It was a sad day when our trip to Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico, came to an end. This adult-only luxury resort was everything I wanted and needed for a carefree vacation. With oversized suites, gourmet cuisine, private beaches, a world class spa and its own lazy river, this resort truly was paradise.
How to Book
I booked our stay through Expedia and bought the flights separately through JetBlue. The best deal I found on flights was a non-stop from Bradley Airport in Connecticut to Cancun, Mexico, which was about a 3 1/2 hour flight. Side note: JetBlue does not offer free headphones so make sure to bring headphones with a plug if you want to watch movies.
There are perks for booking directly through the hotel website, such as free transportation from the airport to the resort and discounts on spa services.
Make sure to browse around to ensure the best deal!
Arrival
Before booking, here’s a friendly reminder, make sure your passport isn’t expired 🙂
Also, BRING A PEN. There is a ton of documentation you will have to fill out before you enter Mexico and when you return to the United States. The airlines will not provide you with writing utensils.
When you arrive in Mexico, you will receive a visitor’s permit. DO NOT LOSE THIS. You need this documentation to leave the country. If you do lose it, there will be additional paperwork, fees and headaches so again, do not lose this paperwork.
The Excellence is about a 35-40 minute drive from the Cancun airport. You can book transportation through the resort or with a third-party.
Once we arrived at the resort, we were immediately greeted with champagne and someone to take care of our luggage. This is the moment I knew it was going to be a great vacation.
The Room
Here is a sneak peek at the Junior Suite Pool View. Our suite came with an oversized jacuzzi, a spacious outdoor patio, a spa-like bathroom with rainfall showers, a fully stocked mini bar and a larger than life bed.
Food and Beverages
This is an all-inclusive resort so all food and beverages (yup, even alcohol) are included. They offer ten international restaurants, eleven stylish bars and 24-hour room service. Make sure to download the Excellence app on your phone to see the opening hours and menus. Our favorite restaurants were Spice (get the Spicy Tuna Roll) and Toscana.
It’s important to note each restaurant has a dress code. Some allow beachwear and others request casual elegance. If you’re a gentlemen, a majority of the restaurants will request you wear pants for dinner, so bring pants!
Activities
The Excellence app is also the best way to see the activities of the day and showtimes at night. They offered a multitude of day activities such as yoga, bike rides, archery, bingo, sailing, paddle boarding and more. At night, shows and musical entertainment were provided in the outdoor theater. We attended a Michael Jackson impersonator show and a Salsa dancing show. Both were fantastic.
We booked a 75 minute couples massage at Miile Spa and it was the best massage I’ve ever had. It came with a complimentary hour hydrotherapy session which included hot and cold baths, a sauna session, a steam room and lots of powerful water jets beating the knots out of your body, all in a good way. This was definitely one of my favorite days at the resort.
Departure Details
When you are departing, get to the Cancun airport at least 2 1/2 – 3 hours early. It took over an hour to receive our boarding passes (at this time, they do not offer digital boarding passes) and check our luggage. Also at this time, you need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to return to the United States. The resort offers this test for free and you must bring this documentation to the airport. After you check your luggage and get your boarding passes, you will have to fill out a health form. Then, you will go through security. SO get there early.
And again, BRING A PEN.
Additional Details
Sunscreen is expensive at the resort. I paid around $80 for two bottles. Learn from my mistake and bring your own sunscreen.
The service here is truly one of a kind and I strongly suggest tipping your servers, bartenders, room service etc.. Bring cash and a range of bills so you can show your appreciation to the staff. USD is perfectly acceptable. There are ATMs at the resort and the staff can sometimes break larger bills, but I would suggest being prepared before you arrive.
Time to Book
Overall, I highly recommend this resort and can’t wait for my next adventure here.
Safe travels and have the best trip!! We certainly did 🙂
If you have any additional questions or comments, leave them below!
