Is Excellence Club Worth It? A First-Hand Review From Excellence Oyster Bay
Our customer Debbie recently returned from an upgraded stay in an Excellence Collection resort. So we asked her the big question: Is Excellence Club worth it?
It’s well-documented that The Excellence Collection offers some of the leading resorts in the Caribbean. Upgrading to their exclusive upgrade service “Excellence Club” comes with a raft of additional benefits. But it does also come at an extra cost.
So, is Excellence Club worth it?
We believe that it absolutely is! But our answer may be considered biased or influenced as we love everything about The Excellence Collection.
That’s what we asked one of our Blue Bay Travel customers, Debbie, what she thought instead – to try and get a more rounded analysis.
Blue Bay customer Debbie Lloyd is a nurse with plenty of Excellence Collection experience and she’s recently got back from Excellence Oyster Bay in Jamaica. What a stroke of luck!
Let’s see what she thought!
What is Excellence Club?
Before we get into Debbie’s findings we should probably give you more of an overview of the Excellence Club and what’s involved. That way you can start deciding whether it’s worth it or not.
Excellence Club is the name given to upgraded service at Excellence Collection Resorts. You can pay extra on your break to be elevated to Club standard.
Once you’re in the Club you’ll have access to a range of added benefits during your break. Those bonus inclusions range from private check-in and check-out services and express room service, through to Bvlgari toiletries and branded merch.
But the question many are asking is – are all these upgrades worth the cost?
Over to Debbie to find out more.
Over to Debbie
Before we talk Excellence Club, we need to talk about Mobay Club. After booking premium flights from Manchester to Montego Bay we decided to upgrade our arrival too.
The flight was great and because we’d booked Mobay Club we were met directly off the plane. Our documentation was checked and we were guided through separate channels to immigration and customs.
For us, this was perfect as the airport was really busy but we skipped all the long queues & crowds. We were then sat in the lounge, offered a drink and snacks, while our rep went to find our transfer. Staff were busy cleaning tables as soon as they became empty but always on hand to offer extra drinks and snacks if needed.
Our private transfer was booked through Blue Bay, the vehicle was clean and the driver was polite and friendly, providing us with lots of information along the 45 minute drive to the resort.
What’s it Like Entering an Excellence Collection Resort as an Excellence Club Member?
On arrival, we were welcomed with a lovely glass of champagne and a cold facecloth. We were met at the front door by Tudeann, the Guest Service Manager, and Antonio the new General Manager. We’d met Tudeann on a previous visit back in 2019, so it was lovely to have such a personalised welcome.
Tudeann even confirmed that the special requests I’d made back in 2019, like coffee and mimosas in the morning and a bottle of fizz in the afternoon to enjoy in our plunge pool, had been carried forward to this visit which I was amazed at.
Greetings done, we were whisked off by golf cart to the Excellence Lounge located at Magna (one of two exclusive Excellence Club bars and restaurants) for check-in. I’d completed the online check-in via the app before we left home so this literally took minutes.
Another great new addition we noticed was the new Caribbean Grove restaurant and Jerk Hut, both are not to be missed. There’s amazing food available from both, especially the cocktails and delicious rum cake at the Grove.
Are The Upgraded Rooms Better?
We stayed in an Excellence Club Beach House Suite with Plunge Pool Ocean Front. Facing directly on to the beach featuring amazing, unobstructed ocean views.
But, away from the views, it was also well equipped with a stocked bar and plenty of lovely Bvlgari toiletries. As returning guests, we also received a welcome card and personalised gifts which were really appreciated, along with a lovely exotic floral arrangement.
We are both beach bums so we spent most of our time on the loungers located on the sand in front of our beach house. It was quiet and secluded, but we still received excellent service from the staff based at the Excellence Club Beach Bar.
The beach is beautiful and well-maintained by an external company that manages it alongside the resort gardens and foliage. The water is crystal clear and calm, so sitting on the edge of the shoreline watching little fish swimming around you is a true paradise.
In a nutshell, is Excellence Club worth it?
Yes. But it’s mainly because of how amazing the staff are.
They genuinely want nothing more than to make you feel happy and welcome. We caught up with several staff members we’d met in 2019 and it was lovely that they remembered us and wanted to introduce us to all of the new recruits. One was Aletta, the Excellence Club beach concierge who was truly wonderful and she couldn’t do enough for us, we really felt like VIPs.
We noticed some little ‘extras’ that we usually associate with more established resorts, such as staff wanting to interact more with guests, snack boxes offered at lunchtime and the lovely personalised messages and floral arrangements on our towels.
Other big bonuses to the Excellence Club offering at Oyster Bay in particular were exclusive access to members-only beach and pool areas. Not to mention the service at club bars and restaurants like Magna, Zenith and Cielo. Generally Excellence Club members only have access to one exclusive restaurant, but here you got so much more for your upgrade.
Experience the Excellence Club at the Brand-New Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres
The Excellence Club is available across all Excellence Collection resorts in the Caribbean, so you could follow in Debbie’s footsteps and experience everything she did at Excellence Oyster Bay. Or from a whole host of luxurious locales.
For example, you may (or may not) be aware that this huge resort chain has recently announced the opening of its newest resort, Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres in February 2025. Even better news is that the Excellence Club upgrades will be available there too!
Why not take the chance to experience the opulence of Excellence Club living at one of the most contemporary resorts in the chain? Book your elevated stay at Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres with Blue Bay today.
Click the button below and fill out the form to get your free quote for Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres today.
