Excellence Riviera Maya

MRDCle

Has anyone stayed at Excellence Riviera Maya?  Just wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks to make the most out of our trip.  This is our first legit trip as a couple (not spending 3 days out of town for a wedding, for example) and neither of us has stayed at an all-inclusive before.  Between reviews online and our agent, I'm excited, but I'm not sure if there's anything we need to know before we go!

CMGragain

Have you talked to a travel agent?  They know a lot about the resorts, and their advice is free to you.

MRDCle

CMGragain said:

Have you talked to a travel agent?  They know a lot about the resorts, and their advice is free to you.

Yep I have (mentioned in the OP) but just thought I might see if anyone else had any input

Ro041

@MRDCle - We went to Excellence Punta Cana and it was amazing.  Another couple we met at EPC went to ERM previously and loved it.  I would recommend that you join the ERM facebook group.  I believe each resort has its own group.  They have a TON of information from people who have been there (or are even currently there).

MRDCle

Ro041 said:

@MRDCle - We went to Excellence Punta Cana and it was amazing.  Another couple we met at EPC went to ERM previously and loved it.  I would recommend that you join the ERM facebook group.  I believe each resort has its own group.  They have a TON of information from people who have been there (or are even currently there).

Awesome! I just looked some up and joined.  Thanks so much!!

Lulawife

MRDCle said:

Has anyone stayed at Excellence Riviera Maya?  Just wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks to make the most out of our trip.  This is our first legit trip as a couple (not spending 3 days out of town for a wedding, for example) and neither of us has stayed at an all-inclusive before.  Between reviews online and our agent, I'm excited, but I'm not sure if there's anything we need to know before we go!

I went October 2016 and we loved it! I had been in the Facebook group before going and got a lot of great info that way. We stayed in the cheapest category of rooms and it was better than some more expensive rooms I've stayed in at other all inclusives. 
My favorites:
-The martini bar in the downstairs lobby area. Bartenders were especially friendly and this was a great place to hang out before dinner (we went as a group of 8 so we had to wait a bit to be seated for dinner most nights)
-The French restaurant was my favorite, we ate there twice it was so good.
-The ice machines haha yes I know this is a weird favorite but they had ice machines on every other floor near your room and most of them made tiny ball ice (I don't know how else to describe it) like Sonic ice. I brought my Yeti to keep filled with ice and water so this worked out great.  
-The spa. Every morning in your room you will receive a spa deal of the day and my H and I took advantage of a couples massage and it was one of the best we've had. My masseuse even did a fancy french braid crown in my hair towards the end and I wore it like that by the pool the rest of the day. 
-The lazy river pool by the spa was our favorite place. We would venture over to the main pool once in a while for the party atmosphere but they provide floats and it was so peaceful just letting the current take you around. 

Minor complaints:
-The Mexican restaurant was just ok. I like authentic Mexican food but all of the dishes we ordered were very bland and floating in cheese. 
-The sports bar was not worth checking out. They boasted a wings and nacho bar and it was the only thing in the entire resort not edible. Seating was also very tight so we left after about 15 minutes. 

The food was fantastic, drinks were delicious (get the Banana Mama), and the staff was so friendly and accommodating. You will have a blast! 

I could go on and on so if you have specific questions, feel free to message me.

ETA: make sure your H brings long pants for dinner. Most of the restaurants require pants for dinner and we saw multiple men in shorts being turned away and told to change.