Trip Report: Excellence Resort, Punta Cana

[leopardlady]

June 2007 - All Inclusive

This was our second time at "Excellence Punta Cana". We visited it the first time a few years ago when it was under different ownership and called "Secrets Excellence". It was fantastic back then and it's still fantastic. There were a few minor changes but nothing to make it a bad experience. Back then it was specifically for couples only and now it's adults only (no children allowed). The staff at the resort is extremely accomodating and they go out of their way to spoil you and pamper you. There are some employees there that were working there four years ago and are still there now.

There's a wide variety of foods to choose from and really our only negative comment regarding the food is that we wish the resort would have kept
this Dominican restaurant they had open 4 years ago. When we visit the D.R., we assume we are going to eat Dominican food, however the only time we ate Dominican food was on a Tuesday evening when the resort had the beach BBQ. And boy was it delicious! My spouse had two helpings of San Cocho, lol..........The other restaurants serve French, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Lobster and grilled type foods. Again, all those restaurants served delicious food and we enjoyed all of them, but we still wished we were able to have Dominican food. They also have beach BBQ cooking around 12:30pm every day. In any case, the food was fantastic and no reservations are required. With 6 or 7 restaurants, if you can't find something you like to eat, stay home and go to Mickey D's.

The entertainment staff holds games and events throughout the day that you can participate in or not. There is no obligation. If you want to relax, you can do that, and if you want to join in and have fun, you can choose to do that too. At night there is live entertainment. At around 9:30pm there is a pre-show in which they have audience participation if you wish. Then at 10:00pm the main show takes place. This lasts until 11:00pm and then from 11:00pm until 2:00am the disco is open and they either have a theme party, contest or you can just dance, drink and enjoy yourself.

The ocean is a bit rough however it is still beautiful, clean and seaweed free. The sand, beach, and resort grounds are wonderfully maintained and clean. All the resort workers are polite, pleasant and always in a good mood and never rude. In fact, it bothers me to see an occasional hotel guest sometimes being rude to them when these people go out of their way to please you. They all work long hours and they all seem to do it with a smile on their face.

Our hotel room was very clean and our (included) mini bar was always well-stocked with bottled water, beer, soda and juice. If you decide to lounge by the pool and you want a shady spot, I highly recommend that you put a towel down BEFORE you go to breakfast because the shady spots go fast and the sun is VERY strong.

Some things that people write and complain about are downright ridiculous, so if you are reading resort reviews to help you decide where to visit, please do not base your decision on ridiculous comments that some people write. For example, I've read on other sites of people complaining about mosquitos. Well, it's the Caribbean and there are mosquitos in the Caribbean! There are also mosquitos in the USA too. Lucky for us, this is the first trip that neither of us got bitten.

Overall, this is a high quality, really great adult resort and you will have a great time whether you are relaxing or participating. You won't be bored and you will be treated wonderfully. The food is delicious and the drinks are too. You will never be hungry or thirsty. There is horseback riding, a spa, a gym, a gift shop, a small casino and there are vendors a couple times a week selling souvenirs. One comment about the vendors is that they are overpriced so bargain all you can with them or else just buy your souvenirs off the property instead. There are also other activities offered that are not part of the all inclusive, however, that is up to you whether or not to participate. We would definitely go back a THIRD time.