Excellence Riviera Maya

[JessiTaylor]

Originally Posted by syl2013 

 

 

Thank you JessiTaylor for the detailed reviews, that's very helpful! And fun to read.

 

I'm glad to know that they have quick room service. Is it 24 hours? I know my friend who went to another resort was saying that it took them 3 hours to deliver his order when he ordered food at 1am.

 

We'll definitely check out the daytime activities - are they included or do you have to pay extra for things like air-rifle?

yes its 24 hours, i think the latest we ordered was around midnight. Bad room service drives me mad, Sandos took 3 hours to deliver a bottle of wine (and by that point i'd tried to cancel it haha) so it was nice to have a hassle free experience

 

Daytime activities are included, the only extra costs at the hotel are for the spa ,motorised things (like jetskis etc), tours outside hotel and then obviously for the shop/souvenir stand type things. Id have been happy just flopping on the beach but Orlando gets restless so it was good to have something to do.

 

I wish i'd tried the spa though, its expensive but they offer daily specials and i kept meaning to go but the time ran out!

[ampanda52]

Well, that is interesting about the percentage of guests at the wedding staying at a resort vs. daypass prices.  Thanks for everyone's input about the webinar.  Glad I didn't miss much!    You girls are the best!

[TealMarie]

Originally Posted by JessiTaylor 

 

we were put in 3205 which is quite near the spa and about 7 mins walk from the main bit. Room was massive and really nice, everything i could have wanted. yes the room keys are cards and im pleased to say we didnt have any problems with them! (sandos playacar, the keycards failed almost daily. epic fail!) key card holders would be great i think- id have used it!

 

the french and italian are great restaurants, you do need to get there early or you'll have about an hours wait. but then again you can always get a drink in the mean time! I loved the sparkling wine, the banamama coctail (spelling?) and the chocolate martini. For breakfast the only one we went to was the buffet as we like choice rather than an a la carte (ok ok, *I* like choice and dragged my husband)

Room service is quick and delicious - but order a lot. for example we got the ajillo shrimps, and that was more a snack than a main (delicious, but only 4 or so of them). luckily we were pigs and had also ordered fajitas and a burger so it worked out well =P  My husband was missing sparkling water to drink with his whisky and it was delivered in under 15 minutes, best service ive seen so far!

 

The live music was always great (more so than the entertainment shows in my opinion) so make sure you time dinner/getting ready so you dont miss it! We kept leaving bars really late, taking an age to get ready then dashing to see what was going on

 

The sand is so so soft and silky smooth, its incredible. Far more so than the beaches in playa del carmen we went to. Definitely check out some of the daytime activities even if they don't seem your cup of tea - i was bemused that my husband wanted to go 'air rifle shooting' or whatever, but it was surprisingly fun! If your husband is competitive don't let him do this (or similar activities)- we got put into teams and my husband got super grumpy he missed all his shots, esp since i managed to hit one (not the one i aimed for, but still!!) There are also pool tables and ping pong tables if you want to do something low key and in a non organised way. Basically you can be as busy or relaxed as you like

oh, skip the cooking lesson though. seriously - guacamole - take a advocado and smush it up, ceviche - take raw stuff and add lime. job done, now you know

 

The entertainment team are lovely as are the barstaff. I didnt want to leave!!

Yay, I love hearing about how awesome this resort is! I'm happy to hear the sand on the beach is lovely. Why can't it be November already?

 

Good to hear the food, entertainment, music and daytime activities are good as well. We will skip the cooking lesson as I already know how to mush up an avocado  

 

Did you have trouble getting lounge chairs by the pool/beach or anything like that?

[JessiTaylor]

by the pool i did see staff removing towels that have been there for ages, by the beach not so much. People do regularly leave so you don't have to wait *too* long but sunlounger reserving is a problem. Then again I've yet to visit any hotel at all where it wasn't a problem at all. So annoying - people would leave their towels at 8am then come back around 2! Like other hotels, they ask guests not to do it (in the daily newsletter/ activity list) that they give you but no one listens!!

[TealMarie]

Originally Posted by JessiTaylor 

 

by the pool i did see staff removing towels that have been there for ages, by the beach not so much. People do regularly leave so you don't have to wait *too* long but sunlounger reserving is a problem. Then again I've yet to visit any hotel at all where it wasn't a problem at all. So annoying - people would leave their towels at 8am then come back around 2! Like other hotels, they ask guests not to do it (in the daily newsletter/ activity list) that they give you but no one listens!!

Yes I think you're right, it happens wherever you go. Maybe we'll be the people who move other peoples towels

[TealMarie]

Does anyone know the actual wording of the legal/civil ceremony?

[aishagurl25]

Originally Posted by TealMarie 

 

Oh no, sorry if I gave that impression. I'm not disappointed at all in ERC. Sometimes things don't come across right on the internet. I meant that from the few questions I had the answers weren't what I'd hoped for. It is disappointing that the packages can't be a bit more flexible as you said.

 

I know it's a fabulous resort, not just from the girls on here who've been there but the tripadvisor ratings and everyone who is coming to our wedding keeps telling me that 'so-and-so' they know from wherever says that ERC is amazing!

 

I think that from spending a lot of time reading over this entire thread and the other big one on ERC I've managed to answer most of the questions I had. I guess I thought the webinar would be more useful to me, as I had to make a huge effort to be a part of it today due to work, but I didn't realize I already knew a lot. I'm sure it was useful to other people who haven't had time to read about it so much. And yes, Wendy sounds really nice. Were there any other helpful hints after 45 mins of the session? That's about when I logged out.

 

I'm sure now we can answer most questions anyone else has about ERC, which will be helpful for everyone!

 

 

 

Hi TealMarie!   Just wanna share that I've looked at ERC but then decided to go with Le Reve for my 2014 wedding.  I would suggest to check out www.facebook.com/RedIbyChelsea because Chelsea had her wedding there and has tons of ERC photos. She's really quick to respond on the facebook page or email, so she might be a good person to connect with about unbiased ERC questions.    Hope this helps!

[ampanda52]

Has anyone had the legal/civil ceremony but had a reading or something personal added? 

 

Thanks!

 

Mandy

[UMassRN007]

Hey everyone!  After reading everyones amazing reiews of the Excellence RM we have decided to book our honeymoon there next Jan!!!  I was wondering if anyone had any input on whether or or not we should get the Excellence club ocean front room, or the Excellence club oceanview swim up suite. Any input would so very much appreciated, thank you!!

[TealMarie]

Originally Posted by UMassRN007 

 

Hey everyone!  After reading everyones amazing reiews of the Excellence RM we have decided to book our honeymoon there next Jan!!!  I was wondering if anyone had any input on whether or or not we should get the Excellence club ocean front room, or the Excellence club oceanview swim up suite. Any input would so very much appreciated, thank you!!

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot of past brides on the ERC threads. You should read some of the tripadvisor reviews. I read them before choosing the resort and people write the most useful stuff on there, especially about room choices. If you scroll through some of the reviews, there's a spot for 'room tip' and you can click on 'more room tips'. I've read on there about the pros and cons of the excellence club as well. People talk about which buildings are better for quiet, which are closer to the beach and restaurants, etc. I remember reading the swim up suites were nice but some people had a problem with mosquitoes, because there's a section of grass next to your private pool. But maybe that depends on what time of the year you're going? Hopefully that helps a little bit.