Excellence, Secrets, or Riu Palace Mexico??

GoBlue2007 · 01-24-2007

hello to everyone...
Thank god I found this board... I can't take trying to plan a trip using Trip Advisor

Anyway, my fiance' and I are trying to plan our honeymoon for next October (8-15). Since neither of us have been to Playa Del Carmen, we really don't know what to expect. (i've been to Cancun (spring break) and Cozumel (on a cruise)), so I know what the weather is like, but as far as the Mayan Riviera goes... we're don't know what to expect.

We've been researching quite a bit and think we have narrowed down our choices to Excellence Riviera Cancun, Secrets Capri, or Riu Palace Mexico. We are a young couple (25 yrs old), so we are looking for somewhere that we will have fun and relax in peace if we want to. We already have plane tickets down to Cancun, so we're just looking for a AI Resort.

Some questions: Since we've never been to PDC or the ruins, are we going to regret staying at a resort thats so far north of PDC? What is the deal with the beaches at each resort... i thought I read there are no beaches North of PDC? Are we going to regret going to the Riu because its not adult only?

Excellence: Is it filled with all 50 yr old people who aren't even going to talk to us?

Secrets: I hear the whole place more or less shuts down at like 6:00 pm (pool and everything), is this true?

Riu: Can you really tell the difference between the hotels with the significant price drop that Riu has compared to the others? And do you feel crammed in because you are surrounded by many other resorts as compared to the other two?

Any suggestions to a young 25 year old couple about the area and the week we're going to stay there would be great. Also, if there are any other resorts within this range (we based our selections on Applevacations "6 golden apple" resorts) that you can suggest, we would really appreciate it.

Sorry for the long post... i'll shut up now.

JT37 · 01-24-2007

i can only speak to secrets and excellence. by the way they now have separate ownership. but have heard only good things. stayed at secrets last summer. all i can say is "suberb". they wait on u hand and foot. super for romance they cater to couples. 10 mins to playa. but the prices at secrets have really gone up this summer. we are looking at excellence. postives of secrets: no wristbands, all top shelf liquors, no restrictions on restaraunts or what you order or how many entrees. 24 hour "real" room service. we ordered two cheeseburgers and a sixpack at 3am once it was there in 30mins. no towel mess. anyway cant speak to the rpm but secrets is a little too high for us this summer. but it is nice to be pampered. feel free to message me for more info.

schmerl · 01-24-2007

You might want to look into the Royal Playa Del Carmen (formerly the Royal Porto Real). It's now adults only and is right in Playa del Carmen so you can just walk into town if you want to party into the wee hours.

swami · 01-24-2007

Their is a big difference between all of the Riu resorts. The Palace is most expensive and nicest. Resort is quiet at night like most of the ai. Go into town at night to party. The Riu Palace Mexico has a number of restaurants at night. Large Beach with beach bar and hammocks. No many kids at the Riu palace Mexico as it has no kid programs. All of the rooms are jr. suites. Tulum is only a 1 to 1 1/2 away. If you have any questions just ask me.

GO BEARS!

Lemarier · 01-25-2007

Hi

I have been to both Secrets Capri and Excellence - they are both WONDERFUL!!! Both resorts are full of couples, mostly honeymooners and those celebrating anniversaries - plenty of people your age don't worry. Both have great pools, swimup bars, and fun during the day. The food and service is the best - I have no complaints about either.

As far as nightlife, we would always go to the lobby bars before dinner (6:30 or 7:00) talk to people and have a few cocktails then go to dinner. By the time we got out we would either return to the lobby bar (tons of people here), hit one of the shows - or if we were in the mood to party cab to Playa where you will not be at a loss for nightlife.

We prefer Capri (returning in April for our 3rd time) because it is small, romantic and more intimate plus it is only a 10 min cab ride to Playa versus Ecellence which is 25 min.

If you have any specific questions feel free to email me.

Lindseyae · 01-25-2007

I agree to check out Royal Playa Del Carmen!

rainbow · 01-29-2007

...we've stayed at the riu palace mexico twice...both experiences were great...during those stays we found ourselves spending more time at the yucatan, and after the 2005 renovations, we decided to head back to the yucatan (we had stayed there in 2001)...we're staying at the yucatan this may because we like the "belly-up-to-the-bar" feel of the place, but the riu palace mexico is a wonderful resort...the nice thing about the rpm is the ability to enjoy the other riu's in pdc...each--the yucatan, playacar and tequila, and also the riu palace riviera maya--has its own unique character and charm...i'd stay at any of them in a heartbeat...

NoAngelx · 01-29-2007

I was at the Secrets Capri a few weeks ago and yes it is lovely, they make you feel very special by catering to your wishes, waiter service by the pool...etc etc.. BUT it was very quiet at night, and we found most people to be in their mid to late 30s and up...
In my opinion if you were to stay here you'd want to cab to town alot for the fun evenings....

Mrsfuzzmo · 01-30-2007

My sister and brother in law stayed at Secrets Capri and they loved it except that they said it all but shut down in the evenings. They said it was either Honeymooners or seniors there. Not much in the way of middle aged fun-timers, looking to have some fun in the evenings.

queencityfan · 01-30-2007

I have stayed at Secrets Capri, and yes we are 50 somethings, had a great time and we made friends of all ages and so did most of the youngins' (that would be the Honeymooners) We did spend several evenings in Playa exploring which has led us to our second trip there this year coming up soon.
That said I think you sound like you might want a bit more action at night so I would say check out the Royal Playa in town and for a different feel with a great beach and within walking distance and only some meals included check out Shangri La. You can use the search function on this board for lots of information on the big All Inclusives up and down the coast to the small family run boutique hotels right in the heart of Playa.

jobob · 01-30-2007

If I could find a Secrets for the price I pay for the Riu Palace Mexico I'd grab it in a second. And you can tell from my signature we like the RPM. Being a bit of distance from PDC wouldn't be a big concern as we generally only get into town about once a week even while at the RPM. When we go for a vacation it's to lie on the beach and be pampered.

01-24-2007	#1 (permalink)
GoBlue2007 sandflea Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3	Excellence, Secrets, or Riu Palace Mexico?? hello to everyone... Thank god I found this board... I can't take trying to plan a trip using Trip Advisor Anyway, my fiance' and I are trying to plan our honeymoon for next October (8-15). Since neither of us have been to Playa Del Carmen, we really don't know what to expect. (i've been to Cancun (spring break) and Cozumel (on a cruise)), so I know what the weather is like, but as far as the Mayan Riviera goes... we're don't know what to expect. We've been researching quite a bit and think we have narrowed down our choices to Excellence Riviera Cancun, Secrets Capri, or Riu Palace Mexico. We are a young couple (25 yrs old), so we are looking for somewhere that we will have fun and relax in peace if we want to. We already have plane tickets down to Cancun, so we're just looking for a AI Resort. Some questions: Since we've never been to PDC or the ruins, are we going to regret staying at a resort thats so far north of PDC? What is the deal with the beaches at each resort... i thought I read there are no beaches North of PDC? Are we going to regret going to the Riu because its not adult only? Excellence: Is it filled with all 50 yr old people who aren't even going to talk to us? Secrets: I hear the whole place more or less shuts down at like 6:00 pm (pool and everything), is this true? Riu: Can you really tell the difference between the hotels with the significant price drop that Riu has compared to the others? And do you feel crammed in because you are surrounded by many other resorts as compared to the other two? Any suggestions to a young 25 year old couple about the area and the week we're going to stay there would be great. Also, if there are any other resorts within this range (we based our selections on Applevacations "6 golden apple" resorts) that you can suggest, we would really appreciate it. Sorry for the long post... i'll shut up now.

01-24-2007	#4 (permalink)
swami way into it Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: chicago Posts: 154	Riu's Their is a big difference between all of the Riu resorts. The Palace is most expensive and nicest. Resort is quiet at night like most of the ai. Go into town at night to party. The Riu Palace Mexico has a number of restaurants at night. Large Beach with beach bar and hammocks. No many kids at the Riu palace Mexico as it has no kid programs. All of the rooms are jr. suites. Tulum is only a 1 to 1 1/2 away. If you have any questions just ask me. GO BEARS! Last edited by swami : 01-24-2007 at 03:15 PM.

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01-24-2007	#2 (permalink)
JT37 very sparkly Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 36	i can only speak to secrets and excellence. by the way they now have separate ownership. but have heard only good things. stayed at secrets last summer. all i can say is "suberb". they wait on u hand and foot. super for romance they cater to couples. 10 mins to playa. but the prices at secrets have really gone up this summer. we are looking at excellence. postives of secrets: no wristbands, all top shelf liquors, no restrictions on restaraunts or what you order or how many entrees. 24 hour "real" room service. we ordered two cheeseburgers and a sixpack at 3am once it was there in 30mins. no towel mess. anyway cant speak to the rpm but secrets is a little too high for us this summer. but it is nice to be pampered. feel free to message me for more info.

01-24-2007	#3 (permalink)
schmerl way into it Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PA Posts: 134	You might want to look into the Royal Playa Del Carmen (formerly the Royal Porto Real). It's now adults only and is right in Playa del Carmen so you can just walk into town if you want to party into the wee hours.

01-25-2007	#5 (permalink)
Lemarier very sparkly Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 35	Hi I have been to both Secrets Capri and Excellence - they are both WONDERFUL!!! Both resorts are full of couples, mostly honeymooners and those celebrating anniversaries - plenty of people your age don't worry. Both have great pools, swimup bars, and fun during the day. The food and service is the best - I have no complaints about either. As far as nightlife, we would always go to the lobby bars before dinner (6:30 or 7:00) talk to people and have a few cocktails then go to dinner. By the time we got out we would either return to the lobby bar (tons of people here), hit one of the shows - or if we were in the mood to party cab to Playa where you will not be at a loss for nightlife. We prefer Capri (returning in April for our 3rd time) because it is small, romantic and more intimate plus it is only a 10 min cab ride to Playa versus Ecellence which is 25 min. If you have any specific questions feel free to email me.

01-25-2007	#6 (permalink)
Lindseyae way into it Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iowa City, IA area Posts: 164	I agree to check out Royal Playa Del Carmen!

01-29-2007	#7 (permalink)
rainbow way into it Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 222	...we've stayed at the riu palace mexico twice...both experiences were great...during those stays we found ourselves spending more time at the yucatan, and after the 2005 renovations, we decided to head back to the yucatan (we had stayed there in 2001)...we're staying at the yucatan this may because we like the "belly-up-to-the-bar" feel of the place, but the riu palace mexico is a wonderful resort...the nice thing about the rpm is the ability to enjoy the other riu's in pdc...each--the yucatan, playacar and tequila, and also the riu palace riviera maya--has its own unique character and charm...i'd stay at any of them in a heartbeat...

01-29-2007	#8 (permalink)
NoAngelx añejo Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Edmonton CANADA Posts: 1,957	I was at the Secrets Capri a few weeks ago and yes it is lovely, they make you feel very special by catering to your wishes, waiter service by the pool...etc etc.. BUT it was very quiet at night, and we found most people to be in their mid to late 30s and up... In my opinion if you were to stay here you'd want to cab to town alot for the fun evenings....

01-30-2007	#9 (permalink)
Mrsfuzzmo life=playa Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Fredonia, WI Posts: 650	My sister and brother in law stayed at Secrets Capri and they loved it except that they said it all but shut down in the evenings. They said it was either Honeymooners or seniors there. Not much in the way of middle aged fun-timers, looking to have some fun in the evenings.

01-30-2007	#10 (permalink)
queencityfan añejo Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 1,690	I have stayed at Secrets Capri, and yes we are 50 somethings, had a great time and we made friends of all ages and so did most of the youngins' (that would be the Honeymooners) We did spend several evenings in Playa exploring which has led us to our second trip there this year coming up soon. That said I think you sound like you might want a bit more action at night so I would say check out the Royal Playa in town and for a different feel with a great beach and within walking distance and only some meals included check out Shangri La. You can use the search function on this board for lots of information on the big All Inclusives up and down the coast to the small family run boutique hotels right in the heart of Playa.

01-30-2007	#11 (permalink)
jobob life=playa Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: B.C., Canada EH! Posts: 570	If I could find a Secrets for the price I pay for the Riu Palace Mexico I'd grab it in a second. And you can tell from my signature we like the RPM. Being a bit of distance from PDC wouldn't be a big concern as we generally only get into town about once a week even while at the RPM. When we go for a vacation it's to lie on the beach and be pampered.

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