Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres Review: A New Adults-Only Escape Just North of Cancun
Mexico's Caribbean coast has no shortage of beautiful places to stay, but Cancun is still the one most people picture first. You get soft white sand, water in more shades of turquoise than seems reasonable, and beach weather almost any time of year.
Though Cancun comes to mind for many as the ultimate nightlife destination, there’s so much more to it. In fact, there are plenty of places that offer peace and quiet even amidst the city’s energy. One of these areas is Playa Mujeres. Just 10 kilometers north of Cancun, Playa Mujeres is an excellent getaway for anyone looking to escape the crowds. That’s also where you’ll find the newest addition to the Excellence Resorts collection.
I had an opportunity to tour Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres during my last trip to Cancun. What’s actually worth your time here, and who should book a stay? Here’s my honest review of Coral Playa Mujeres.
Quick Facts About Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres
Available to: Adults only.
Rooms: 503 suites across 18 categories, ranging from Junior Suites to 12 Imperial Suites.
Restaurants: 16, two of which belong to Excellence Club guests only.
Bars: 16, six of them exclusive to Excellence Club.
Pools: Seven, including an infinity pool, a rooftop pool, and four reserved for Excellence Club.
Location: Playa Mujeres – a gated community around 40 minutes from Cancun International Airport, and a world away from the Hotel Zone crowds.
When to go: December through April brings the warmest, driest weather. May and November are quieter if you'd rather have the pools to yourself.
Who is it best suited for: Couples, honeymooners, and anniversary trips, plus foodies, wine and spirits lovers, and anyone who plans a vacation around the spa!
Atmosphere
If you've been picturing a spring-break crowd, picture something else entirely. This is a grown-up resort, calm and polished – the kind of place where the loudest thing by the pool is the music in the background.
What struck me most was how much of Coral Playa Mujeres is built for relaxing and lingering. Seven pools mean you're never circling for a lounger, and you could sit somewhere different every day of your trip!
Accommodations
Coral Playa Mujeres offers 503 suites in 18 categories, which sounds overwhelming until you realize you'll really be choosing between three or four of them.
As I learned during my tour, the Junior Suite is one of the most popular choices, and it comes in Garden View or Pool View. At the other end are the Imperial Suites, there are only 12, so they book up early for honeymoons and anniversaries! One detail worth knowing whichever category you pick: every ground-floor suite has a private deck with direct access straight into the pool.
Want something more indulgent for your vacation? Consider upgrading to Excellence Club. What you’ll get is far more than just a nicer room.
Club guests stay in Buildings 5 and 6 and get two restaurants of their own, six exclusive bars, including the Whisper Bar, four private pools, two dedicated stretches of beach, a private lounge open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and L'Occitane toiletries in the bathroom (let’s be honest, these tiny details are what make the experience much nicer). There's a spa inclusion too, which I'll come back to.
The point is that Excellence Club doesn't simply upgrade where you sleep. It changes where you eat, drink, swim, and sit for the whole trip.
Restaurants and Bars
Sixteen restaurants is a lot of dinners! The delicious food at Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres is one of the reasons to choose the resort as your vacation destination. Here are some of the spots worth checking out.
Milo: Feasting on Mediterranean food may seem like a crime when in Mexico, but since it is so good here, you don’t have to feel guilty doing so! Milo is newer than the restaurants at other Excellence resorts, so even if you've stayed with the brand before, this one will be new to you.
Raíces: The one to book first. Raíces serves a nine-course Mexican tasting menu, reservations are required, however, dinner is included in your rate! Which is not something you can say about tasting menus at most resorts.
Chez Isabelle: A Classic French restaurant with a private dining room that seats up to 10 (lovely for a milestone anniversary or for a small group who'd rather not eat in the main room).
La Cava: The resort’s wine cellar that offers wine, mezcal, and tequila tastings (for an additional charge).
Kakao: Need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Head to Kakao, the resort’s chocolate boutique.
The Spa
Plenty of resorts in Mexico have a spa. Fewer of them have a spa that’s a destination in its own right. When you stay at Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres, you can experience what that feels like.
In fact, Miilé Spa is where you'll definitely want to spend your days (or at least a few of them). Its Aqua Wellness Hydrotherapy Circuit runs through a hydrotherapy pool with swan jets and high-pressure waterfalls, bubble massage beds, a temperature-contrast reflexology path, hot and cold plunge pools, a Swedish sauna, an ice treatment room, and three specialty showers – Sensations, Scottish, and Cuban.
What’s great, if you book a 75 or 100-minute massage, hydrotherapy comes included. Staying on Excellence Club? A session is already part of your stay.
Amenities and Experiences
With seven pools, you’ll never get bored of simply lying in the sun. The infinity pool, though, is the most impressive one, where you’ll want to shoot your vacation pics.
Fancy making a day of it? Private cabanas are available for an additional fee, and the rental comes with a bottle of champagne! If you're celebrating something, it's a lovely way to carve out a bit of privacy without going anywhere.
Prefer to keep busy? There's plenty here beyond the loungers featuring five pickleball courts, a tennis court, beach volleyball, archery, kayaks, paddleboards, sailing, and snorkeling gear. Golfers can play the Greg Norman-designed course at Playa Mujeres Golf Club next door, for an additional charge.
Weddings and Events
If you're dreaming of saying your "I do's" in Mexico, Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres is one of the most versatile wedding venues you'll find. The ballroom and the gazebo each hold up to 100 guests, you can say your vows on the beach for the same number, and there are smaller spaces for around 40.
You'll also find a bridal suite inside the spa for getting ready (charged by the hour, with a two-hour minimum), plus pool huts that can be rented for intimate gatherings of about 20.
Since there are so many gorgeous outdoor spaces, each with its own mood, it’s easy to find the one that matches your dream vibe.
Final Thoughts
Cancun is big, loud, and wonderful, and most people who go there spend the entire week in the middle of it. Staying at Excellence Coral means you get the Caribbean without the crowd that usually comes with it.
You can eat your way through 16 restaurants, or barely leave the spa, or do nothing more demanding than wander between the seven pools. You can book it as a wedding, as a honeymoon, or as a quiet week where your hardest decision is which cabana. Either way – you’re guaranteed to have a magical time!
Ready to see it for yourself? Get in touch with our expert planners at Travel Queen LLC, and we'll handle every detail: the suite category, whether Excellence Club is worth it for your trip, the dinner reservations, and the spa bookings. All you have to do is pack!
Check Out Our Other Luxury Travel Resources:
Comments