Photo: Excellence Playa Mujeres
If you are looking for the stress-free true getaway vacation solution, it is, drum roll please: ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORTS!
The Changing Face of the All-Inclusive Resort
The all-inclusive destination resorts started back in the 1950s as a way for vacationers to have their vacation amenities all rolled into one price. Not having to internally calculate every cocktail, meal, gratuity, and bill allows for guests to truly set and stick to a vacation budget and enjoy every moment in paradise.
The vacation model caught on, and almost 70 years later, the all-inclusive just keeps getting better. In fact, those who choose all-inclusive resorts often become lifetime advocates for this truly stress-free option.
Today, the old standards of subpar service, bland buffets, and watery cocktails have become things of the past, instead melding convenience with unparalleled service, gourmet culinary offerings, and artisanal cocktails. Even those pesky “extra charge” asterisks are becoming less and less common.
Excellence Group Luxury Hotels and Resorts, the acclaimed leaders and pioneers in the all-inclusive luxury field, have set a new standard for today’s resorts, proving that five-star service, exceptional cuisine, and all-inclusive do not have to be mutually exclusive terms.
The company owns and manages three brands with hotels and resort properties in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Riviera Maya and Cancun, Mexico; and soon to come, Oyster Bay, Jamaica.
Each of Excellence’s properties offers a higher staff-to-guest ratio, with the property’s Beloved Hotel in Mexico employing an incredible three staff members for every guestroom.
The properties have become renowned for offering a variety of international cuisines throughout each resort, with the various restaurants and outlets having the décor, atmosphere, service, and cuisine of stand-alone five-star restaurants.
The resorts offer an unparalleled range of full-service wellness treatments, fitness equipment, and spa facilities to address well-being on every level. Whether you’re on a quest for spiritual balance, a relaxing getaway, a makeover, or a tuneup for the body and mind, Excellence’s spa resort program will set you on a path to total wellness.
World-Class Dining Options
We’ve highlighted some of our favorite culinary offerings found across Excellence’s properties and our must-try dishes at each one.
Le Petit Plaisir at Finest Playa Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico
Le Petit Plaisir is an adults-only restaurant that delivers classic fare rooted in French tradition. The restaurant is one of the resort’s most popular options, offering a perfect romantic ambiance. The vibe of the restaurant is luxe, with a glass-encased wine wall, chic white décor, and a classic French menu. The property’s trained sommelier offers suggestions for wines and aperitifs to pair perfectly with the seasonal menu.
Our favorite dish: Tartare de boeuf aller-retour avec des pommes frites (raw beef tartare with French fries).
Photo: Lupita Beloved
Lupita at Beloved Hotel, Cancun, Mexico
For authentic yet elevated cuisine, Beloved offers a world-class offering with its onsite restaurant, Lupita. The restaurant brings the fresh and spicy flavors of Mexico with recipes inspired by traditional Mexican cuisine with an urban contemporary touch.
The innovative dishes are all based on traditional Mexican flavors, such as cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork typical of the Yucatan Peninsula) and chile en nogada (stuffed poblano chile peppers) and can be complemented Lupita’s extensive specialty Mexican wine list.
Mexican cuisine is so interwoven with the country’s centuries-old cultural traditions that it has received UNESCO status as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO stressed that the ingredients, the recipes, and food-related customs of Mexico embody “a complex cultural system of agricultural practices, traditions and symbolism imbued with religious meaning and steeped in ritual.”
Lupita Restaurant does just that and prepares a set menu every day that demonstrates Mexico’s traditional and exquisite cuisine with different ingredients and from different states.
Our favorite appetizer: Golden pan-fried cottage cheese “tacos.”
Entrée: Red “enchiladas” filled with chicken or birria of lamb served with handmade tortillas.
Dessert: Three-texture rice pudding or Jericalla.
Barcelona at Excellence Playa Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico
Experience the flavors of Spain at Barcelona, the onsite, casual-dress Mediterranean restaurant, which offers authentic paella, meats, fresh seafood, and tapas.
Delight in the fine cuisine of Spain and the Mediterranean. For dinner, the gourmet chef serves paella, veal, beef, seafood, and a variety of tapas dishes.
Our Favorite Dish: Mussels in saffron tomato sauce with linguine pasta, fresh garlic, and olive oil.
