For the #TLDR’s: For me, EPM wins… by more than a nose, but not more than a lap…

Background: I have been at EPM five times, with time #6 and #7 already on the books. I have also been to several other AI’s including Hyatt Zilara, Live Aqua, El Dorado Maroma, and Valentin Imperial, I like them all… but I would have to call EPM and ERC my number 1 and 2 respectively.

So… here we go with the specifics (disclaimer, all pictures are of ERC as opposed to “side by sides.” You can easily find pictures of EPM anywhere on line. The comparison below is more in words than it is in pictures. If you want to read any of my EPM recaps, this starts one of the visits from my second trip. I have blogs for several.)

So… for this trip…

The drive from the airport to ERC is about 10 to 15 minutes shorter than EPM. You are going south from the airport; whereas, with EPM you’re going north.

It was much quicker to get through the guard stands at ERC than at EPM. Sometimes it seems it’s backed up at EPM and when you’re just dying to get there, you don’t want to be sitting in the vehicle waiting.

The entry to both is similar, big doors swing open, but the tropical, colonial vibe when you enter ERC is more breathtaking than the more modern EPM. I love the way the the staircase wraps up two different sides, and that iron work is just beautiful. The lobby smell, though. That’s a WYKYK thing. It is IDENTICAL at both resorts, and it definitely lets you feel like vacation is beginning.

The checkin process, sadly, is equally cumbersome and confusing at both. Our luggage was taken, but then we were told to wait in the martini bar to have someone come take us to the club lounge. We weren’t sure if this was really going to happen or how long it was supposed to take. Eventually, however, someone did come and get us. At EPM, you’re usually asked to sit in the main lobby until someone brings you up to the lounge.

Once in the club lounge, the process was the same. We were asked the same questions, given our COVID test time, were able to schedule our complimentary hydrotherapy. The lounge at ERC is very similar to the OLD lounge at EPM. Plenty of snacks set up at various times of day, plenty of places to lounge. Definite point for ERC. The lounge at EPM is inside the Magna restaurant and there are only a few chairs near the bar; then, some in the middle of the restaurant. It’s an awkward place to visit just for a drink. The ERC lounge is nice to drop in and have a cocktail (or five).

I am aware at this point, it seems like all of my points are for ERC, and that’s because it was a very nice resort, but this is where my FIRST points go towards EPM: the room.

The room at ERC is more compact than the sprawling feeling of EPM, but more importantly, is the lack of storage at ERC. There are two nightstands (plus ERC… only one at EPM), BUT there are two drawers in each nightstand, and that’s it for drawers in the main part of the room. At EPM, there are MANY drawers in the dresser, and also a nice cubby for stashing the suitcases. At ERC, in the center of the room is a giant bathtub. That would seem great, but there is no curtain or anything to draw around it, so you have to be VERY comfortable with someone if you plan to take a bath because you’re displayed in the center of the room. The jacuzzi tub at EPM has a curtain around it to hide it from the main room; plus, it’s in the corner with windows that you can open to the outside. The bathroom itself at ERC only has two drawers as well, no laundry hamper type opening like at EPM, and no medicine shelf, so I had some trouble finding places for my things. (Excuse the messiness, but this gives an idea of what the room looks like). The TV is in the bedroom area across from the bed, and then you step down into a sunken living room which is quite cramped and has a small table. It made the room seem disjointed to me.

The bathroom, despite having a full door on the water closet, seemed even LESS private than the bathroom at EPM to me. It is WIDE open to the bedroom with nothing blocking the view from the bed. It did have a regular mirror, which was nice. I also didn’t like the shower as much. It had a rainshower and also a wand, but they they didn’t have individual temperature controls. I like to set up my own hydrotherapy in the EPM shower where I have both going at the same time… the handheld and the rainshower, at different temperatures. Here, you had to hold onto the handheld to use it, you can’t just secure it in the shower and direct it at yourself. BUT its temperature stayed consistent, unlike EPM.

We had a building 7053 ocean view club swimup, so we also had another jacuzzi tub on our patio. Again, there was KIND OF a curtain there, but definitely not something usable without a swimsuit on. Anyone could see in at anytime. The view from our room was great, and we were on the main pool (not my request). VERY lively, but it was fine. We had a front row seat to everything going on at both Las Olas and Sol Bar as our room was sandwiched right between the two. The resort outside our room was gorgeous. It was just quite busy.

EPM also has the edge with main pool. It’s larger. The ERC pool felt very crowded, and it is also the volleyball pool, so it gets segmented. You can’t swim from one end to the other when a volleyball game is going on, so you have to choose a spot and stay there–either near the swim up bar or near the Sol bar. Getting into the pool from the swim up was awkward. It’s not great at EPM either, but a little tougher here. There was no ladder on the swimup side. Instead, there was one step, but it was too far down to step down to it. You have to grab a hold of the rail to squat down as low as possible, or sit before sliding down to the big step, which was ALSO too high to just step into the pool. We did LOVE the covered, adjustable bed on the deck. You can lay flat or sit up. It was very comfortable. Our particular room was in full sun until about 1 PM; then, it was in full shade.

The restaurants and quality of food at both resorts are virtually identical. We went to Basmati the first night, The Kitchen table (which was running the Flavor Market menu) and Chez Isabelle the second night, and Agave the third night. The servers didn’t seem as likely to offer to order for you at ERC as they are at EPM. They seemed hesitant to give recommendations. (I asked at all places. They DEFINITELY wanted to please, but seemed not to want to just bring items). I thought the decor of the restaurants at ERC was nicer than EPM, and the lighting was better at all (EPM is very dark). The service at both resorts is great, but I would say that edge, again, goes to ERC. Except sometimes the service was a little TOO good. One afternoon at the ERC pool I would estimate that I was asked “Esta bueno” at least once every ten minutes. It made it a little hard to just relax. Also (and this may be because I was with a friend instead of my husband) the service at ERC is quite a bit flirtier. lol. I got called called beautiful, sexy, etc. over and over again during the trip. I’m not a huge fan of that, but that’s a personal qualm… not likely one for everyone.

My mornings are for beaches, and there was really NO comparison here. I know it depends on the time of year, and we have just entered sargassum season. This is not the resort’s fault, but the beach is unswimmable. They spend all day cleaning it up, but it keeps coming in, and it’s easy to see the brown for a long way out.

This did not, however, stop me from starting my mornings on the bali beds. The service was great and it was nice and cool until about nine. The loungers and beds are set back MUCH further from the water at ERC, so it’s hard to get a good view or to hear the sound as well from the bali beds. Also, they are covered, but just barely. They are in full sun by 10:00 AM, so it got too hot to stay there without being able to get in the water. On the positive side, it’s NEVER hard to get a spot. Lots of empty loungers and bali beds on the beach. The bali beds on the EPM beach go early. I never saw all of them taken at ERC.

In fact, I found that ERC beats the chair game overall on the club pool and the other pools at buildings 6 and 8. I think, however, this is because of the smell. It really is overwhelming at times. This is very specific, but it smells to me like people who have gingivitis (no, it’s not ACTUALLY that. It’s the giant mounds of rotting sargassum that have been hauled in from the beach and placed behind a fence near the pools). And it’s quite strong. I didn’t spend any time at the lazy river pool, but I did go for a spa treatment, and I didn’t smell anything while there.

The service at all of these pools is great, and the drinks are fantastic.

It’s also more challenging to find restrooms around ERC. There are a few. They are primarily small (2 seats each), and they are not air conditioned. They are plentiful, large, and cold around EPM. This is a minor complaint. (In case you’re wondering, there is a hidden one across from the club lounge; then, another behind the pottery cart. They are both equidistant from the club pool).

Like dinner, breakfast and lunch at both resorts was basically the same. I LOVED the option of breakfast on the beach at Las Olas at ERC, but I know that EPM is soon to have that as well. All of the food at the restaurants is good and occasionally outstanding. I’m not a fan of most of the room service food, however, other than for breakfast or for a snack of cheese sticks, hot dog, and french fries at either resort. The friend who traveled with me loves the curried chicken wings. I do think the Sol bar pizza was better at ERC than it is at EPM.

Then, last but not least, the extras and others:

The layout of the resorts is quite similar, but ERC is more compact… almost TOO compact. There are few areas of wide open space. It feels somewhat crowded in most areas. The sculptures are not quite as stunning to me at ERC. The guests seemed more casual at ERC, but I haven’t been to EPM since the dresscode change, so that’s an unfair comparison.

The entertainment at both resorts is literally identical. How involved people are in the entertainment depends on the crowd, but the same acts, the same activities go on at both resorts. I REALLY like them all. Many’s band and the African Acrobats were my favorite this time around, but everyone else was good as well. I do prefer the bands performing on the “stage” above the main pool (in the Lobster House) at EPM. At ERC, they are off to the side and difficult to see unless you’re sitting at SOl bar.

Aroma at ERC is on the same floor as the checkin, so it’s more difficult to pop in during the day, but they ALWAYS had macarons, which EPM does not, and it’s easier to get in and out. However, Aroma here has no ice cream, so…. it depends on what’s important to you. The sports bar was not nearly as stuffy as EPM, but it was also empty each time we stopped in. Still, it seemed very similar.

And, finally, the spa. The hydrotherapy was quite similar. The spa itself is more tropical and luscious at ERC. The area around the lazy river is just breathtaking. If I were to go again, I would forgo club and hope for a lazy river room. At the spa, you do the whole hydrotherapy with the sound of a waterfall in the background. I preferred the showers at this spa, but the locker room is so tiny that it’s difficult to navigate. Also, I have some knee issues, so I can’t go down stairs that don’t have railings. There were several places in the very slippery spa that made it hard or impossible for me to get around. (One of them was walking across the rocks — not sad to have missed that, lol). I loved doing it at both resorts.

So, in the end, for me, it comes down to this:

Lobby/Entrance: Advantage ERC

Room: Advantage EPM

Pools: Advantage EPM

Beach: Advantage EPM

Grounds: Advantage EPM

Service: Advantage ERC

Restaurant decor: Advantage ERC

Food: Tie

Entertainment: Tie

Drinks: Tie

What I’ve learned is that I LOVE Excellence Resorts above the others. I think my next trip will be to Oyster Bay next April, and I’ll see if that continues my loyalty to the brand!