Ahh that's fantastic! I hope you have the best time! And maybe after this we'll both go to another same destination! 😆

I am so glad to hear you had an amazing time!! Thanks for sharing your experience 😊

☺️

Hahaha 😂 thank you so much, you’re so sweet! Appreciate it!

Facts🙏🏾

Thank for your watching! We definitely recommend Aquarelle!

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing!

@@stellainparadise your welcome

Thank you for watching! I hope you have an amazing time! February will be a great time of year to go!

Thank you so much! Appreciate you watching!

Hi! Thanks for watching! We found Excellence El Carmen to be luxurious and modern as it was newly built (Note we visited in 2021). The demographic was primarily couples or small groups of couples and it was very chill. It was perfect for a romantic getaway. In comparison Sian Kaan was a great resort but it is definitely showing a LOT of age/wear and tear. Prices were like a quarter to a half of EEC however. The demographic seemed to be a bit lower income than EEC and it was a bit rowdier. We chose it specifically because were were trying to fit in another trip that year and needed it to be budget. Both resorts had Sargassum issues during that season but not much can be done about that. We had better luck with clearer beaches at Sian Kaan, but that could have been luck/sea patterns. EEC is right on the beach whereas at Sian Kaan you have to take a golf cart to their sister resort for the beach. We did stay in two story rooftop suites at both resorts. We got an amazing deal of the EEC suite since we went while tourism was suffering from Covid. They're outrageously priced now. On the other hand we felt Sian Kaan was so affordable it was a no brainer picking their best room. Huge quality difference though. I know some of the Excellence resorts are a bit older, but in general, I think they will still be of a higher quality than Sian Kaan and Bahia Principes. But the prices would reflect that. I would recommend an Excellence resort for a special occasion, romantic getaway, or if luxe finishes are important to you, and a Bahia Principe/Sian Kaan for an affordable/budget focused getaway. We are big Excellence fans and are hoping to try some of their other resorts. I think Secrets would be comparable too but that's a bit outside our preferred budget. Interestingly, we really liked and have success with several Riu Palace resorts, although they are family friendly (and need the Palace designations versus just a Riu for the higher quality). I hope this helps! :)

@@stellainparadise thank you for the details and what to expect from Sian KAAN. I seen your video back in November which made me book this particular room seeing it would be almost close to what we had at Excellence. We stayed at Excellence in spring of 2021 and it set the bar high for resorts. Honeymoon suite, jacuzzi, swim up room, oceanfront etc 😆 It’s on the list to visit again although as you mentioned pricing seems to be probably back to where it was pre-COVID plus 2024 inflation. Also just subbed seeing you do a lot of travel vids. Keep em coming. Heard great things about RUI too.

Hello, this is at Couples Tower Isle in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Thank you, David gets all the credit for that!

Thank you so much!

Haha thank you very much!! We do have fun traveling other than the fact that my travel companions can’t rest because force them to make videos and do photoshoots 🤣

Aww thank you so much 😁

@@stellainparadise u and ur husband are amazing.. I love ur content because... U show everything in details... Maps.. Routes.... I like it the most

@whattodo904 I really appreciate it!! We have lots more coming!

The food is very good! We added the meal plan on to our room and we’re glad we did. The restaurants are expensive otherwise. Highly recommend Black Ginger- you have to make a reservation in advance

@@stellainparadise спасибо большое 🥰❤️

Thanks for leaving such a rude comment 🥰

Stella you beautiful

@@mkendrick4076 Aww thank you so much 😊

Stella, Your Beautiful (love the crochet bikini an cover) and Funny! That's why I saw that mindless comment because I wanted to make sure I gave you a like👍🏾

Idk why there are so many unhappy people in the world. Thank you for your video and the confidence to wear WHATEVER you want to wear. ❤ May be booking this for my 50th birthday with my family. #onelove 🇯🇲

Thank you!😊

Have so much fun! Yep, it’s completely nude and not optional. You have to fully undress when you get to your chair. There is a half hour every morning (8:30-9 I think?) you can check out the island and take photos before nude time. Honestly in general I’m not a big nude person but I’m glad we did it! We were able to find two chairs kind of away from everybody else. It was quiet and people kept to themselves except by the pool. Also, we checked out the nude beach at Couples San Souci when we went there on the day pass-much more social environment and tons of naked people. The nude island at Tower Isle is probably preferable if you’re not terribly into it.

Their buffets are awesome! I unfortunately always choose plates full of carbs 😂

Thank you so much!

Interesting! It did not give us any issues booking. It's not that great of an app though. Definitely needs updating.

Yeah the pool itself was fine but the surrounding wood was really badly warped from the heat

Oh interesting! We made reservations as soon as we arrived and got on the app. To be fair we came opening weekend so it was a smaller crowd. The only kicker is that some restaurants aren’t open some nights so that makes it tough depending on what days your there. The buffet and sports bar are always open with no reservations. Just the steak house, gourmet, Asian, and Italian require reservations.

Brought from home!

@@stellainparadise okay thanks for sharing cause I’ve been seeing mixed reviews in brining them into Mexico. Some people say you can get fined ..

I asked him and he’s read about that. Sounds like the issue is if the vape is still in box/packaging, it’s a tax thing. So he brings his vape loose in his luggage and make sure it’s one he’s already opened and uses. Been to mexico with him 3 times and no issues. Hope that helps!

Seems like RIU likes to stick to their formula. We stayed on an identical swim up suite at one of their resorts in Mexico. Cape Verde sounds awesome!

Thank you! :)

Thank you!

I got you! The dress is the Extratropical dress from Free People. There is also an amazon dupe. I don't love the dupe versions as much but it's pretty hard to tell the difference! For reference I wear a L in the Free People version and an XL in the Amazon version. I will note the Free People dress is essentially sold out right now but they always restock it. I've bought several colors over the last few years. Here are my affiliate links -- Free People: fave.co/3VnFdcD / Dupe: amzn.to/3yRkjcY

The shows weren’t specifically adults only, but I don’t think the would be of interest to kids. There was kid shows earlier in the night separately for little ones

Oh have so much fun! We went in Feb and the temperature was super pleasant. I’m sure it will be warm in July

Thank you so very much! We really enjoyed the experience of Rayavadee and definitely recommend it!

@@stellainparadise How do you get there from Phi Phi? I take it there is a boat ?

We flew from Bangkok to Krabi. The resort provided a van pick up at the airport which took us to their pier and speed boated us to the resort. If I remember correctly it was included in the price of the stay

@@stellainparadise thanks for the info

You are going to love it! USD is perfectly fine for tips. No need to exchange money. Riu workers do accept tips and really appreciate it. Not pushy for tips at all. I think we usually bring about $50/day in tips when we go to all inclusive in Jamaica and Mexico. On average we tend to do $5-10 for transportation driver, $5-$10 on the pillow when housekeeping comes (depends on our mess), $4-5 for server at buffet, $5-10 for waiter at the sit down restaurants. Depends on how much work they had to do serving us. And for drinks at the bar $2-4 if we’re just sitting there grabbing a drink or maybe more like $10 if a waiter is bringing multiple rounds to us poolside or beachside repeatedly. We never really do spa or excursions but would tip for that as well. I hope that helps a little!

@@stellainparadise thanks so much! Very helpful.

Ahh thank you so much! Ooh that is a tough choice.. they’re SO different! Depends on what you’re into. We’ve stayed at a lot of Rius and this one.. felt like a Riu! Super modern and luxe if interiors are important. Beach was better/less rocks. But definitely a more vibrant/loud crowd that leans younger. Couples TI we thought was so unique because of all of the excursions included and of course the nude island! Crowd was 50s+ and seemed to be repeat visitors. Super quiet resort- felt more like a hotel than a resort. Downside is room interiors are super dated and worn versus the modern luxe aesthetic at Riu. But we don’t care about it the room we stay in. I would say if you are going for a longer trip and want activities plus would enjoy the nude island go to Couples and if you’re going for a shorter trip and care about design then Riu!

It is! This was our first time to Jamaica (in Jan), and we have already gone back. We love it!

Exciting! I think you’ll have a great time! That’s really weird about the transport. Ours was free because we booked 3 nights minimum. Are you a member of the free Riu class rewards program? That’s the only other factor in it I can think of. I don’t think it’s a special they run… we’ve been to Rius in other countries that do free transport for 3 nights plus Riu class membership.

I think it may be Riu class membership. I looked back at our booking confirmation and near the bottom is a gray bar showing my free transfer and there is a Riu class logo next to it

And it says congrats, you gave the following Riu class benefits with your booking

@@stellainparadise Thanks for the feedback. I am a Riu member. I called customer service and I was told that since I bought a package (via Riu) the transfer does not qualify. In order to obtain a free transfer, I had to book the flight and the hotel separately, which does not make any sense considering I bought the package directly from them (Riu).

Wow!! That’s really bizarre, and good to know. That doesn’t make sense at all as a practice!

Very cool! Thanks for watching!

Good to know because I will be there in early July

Oh that’s a bummer to hear. We loved the buffet and kept going back again and again. steakhouse was decent and Krystle good