive map before they started charging for the privilege. I wouldn’t do it now that you have to pay to select a specific room but this time it worked and we got the room we had chosen. The room was on the top floor of block 9, a club pool view room. We love that location as it overlooks the quiet club pool and we’ve had that room before. Yes there can be some noise from the road nearby but for us that’s outweighed by the peaceful location and we’ve sometimes had the area all to ourselves. Check in was relatively fast and we made our way to the room as we knew exactly where we were going. We were intercepted by the new GSM Alejandro. It was lovely to meet him and he took us to our room and made sure we had everything we needed. The room is large and airy and the AC worked perfectly. We are diamond members and the Moet was already on ice! We also had a rewards beach bag as a welcome gift. The bathroom and wardrobe area could probably do with some updating soon as it still has the pine louvred cupboard doors that have been there since we first visited in 2013 but we were very happy with the room. We spent all of our days by the quiet club pool which has been our favourite spot since February 2022. We were kept well hydrated by Edson and well looked after by pool concierges Mario and Raul. We did walk the beach a couple of times. The sand is lovely and powdery white but the sargassum in this area can be relentless. It was quite bad the first couple of days but cleared up towards the end of our week. For us, everything else here outweighs the issue but for those who are beach/ocean people it may be disappointing. We ate at Basmati, Chez Isabelle 2x, Magna, Spice, Flavour Market and Agave. All the food we had was excellent. Basmati We dined at Basmati on our first night as we had just arrived from Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres and there is no Basmati there. Chef David has been promoted and is now in overall charge of all the restaurants. He appeared almost every night and it was lovely to see him again. The food was very tasty and very spicy! Even the korma and butter chicken (which is renowned for being very mild in the UK,) was spicy! The menu cuts have been a source of much debate. We are disappointed that several favourites have disappeared BUT ask your server if there are any specials as they sometimes have extra dishes available. It’s also disappointing that the menus are repeated now at all the Excellence resorts. Having done 3 weeks altogether it does make the choices somewhat repetitive but we were lucky enough to have a few “surprise” dishes which more than made up for that this trip. Magna We had breakfast here twice and dinner once. The breakfast menu is very much reduced. 7 pages to 2 now but they did make me an omelette off menu without any issues which was greatly appreciated. Dinner was fabulous! Chef David chose a menu for us and the food was great. They even had my all time favourite dessert, the molten lava chocolate cake which is no longer on the menu. The level of service was excellent and it was great to see Benjamin and Manuel again and meet Misael who took great care of us. We also had several nightcaps in the Magna bar. So pleased to finally spot Southern Comfort on the shelf as I’ve asked for many years and they’ve never had it. The club lounge is a lovely area but they don’t make the best use of the space. Coral has it right with the bar separated completely from the dining area. I’m sure they could make better use of the sitting area beside check in as it’s wasted space at the moment and sometimes the restaurant can get very noisy if there are many guests in the small area by the bar. Agave Our dinner here was also exceptional. It’s a restaurant we sometimes skip but it’s such a lovely setting. David introduced us to Cristal the chef and she brought us a specially made starter which was absolutely delicious. We also had excellent service from Sergio. Spice This was our greatest concern with the menu changes but chef Armando made us a selection of starters from the ‘old’ menu. I could have eaten several plates of that! They also had some specials on the menu which we took advantage of. We were well looked after by Enrique. Chez Isabelle This is our favourite restaurant. Alfredo took care of us on both occasions assisted by the lovely Fatima. I love the food in here and could eat here many times. I wish they still had the duck breast like they used to, instead of the leg as it was so much better but it’s only a minor observation. Everything was cooked to perfection. Kitchen Table We had breakfast here most of the time as there is so much choice. We were welcomed back warmly by Christian and Yulisa who are such caring happy people. We were lucky enough to be invited to the reopening of the newly refurbished sports bar which is greatly improved. It was great to meet several of the managers and we really appreciated the invitation. They are going to be renovating Agave and Chez Isabelle too at some point. Edin is now working in the sports bar. We met him a few years ago and he’s grown into a charming young man who’s very good at his job and a great asset to Excellence. On our last morning at breakfast we had a lovely chat with Magali whom we hadn’t spoken to before. She is one of the AGMs and a lovely person. She took the time to send me some photos from the sports bar which was very kind. We also spoke with Pablo Bueno who We first met at Excellence El Carmen. He recognised us and came over to see how our stay was going. He is now director of operations in Mexico and it was great to see him again. He genuinely wants to hear the opinions of guests which is great to see. Mention must also go to Miguel, another AGM and Fernando the food and beverage manager who were always visible and eager to ensure guests are having a great time. It is the staff that keeps us coming back here. After experiencing Coral for the first time we immediately booked to rerun there next May but after finishing our trip to Riviera we realised that the staff here are THE BEST. So I’ve persuaded my husband to book another return trip for our anniversary in February. You only live once right! And we aren’t the only ones who feel this way. We met up with guests that we’ve met here before and some we know through facebook. It definitely feels like family and a home away from home.

Stay #20 is in the bag! We had a wonderful 16 night stay early April and have now racked up 232 days on property since 2016. After our January stay I posted a detailed TA review commenting on the many staff (our ERC family) we've come to know and respect. I won't write about them again in this review but all were there again in April with the exception of Leylan (former Guest Service Manager), and they continued to deliver a very high-standard of customer service. I will speak to a couple of additional staff well worth the mention later on in this review. If you are reading this review, are searching for a great adults-only AI resort, and have never stayed at ERC or any Excellence property, I'll try to tell you why you should consider them as opposed to, say Sandals. For ten years my wife and I vacationed at Sandals resorts in Jamaica (Whitehouse) and St. Lucia (La Toc). In 2016 we had an extra week off work and decided to try something different and went to ERC. A decade later we still kick ourselves over the time and money we gave to a company (Sandals) that pale in comparison to the guest experience we've enjoyed at ERC. A few examples...if you arrive late morning at Sandals Whitehouse (now rebranded as Sandals South Coast) there was not a pool towel on property to be found as their laundry was done off-property, had to be trucked in, and replenishment throughout the day was non-existent. Need face cloths, hand towels, or basic toiletries? Good luck. We spent a good part of every morning hunting for these on housekeeping carts AFTER our room was supposedly done. It was like gambling in Vegas. Public washrooms at Whitehouse often had dirty, overflowing toilets and no paper towels or washcloths. Plumbing in our rooms was a constant problem...again, roll the dice. There was broken concrete in several places on property with rusty rebar sticking out. There was one Vitamix blender on the resort shared by three bars...I kid you not! We would often see staff running with the blender from bar to bar early evening. If a stage for evening entertainment was set up, at 10 or 11 the next morning that stage was still there. We often saw furious guests wanting to set up their pool chairs in areas by the main pool in the morning but couldn't because the stage had not been taken down and removed overnight. We are early risers. At 6 or 7 AM, litter, straws, empty glasses, plates, and cigarettes butts were still all over their public areas. Nothing was cleaned up overnight. Service in restaurants was often painfully slow (not that we're in a rush) and orders sometimes screwed up. During our final stay we would sit by the Dutch Pool every day, all day, and in a two week period we never saw it vacuumed or cleaned even once. Need something? Be prepared to wait. Many Whitehouse guests we met accepted their fate and referred to it as Jamaican "island time" but when you pay top dollar you should expect timely execution of your requests. These are just a few examples and we have more. In comparison, the folks at ERC execute. Housekeeping is timely and thorough. Public washrooms and communal areas are spotless no matter the time of day. Bars and restaurants are fully equipped. We typically awake at 5:30AM to do 5KM on the resorts walking/running track. It doesn't matter what event was held the night before, EVERYTHING is knocked down, put away, and cleaned and scrubbed like it never happened. You won't find one piece of litter anywhere. The hustle staff demonstrate is truly impressive but as guests we never feel rushed. And the attention to detail and the guest is exceptional in every department. It is remarkable how different we feel about the superior quality of the ERC experience over how we felt at Sandals. We could write a book. And as for the entertainment and food...top notch!!! We often tell people that ERC isn't perfect, no resort is, but it's perfect for us. Another tell as to why ERC and the Excellence Group are superior to Sandals is advertising. Sandals spends millions advertising in North America and the UK; not Excellence Group. Why? They don't need to. Unlike other adults-only AI's that must advertise extensively as their guest churn-rate is high, Excellence relies to a great extent on repeat guests and word-of-mouth referrals to fill their rooms. The number of multi-stay repeat guests we've met at ERC over the past ten years is impressive. It's almost rare to meet a first-timer. Now to a few additional staff that mattered greatly to us this past trip...Marlene (pic) the Manager trainee at Oregano. In all our years of travel in Europe and Mexico we've rarely met a woman as wonderful. Her warm attention to each guest is amazing, perfectly natural, and a joy to watch and experience first hand. Then there's Kevin (pic) a server at Oregano who knocks it out of the park. It's rare to see a guy this young be able to connect with guests on so many different levels. And finally Alejandro Villalobos (pic) the new Guest Service Manager who came from Beloved (another Excellence property) and had only been at ERC a few weeks when we arrived. He carries himself with confidence and a focus on the guest as if he'd been at ERC for years. The company made a great decision giving him this opportunity. Enough rambling. It was another wonderful stay thanks to all our ERC family with a special shout out to Alejandro, Fernando, Padron, Maritza, Stephanie, and Carla at The Grill who couldn't do enough for us as they made their daily rounds. See you all next winter!

We have travelled to many resorts throughout the Caribbean and previously in Mexico. The service, rooms, quality of the food were excellent. On the other hand, the wait for the food at the restaurants often was unacceptably long...there was no buffet option available. The overwhelming problem was the strong smell of sewage throughout the beach and the property as well as the sea brown-greenish water also appearing to be infiltrated with sewage. Lastly, I contracted impetigo from the gym notwithstanding disinfection of the equipment - it likely came from the matts and floors not being disinfected. As above, extremely attenitve and kind service although we will certainly never return to this property.

This was our second visit to the Excellence Riviera Cancun. We love the view from the Excellence Club Ocean Front rooms, and the whole Excellence Club experience. The report is beautifully maintained, and we felt quite safe within the resort. Always fun at the Excellence!

True to it’s namesake, I had an excellent time. The food was great, the lines for it were seemingly nonexistent, staff is so friendly, grounds are clean, everything centrally located. From Carmen and Tania is the spa, to Hugo at the excellence pool, Cynthia the event planner, Miguel our server, we never felt like we needed anything. I cannot thank the staff enough, they made our trip so special. We will certainly be back.

Everything is top notch. The rooms and property were extremely clean. The staff is amazing. The food is as advertised. And of course, you won't go thirsty. Phenomenal experience. A must do. 10 of 10.