This month is "Excellent Resorts" month. We just returned from the "Playa Mujeres" property in a last week and in this post we tell you all about it!
Excellence Playa Mujeres is, well in a word, Excellent. It’s
mainly a couples resort with lots of people celebrating their honeymoons and
anniversaries. However, most everyone is very social and it’s easy to make
friends. On any given day the group I traveled with had adopted some new
members. The ages are also very mixed, 20s – 60s but everyone is socializing
and having a great time.
Upon arrival we were greeted with champagne (which we drank
even though it was only 8am!) and cold towels. As it was so early, our rooms
were not ready yet but we had already anticipated this. So as planned, we ate
breakfast, dipped our toes into the ocean and headed over to our pre-scheduled
spa appointments (you get a 20% discount if you book them prior to arrival).
The spa is beautiful and even though we booked separate treatments, since we
were three couples, we each were given a couples suite. By early in the
afternoon our rooms were ready and we had all been graciously upgraded to the
Excellence Club. This upgrade is worth it for room location, liquor and the
private lounge and beach area – it’s something I would pay the extra money for.
The room is amazing – all of them are pretty identical (the swim-up suite just
has a bigger terrace and the rooftop has the 2nd floor deck) and they are big
and beautiful. This is probably one of the most impressive “standard” rooms I
have ever stayed in (which is saying A LOT as I have stayed at 4-5 star hotels
around the world).
Try as we might, we weren’t able to make it to all of the
restaurants during our 4 night stay but we did manage to eat at: The Lobster
House, The Grill, Chez Isabelle, Spice, Los Olas and Toscana. The Lobster House
and The Grill are located over the main pool and it’s basically one bldg. split
in half. I ate at The Lobster House 5 different times, once for lunch, once for
dinner and three times for breakfast. This is the only place to get an a la
carte breakfast and I liked their selections (they even have a waffle menu).
The lunch was good and at dinner (the only time they actually serve lobster) I
highly recommend you get the steamed lobster over the grilled one. The Grill serves
burgers and such at lunch and turns into a Steakhouse in the evenings. At
dinner their asparagus appetizer is killer and I enjoyed my rib-eye which was
cooked perfectly. Our favorite place was Chez Isabelle – the décor was
beautiful and the sea bass was amazing. Next I was pleasantly surprised by
Spice. We weren’t able to sit at the hibachi but they served us an amazing
mixed grill plate with lobster, shrimp, chicken and beef. Toscana was also good,
(they serve buffets for breakfast and lunch with a la carte Italian for
dinner). I’m putting Los Olas in a different category because it’s the beach
“shack” but every day they cook something different and everyday people were
pleased with the offerings and quality. There’s also a pizza oven for lunch and
yes they are great, in 4 days my small group easily consumed over 20 personal
pizzas!
The drinks were all delicious and plentiful. Ask them to
make you a “Little Beer” – it’s not actual beer at all, it’s a shot made with
“Liquor 43” and cream which sounds weird but is totally delish. We ordered a
round every night! A favorite among my group was the Mango Tango but I also
suggest the Mojito, Cadillac Margarita, Strawberry Cadillac Margarita (blended), the Coconut Monkeys (Pina Colada's) and plenty of water! The bottles in your room are amazingly free and if you
don’t drink them, take them home!
We only managed to see one show (we were too busy enjoying
the restaurants) but it was very entertaining – they bring in some real talent
to entertain. The resort also boasts three new features: A bona fide Sports Bar
(complete with about 20 big screen TV’s), a coffee bar (that also serves
pastries, paninis and homemade ice cream) and free calls to the USA and Canada.
I love the free calls (previously a perk only offered by Palace Resorts)
because it’s very helpful for parents who are taking a vacation away from the
kids but who would still like to check up on them; and/or people who cannot
truly escape their business obligations while on vacation and may need to
make/take some calls while on-property. I can relate to the 2nd one as I still
had some clients to take care of while I was away. I can also give kudos to the
resorts WiFi signal which was strong everywhere we went, including the beach
and very easy to connect to.
The staff is also great. They work very hard to make sure that you are having a great time but they also have a great sense of humor. We enjoyed engaging with them on our trip. Also, even though it's technically included, it's always great to tip. A few bucks here and there means way more to them than it does to us and most importantly, they earn it!
Overall my group (three travel agents w/ companions and two
clients) left Excellence Playa Mujeres not only excited to tell our friends and
clients about it – but vowing to return. It was an amazing getaway and a great
reminder of why it’s always a pleasure to travel childfree!
When you're ready to book your next vacation, we're ready to
get you there!
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