My wife and I went to Excellence Punta Cana June 14th-June 22nd. To give everyone some brief background I have been to many caribbean islands and all-inclusive resorts including Sandals(St. Lucia, Whitehouse in Jamaica, Ocho Rios), Aventura Spa Palace, and Cayman islands. I will breakdown the negatives and positives below, but my overall impression and time at Excellence was just average/ok, with the food ok to poor, with the only positive being the beauty of the resort and the beach. I will try keep it simple, as other reviews pretty much give all the details

Positives:
1. Landscaping-beautiful with gorgeous views and palm trees everywhere. Great garden trail with flamingos, peacocks, chickens, birds, native plants, geese, and talking parrots. But the thing is all the resorts I have been to have beautiful landscaping so it was no different then any other resort, and some other resorts have had even more impressive lobbies and landscaping.

2. Beach: Probably one of the best beaches I have been to. Very large, and long beach which you could take a 2 mile walk either way, and clear blue water. Yes, the water can be rough at times, with a strong undertoe, but it's not too much worse than that seen on the east coast of the USA in the Atlantic Ocean. If you walk 500 yards or so down to the right you will find very calmer water. It is a really scenic walk. My wife and I had a fun time jumping and surfing the waves. Only downfall was there is no beautiful sunsets as the sun sets on the other side of the island. Really can't do too many motorized sports on the water due to the rough water, but some people took out kayaks. The lifeguards are out watching everyone, with restricted areas to swim due to rough water. The time we were there was red flagged(meaning take your own risks while swimming), but it really wasn't all that bad, just be cautious and don't swim out far, and try to swim with a buddy if not such a great swimmer. The beach has a great breeze which takes off the heat and feels good, watch for sunburn though.

3. Pools: Beautiful. They have 2 pools. The main pool which pretty much winds thru the most of the resort, and a 2nd smaller cascade/waterfall pool, which is more quiet and relaxing. The main pool has many huts which you can lay on a bed or chairs, and to keep out of the sun if you get too burned. Make sure to wear lots of sunscreen the first few days as you can get burned easily. Try to reserve the huts early before breakfast as many guests reserve them early, grab a towel or book and place them on your chair or bed. Each day they always have activities including volleyball, aerobics, Spanish lessons, dance classes, horse back riding, and other fun games with the entertainment crew. Check out the daily entertainment board and/or the Excellence newsletter which the maids should drop of each evening in your room for turn down service.

4. Staff: Very friendly. The staff always appreciated a dollar here and there for a good job The entertainment crew does a great job to keep people entertained. The bartenders and pool service staff were great as well, they were always coming around with drinks and fresh baked pizza’s. Domingo the sax player was great and I enjoyed listening to him play before and after dinner.
5. Gym: This was nice. Looks like they just renovated the gym. Also nice hidden hut near gym and tennis courts that had a bar and pool tables, ping pong, foose ball, darts, archery, and so on. Fun to play before dinner.
6. Drinks: Were great, you really can’t mess up alcoholic drinks to bad. Try the Cocoloca.

7. Bring bug spray with deet, but never had any real problems with mosquitoes.

Negatives:

1. Food: Next to relaxing and hanging by the pool and beach, food is probably one of the most important aspects of a vacation to me. Excellence states that they have 5 star food, well this is not true and it really made me mad that Excellence mis-represents their menu. I am not kidding, many menu items are not served as described, and I don’t believe this is a server error, it is just that the resort created a menu to look good, but doesn’t always give you what you ordered, plus the quality of most of the food was poor to terrible. Examples> I ordered an Italian canoli and got a chocolate bar filled with pudding, and every time I ordered an argula or spinach salad they gave me Romaine lettuce, and the little English the server could talk said “yes this is spinach, and that was the only lettuce they had here”. Obviously it was not spinach, the resort mis-represented a lot of their food from what their menu’s state. My wife ordered crab stuffed shrimp(but no crab), many dishes were missing specific recipes such as bacon, cheeses, veggies. The staff were polite, but they really need better English speaking skills since they are serving to mostly English speaking guests in an Americanized resort. I appreciate their language and I was motivated to learn Spanish and used it a lot while on the resort, but their was a huge language barrier at dinner service with most staff only speaking very little English and others speaking no English and looked clueless when you ordered your food. I ordered chicken pad Thai and got shrimp pad thai, told the server I was allergic to shrimp and he smiled and walked away and did not come back b/c he had no idea what I said. Had to track down the manager to change my order. Dinner service most nights were a mess. The fact that many of the dinner dishes were incorrect and the staff waiters knew little English made dinner a diseaster if something was wrong with your dish, b/c there was no way to explain this to your server, they didn’t have a clue what you were saying. The fish was absolutely terrible, you would think it’d be great on an Island, well not so. The only ok food was the grill(just the steaks), beach BBQ’s were good, and the pizza’s were great. There was no restaurant that stood out to me b/c it was hit or miss, and when it was a hit, it was just average. You would think with an executive chef from Germany it would be a little better. The buffets were bad, and always gave me an upset stomach and many guests I talked to also agreed the food was average and many had upset stomachs. My wife got really bad stomach pains and probably had some sort of food poisoning. The coffee was not good either. And every morning we asked for a cappucino the machine was broken and could not get one. The only ok buffet food was the fresh omelette and pasta stations, or any station that cooked freshly made chicken or steaks. The pizza’s were probably the best food there. The chaffing dishes/food on the buffet were soggy, and did not look fresh. The resort would have buffet dinners on some nights, but it usually was leftover food from the lunch service. I would just stick with freshly cooked meat. If you are a food person I would avoid this resort. They need major improvement in the quality of their food and they need to represent their menu’s and serve you what is stated. The food at other all-inclusives I have been to has 10x better food.
2. Room Service: Arrived within a decent time, but food was soggy and cold.
3. Arrival: Ride from the airport to the resort was very very bumpy, with poor roadways in much need of repair. I tolerated this ok as I do not get motion sickness, but my wife felt ill after the ride. The ride was about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Rooms: The rooms were average at best. I’ve seen much better rooms at other resorts with much better maintained. The Jacuzzi drain did not work correctly, constantly draining the water, the toilet leaked and did not always flush, and the shower constantly leaked water. The caulking around the shower walls were terrible and needed maintenance. The furniture was just ok, and looked old and needed updating. The mini-bar was nice, always kept full with beer, water, sodas. The maid service was hit or miss, some days it was done on time, other days it was forgotten. The beds were hard, and my wife and I had some back pain the first couple of days, but we tolerated it the rest of the week, but the bed could’ve been much better. Maids need to leave more wash/face towels, they were rarely replaced. Room has safe which was nice to keep valuable, but this is nothing special and can be found at any resort.

5. Pushy vendors:Watch out for the vendors, they are very pushy and rude at times, and they try to sell you stuff at ridiculous prices, and get mad at you when you offer lower prices. If you do want to buy from the vendors try nancy’s hut which is about 500 yards to the left of the beach. You can negotiate the price down, but it’s a hassle. Another thing I didn’t like was that the resort allowed multiple, pushy vendors into the main section of the resort during dinner hours. This was annoying b/c you couldn’t have a relaxing walk without been abused by the vendors.
6. Spa: Terrible. Had a massage that was ok, nothing special(cost about $100), but could’ve received the same ambience, and with a more certified massage therapist in the USA. The Spa facilities were just bad, and the Spa itself was not very big, definitely not a 5 star spa, probably 2 star. The hydrotherapy has been complimentary at every other resort we have been to, but here at Excellence you had to pay for it, and it didn’t even work(the steam room was broken, the Jacuzzi had cool water, not warm, and the foot bath was disgusting with a sink with mold in it, and the water was scalding hot, we were told that the water pipes were not working correctly and that they were trying to fix it. It seems like the entire time we were at the resort most of the bathrooms and toilets were being worked on b/c they were leaking water everywhere and not flushing, and this was throughout the resort, not just the spa. If you’re looking for a awesome Spa, try Aventura Spa Palace in Mexico.
7. Excellence club- is a rip off, costs $100 dollars a day and pretty much the only extra is internet service and a daily newspaper, which you can get at the internet café for a daily fee at a lot cheaper cost. Plus the other benefits you get with the club, you pretty much get anyway without it.
8. No access to American money: ATM only dispenses peso’s, so make sure to bring some one dollar bills for tipping.
9. Bathroom facilities need improvement: Were constantly being worked on for leaking toilets.
10. The shows were just ok, nothing fantastic. Wish the shows wear earlier though b/c all the shows started at 10pm, and after laying in the sun all day it was hard to keep awake. If you see the shows would recommend the Michael jackson show or international show, but kinda cheesy and just lip syncing with very average dancing skills.

Conclusion:
The resort was beautiful, with friendly staff, and seems great on the outside, but after a few days you really begin to see all the problems from poor food, maintenance issues, pushy vendors, average spa, and you could really get much better quality at another all-inclusive resort with only paying a little extra money, maybe a few hundred dollars. I would not recommend this resort to anyone and I will not be returning to this resort. Believe me the average to poor food is a reoccurring theme in a lot of the reviews.

My husband and I visited Excellence for our honeymoon June 8-13th and had a truly fabulous time. After reading some of the reviews, I was a little nervous, but luckily I had no reason to be.

We were in Building 10 at the far end of the property. When we got to our room, we grabbed a beer from the stocked mini-fridge and went to sit on one of our two balconies. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in that room wasn't working, so the bagboy called the front desk and someone came right up to work on it. We got dressed for dinner, went to Agave, and came back to the room. The A/C still wasn't working, so we went down to the front desk, and the manager moved us right away to the room next door. He was so friendly and willing to resolve our problem. It was the exact same kind of room, and we stayed there the rest of the trip.

Food: Food was one of the things I was the most worried about from the other reviews. I am not particularly picky, so I figured I would be fine. I was MORE than fine. Maybe some people don't like ceviche, chateaubriand, gnocchi, paella, and risotto, but I sure do! We ate at Agave, Chez Isabelle, Toscana, the Grill for lunches, and Barcelona. Our favorite was probably Barcelona, but we ate at Toscana twice because they had such a large menu and we wanted to try more dishes. Breakfast was a massive buffet with everything from omelettes to fresh fruit smoothies to make-your-own Bloody Marys to an assortment of meats and cheeses. We usually took the opportunity to get off the beach, change out of our swimsuits, and go to the Grill (a la carte vs. buffet at Toscana) for lunch. We had room service for breakfast one morning as part of our honeymoon package, and they came right on time with champagne.

The room itself was nothing to write home about. The jacuzzi tub is nice, as is the big bed. The mattress is a little firmer than most Americans are probably used to. Our balcony, however, had another jacuzzi, several chaise lounges, and a round bed-type lounge with an ocean-view. We enjoyed coming in from the pool and having a beer out on our balcony before showering and dressing for dinner.

We really didn't want to play volleyball or take dancing lessons or anything, so being on the edge of the property was perfect. It was quiet and relaxing where we were, and there were plenty of palapas, hammocks, etc. My husband and I would walk down the beach every day to the part of the beach where we could just sort of drift in the ocean (thanks for the tip other TA reviews!). There was occasional drink service on the beach, and if we really wanted something, we weren't far from the bar by the pool.

After lunch, we would come back to the room. If we left our swimsuits outside, they would be dry. Then we would head to the pool. By this time, most people would have gone in, so we were able to snatch up some floats. The pool is gorgeous, and we loved just floating around. Lying on that float, staring up at a perfectly blue sky and palm trees felt like heaven.

We were all prepared for mosquito issues, and we didn't have any problems at all. Maybe this depends on the wind and the weather?

My husband and I are both well-traveled, and this was the nicest AI either of us have stayed in. The drinks are call liquor, and they will make you anything. I kept expecting the bartenders to be like, "No, you can't have that." We drank a lot of champagne, mojitos, Jack on the rocks, Coco-locos, etc. People generally seem to be well-behaved. The rowdiest I saw were at the pool bar, and they weren't too bad.


The rooms are not a typical 5-star room, but the rest of the resort more than makes up for it. I couldn't, for the life of me, think of what would cause people to have a bad time here except for having a bad attitude. The service is phenomenal, and we were always greeted with an "Hola!". When we arrived for meals, the hostess would take my arm and lead me to our seats, which I thought was a nice touch. The language barrier was not a problem for us at all, especially when we tried to speak our terrible Spanish.

We did not end up tipping because in the mad wedding rush, we didn't get any ones from the bank, but we made a point to write a comment card listing the names of people who went above and beyond.

One thing that I was slightly unprepared for: You will be charged a $10 per person entrance tax to the DR when your flight lands. Just thought I would throw that out there.

We enjoyed Excellence so much and certainly did not want to leave. I would recommend it to anyone. Just be flexible and enjoy relaxing in the beautiful surroundings! You're on vacation!

My husband and I celebrated our sixth anniversary at the Excellence, (we've stayed at all-inclusive resorts in many Carribean islands in the past) and we enjoyed every aspect of this resort. I will address the issues that were reviewed negatively; that worried me. The taxi ride was long, a little over an hour, but well worth the wait. The majority of the roads did have potholes, but all drivers we had (three different companies)were very careful drivers. The ocean was very rough and had warning flags posted most of the time, but a short five minute walk down the shore line was calmer waters where you could snorkel easily. The pool was superb, winding throughout the resort, with several bars (including a swim up bar) and bathroom huts located conveniently. There were a plentitude of chairs and covered cabanas to lay on, and we never had trouble getting towels or rafts to float on. The help was more than accomodating, friendly, and easy to find. The restaurants did not require reservations, but provided buzzers that you could take all over the resort. We tried all spots except the Agave, because we ran out of time, and enjoyed all the restaurants. We found that wtih each spot, there were some courses we were not crazy about, but then most were absolutely wonderful. At breakfast and lunch you could choose between buffet and an al a carte restaurant. My husband and I usually don't love buffets, but these were impressive. Huge selections of a good variety, breakfast with omelet, pancake, and smootie stations made to order, bloody mary/mimosa stations, breads galore, and over eight juices incl. fresh squeezed OJ. Lunch buffet inlcuded pasta stations and pizza made to order and more than we could ever sample. At dinner, we were given our own bottle of wine nightly, and had great service at all choices. Bear in mind that two restaurants nightly are closed, so plan ahead if you want to sample all the spots-the lobster house actually only serves lobster!!! But it was delicious....

We were unable to upgrade our room b/c of availabiltiy, and had a basic garden suite. We were very pleased with the room, which was spacious with a comfortable bed, large jacuzzi tub, full minibar, which was stocked daily, and our room was cleaned in the morning usually before we returned from breakfast. Nightly there was turndown service, and a daily agenda provided for the following day. We took in a few shows; which were average, but still impressive for a resort. The nightclub is not huge but we still had a great time; although the theme nights got a little cheesy for our tastes. The horseback riding was a treat, and the drinks were all tasty! We drank the water served in the restaurants, drank sodas with ice and frozen drinks, and never even felt queasy. Overall, outstanding experience on all accounts, we will return!

The only drawback, for those people who like to be active on vacation, was that the excursions were pricey, and all seemed to take a long taxi ride to get there. We did the snorkeling trip where you interact with the sting rays and see sharks, which we enjoyed, excluding the hour taxi ride.

Other worthy mentions; the aqua therapy included with the massage was a neat experience, and the gym was high end compared to most I've used. The botanical gardens even had flamingos and tame parrrots flitting about. This place was full of surprises-you will enjoy it!

We travel twice a year to different caribean islands. We had stayed 5 years ago at Iberostar Suite in Punta Cana but was somewhat disappointed with the food and alcohol. We are frequent travelers and we enjoy great tasting food, liquor, service, and quality - even if we pay a little bit more to get it. Even when we are not traveling we like to try new restaurants and enjoy great drinks and quality of service.


Excellence was recommended to me by my co-workers who go back every year for 5 years and have never been disappointed. So we said we will try it.

The transportation from the airport was there on time and we did not have to wait for them to fill up an entire bus which I hate. My husband and I were the only ones is a private car. The trip from the airport to the resort was bumpy but had nothing to do with the resort transportation.

We booked the Excellence club level package with its own concierge and club lounge where different food presentations are laid out each day and internet service was offered. The Club Manage Roberto Puello was very attentive and patient with our needs and came through with anything we needed. Worth the extra money for the Excellence Club Level but you can enjoy this resort without a club level since the food, liquor, staff, and other amenities are consistently offered to everyone.

We arrived at the hotel and was greated with champagne upon arrival and was excorted to the Excellence Club for checkin with no waiting on lines. We asked for Coconut with Rum and within minutes we were drinking from a coconut. Wow - Service was awesome.

Our room was amazing with a jacuzzi that was part of the room and we had our own private hammock outside with a pool to pretty much jump into from the room. The beds had a sheer canapies on the post drapped across the bed. Bar was fully stocked with anything you want to drink.

The hotel grounds are incredibly clean and well kept. We loved the Flamingos and birds close to the SPA. The gym was well equipped with all types of equipment.

The pool areas are always not crowded and everyone can have their own space and the water is amazingly blue and always clean. The cabanas around the pool are to die for and we just relaxed for hours on them and their is always one available with no need to save space for later.


The Spa is out of this world and we even had massages on the beach that was great/

Restaurants are great especially the French one and it is awesome since no reservations are needed and we never waited more than 10 minutes for anyone of them. We loved the restaurants for dinner and enjoyed the breakfast and lunch in the buffet. Loved the champagne with caviar in the morning. The food at this resort ranged from lobster to shrimp to lamb chops to the best steaks. The food is always presented with quality and care and has an amazing taste to anything we ate. Great variety, great service and never crowded.

Entertainment staff was awesome and managed to entertain us for 5 days non-stop. Our favorites staff members were Franklin and Alta Garcia. They help you to participate in the entertainment and constantly make us laugh. Amazing group of entertainers.

The bar staff at the Pool/Beach Bar - Jose, Alta Garcia (bar waitress), Darling and Pedro who s at the bar are so attentive and they are so friendly and make awesome drinks with international premium liquors not just DR brands (Hennesyy, Johnny Walker, Absolut). We loved the fresh coconut drinks with rum inside. Try that - if you are a drinker - you will love them. The staff makes it easy to want to relax and drink - Awesome staff

Overall I would say this is probably the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The Excellence hotel is magnificent and we have never experienced such incredible service, quality in food, and staff.

Boy, they mean it, when they called this resort Excellence.....can't wait to return.


We think we have found the perfect place to go back to each year especially when we are not traveling with the children since this is the utimate couples/adults resort out there.