Cancun AI Resorts (Adults Only)
I often see people asking for resort recommendations. Here are mine.
If you want to avoid sargassum, Playa Mujeres, north of Cancun, has limited to no sargassum. The best resorts here are Atelier and Excellence. I heard Beloved is good too but I have only been to the first two mentioned.
Atelier Playa Mujeres
Atelier has the best beach service I’ve ever experienced. The attendants make sure you have the best beach chairs and set you up with plenty of towels. At other resorts this type of treatment is reserved when you purchase a membership. Not at Atelier. The food here is the best I’ve had. The only thing I would change is having a larger property and central square with a band. The golf course takes up a lot of real estate at this resort. You don’t do much walking. This might be a bonus if you want to hide from the sun and go from your room to the pool with an umbrella with limited exposure to sun. The other perk of Atelier is the sky bar. It is amazing to be on a rooftop bar and overlooking the ocean. They also hire a telescope handler with a large telescope for stargazing. When we went summer 2025 there was a moon rising that evening. I couldn’t believe what I observed in the horizon and then it was elevated with the telescope. Atelier age range is 20s to 50s. I’m a millennial and used to an older crowd. Atelier at times had a party vibe based on some younger guests. For the most part, the guests were great and we met some great couples. At check in, be careful of the concierge assigned to you. They will try to sell you their membership. Continue to say no. Unless you are interested.
Excellence Playa Mujeres
This property is beautiful. Lots of day and evening activities. True luxury experience. It has à la carte breakfast and lunch restaurants with delicious options. Most importantly, it has a central square with a live band. The vocalists and musicians are exceptional. We often enjoyed the band before or after dinner. It was great to listen to good music, dance, and of course people watch. We also loved the pickleball tournament. We had not played previously played, but that didn’t matter. We did fairly well because of tennis experience. The bike tour in the morning was amazing. I don’t want to spoil any of it, but I promise you will enjoy it. Make sure you bring bug spray. This is the only time we experienced mosquitoes, because we left the property briefly. The restaurants here are amazing and we loved our room. We chose the most basic room which was luxurious. The airport transfer with a luxury SUV was included.
Valentin Imperial Riveria Maya
This is the most important resort to us. It is massive and you will love the walking. For dinner you can call a golf cart to drive you to restaurant. I enjoyed the beautiful walk home with what seemed like a fairy forest with the twinkling lights adorned on the path home to our room. Our room was Emerald. It’s ocean front and worth every cent. You can find deals sometimes for the Emerald room. The food here is amazing and the entertainment is exceptional. The fire show is the best I’ve seen. The staff are so nice and welcoming. This resort has a central square with a band that includes vocalists and musicians. It was nice listening to the band before and after dinner.
Lastly, please bring tips to thank the staff. You can order Pesos with your bank in small currency denominations. I usually factor in shuttle driver there and back, bellboy, maid for room, restaurants and staff that went above and beyond during activities or beach/pool service. I used to work in restaurants, so I’m partial to tipping. Totally understand that not everyone is like me.