One thing about me? I love a good all-inclusive vacation. It’s not the best way to see a country, but sometimes you just need to rot by the pool with a rum punch in hand. I’ve found myself in Mexico a lot in the past two years, and I’ve had the opportunity to stay at three resorts: Excellence Playa Mujeres, Unico 20º87º, and Atelier Playa Mujeres. I liked them for different reasons and wanted to do a comparison post.
Food
Growing up, my family and I visited all-inclusive resorts where the food just wasn’t it. I remember living off of French fries at a Jamaican hotel because there wasn’t much else that tasted good.
These days, food is a huge priority for me when I’m booking a vacation — which is how I found Unico 20°87°. The food was unreal. Several meals were better than food at our favorite restaurants here in the States. It loses a half-star for having fewer restaurants than other properties. 4.5/5
Atelier Playa Mujeres also had a great food scene. I was impressed by the hotel’s many restaurants — there was seafood, pasta, pizza, sushi, Mexican, steak, and more. The food was on par with Unico, and some meals were better. I preferred the breakfast offerings at Atelier. 5/5
I visited Excellence Playa Mujeres on a girls’ trip and had a great time, but the food wasn’t a highlight. It’s about on par with standard all-inclusive fare, and I had no meals that were true standouts for me. I will say that the drinks were great, and I was impressed with the bar menu. Still, it is not a winner for me in this category. 3.5/5
Nightlife
Unico is not the resort for you if you’re into partying — at least when we were there. The vibe was quiet and subdued compared to other hotels I’ve been to, so you’d have to leave the property if you wanted to dance the night away. You could always spend time at one of the hotel’s bars or the club, but both got quiet after 10 p.m. 2/5
It’s hard for me to rank Atelier’s nightlife because I’m not sure whether we just visited during an unlucky time. There was a club with a dance floor, but it was empty whenever we checked it out. I didn’t want to be the only person out there, so we spent time at the rooftop bar instead. 3/5
Excellence is, by far, the winner in this category. We saw more than one bachelorette party, which makes sense because of how fun the vibe was. There is nightly entertainment, including a somewhat risqué burlesque show, and a DJ turns the resort’s sports bar into a dance floor at 11 p.m. 5/5
Accommodations
I spend a lot of time in the room on vacation. I like the beach, but I like air conditioning even more. I’ve learned to appreciate a beautiful hotel room, so I saved the most crucial section for last. Both Unico (5/5) and Atelier (5/5) wowed me with the suites we were in. The above picture is of our bathroom at Atelier, one of the nicest hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. The photo below is a shot of the balcony at Unico.
In contrast, the room at Excellence Playa Mujeres didn’t impress me very much. It was a pretty basic room, but the bathroom door had gaps on the top and bottom, and there was a window in the shower — so if you value privacy, you might be stressed. (Ask me how I know.) I’d give it a solid 3/5.
Based on the total score, Atelier is the winner, but I don’t think you can go wrong with Unico. I probably won’t return to Excellence Playa Mujeres, but it’s a great resort to have a good time and meet people.
wonderful post.