We honeymooned at EPM from 8-28 to 9-4 and it was such a nice resort! We would definitely go back!
We had requested the Excellence Honeymoon Package when we booked, which I would highly recommend. You get a lot of little extras and you have access to their club lounge. There's internet access, concierge and different snacks are put out throughout the day. There's a little coffee/espresso maker that we got drinks from most mornings. We would stop by during the day or before dinner and have a small bite to eat. We also received champagne and a cool scented washcloth when we first arrived.
Room: We had an excellence club jr oceanfront suite in builing 8. We had a really nice view. Some of the furniture, like part of the couch and the daybed looked a little worn, but it wasn't too bad. I wish the pillows would have been bigger and fluffier, but that's just me. We really like the little box in the room where you can put your dishes or have room service delivered, that way you don't have to deal anyone if you don't want to.
Our room also had a fully stocked mini bar that would get replenished every day. If you weren't crazy about one beer and wanted more of another they would make sure you had what you wanted. There was beer, pop and water, and snacks like m&ms, chips, peanuts and oreos. Our hm package also came w/champagne, fruit and flowers, but we ended up not drinking the champagne. The petit fours we got every night were nice, and so was the turn down service.
Staff: Everyone was really nice and helpful. When we would go to the section of the beach for excellence club guests we would just pick where we wanted to sit, either under a palapa or on a bed, and someone would come bring towels to lay down. Then beach butlers would come around and ask if you would like water or something from the bar. There was also fruit skewers and popsicles brought around daily. The staff that does excursions and activites are so energentic.
Activites: There's a board outside that has activites listed for each day, and it tells you what show will be at the theater that night. We did towel shaping, a bike tour, rifle shooting, a cooking lesson/kitchen tour and a cocktail lesson. We also did archery. I won our rifle shooting tournament, which was really fun
The shows they put on nightly were for the most part good. We didn't go to everything but we caught the tail end of the Michael Jackson show and the guy who was dancing and singing was really quite good!.
Food: For an AI and someone who is super picky...the food was amazing. The lunch buffet at Toscana was soo good. We ate sushi all the days we ate there lol. We did do room service for different meals. It was pretty good, but most times there was a 40 minute wait. Toscana also had a breakfast buffet that was delish. There is so much to choose from! The french toast is a must try!
2 days they had tacos on the beach which were the best tacos I've ever had. I think one day I saw people w/hamburgers and I could smell bbq but we were busy doing an activity.
We weren't able to eat at every restaurant for dinner. We went to Spice 2 times (once for the cooking show/tepanyaki), Toscana, Agave, and The Lobster House. We ate at The Grille a couple of times for lunch too. We ate chips/salsa/guac every day. They had this really tasty salsa verde that had avocado in it.
The service at The Lobster House wasn't as good as the other places. It seemed like they had 2 waiters working the whole restaurant, so we were a little bummed, especially since we ate there the night before we left.
Spa: Our hm package also came w/spa treatments. We did a hydrotherapy session and a mini massage...arms, shoulders, legs, feet. It was fun but we did it the day it rained so it wasn't as hot out when we were in the pool at the spa, so I was a little chilly.
If you're thinking of booking, do it! It's lovely, and there's so much to do. There's water sports you can pay for, but nobody hounds you to book anything. If we had the $ and could afford to go back next year we would. I think we'll wait a few years since we have some home improvements to do and we'd like go to another location, especially since we can't afford to take big vacations very often.
Also if anyone is planning on booking I have a spa certificate that I'd be glad to mail to you. I won a hydrotherapy session from the rifle shooting tournament, but it was Saturday afternoon and we were leaving the next day. Plus I had done the treatment already. It's good through 2011, so if you want it email me at my username @ aol.com.
If you have any questions let me know! Sorry if this went on and on....I was just trying to think of the important stuff