Finest Playa Mujeres

My family has booked 13 vacations with the Excellence Collection—11 at Excellence Playa Mujeres and 2 at Finest Playa Mujeres. We’ve also booked one stay at each resort for my parents because we’ve had so much confidence in the brand over the years. We are not difficult guests, and we truly don’t ask for much. We didn’t expect Finest to be exactly like Excellence, nor did we expect special treatment because of our loyalty. What we did expect was the same level of hospitality and service that impressed us during our very first Excellence vacation. Unfortunately, that simply wasn’t our experience. Arrival Our first impression wasn’t a good one. The Finest Club check-in area was loud, chaotic, and overwhelming. We weren’t greeted, weren’t offered welcome drinks, and when we simply asked for a bottle of water after traveling, we were told to walk out to one of the bars to get it ourselves. It wasn’t the warm welcome we’ve come to associate with the Excellence Collection. Guest Services On our first day, Marcus, one of the Guest Services Managers, introduced himself and gave us his WhatsApp contact information. We appreciated having a point of contact, but throughout the week responses were slow, and at times we didn’t receive a response at all. It wasn’t until our second-to-last evening that Marcus came to check on how our stay was going. We explained one of our frustrations: our minibar had not been restocked in two days, and our oldest son had been sick. We had called Room Service to ask for bottled water and were told no. We then contacted the concierge, who was able to help. After hearing our concerns, Marcus made a call, and later that afternoon eight bottles of water were delivered to our room, which we appreciated. However, after dinner that evening we returned to find an entire case of bottled water—with two bottles already missing—sitting on our counter. While the intention may have been to make sure we had enough water, it felt excessive and came across as passive-aggressive rather than thoughtful service. Beyond that, Guest Services wasn’t able to assist much with our other requests. When we asked about restaurant reservations, we were directed somewhere else, or ultimately handled everything ourselves. (I understand reservations our a perk not an expectation but don’t offer if you can’t deliver) What stood out most throughout the week was how often the answer was simply “no.” We weren’t asking for upgrades or special treatment—just basic requests that, in our experience with the Excellence Collection, had never been an issue before. Room The room itself was very nice, and housekeeping did a great job throughout our stay. Our only complaint was the minibar service, which was inconsistent and frequently understocked. Dining The food overall was good, but the dining experience lacked the attention to detail we’ve experienced at other Excellence Collection resorts. Nearly every meal arrived all at once, or scattered with appetizers and entrees coming together rather than being properly coursed. As parents, if kids meals came first we’d understand that but that was not the inconsistency. Ironically, the best meal and service of our entire vacation was the evening the adults visited Excellence Playa Mujeres. The difference in service was immediately noticeable and reminded us why we’ve returned there so many times over the years. Outstanding Employees A few employees truly stood out and deserve recognition. Angel was the highlight of our stay. As the beach concierge, he consistently went above and beyond. By coincidence, we also had Angel a server at Duke’s on our final day, where we finally experienced a properly coursed meal. His attentiveness, professionalism, and genuine hospitality embodied everything we’ve come to expect from the Excellence Collection. Freddy and Freddy at Las Dunas and during breakfast service were both excellent, and Wilbert at the lobby bar consistently provided friendly, attentive service. These employees were the bright spots of our vacation. Kids Club The Kids Club is a nice amenity, but we felt there was very little geared toward pre-teens. Better communication about activities and age groups would also help families make better use of it. Departure The day before we left, we stopped by the Finest Club desk to ask if our luggage could be picked up at 8:00 a.m. Instead of simply helping us, there was unnecessary back-and-forth about our departure plans. It was an odd interaction over what seemed like a simple request. When we checked out the following morning, we were told someone from management would come speak with us before we left however we were in the lobby for almost an hour while waiting for our transport and never saw anyone. Again something else we didn’t expect but yet was undelivered. Final Thoughts This is a difficult review to write because we’ve been loyal Excellence Collection guests for years. We’ve trusted this brand enough to book 13 vacations and even recommend it to our family. We know how exceptional the Excellence Collection can be because we’ve experienced it time and time again. Finest Playa Mujeres is a beautiful resort with several outstanding employees, but the overall hospitality, communication, and attention to detail fell well below the standard we’ve come to expect. We’ll continue our loyalty to Excellence Playa Mujeres, but unfortunately we won’t be returning to Finest Playa Mujeres. There are too many great family resorts available to justify another visit after this experience.

So clean. The staff were so kind and fun. I would 10/10 come back. Best all inclusive I have ever been at

Food quality, taste and dish selections has declined from our previous visits. Need better service at Spas.

Amazing family-friendly destination! We came here with a large family group, ages 4 to 84, and everyone had a blast! The staff were incredible and the place seemed very well designed and managed to ensure a great experience for kids of all ages and for families while also maximizing enjoyment for adult guests without young kids in tow. The balance of all-ages, adults-only, and kiddo-centric spaces and activities was just right for everyone to have an amazing time. The lifeguards at kiddo splash pads seemed exceptionally capable and well trained- it was immediately noticeable and appreciated. These were not groggy teens with faded foam flotation buoys (like I was many years ago), they all appeared to be alert and trained professionals who (mostly) looked like they could run and swim forever. One cousin in our party got a bee sting, and the lifeguard expertly removed the stinger and applied tincture of benzoin to ease the discomfort while joking and cheering the kid up at the same time - I was impressed. While parents are of course present to watch their own kids, I was grateful for the professionalism of every member of the resort staff. Almost all staff were bilingual, superlatively capable, and both friendly and efficient. While the resort is not much of a cultural experience (can't be all things to all people), they do an unparalleled job of delivering a safe, fun, and care-free experience to the wide variety of families, couples, wedding parties, and other groups present. If an all-inclusive resort experience is what you are looking for (not everyone's choice, to be sure!), it would be hard to imagine a better-run and more relaxing option than this place. Honestly, the only thing that could make this place better is if they somehow found a way to offset the environmental impact of the whole vacation industrial complex (which is not their job, necessarily, but would certainly be a welcome effort!). That said, if one is planning to vacation at industrial scale with kiddos and adults of all ages, this is a great spot to do it!

Had an amazing time. but the place needs some policy upgrades. Goods:- We stayed at the finest club. Room was great, clean, and fully stacked when you check in. Beach is few steps away, you can hear the parties at night, but not to the level of annoyance. Many different restaurants, and great kids club area Needs improvements:- Front desk and concierge are a bit cold, they dont seem to be very happy to be there. Food is bland, not so great, not so bad, but some of the dishes are just not a good combination in my opinion Either book Spa before you come in, or you have to go to the club house desk to book, and those guys are not the friendliest, its like they just want to get it over with. The bad:- Beach Chair hogging !! At the beach, if you are not at the beach at 7:30, you will not get a good seat, you will sit at the very back or no chair at all. Guests wake up, go hog chairs at the front, and then leave. You come in at 9, and they will tell you all chairs in the first 4 rows are reserved, but no one is sitting there and no one is in water. the policy is, reserve a chair and they will hold it for you for a couple of hours, you come back, and the 2 hours reset so they go and come back through out the day so you are out of luck on that day. Unfortunately the check out was not so great. I visit many 5 star hotels and resorts and when you have a ride scheduled, any respectable establishment usually have the front desk inform the guest that their ride has arrived. but not for this resort. Apparently If your not waiting in your little corner at the front gate as if I am in time out, the ride will come and leave without you ever knowing. So I missed my ride, and then they called a taxi for me and the car that came didn't even fit us. The resort failed to ask for a taxi that fits 3 people with 2 large bags, and a stroller.