This post will be heavy on photos and pretty wordy! Wanted it to be a journal of sorts for personal memory! 🙂
If you’ve ever booked a vacation at an all inclusive resort (especially in Mexico) you know that there are approximately 9 million to chose from. In all honesty, I felt a bit overwhelmed with all the choices and wasn’t sure we’d ever make a decision but we did.. and it was the BEST!
We initially looked into Excellence Playa Mujeres based on a recommendation from my friend, Meghan. It seemed promising but we held off on booking for some reason. When we did finally go to book, the resort was booked up forcing us to look at other locations. We wanted to stay close-ish to Cancun for transfer purposes so the Riviera Cancun location seemed perfect (about 20 minutes from the airport). After booking, we also found out that my step mom and step brother had been to the Excellence location in the Dominican Republic (& loved it), so we felt super happy with our choice!
We flew out of MKE on the 23rd bright and early. With everything we’ve been hearing about cancelled or delayed flights, I was a bit nervous that was going to happen to us. I didn’t want to miss any of our days at the resort so was super happy once we landed in Cancun. Our resort includes transfers with your stay but what I didn’t know is that it was a private transfer. We were picked up in a brand new Chevy Suburban and it honestly felt super special.
Once arriving to the resort, we were greeted with champagne filled flutes and a beautiful lobby to our resort (that smelled SO good. I love when places incorporate scent into their experience).
A lovely staff member led us to our room and gave us the run down of where things were + what kind of things the resort had to offer. It was such a nice personal touch that gave us a little sense of direction. One thing that we really enjoyed was that the resort felt big enough to spread out but not so big it was overwhelming. When we booked, we agreed that our room location/view didn’t matter much to us. We didn’t plan to spend a whole lot of time in there as we wanted to soak up the sunshine + nice weather (you know.. living in Wisconsin and all). Since we didn’t care much, I was super happy to find out our room was not only on the top floor but also had a great view AND we could see the ocean a bit. Granted you would likely miss it in a glance over but it was still nice! You can see it through the trees/between the buildings a bit in the image on the right.Since we’re big foodies, we immediately got dressed and headed for the restaurants. I know with an all inclusive it’s pretty standard practice that you make reservations for all your dinners upon arrival. Excellence restaurants work like “normal” restaurants. You show up & they either seat you or you have to wait a bit. We only waited twice (max 10 minutes) during our week stay. Since everything is also done through an app, you’re free to wander and will get a notification when the restaurant is ready for you!We opted for The Lobster House on the first night + then Philip really wanted sashimi so we went to Spice (hibachi/Japanese) for sushi and fried rice.. It was our most indulgent dinner & we were both SUPER excited about how the food tasted and from that meal, we knew we had made a good choice.Settling into relaxation mode we spent the next few days eating, laying in the sun, relaxing, and having cocktails. We’re not big drinkers and we both have sensitive guts (annoying) so after a couple of days of rolling cocktails, we had to slow down a bit. P had never had a Miami vice before so we had a few of those and some lemon drop shots (my favorite).We frequently went to Las Olas for lunch which was more snack-y food and themed. They always have nachos (which were SO good), tacos, and quesadillas on the menu but also had days that highlighted certain eats like bbq or seafood. Our FAVORITE restaurant at the resort was Chez Isabelle which was french. We went on our second night & last night. We actually overheard someone on the second night say this was their 5th time at the resort and they almost exclusively have dinner at Chez Isabelle while they’re there. It was DELICIOUS. P and I actually kept staring at each other with each bite, chewing, and nodding our heads.Most nights we would have dinner & then go back to the room and put on comfy clothes.. We would then wander back down to the pool decks and camp out in one of the loungers and listen to whatever music was playing. We would talk, relax, and soak up the ocean breeze off the water.. I did get stung by a honeybee one of the nights in the finger so that was super fun!If you’re there on a honeymoon or anniversary you do get a special dinner one of the nights. We opted to have ours at The Grill which was a steakhouse. Looking back, we wish we would have done it at Chez Isabelle but it was still absolutely delicious. They gave you a special appetizer that had a spread that contained a little bit of everything. A special bottle of wine + a celebratory dessert.After longing in the more vivacious part of the resort (swim up bar, DJ, + planned activity area) we wanted something a little quieter and slower paced. We realized the pool around the spa was idyllic + there were hot tubs tucked away that we (all but once) had to ourselves. Surrounding the spa was also a lazy river so it was fun to float around there when we needed to cool off.Weirdly enough, the least exciting dinner for us was Agave (which was their Mexican restaurant). We had high hopes since we were in Mexico but it was probably our least favorite of the dinners.. HOWEVER, the appetizers, spicy margaritas + the chips and guac were SO GOOD. Our main entrees were the only thing that felt lackluster.Before we knew it, it was time to head home. The resort handles your COVID test which was already arranged and set into the calendar upon checking in. We were cleared to leave and started the trek home!All in all it was an AMAZING trip. We seriously had such a great time getting in some of the best quality time we’ve had in our relationship. It really was an unforgettable week!
This post will be heavy on photos and pretty wordy! Wanted it to be a journal of sorts for personal memory! 🙂
