One Week In Paradise!
We were at Secrets (now Excellence) Dec.17th-24th to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I researched the resort and area in great detail so there were not too many surprises. (Check out the East Coast Forums for endless help from other travelers.) I saw hundreds of photos prior to the trip but still they don’t show how magnificent this resort is. Where do I start?
Airport Transfers:
Small air conditioned bus. It was packed full of travelers. About two thirds for Sunscape, one third for Secrets. It took a little over an hour to get there. People do drive very differently there. Either we were passing or getting passed by scooters, buses, trucks, etc on rough narrow two lane roads. Try to not watch the road, just look out the side windows at the surroundings. I booked the helicopter for the return to the airport and we loved it.
Check In:
We were quickly checked in by Francisco and taken to our room. Didn’t notice any drinks or towels but we didn’t have to wait so I may have missed it.
The Rooms:
We started out in 6201. It was a nice 3rd(top) floor room with a vaulted ceiling, king size bed, large Jacuzzi tub, mini bar (water, soda, beer) separate shower etc… We were located behind the Seaside Grill with a slight view from our balcony of the ocean on either side and near the pool bar. After a couple of days we received a call from the Excellence Club concierge (Claudia) offering us a free upgrade to an Excellence Club room and its perks. We could stay where we were and receive the benefits or move to another room. We toured the room and Excellence Club with Claudia and said YES! We had to quickly pack then unpack again but it was worth it. Our new room 7203 was the next building down in the northerly direction. The layout was the same with a few nicer touches to the room but the view of the ocean was wonderful! I’m sure there are rooms with better views but we were very happy considering were expecting a garden view. I think the Drugdogs had something to do with the upgrade. Thanks Kevin and Shelly and of course Marco the resort manager!
The buildings are grouped generally in triangular fashion. In building 7 as an example there are 3 structures link together with common inside walkways per level with one set of stairs for all to use. I saw an elevator but I don’t think it worked or no one used them in buildings 6 & 7. This did give me some exercise I could use. The inside area of each building group is open with trees and assorted plants. All walkways are open air but covered which is nice if it rains. I think there are just 4 rooms per structure per floor. I noticed some rooms on the beach/pool side ends extended out to make some larger master and/or honeymoon suites that I think have hot tubs on the balcony.
The Grounds:
Very well maintained. I often saw plants, trees or shrubs being trimmed. There were others touching up paint, scrubbing walkways or pool chairs. There are trails to walk around with various plants to see and much wildlife. We enjoyed feeding the parrots, ducks, geese, flamingos and chickens. We also saw some rabbits and peacocks.
The Main Pool:
Huge and winding in and around the buildings. Beautiful just to look at sunrise and nicely lit after dark. (Swimming ends at 6pm.) I floated in or lounged around the pool for hours only leaving for a walk to Benjamin’s bar at one end or float up to the poolside bar in the middle to quench my thirst. It was always spotless. I saw it being cleaned early in the mornings.
The Cascade Pool:
A lovely smaller two level pool toward the SE end of the resort. The water falls down the entire wall from the upper to lower level. I wanted to but didn’t try this pool. It was on the other side of the main buildings so not as convenient from our room.
The Beach:
It is a lovely golden tan sand that is cleaned each morning. It is very wide running the length of the resort with a large amount of lounge chairs and palapas. It is on a curved area with no other resorts in view. We enjoyed sitting and watching the ocean with it beautiful surf. It was picture perfect. It may not be great for snorkeling and a little rough swimming but I have that huge pool to lounge in. I guess it is fun to boogie board on but I didn’t try.
Bugs:
We didn’t get bit once by any bug. We took sprays, lotions, wipes and candles but had no use for them. We didn’t go on the beach at night so I can’t say about that. We did take B complex vitamins two weeks before and at the resort. I heard what sounded like a sprayer going around one evening which must work. I saw a couple of flies once and found a cricket in our room but nothing else. It was never a problem.
Drinks:
Had many different types of frozen drinks available. We normally tried the drink of the day. We enjoyed the Sammy Sosa and Dirty Monkey the most. The drinks had enough alcohol in them in general. If you want it stronger just let them know and they will oblige. You just need to ask. We took a couple medium size mugs with us which were nice to use also. I liked the Presidente beer. There were small bottles in the rooms and draft at the bars. Many choices of liquor and of course local Brugal rum. The bartending staff was very good. I especially enjoyed Benjamin at his bar located just outside the theater toward the beach. There are many bars near the main pool with one at each end and a swim up near the two open air restaurants.
Food:
Bordeaux- We loved it so much we ate there three times! Yes the Chateaubriand was wonderful. My wife enjoyed the chicken. They have quite a number of wines to choose from if you would like purchase something other than their house wines. Very good deserts to choose from also.
Sea Side Grill- We had lunch and our Romantic Dinner there. It had very good steaks. Ribs for lunch were not bad. I wish I we had gone there more than once for dinner.
El Patio- We went there one evening and I liked my beef but didn’t care for the cactus appetizer. My wife didn’t really care for her pork dish.
Oceana- We had lunch there once. My wife liked her Mahi-Mahi and my shrimp was pretty good. We didn’t care for the salad bar at all.
World Café- We had breakfast there every day but one. The buffet was pretty good. My wife like the fresh cooked omelets better than the buffet eggs. Fresh fruit and juices. Often there was a pianist playing during the meals there. The Café was the location for the Da Mario and Himitsu at dinner.
Himitsu/ Da Mario/ Casabito- We did not eat at these restaurants.
There were a couple restaurants closed each evening. They would alternate them. In general I thought the food was pretty good. We didn’t care for the cheeses they served. My wife didn’t like the apparent canned ham which was served for breakfast. There salad bars I thought could have been a bit better and the dressings to be quite plain bland. I’m sure there are differences in tastes and what products are available in the DR where items are not as plentiful. We would have loved to have the choice of lobster and crab but I didn’t see it available. I understand now they do have lobster at Excellence.
Shopping:
Vendors are allowed to sell there goods every few days. They set up in the late afternoon to catch you on your way to or from dinner. Jewelry, paintings, rum, etc… You can deal with them on the prices. The resort also has some shops with nice items but you will find the prices higher. For the best prices, facing the beach, go to the left end of the resort. Just past it are small buildings with vendors very eager to sell to you. Try #6 Nancy’s to get good prices without hassle. Don’t be afraid to go back and forth between them so the compete to get better deals. Also #4 has a pretty good cigar selection. They may give you quantity discounts but try to get a fair price first. There are quite a number of duty free items to by at the airport if you so desire.
Shows:
We saw the Michael Jackson show and enjoyed it very much. He didn’t lip-sync the best but the show by the dance group was great! The Circus show with the guys on the trapeze looked entertaining but we only saw the end of it.
Excursions:
We did the free horseback ride and enjoyed it very much. So much we signed up for the sunset ride which took us to the river NW of the resort and back along much of the beach. It cost us $35 each.
We took the ATV trip at the right end of the beach.($80 per vehicle) We took the small dune buggy.(they also have a couple four wheelers) They took out into the countryside. We saw rice fields, rivers, mountains, a cave, and a small village where they stop so you can buy some souvenirs. It was very interesting to see how people live with small shacks next to new homes with fenced surroundings. We gave a couple kids along the road some dollars and then they were everywhere. We finally ran out of $1 before we ran out of children.
Some of the ATVs were in rough shape but we had fun and got a little dirty. You can take a bandana along to wear over your face or buy one there for $5 each.
After both excursions they try to sell you a bottle of rum or music CD with a picture they took of you before you started. They ask for $15 dollars but they may deal with you.
The Spa:
My wife had the seaweed wrap and massage. I had just the massage. Very relaxing!
The Casino/ Nightclub:
We never went to these.
The Weather:
Overall the weather was very nice. It rained some each day. This is normal. Usually it was early morning or overnight. Maybe for 15 minutes to an hour and then partly cloudy the rest of the day. One day it rained a several times and another was very sunny.
Illness:
I didn’t feel to well one evening after a long day in the hot sun at the pool. There were quite a number of visits to the bar which didn’t help. I didn’t get sick but took some pepto and went to bed earlier. Felt fine the next morning. Another day my wife had been in the pool to much on the rainy day and got chilled. She took a warm bath and went to sleep early and was fine the next morning. Other than those two self induced problem evenings we were fine.
Likes:
The pool, ocean view, wide beach, privacy, no kids, resort layout (close to beach), buildings and grounds, towel art with flowers, horseback rides, the pianist and Christmas music, Bordeaux & Seaside restaurants, Excellence Club, spa, the entertainment and service staff who always would smile and say Hola!
Dislikes:
No beach party, No Monday Night Football, The cheese at restaurants, The Oceana food, the travel time from the airport. (New highway should help when done.)
Improvement Suggestions:
Fix elevators and patio door slides & switches. Sporting area seems old. Fix ice makers. New cushions for some poolside lounge chairs and beds. Improve some Club room snacks. Some new linens for the beds. Improve food quality at some restaurants to be consistent with the better ones.
Special Staff / Friends:
Thanks to Tunisia, Claudia, Rosario (Concierge Desk and Excellence Concierges) Benjamin and all the others at his poolside bar. Also Kevin & Shelly Ackley (the Drugdogs) and Marco Soria (General Manager) for helping make our stay so enjoyable.
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