This was my first visit to Mexico and I was extremely excited to be going.
We flew with Thomson, and upgraded to premium seats. This was definitely worth the money as the seats were much larger and comfier for the longer flight; the staff were really friendly and did everything possible to make the flight enjoyable and relaxing. Another great thing about premium seats was the fact that your drinks were included during the flight there was a wonderful range of films to watch both there and on the return flight.
El Dorado Royale
We arrived at the El Dorado Royale on Monday 2nd August, to a wonderful and warm welcome in their spacious and beautifully decorated lobby.
After a fast and efficient check in we were given a tour of the resort, by one of the hotel staff on a golf buggy. The complex was large and I enjoyed this because it gave us the opportunity to walk around as I sometimes find it difficult to lie in the sun. The golf buggies were a great feature also, as they took you all the way around the resort, and you could just hop on them at pretty much anytime.
After the tour of the complex we were shown to our room, which was on the west side of the resort. Our suite was spacious, with wonderful views of the sea, I woke up one morning and sat on the balcony and watched the sun rise, and it was great to wake up to the sound of the waves in the morning. The room also contained a large plasma screen TV, a daily restocked mini bar and a Jacuzzi!
Our first night we chose to eat in the room selecting from the free 24-hour room service, which was, could be viewed using the TV; this was great and included a variety of different food including a large selection of authentic Mexican food.
Most of our days were spent lounging around the pools, the pool that we used most during our stay which was the Fuentes pool, this was one of the main pools which had entertainment on during the day, such as music quizzes, water polo and various other games to participate in. The staff around the pool were always willing to go out of their way to make you feel comfortable, offering to bring you drinks.
The beach was also great here, it was nice to lounge on the large beach beds, and the sea was great for snorkelling, we spotted several different varieties of fish.
My favourite restaurant during our stay was the Italian we ate there twice during our time there, the quality of the food was fantastic and they definitely live up to their gourmet inclusive status.
During the day the Cabana restaurant offered a relaxed atmosphere offering pizza, sandwiches and various other food, which was great when you wanted a more casual poolside lunch. Also the health Bar provided great lighter options for lunch. Along with several different smoothie combinations, and mango ice cream which I really liked. It was close to the beach and shaded and there was a lovely sea breeze.
The entertainment at night in resort was fantastic; my favourite show was the fire show, on the beach, which was great to watch and there was a really good atmosphere. Every night there was a local live band on which I really enjoyed.
Excellence Playa Mujeres Holiday
The Excellence Playa Mujeres was the 2nd resort that we went to during our stay in Mexico.
When arriving we were greeted with champagne and a cold towel. Our bags were taken straight to our room and we got taken to the Excellence Club Lounge for our own private check in. The Excellence Lounge was fantastic, this was also great if you wanted a light lunch or wanted to get out of the sun, as they had canapés, salads and hot snacks, which were different everyday and changed regularly. There was also a TV with remote so you sit down and watch the TV. Free Internet access was also provided which was great for keeping up to date with my emails.
We stayed in an Excellence Club Junior Suite Ocean Front room. The room itself was amazing and had great sea views.
The bathroom had a large walk in shower and double washbasins and upgraded Bvlgari toiletries. The Jacuzzi in the room was also large and there was access to it from both the balcony and the room. There was also a 42″ TV in the room, with a DVD player, you could rent DVD’s from the hotel, which was great, if you fancied a quiet night in. There was also a balcony which had a large bed and lounge furniture, which on a few occasions I sat out and read my book, along with using my partners laptop, as the room had free high speed internet.
Another great touch was the Excellence Newsletter that showed the events of the next day, along with daily weather updates. Which allowed you to plan your days with ease. There was also a great range of activities for you to do throughout the day, such as bike rides, kayak tour and wind surfing lessons.
The food at the restaurants was fantastic, my favourite place to eat was the Asian restaurant Spice, as the food was really authentic, and the restaurant was decorated stylishly. The waiters even showed you how to use chopsticks. The grill was also great as it was shaded and outside, and had a really relaxed atmosphere; we went here for lunch and dinner during our stay, both of which were wonderful meals.
It was great how no reservations were needed for the restaurants and the dining times were really flexible, especially the Flavour Market (Tapas) which was open until midnight on several nights during our stay.
The pools were also fantastic, there was always plenty of space in and around the pools and we managed to get sun beds and towels everyday, we mainly stayed around the pool by the Excellence Lounge as we found this really convenient. The pool waiters always came by to see if you needed any drinks and were extremely friendly.
The entertainment at the hotel was exceptional. The Mexican show was great, it was accompanied by a Mexican themed meal and a mariachi band playing around the table, which I thought, was a wonderful touch and really gave you a feel for the country. The entertainment hall was great, and the staff were always coming round to offer you drinks.
Jungle Tour
We went on this trip during our stay at the Excellence. We booked this whilst in resort, and the staff was really helpful, showing us pictures and giving us really detailed information about the trip.
The trip itself ran 3 times throughout the day we choose to go at 11:00am as this got us back to the resort at 4:00pm, the transfers arranged by the hotel were also great really friendly and efficient.
The trip took place at Aqua world, you were given a jet ski to share, we were guided across the sea and through the mangroves towards a protected snorkelling reef, where we were snorkelling for around 45 minutes and headed back on the jet skis.
Definitely worth trying, this was a great trip for me as I love snorkelling and I had never been on a jet ski before, I found this great opportunity and it was really fun.
find out more about Excellence Playa Mujeres & El Dorado Royale
at Caribbean Warehouse
