This Excellence Riviera Cancun review comes from years of returning to a resort that has become one of our favorite places to vacation.
There are resorts you enjoy, resorts you recommend, and then there are resorts you keep booking again and again.
For us, Excellence Riviera Cancun (ERC) falls firmly into that last category.
Joe and I first stayed at Excellence Riviera Cancun in September 2023. At the time, we had already tried a couple of Secrets resorts and were looking for something different. I honestly don’t remember exactly why we chose ERC over the other Excellence properties, but that first trip turned out to be the beginning of a bit of an obsession.
We returned in September 2024, when we renewed our vows at the resort, and again in June 2026 with our daughter, Eleanor. In between, we’ve branched out and stayed at other Excellence properties, including Excellence Oyster Bay, Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres and Excellence Punta Cana.
And yet, we keep coming back to ERC.
That’s important to me when recommending a resort. Excellence Riviera Cancun isn’t our favorite because it’s the only Excellence resort we’ve tried. We’ve tried the others. We’ve enjoyed the others. But for the combination of price, food, drinks, service, atmosphere and sheer relaxation, ERC continues to be the sweet spot for us.
Why We Switched to Excellence
One of the things that originally attracted us to Excellence was a collection of little differences from other adults-only all-inclusive brands we’d tried.
And I do mean little things—but little things matter.
At Excellence, we’ve enjoyed complimentary cabanas rather than paying extra for them. Lobster is included. We’ve eaten enormous tomahawk steaks without an upcharge. When booking a qualifying suite-only stay directly through Excellence, private round-trip airport transportation is included for stays of at least three nights.
None of those things alone would make or break a vacation. Put them together, though, and the experience starts to feel noticeably more inclusive.
That’s something Excellence does extremely well. Once we’re there, we don’t feel like we’re constantly being asked to pull out a credit card.
The Arrival: Excellence Starts With the Little Things
The experience starts before you ever see your room.
Our private airport transfer from Cancun International Airport has consistently been easy and reliable, and the drive to ERC is typically around 20 minutes for us.
When the car pulls up to the resort, you’re immediately greeted with a cold towel and a glass of champagne. Even here, there’s a tiny detail I noticed: the champagne comes in an actual glass rather than a plastic flute.
Does that change your vacation? Of course not.
Does it immediately feel nicer? Absolutely.
Because we stay in Excellence Club, our bags are taken care of and we’re escorted to the private Club lounge for check-in, where there is a bar and snacks. The process has always been a breeze. They take the information they need, explain the resort app and ask whether you’d like to leave a credit card on file. We typically decline because there simply isn’t much we charge to the room.
We also almost always take the earliest flight possible because I refuse to waste a perfectly good resort day sitting at home.
That means we frequently arrive around 11 a.m. or noon, well before our room is ready. We plan for that. Swimsuits go in the carry-on. We arrive, check in, eat a delicious lunch, change and get directly into the pool.
Vacation officially started.
The resort itself makes a wonderful first impression. The grounds are meticulously maintained, lush and beautiful, and the traditional Mexican/hacienda styling gives ERC a sense of place that I really enjoy. The resort currently has six meandering pools and 11 restaurants, so although it is large enough to offer plenty of variety, we’ve never found it difficult to navigate.
Nice touches recognizing special celebrations
Excellence Club: Yes. Fancy Suite: Not Necessarily.
This is probably one of my strongest pieces of advice for someone booking ERC:
We absolutely think Excellence Club is worth it. We do not necessarily think the more expensive Club room categories are.
On our first visit, we booked an Excellence Club Two-Story Rooftop Terrace Suite. It was stunning. The private rooftop area was beautiful and certainly had a wow factor.
We also barely used it.
Eventually, we realized we were paying considerably more for private outdoor space when we actually wanted to spend our days at the pool.
These days, we book the basic Excellence Club Junior Suite, and we’re perfectly happy.
The standard Club suite is already huge, exceptionally clean and comfortable, with the more traditional Mexican/Spanish styling that we love. The bathroom is enormous, including a shower that could very comfortably accommodate two people—and probably a few of their closest friends.
The minibar is generously stocked with water, soda, juice and beer, and full bottles of liquor are provided in the room. They’ll customize things if you’d prefer something different. We barely use any of it because we’re usually out enjoying the resort, but it’s there.
Housekeeping has been consistently exceptional. Service is twice daily, and I still love finding the little animals the housekeepers create out of towels and leave on the bed. It’s such a small touch, but it makes me smile every time.
Housekeeping special touches
Anniversary surprise when we came back to the room
Another feature we love is the private service box outside the room. We have coffee delivered every morning without anyone having to knock on the door and disturb us. Coffee appears, we retrieve it when we’re ready, and nobody has to see what I look like before caffeine.
Everybody wins.
A Very Important Note About Excellence Club
Excellence Club isn’t really an add-on that you should plan to purchase when you arrive.
It is a room category you select when you book.
I frequently see people asking whether they should book a regular room and then “add Club” at check-in. That’s not really how I would approach it. Club rooms are located in designated areas and come with access to specific amenities and spaces. If you know you want Club, book an Excellence Club room from the beginning.
ERC currently lists Club benefits including private check-in and checkout, access to the Excellence Club lounge and bar, private pool areas that are heated in winter, Club restaurants and bars, a private beach area, upgraded minibar and in-suite liquor, upgraded room service, Nespresso coffee and a hydrotherapy treatment.
For us, though, two Club benefits alone nearly justify it: the pools and Magna restaurant.
The Club Pool Is Our Happy Place
We are pool people.
Yes, there is an ocean. Yes, there is a beach.
You will find us at the pool.
ERC has several pools, and if you want activities and a more social atmosphere, the main pool is where you’ll find them. There is also a lazy-river-style area near the spa that’s lovely for floating.
But we almost always retreat to one of the smaller Excellence Club pools away from the main action.
It is heaven.
It’s calm. It’s serene. It’s quiet. On our visits, the pool has often been nearly empty. We can usually claim one of the comfortable shaded cabanas without participating in the dreaded 6 a.m. chair Olympics.
And these aren’t sad little loungers with a flap of fabric over them. They’re comfortable, fully shaded beds where you can read, relax and—if you’re anything like us—take a spectacular afternoon nap.
The Club pools being heated during the winter is another significant benefit.
Pool service has also consistently been excellent. Drinks arrive regularly, and we’ve never felt forgotten.
ERC asks guests not to bring their own pool floats, although we’ve certainly seen people do it. Enforcement seems inconsistent. We prefer to respect the rule and use the floats the resort provides.
Nice gesture by the Excellence Club pool concierge
Fun treats by the pool
What About the Beach?
If your perfect Caribbean vacation revolves around spending eight hours a day on pristine sand, do some research before choosing this part of Mexico.
ERC can experience the same sargassum issues that affect beaches throughout this region. We’ve heard other guests complain about both the appearance and occasionally the smell.
It doesn’t bother us because we simply aren’t beach people. We rarely sit out there long enough for it to affect us.
That’s an important distinction: something can be a legitimate drawback for one traveler and completely irrelevant to another.
For us, ERC’s pools are so good that the beach isn’t part of the equation.
Let’s Talk About the Food
Now we’re getting to one of my favorite subjects.
The food is one of the biggest reasons we love Excellence Riviera Cancun.
There are enough restaurants that even over a longer stay, we don’t get bored. Excellence has streamlined some of its restaurant menus over the years, but we’ve never felt there was a lack of choice. There are still plenty of options at every restaurant.
More importantly, the quality is consistently excellent.
We’ve eaten at every restaurant at ERC, and I genuinely cannot remember having a bad meal.
Our personal favorites are Magna, Chez Isabelle, Flavor Market and Basmati.
Interestingly, the restaurants that many people immediately gravitate toward—the Italian restaurant, Asian options and steakhouse—aren’t necessarily our favorites. We can get good Italian, Asian food or steak at home. When we’re traveling, we’d rather explore the menus that offer something a little different.
But that’s purely personal preference. We’ve eaten at all of them, and the quality has been excellent across the board.
And remember the golden rule of an all-inclusive:
If you order something and don’t like it, order something else.
Going hungry here would take effort.
Special touches
Magna: One of the Best Reasons to Book Club
Magna is the Excellence Club restaurant, and we absolutely love it.
There are several dishes we consider must-orders.
The king crab cannelloni is fantastic. The misti asparagus is another favorite.
And then there’s the tomahawk.
If you’re a steak lover, order it at least once.
It is massive, dramatic and arrives hanging from a chain. This isn’t dinner quietly arriving on a white plate. This is dinner making an entrance.
And it’s included.
Magna is also available as a sit-down breakfast option for Club guests, although ironically we rarely eat breakfast there because there’s somewhere else we love even more.
Chez Isabelle and Basmati
Chez Isabelle is another restaurant we return to again and again.
Our favorites include the onion soup, escargots and lamb chops, but the spring chicken cordon bleu deserves special attention. Imagine chicken stuffed with ham and an almost ridiculous amount of cheese, coated in panko breadcrumbs and fried until crisp.
It is every bit as good as it sounds.
At Basmati, we’ve developed our own strategy: we tell the waiter to surprise us.
Rather than each choosing one entrée, we ask them to bring us an assortment of dishes to share family-style. It turns dinner into a tasting experience and gives us the chance to try things we might never have ordered individually.
If you’re someone who tends to order the safest thing on a menu, an all-inclusive is the perfect place to stop doing that.
Try something new. If you hate it, you haven’t just wasted $38 on an entrée.
Do Not Miss Friday Night
We actually try to make sure our ERC trips include a Friday because Friday is Mexican fiesta night.
The resort transforms the courtyard with decorations, live music and a huge spread of Mexican food and drinks. They really go all out, and the entire evening feels festive.
It’s not just dinner. It’s an event.
If you’re choosing between travel dates and one option gives you a Friday night at ERC, I’d take the Friday.
Mexican Night!
Tequila!
Breakfast: The Kitchen Table Wins
We eat breakfast at The Kitchen Table buffet almost every morning.
Could we go to Magna for a quieter Club breakfast? Yes.
Do we?
Almost never.
The buffet is simply too good.
It is enormous and has just about anything you could possibly want. I usually get eggs and then spend an unreasonable amount of time at the Mexican food station.
Joe’s breakfast priorities are somewhat different: cheese—obviously—along with yogurt, pastries and his beloved green juice.
Everyone has a vacation routine.
For guests who prefer a sit-down breakfast, Club guests have Magna as an option, while Lobster House provides another alternative. But for us, the sheer variety at Kitchen Table wins every time.
Lunch: Get Out of the Cabana for an Hour
There is food available around the pool, and if burgers and fries are your ideal pool lunch, you can certainly stay put.
I’m not really a burger-and-fries girl.
We like getting up, drying off and having a proper lunch. It breaks up the day.
Depending on what’s open, we’ll head to Las Olas for a quick beachside bite or choose Lobster House, Agave or Oregano. We’ve enjoyed all of them.
Then it’s right back to the cabana.
We’re not monsters.
Dinner Without Reservations
One thing I particularly like about Excellence is that dinner doesn’t require planning your entire vacation around restaurant reservations.
With the exception of hibachi, they don’t accept dinner reservations.
We’re early eaters and have never had to wait for a table. Guests dining around the more popular 7 p.m. hour may encounter a short wait—we’ve heard reports around 15–20 minutes—but that hasn’t been our experience because we’re usually happily eating before then.
One consideration for groups: these are adults-only resorts that cater heavily to couples, and the restaurants are naturally set up around tables for two and four. If you’re traveling with a large group, seating everyone together isn’t always as simple.
For two people? Couldn’t be easier.
Drinks: This Is a Cocktail Vacation
The drinks at ERC are very good, and there are plenty of bars scattered around the property.
Poolside service means you don’t even need to leave your cabana, although one of our favorite rituals is getting cleaned up before dinner and stopping at the Excellence Club lounge for a cocktail.
My personal favorite is the Charred Pineapple, but part of the fun is working our way through the cocktail menus and trying different things.
The liquor selection is very good, with an upgraded selection available in Club areas.
Wine?
It’s fine.
House wine is included, while nicer bottles are available for an additional charge. We drink the included wine with dinner and have never felt compelled to buy a bottle.
This is simply not the trip where I’m trying to explore an impressive wine cellar.
When the cocktails are this good, drink the cocktails.
The Real Reason We Return: Service
If I had to identify one thing Excellence does better than anywhere else we’ve traveled, this would be it.
The service is exceptional.
Not exceptional “for an all-inclusive.”
Exceptional, period.
We’ve experienced it repeatedly, across different stays and different Excellence Collection properties. Beloved has delivered the same extraordinary level of service, which leads me to believe this is deeply embedded in the brand culture.
At ERC, the staff are warm, prompt and attentive. People smile. They greet you. Housekeeping is meticulous. Pool servers take care of you. Restaurant staff make dinner feel like an occasion.
And after three stays at ERC, I cannot point to a single genuinely bad service experience.
That’s remarkable.
Plenty of resorts can build a beautiful pool. Plenty can put marble in a bathroom and premium liquor behind a bar.
Consistently excellent hospitality is much harder to manufacture.
That’s why we keep coming back.
Tipping at Excellence
Tipping is personal, but I know people always ask what other guests do, so here’s our general approach.
We typically tip $1–$2 per round of drinks, around $5 at breakfast and lunch, $5 for housekeeping, $3 for minibar service, and $10–$20 at dinner. We generally tip our transfer driver about $10 each way.
We bring plenty of small U.S. bills with us, and USD has always worked perfectly well for tipping.
The service is wonderful regardless, but we’re happy to recognize the people taking such good care of us.
Entertainment: We Have One Non-Negotiable
There is a show every night, and we frequently go.
Most are enjoyable. If we’re tired and decide to skip one, we’re not devastated.
There is one exception.
If Claudia Treviño is performing, we are going.
We think she is phenomenal—genuinely someone I would pay to see perform outside of an all-inclusive resort. She also performs at other Excellence properties, and when she’s on the schedule, we arrange our evening around her show.
The resort also offers daytime activities, although we rarely participate. We’re perfectly content doing absolutely nothing at our quiet pool.
The resort app lists the entertainment schedule, so it’s easy to see what’s happening and plan accordingly.
What Is the Vibe?
This is another area where I think ERC hits a nice middle ground.
It isn’t a party resort.
It also isn’t silent.
Most guests are couples, and I’d estimate the average age is somewhere in the 40s, although we’ve seen adults of every age as well as solo travelers. The overall atmosphere is relaxed, upscale and social without feeling like spring break.
Occasionally, a large wedding group can change that equation.
I’m just going to say it: sometimes a large group of drunk adults can be more disruptive than a resort full of screaming children.
We’ve encountered the occasional group that was louder than we would prefer. Fortunately, ERC is large enough that it’s usually very easy to move somewhere else and find the atmosphere you want.
That’s one of its strengths.
Want activities and energy? Go to the main pool.
Want serenity? Retreat to the Club pool.
Want entertainment? See the show.
Want a drink somewhere quiet? Go to the Club lounge.
If you want a late-night party resort, ERC probably isn’t your best choice.
If you want near-total silence and intimacy, I’d look at Beloved Playa Mujeres, which The Excellence Collection positions as its boutique couples-only property.
ERC sits comfortably in between.
Our Vow Renewal at ERC
Our second visit was particularly special because Joe and I renewed our vows at ERC in 2024.
At the time of our stay, our qualifying Excellence Club reservation included a complimentary vow-renewal ceremony.
The resort coordinated everything with us in advance. They arranged the ceremony, officiant, music, cake and champagne. We didn’t have to spend our vacation trying to orchestrate details ourselves.
It was beautiful.
More importantly, it felt like a celebration rather than another thing I needed to plan.
I would absolutely recommend the experience.
Packages and eligibility requirements can change, so I wouldn’t book a future stay assuming today’s offer will be identical to ours. If a vow renewal or wedding is important to your trip, confirm the current inclusions directly with Excellence when booking.
Vow renewal
Included cake
The Spa and Our Diamond Perks
After multiple stays within The Excellence Collection, we’ve reached Diamond status in the company’s loyalty program.
The Excellence Collection Rewards program recognizes repeat stays across participating properties and provides increasingly valuable perks at higher tiers. Because tier requirements and benefits can change, I’d recommend checking the current program rather than relying on an old blog post—or even this one—when planning a future stay. The company’s current rewards program includes benefits such as discounts, spa treatments, potential suite upgrades and other perks depending on tier.
One Diamond benefit we particularly love is the Diamond Ritual at the spa.
The Miilé Spa itself is gorgeous, and the treatments we’ve received have been exceptional.
Spa services are expensive. There’s no getting around that.
But if you’re going to splurge, they do an excellent job, and we’ve loved our experiences there.
What Doesn’t ERC Do Well?
This is usually where a reviewer is supposed to produce a carefully balanced list of complaints.
I don’t really have one.
That doesn’t mean ERC is perfect for every traveler.
The beach can have sargassum. Large groups occasionally change the atmosphere. If you want a raging party until 3 a.m., this isn’t it. If you want complete isolation and silence, I’d choose somewhere smaller.
And after paying for a rooftop suite ourselves, we don’t think the higher room categories necessarily deliver enough additional value for the way we vacation.
But those aren’t failures.
They’re reasons to understand what kind of traveler you are before you book.
After three stays, I honestly cannot identify something ERC consistently does poorly.
Why ERC Instead of Another Excellence Resort?
We’ve asked ourselves this because we’ve now stayed at several.
We’ve enjoyed the others.
And somehow ERC remains our favorite.
One reason is value. ERC is often one of the less expensive Excellence options when we’re comparing trips, and Joe and I continually look at each other and wonder why.
We’re not giving up the things we care about.
The rooms are beautiful. The food is excellent. The cocktails are great. The Club pool gives us exactly the kind of quiet afternoon we want. Service is extraordinary.
So why pay substantially more somewhere else simply because it’s newer?
We’ll continue trying other Excellence resorts.
We’ll also continue returning to ERC.
My First-Timer Tips
A few things I’d tell anyone going to Excellence Riviera Cancun for the first time:
Book Excellence Club from the beginning if you want it. Don’t approach it as something you’ll simply add at check-in. And unless a particular suite feature really matters to you, I’d start with the lowest-priced Club room category.
Bring a refillable insulated cup with a straw. Drinks warm up quickly in the Mexican sun, and straws aren’t provided anywhere on property. This is one of those tiny things that makes pool days much better.
Don’t panic about the weather forecast. Cancun forecasts seem to predict rain constantly. In our experience, a rain icon absolutely does not mean a ruined day. We’ve frequently had brief showers—often conveniently timed for an afternoon nap—and then gone right back to enjoying the resort.
Bring cash for tips. Small U.S. bills are easy.
Pay your VISITAX. Yes, you’ll hear people say nobody checked theirs. That’s beside the point. If it’s legally required for your trip, pay it. It also supports the economy to ensure that tourism in the areas stays wonderful.
Try new food. You’re at an all-inclusive. This is the safest possible environment for ordering something outside your comfort zone. If you hate it, order something else.
And if you’re there on Friday, go to the Mexican fiesta.
Trust me.
Excellence Riviera Cancun Review: The Planned Palate Verdict
Excellence Riviera Cancun is perfect for someone looking for a luxurious adults-only vacation with impeccable service, excellent food and drinks, and the ability to have fun while still genuinely relaxing in the sun.
It’s especially well-suited to couples who appreciate good food but don’t want to make dinner reservations months in advance, travelers who want an upscale all-inclusive without feeling nickel-and-dimed at every turn, and people like us who consider a quiet pool, a comfortable shaded cabana and a good cocktail a perfectly legitimate itinerary.
Would we return?
We’ve already returned twice.
And we’ll do it again.
There may be newer Excellence resorts. There may be flashier rooms. There are certainly destinations with better beaches.
But every time we start comparing the combination of price, service, food, drinks, Club amenities and overall experience, we end up in the same place.
Excellence Riviera Cancun just works for us.
And sometimes the best endorsement of a resort isn’t a five-star rating.
It’s booking it again.
Planning Your Own Excellence Riviera Cancun Getaway?
Affiliate disclosure: This section contains an affiliate link. If you book through it, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
We typically book directly through The Excellence Collection, especially because qualifying resort-only reservations include complimentary airport transfers. However, we always think it’s worth comparing prices before making a decision.
If you’re considering a stay, you can check Excellence Riviera Cancun prices and availability on Expedia and compare your options before booking.
Related reading: We haven’t loved every Excellence resort equally. Read our honest Excellence Oyster Bay review to see why our experience in Jamaica was so different from our stays at Riviera Cancun.