Excellence Resorts

Excellence Playa Mujeres

An adults-only flagship on the quiet Playa Mujeres peninsula north of Cancún, seven gourmet restaurants, a big hydrotherapy spa, and rooftop-terrace suites, all on a private beach. It's polished, grown-up, and made for couples who want Cancún's sun without the spring-break crowds. Best November through April.

Excellence Oyster Bay

Excellence Oyster Bay is an adults-only, all-suite resort on a private peninsula near Falmouth, for couples who want a secluded, polished beach week. It is a place to stay put rather than a base for Jamaica, about 39 minutes from Montego Bay's airport and east of Rose Hall, with water on three sides and nothing to walk to beyond the gates. That isolation is the setting most guests come for, and the reason the resort has to carry the whole holiday itself. Guests praise the peninsula beach, the romantic atmosphere, the grounds and the food and drink, which they rate well above the all-inclusive average, and the Beach House and private-pool suites come up again and again. The complaints are service that can be slow or uneven, the price of the upgraded suites, and the fact that there is nowhere to go off property. The thing people wish they had known is that Excellence Club, the upper tier, changes the stay materially: a quieter pool, an upgraded beach area and its own dining. The plan is generous: every restaurant, premium spirits, a stocked minibar, 24-hour room service, and the non-motorised water sports with an introductory scuba lesson; the spa is extra, and the transfer is free only on suite bookings of three nights or more made directly with the resort. Every room is a suite with an in-suite jacuzzi, so the upgrade that matters is the plunge pool: the Beach House suites put it on a terrace with steps to the sand. Anyone who wants nightlife or a town within reach should stay in Montego Bay proper.

Finest Playa Mujeres

Finest Playa Mujeres is a luxury family all-inclusive north of Cancun, for parents of small children who still want a polished resort. Adults-only club areas are layered in for couples. It is about 35 minutes from the airport, on the Playa Mujeres beach, with 450 rooms, twelve restaurants that take no reservations, sixteen bars, twelve pools and a water park. The kids' club takes potty-trained children from three, which is younger than most, and that single fact explains who books here. Guests praise the fit for toddlers and young children, the beach, the large clean rooms, the kids' club and water park, and the freedom of restaurants that seat you without a booking. The complaints are food that varies by venue, some areas that feel older than the newest luxury resorts, a family pool that gets loud and boozy, and staff responsiveness at peak periods. The thing people wish they had known is that the beach and the kids' infrastructure are stronger than the buffet. The plan covers the twelve restaurants, room service, a stocked minibar, Wi-Fi and the kids' club; the spa and the airport transfer are extra, top-shelf spirits are limited, and the free water sports list is worth confirming. Families do best in a Finest Club Swim-Up Suite, and couples inside this family resort should book the Excellence Club, which is adults-only with its own swim-up suites. Anyone who wants an entirely adult resort should look at the Excellence properties nearby.

Excellence Punta Cana

Excellence Punta Cana is an adults-only, all-suite resort on the Uvero Alto shore, for couples who want a secluded, romantic week with premium drinks. Dinner needs no reservation. It is about 45 minutes north of the airport, with 461 suites, ten restaurants, twelve bars and four pools on large tropical grounds beside a wide beach. The beach is the setting and not always the swimming: the surf runs rough and the red flag goes up. Guests praise the friendly, attentive service, the romantic adults-only mood, the grounds and the beach, the pools and their service, and the size of the suites. The complaints are rough surf, seaweed and undertow, food that is uneven for the price, room aging, humidity and housekeeping in some reports, and a bar scene that winds down earlier than party-minded guests expect. The thing people wish they had known is that the pools are the dependable swim and the beach is for walking, and that the atmosphere is romantic rather than high-energy. The plan covers every restaurant with no dinner reservations except the teppanyaki tables at Spice, premium and top-shelf spirits, 24-hour room service, a stocked minibar, Wi-Fi and the water sports with an introductory scuba lesson; the spa is extra, Magna is reserved for Excellence Club guests, and the private transfer is free only on suite-only stays of three nights or more booked directly. An ocean-view Excellence Club suite is the safest upgrade, and the private-pool junior suite the splurge. Anyone who wants nightlife should look to Bavaro.

Excellence El Carmen

Excellence El Carmen is an adults-only, all-suite resort on the Uvero Alto shore, for couples who want a swim-up or rooftop suite of their own. It sits north of Punta Cana's airport, with eleven restaurants, fifteen bars and six pools, and a beach that is beautiful on a calm day and Atlantic on the others. Every room is a suite here, so the category, not the resort, is the decision. Guests praise the pools and the swim-up suites, the couples-only atmosphere, the pool and bar staff, the size of the suites and the breadth of the plan. The complaints are food that is less consistent than the review score suggests, surf and seasonal seaweed on the beach, music around the main pools, and reports of private-pool rooms being reassigned. The thing people wish they had known is that the Excellence Club changes the pools, the beach and the dining, and that a private-pool or rooftop category is worth reconfirming before travel. The plan covers every buffet and a la carte meal, the snacks, premium international spirits, gratuities, a minibar with in-room liquor dispensers, 24-hour room service and Wi-Fi; the Miile Spa is extra, the airport shuttle is a surcharge on request, and the water sports list is worth confirming at booking. The Junior Suite is the value category and the Excellence Club beachfront honeymoon suite, two storeys with a rooftop terrace and a plunge pool, is the splurge. Anyone who wants a quiet pool or a swim that does not depend on the surf should compare the island's south coast.

Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres

Excellence Riviera Cancun

Excellence Riviera Cancun is an adults-only all-inclusive at Puerto Morelos, for couples who never want to make a dinner reservation. It is about 25 minutes from Cancun's airport, with 440 rooms, eleven restaurants, eleven bars and six meandering pools, and the eight gourmet restaurants seat you without a booking. Dress codes still apply, and the beach carries sargassum from April to August. Guests praise the service, the variety of the food, and the pools and the grounds. The complaints are the seaweed in season, the walking distances across those grounds, and rooms that feel dated in the older buildings. The thing worth knowing is that a beachfront room buys a view of the sargassum in season, and that no reservations does not mean no dress code. The plan covers the eight gourmet restaurants and the buffet with no reservations, unlimited premium and domestic spirits, all gratuities, a minibar restocked daily, 24-hour room service including drinks, Wi-Fi, the sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and snorkelling and an introductory scuba lesson, with unlimited lobster dinners printed on the card; the Miile Spa, the excursions, the motorised water sports and the airport transfer are extra. A swim-up suite away from the entertainment lawn is the room to ask for, and the Beachfront Suite is the one to weigh against the season. Families are not admitted, and anyone who wants a town at the gate should look at the Hotel Zone.