If you’re looking for an adults-only all-inclusive resort in Riviera Maya, Excellence Riviera Cancun is one of the best options. I stayed here twice for a total of nine nights, giving me plenty of time to experience the restaurants, pools, entertainment, spa, and different room types.
The Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort in Mexico is adults-only, meaning 18 and up. However, they do have other resorts in their collection that are specifically for couples or families.
In this Excellence Riviera Cancun review, I’ll cover everything you need to know before booking, including the rooms, food, beach, pools, service, entertainment, and whether I think it’s worth the price.
Published: June 29, 2026
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Excellence Riviera Cancun Overview
| ⭐ Best for | Couples, honeymooners, adults wanting a relaxing vacation |
| 📍 Location | Riviera Maya, about 20 minutes from Cancun Airport |
| 🍴 Restaurants | 11 restaurants plus room service |
| 🍹 Bars | Multiple bars including swim-up bars and coffee shop |
| 🏖️ Beach | Nice beach, but seaweed can be an issue depending on season |
| 🏊 Pools | Multiple pools, lazy river, swim-up suites |
| 🚫 Kids | Adults only (18+) |
| 💰 Price | $$$ |
| ⭐ My Rating | 9.5/10 |
*I am not covering the Excellence Club in this review. The Excellence Club is an extra cost you can pay for access to an additional pool, an additional bar, and a few more amenities. I did not use the Excellence Club when I visited, and I do not think it would be necessary for me given all the other amenities at the resort.
Who Should Stay at Excellence Riviera Cancun?
Excellence Riviera Cancun is one of the best adults-only all-inclusive resorts in Riviera Maya if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation with great service, excellent food, and plenty of included amenities.
This resort is a great choice if you:
- Want an adults-only, all-inclusive resort
- Are celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or special occasion
- Love relaxing by the pool with drink service
- Want a wide variety of restaurants without making reservations
- Prefer staying at the resort instead of taking daily excursions
- Enjoy evening entertainment without an all-night party atmosphere
You may want to consider another resort if you:
- Want a beach with consistently clear water and little seaweed
- Plan to spend most of your vacation exploring Cancun or Playa del Carmen
- Prefer a lively party resort with late-night nightlife
- Are traveling with children
Restaurants & Food at Excellence Riviera Cancun
The food was one of my favorite parts of staying at Excellence Riviera Cancun. With 11 restaurants serving everything from Mexican and Italian to French, Indian, and Asian cuisine, there was plenty of variety throughout my stay. Since no reservations are required, you can simply choose where you want to eat each day.
They are open at various times of the day for different meals, between 7 A.M. for breakfast and until close to midnight for late-night bar food. One or two restaurants are closed each night, but you will not even notice since there are so many. If there is a particular restaurant that you want to try, plan, so you do not go on the night that they close.
There is rarely, if ever, a wait for breakfast or lunch seating which is great to get in, eat, and enjoy your day. At night, dinner seating is first-come, first-serve, so you will need to arrive within the first hour or so of opening if you do not want to wait. Otherwise, there will be a wait, generally somewhere between twenty minutes to an hour. One night the wait was more than an hour, and by the time we got our food, we were starving after barely eating lunch, so plan ahead.
Here is the list of restaurants and the type of food that they serve:
Excellence Riviera Cancun Restaurant List
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Meals | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Kitchen Table | Buffet | Breakfast | Largest breakfast selection |
| The Grill | Pizza, Steak, Burgers | Lunch & Dinner | Casual meals and burgers |
| The Lobster House | Seafood | Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner | Seafood and oceanfront dining |
| Oregano | Italian | Dinner | Italian favorites |
| Spice | Asian | Dinner | Sushi and Asian dishes |
| Chez Isabelle | French | Dinner | Romantic dinners |
| Sports Bar | American | Dinner | Wings, burgers, and late-night bites |
| Flavor Market | Spanish | Dinner | Tapas and small plates |
| Agave | Mexican | Dinner | Traditional Mexican cuisine |
| Basmati | Indian | Dinner | Indian specialties |
| Las Olas | Snacks & Sandwiches | Lunch | Quick poolside lunch |
One downside of the food here is that there is not a “Grab & Go” place. You can get room service sent to your room 24/7, but it typically takes 45 minutes to arrive. So if you are out at the beach or a pool, you will need to wait for a waiter to take your order. Otherwise, you have to dress up to eat in at one of the restaurants.
Good to Know: Dinner dress codes are enforced. Men need long pants for most indoor restaurants, while women should wear dresses, skirts, or nice tops. Pack at least one nicer outfit so you don’t miss out on any restaurants.
The food is excellent, and I love the variety. If you stay for less than one week, you might not be able to try all the restaurants, but that is good if you like to try new foods and cuisines!
Bars at Excellence Riviera Cancun
There are multiple bars at the resort that operate all day long. The bars near the pools specialize in frozen, fruity drinks. Inside the main lobby is a martini bar that is open from morning to night.
Another nighttime bar is right by the theater and the plaza where all of the entertainment occurs. Also, there is a coffee bar inside the lobby with handmade espresso drinks, frozen drinks, and pastries.
If you are sitting at the beach or any of the pools, some waiters will come around and take your drink order so you do not have to walk to a bar yourself, although it may be faster if you do. There is also staff near the theater and plaza at night to take drink orders while you enjoy the nightly entertainment.
Whether you need a coffee, a Pina Colada, or something stronger, you can always find an open bar at the resort.
Do you wish you were floating in the pool with a drink in your hand? Book Now!
| Bar | Best For |
|---|---|
| Martini | Pre-dinner cocktails |
| Sports Bar | Watching games and late-night drinks |
| Lobby Bar | Evening cocktails and live music |
| Swim-Up Bars | Drinks without leaving the pool |
| Magna Club Lounge (if applicable) | Excellence Club guests |
| Café/Kafe | Coffee and pastries |
The Beach
The beach is the worst part of the whole place, but only because of the seaweed. As mentioned above, I have visited the resort in mid-October and late May. In October, we arrived one week after a hurricane hit the area. The seaweed on the beach was noticeable, but workers were clearing it out, and once you walked into the water, it was not bad at all. We spent over a day and a half on the beach with no problems.
In May, the seaweed was… horrible!!! There were piles of it lining the entire beach, and the smell was noticeable as soon as you were on the sand. Understandably, no one was in the water, and barely anyone was even on the beach. We spent a morning on the beach watching the sunrise, and that was it.
If you are a beach person, I would highly recommend choosing somewhere else, as the beach here is terrible. It may depend on when you visit, but if you do not want to risk not being able to swim or comfortably be on the beach, look elsewhere.
Excellence Riviera Cancun Pools
The resort has multiple pools, and all of them are a bit different. The main pool is where the swim-up bar Blue is. This is the most popular pool, especially in the afternoon. If you want chairs next to the pool, you will need to arrive early to save a seat (like, before 8 A.M. early if you want a shaded seat)
Next to the main pool is another pool near the open bars, but it is not as busy. This pool is nice if you want to be near the daytime bars and restaurants but cannot find a seat at the main pool or want something quieter.
Across from the two main pools in the center of the resort is a lazy river pool. This river is surrounded by most of the suites, and in the center of the river is the spa. This pool also gets busy during the day.
Aside from these three pools, the others are quieter pools where you can easily find a seat at any time. These pools are near the edge of the resort, opposite the restaurants and main pool.
The resort has rafts that you can borrow daily on a first-come, first-serve basis. They are located in little huts near each pool, and they go fast, so get one early if you like to float.
There is also a private pool for Excellence Club members.
If you want to have a pool right outside of your room, read more about the highly recommended swim-up suites next!
Rooms: Swim-Up Suites & More
The rooms are very spacious, and there are multiple options for rooms, including honeymoon suites, rooftop suites, and swim-up suites. I stayed in the swim-up suites both times I visited, and I would highly recommend spending a little more to get one of these rooms.
The junior suites all have a balcony, and the swim-up suites have a deck/patio with a pool off the deck. All the suites have walls or bushes up for privacy from your neighbors.
The first time I stayed, I was in Building 6, and the pool was secluded and quiet. On the second visit, I was in Building 1 next to the popular lazy river. Both had pros and cons, but you can go to any pool in the resort at any time if you need a change from your nearest pool.
If you want the convenience of a pool outside your room and know you would prefer something busier or quieter, make sure to request it when you book. Also, the swim-up suites have a deck outside, and some have more shade or more sun than others, so make sure to request this too if you have a preference.
Check out all the room options here:
Here are some pictures of the room I stayed in:
The Resort Staff
The staff at Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort in Mexico are the best. Seriously, THE BEST!!! They make the resort such an enjoyable place, and they work their butts off 24/7 to make sure everyone has a perfect experience. From the moment you arrive at the resort to your unfortunate departure, the staff will make sure you are cared for with everything you need and more. All of the staff speak English, the language spoken by nearly all guests, but they will gladly speak Spanish with you, which I love as I am trying to learn.
Entertainment & Activities
There is entertainment all day and night at Excellence Riviera Cancun. The day usually starts at 8:30 A.M. with yoga and ends between 10 P.M. and midnight with a band or a dance party.
Daytime Activities
The activities during the day include water dancing, beach and pool volleyball, poolside bingo, and more. All of the activities and shows are included in your stay, and most of them happen near the poolside bar or beach, so they are easy to find.
The daily activities are very similar each day, so they get redundant after a few days here. You can also participate in water activities like kayaking, paddle boarding, scuba diving, or swimming with dolphins, although some of these activities cost an extra fee.
Nightime Entertainment
At night, there is a huge variety of shows and bands throughout the week. Each night usually includes a band or two and a show. The shows cover everything from dancing, aerobatics, and even a fire show. There are also a few nights with karaoke and Silent Parties – dance parties where everyone has headphones on, and you can choose your music. I live for the silent parties!!
The seats for the nighttime entertainment do fill up, especially for the fire show and the Silent Party (there is a limited number of headphones), so if you know you want to see something, plan to get there early.
The nighttime activities rotate each week, so unless you are there for more than seven nights, you will not see any repeats except for the Silent Party, which typically occurs twice during the week.
I like nighttime entertainment for a day or two, then I get bored and wish more of it was more interactive or upbeat. The bands and shows are good, but watching other people perform for over three hours each night gets old. But, if you enjoy chill, lowkey nights, the entertainment will be perfect for you.
Do you need a relaxing vacation? Book your trip now:
Excellence Riviera Cancun Miile Spa
I love the spa here so much. I never get massages or facials at home, so it is a fun addition to my vacation. You can get a decent discount if you book your treatment before you arrive at the resort. All of the spa staff are so kind and calm, making sure you have a great, comfortable experience.
The spa also offers hydrotherapy that is included with most spa treatments or can be purchased independently. With hydrotherapy, you go to different pools, saunas, and steam rooms on a twenty-minute circuit to loosen your muscles before your treatment.
The Verdict: Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort in Mexico is the Best!
If you are looking for more of a “party resort” or want to be closer to the bars and restaurants in Cancun, you will want to find something closer to the Hotel Zone.
If you are a huge beach person, I would find a different area with less seaweed on the beach.
Otherwise, Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort in Mexico is the best place to go for your next vacation!
If you want a relaxing vacation where you do not have to do anything, this is the perfect place for you! With the extensive number of bars, restaurants, and activities, you do not need to leave the resort at all during your visit. The staff are the best and will take care of anything and everything you need.
You can learn more and book your trip here:
Looking for more great summer destinations? Read about some of my favorites!
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