Riviera Maya

Valentin is our favourite resort for facilities, food, staff, rooms, attention to detail, beverages…just everything.

We have vacationed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun more than 15 times over the years. Some might suggest that we branch out but the amenities, location and especially the outstanding staff keep us coming back. While we're sure that most staff deserve excellent reviews; these are the women and men with whom we engaged on our recent trip and with whom we have the utmost gratitude, affection, and respect. The following staff members are listed in no particular order, but it should be noted that these superb folks keep us coming back. Laylan: Manager for the Excellence Riviera Cancun. There were 6 people in our group. After multiple travel delays and challenging incidents, we arrived at the resort tired, hangry, and irritable. We encountered further frustrations when we learned that our booking agents had not shared some of our specific requests with the resort. Customer service is often a thankless job, but we say thank you Laylan for all that you did for us. We recognize you and your enormous efforts. Your professionalism, effectiveness and calm approach turned grumpy customers into grateful customers. Thank you. It's important to note that an organization is only as good as its employees, and employees like Laylan help make the Excellence Riviera Cancun a terrific resort. Miriam: beach concierge in the Excellence Club. Miriam was an absolute delight. She was energetic, friendly, courteous, efficient, and professional at all times. Miriam went above and beyond, treated us like royalty and could always be counted on to provide excellent customer service. She was a highly effective team player. Thank you, Miriam, for your unceasing commitment and dedication. You always went the extra mile and as such, you are a wonderful ambassador for the Excellence Riviera Cancun. Eleuterio: resort gardener. While always busy with his numerous tasks, Eleuterio went out of his way to engage with us. This is a man who does extremely well with guests. He made us feel most welcome with his friendly, welcoming, and gracious manner, all the while, approaching his duties with passion (the gardens and grounds are beautiful). He was charismatic, thoughtful and customer focused, also going above and beyond. Eleuterio is a loyal and exceptional ambassador for the Excellence Riviera Cancun. Well done. Moises: pool waiter in the Excellence Club. Once you've met Moises and experienced his humour and infectious laughter, you will never forget him. We met Moises years ago and are always impressed with his dedication, high energy, efficiency, loyalty, and professionalism. He is a joy to know. Moises is a thoughtful, conscientious, and excellent team player who puts the comfort of guests first and foremost. A highly skilled and competent employee, Moises is also a remarkable ambassador for the Excellence Riviera Cancun. Carlos Senior: waiter at Magna Restaurant in the Excellence Club. We enjoyed 2 experiences with Carlos Sr. He was attentive, proficient, friendly, courteous, and professional. A skilled server, we noticed how other staff treated him with respect and dignity – obviously a fine mentor. Amir: waiter at Chez Isabelle (wine cellar). Here was a man with impressive knowledge and skill. With 6 people in our group, Amir exemplified professionalism with his friendly, respectful, and excellent customer service accomplished in an elegant and sophisticated manner. Alberto: waiter at Oregano Restaurant. Last but definitely not least. We have known Alberto for years in his many roles at Excellence. We are very proud to count him as a cherished friend. When I asked my wife Wendy to describe Alberto, she said, “kind; a lovely man!” While true, Alberto is also a loyal, dedicated employee with a wonderful, positive disposition. His talent and customer service are stellar, and his hard work takes the resort to new heights. The Excellence Riviera Cancun is fortunate to have Alberto on their team – another fine ambassador. Until next time Alberto . . . Phil and Wendy H. * * * * *

The rooms are exceptional. Jacuzzi on every balcony, beach view from all rooms. Staff were amazing, 4 a la Carte restaurants did not disappoint. Entertainment quit at 1030. Great music and then calm for adults. Definitely not a ‘party' resort, exactly what we wanted. 10 out of 10.

This was my 6th time at this resort, I cannot recommend it enough. The beach is pristine, the food is amazing, and the location is perfect. Daniel and Quetzabel are a huge part of why we keep returning - we feel so well taken care of with the staff that always go above and beyond to make sure our stay is amazing.

This resort has exceeded our expectations. Everything from the hotel grounds with plenty of wild life and natural tropical gardens, to the accommodations, the amazing beach with white sand and turquoise water, variety of food, impeccable service, and environmentally friendly practices, were top notch. We would return in a heart beat.

I would recommend staying at the next door property Grand Riviera Princess over upgrading to the Platinum Yucatan, it was not worth the additional expenses, the food was no better. The entertainment, staff, beach, and pools were superior at the Grand Riviera. I stayed at the Platinum Yucatan expecting a superior experience after having an amazing experience at the Grand Riviera Princess, unfortunately this did not happen. When I brought forward two concerns to concierge excuses were made and my concerns were brushed off. The staff is not honest about the additional cost of items and additional cost for what is supposed to be an enhanced experience (Rodeo Grill) was extremely disappointing. I will not return to this resort.

We had a great time with our 2 children!

This hotel/resort was exactly what we pictured our vacation to look like. The rooms were recently renovated, the facility was exceptionally clean, the service was fantastic and the food was great. We did not go with the Platinum upgrade and really don't feel like we missed out because of it either. We were fortunate to be booked into the first building of rooms so all amenities were close to the room, aside from the beach and pool bar, etc.but that did not bother us. Having half the facility under renovations made the whole stay feel more private, with way less people than I would have expected. And the construction noise was almost non-existent on any given day. The evening shows were very good most nights, with a single great one and a single less than good one, but overall very impressed. Being so close to Playa makes things very easy to get into town and such as well as the staff do so much to make every detail of your stay as easy as possible, from extra items you might need or want in your room, to the complimentary bar in the room, to drink or food service, to bringing in taxis. It was all effortless. For the dining, the buffet was large with lots of variety and very clear about allergens on every dish. Plus 3 made to order stations for most meals. The a-la-cart restaurants had smaller menus, but the food was delicious everywhere with lots of flavour. The free wifi was no good at all. The paid wifi was much better but still lost connection regularly especially when outside at the pools. We definitely plan on staying here again.

The resort was great. The grounds are beautiful! Ocean was awesome, big waves and no seaweed. The rooms were updated and clean. The resort was large, lots of walking but they had shuttles. Lots of food options between the buffet, snack bar and The Truck. We picked 3 al la cartes on the app 10 days ahead and did online checkin at that time also. They had a good amount of activities going on around the main pool and sports bar at night. The kids area with the waterpark, splash pad and pool was awesome for young families. Our son who is 9 did go to the waterpark twice for about an hour each time but if you have clients with young kids it would be perfect. The main pool was huge and we also enjoyed the quiet pool. We did walk down to the Coba section of the beach and ate at one of their restaurants and that resort looked nice too. We loved flying in and out of Tulum. That airport is super modern and the arrival process was quick. So was departure - left a bit early and landed in Toronto early too :) The one thing we noticed was lack of bartenders especially during busy times like evenings in the sports bar. This often resulted in long lineups for drinks. No shortage of bars on the resort just shortage of bartenders. Weather was good. We had some rain later in the afternoon one day and one late afternoon a cool front came in but it didnt last long. But anything is better than the snow and cold at home :) We did two excursions. One we booked through the resort and it was a 3 hour ATV ride through the jungle and swimming in a cenote. This one left from the resort on the ATVs which was awesome. It was a highlight for my kids especially they loved the ATVs. We also booked a private tour to the Tulum ruins and swimming in cenotes at Casa Tortuga. This was about 5 hours and we all had a great time as well. We would return and we don't say that about many resorts!

Family of 10 for one week. Dines at all the restaurants and all were fantastic. The Italian restaurant exceeded all of our expectations, Francisco was excellent, he helped us make choices and even supplied samples of menu items we did not order.