Excellence Punta Cana Luxury Adults Only - All Inclusive

A very nice location with sandy beach and lots to do. My husband and I enjoyed our time by the beach and the pool. The resort is pretty clean and people who work there are nice. We found that the food was extremely salty. Our stay would have been better had we had a better selection of food. Feeling bloated throughout our holiday was not pleasurable. The entertainment was good at the beginning of the week but then got a little worse towards the end. The resort is located about an hour from the airport. Our drive back to the airport going home was horrible. Unfortunately the winding roads caused me to throw up at the airport. Our overall experience was fair.

Beach and Pool beautiful. Food not so good. Typical Island type of food. Caught a parisite while there. Grounds pretty. Room OK, and we were upgraded to ocean view, so so.

I chose to stay at this particular hotel because I had previously stayed at the Excellence Playa Mujeres and had a wonderful experience. We had a garden view room and enjoyed sitting on our balcony, which was nice until around 5:00pm when the mosquitoes came out. We then had to retreat to our room. Our room was infested with ants upon our arrival. We called the from desk to notify them. I'm not sure if they ever sent anyone to take care of the issue because there were some still lingering in the room during our entire stay. We ended up moving the snacks and coffeemaker, which was where the ants seemed to congregate, to minimize them. That seemed to keep it under control. Our Jacuzzi tub (in the room) was very dirty. We turned the jets on in our tub and the tub filled with dirt and grime. The pool area also was not very clean. The small pool side tables always had yesterday garbage stuffed in the cup holder and spill rings from the prior days drinks. The overall location was not as clean as the Excellence in Playa Mujeres. Furthermore, the hotel does not offer the option to make dinner reservations, we had to wait 30 - 60 mins each night before we were seated for dinner. The food was good, not great and the service was not exceptional. The wait staff often seemed overwhelmed by the dinner crowd. On several occasion it seemed as though our waiter had forgotten about our table, especially when clearing empty plates and refilling drinks. I don't think I will be returning to this resort.

First let me start by saying, I'm a Foodie and an independent traveler (meaning, I typically prefer charting my own course vs. relying on a tour guide). So please understand I see everything through that filter. I know everyone has a different travel style...but for me, Excellence was at BEST "Mediocre." The Property: A little old and beginning to show it's wear. Still, it's nice and maintained well. My A/c and hot water didn't work in the first room ...so they moved me to another room which was fine. The new room had teensy tiny ants in certain areas, but not really enough to change rooms again for. The Staff: Super friendly and helpful. Will bend over backwards to make your stay as comfortable as possible. One drawback...(first cruise reference)... there were lots of "organized" activities. The staff were super aggressive about getting you to particpate in them. To the extent that you might be sleeping on the beach and they sit down beside you and wake you up to see if you want to play bingo. The Food: Left A LOT to be desired. Several themed restaurants... but they all apparently use the same "fajita spice mix"...so the asian themed restaurant offered a pad thai that tasted strangely mexican; the Lobster/Seafood themed restaurant offered a surf and turf featuring peppers sauted in a similar flavor profile (and the "turf" might have acutally been TURF b/c it was so tough ...and was also smothered in GRAVY?!?!; The Italian place ....you guessed it, fajita bolognese :-)... Strangely the at Mexican themed place I actually had a fajita...and it tasted like it'd been seasoned w/Oregano. Go figure. -- Second cruise reference...because ther resort is so far from everything ...you are TRAPPED...w/no access to anything else. No shopping, no new people, no new food. To get off the resort you need to spend a fortune on a taxi or do an excursion. I did two. Excursions: Super pushy sales people. Made me feel as though I was being scammed (for example a roving sales person at the beach offered me horseback riding for $45...and at the excursion counter it was $70. When I asked why the price difference...I got really vague answers.) I ended up doing the horseback riding, but felt super guilty the entire time as the horses were SKIN AND BONES. SO Sad! I tried to pick the most robust horse possible but even still was careful not to over work him. I also did a zip lining excursion, which was super fun and gave me a much needed break from the resort. All in all...the resort is fine, if you want to go somewhere...not think and kind of stay put. If you want to see the DR, eat good food and chart your own course...and if you're a single female...maybe pick a different, more accessible place.

Upon arrival the staff immediately greets you with champagne and a hot towel that is well needed after the 1 hour bus trip from the airport. Overall the grounds and lobby are pretty well kept. The rooms are quite musty and a bit outdated with an 80's vibe (pastel, pickeled wood). The musty odor is kind of a given with all the humidity. The mini bar in the base suite is beer and soda, no liquor. I am very familiar with my vodkas and this place boasts "premium liquor." They do offer Stoly, Absolut, or Finlandia, however there were multiple times where the liquor spoiled (possibly heat stress). We complained several times and they were willing to repour, however the issue was sometimes not resolved with a new bottle opened in front of our eyes. It was hit and miss. The bar staff was incredible, especially with a bit of tipping. Omar, Javier, Juan, Victor, and Altagarcia provided us with a plethora of service and a lot of humor, regardless of our location. They moved frequently but they always kept track of us. Pools were nice and good fun was had. The swim up bar gets a bit wild, but there were quiet areas for lounging. The beach was pretty, in terms of view. Beach maintenance was hit and miss. We did get kicked off the beach in the late evening. One staff member told us it wasn't a problem, but then it was according to another member. The food was decent and we really didn't go without choices. It wasn't five star quality but it was 3.5/5.0. It lists "casual elegance" for men, but jeans and a collared shirt and shoes are appropriate. We just wanted to lounge on the beach, in the pools, and take in some beverages. We went with one other couple, which is a good thing. There were many single couples that were looking for someone with which to converse. If you are looking for a kid-free, extended weekend with another couple, it is worth the trip. We went during "hurricane season" however experienced only one afternoon of rain. Going during this season provided a lower rate. I wouldn't pay peak season prices.

The beach, pools, bars, gym, and other facilities were very good. Unfortunately the room and dining left a bit to be desired. The room was decent, but the bed was very uncomfortable. The food quality was okay at best. Most of the food, even at the sit-down restaurants, was pre-made (as opposed to cooked to order) and did not use fresh ingredients (e.g., canned mushrooms were used as a side at the steak restaurant). However, dining highlights were the freshly grilled items and brick-oven pizzas made on the beach and the Dominican-inspired food (i.e., the special Dominican dinner buffet and Dominican breakfast). The beach and staff (especially the entertainment folks) were top-notch. In summary, a good place to sit on the beach and drink from a coconut, as long as you don't have high expectations for the food/dining experience.

We stayed at this hotel for 7 days and upon arrival our room was ready, but the tub in the room was dirty. We called the front desk and it was cleaned right away. Their are 8 restaurants at the resort, but only 3 I thought were very good and the rest served the same type of food day in and day out (need to change that for guests). The room was clean and maid service was very good. The main problem at this hotel were the mosquito's, and unfortunately they were in the room which made for a really bad stay. Please do not book any tours with Coco Tours especially to do the doom buggies some of their staff were really rude to us and that left a soar taste in our mouths. In all fairness the staff were really good and attempted to correct errors when possible. Hope your stay will be better.

Me and my now wife visited the Excellence for our honeymoon. The resort is very pretty, however we were somewhat disappointed in the food and stay at the resort. What bothered us the most was someone coming up to you every 5 minutes asking you to buy something or go on a trip even after saying no the first time. It got to the point to where we were trying to dodge the members of the resort to keep from being asked to buy something. The food was OK which is about the most we can say about it..our "hot apple pie" came served frozen and we couldn't even get a fork in it. Free drinks seems to be the biggest asset to the "all inclusive" but being that neither me nor her are big drinkers this didn't really stand out to us. I think next time we will look for a vacation somewhere else.

We had a good time. The hotel staff is nice, friendly and accommodating. However, the food is not very good and the entertainment is lacking. It was a glorified cruise ship

After staying at Excellence Playa Mujeres, I had very high hopes for this vacation. We went with friends who have all stayed at Excellence Resorts in the past and had great experiences. We were there over New Years. The drive from the airport is almost and hour. If you get car sick, the take some medicine beforehand since the roads are rough. When we got to Excellence, it looked nice. The front desk workers were very friendly. We were supposed to stay in building 12, but they changed us to 4. Thanks goodness they did. Our other friends got 12 and it was a dump. Room: The room was average at best. The shower was very small. The bed was minimally comfortable and had about 50 thread count sheets that feel like sandpaper. The comforter was cheap and felt like polyester. Pillows thin and uncomfortable. The AC barely worked and the room was hot and muggy. Bars, Food, and Restaurants: Other than the Grill, I would say the food was terrible. It was worse than food on a bad cruise. The service was equally as bad. We spent 3 hours at the New Years Eve dinner and the food was not good. Service was so bad that we eventually went to the bar to get our own drinks. Most of the waiters did not speak good English and things got lost in translation. I am not sure if the regular staff was off for vacation, but it was bad. The drinks and service at the beach and bars was pretty good though. Beach and Pools: These are the only saviors for this resort. The beach is immaculate and the water is beautiful. The pools are well maintained and extend almost the entire property. pool service for the bar is great. Entertainment: The New Years bash was great until the ball dropped. I mean who plays Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" as their New Years song? The breakdancing was pretty awesome. The sports area is also pretty nice. Casino: The casino is very small. Only Blackjack, Roulette, and Slots. The staff is not very friendly, but we still had fun. Not very much English spoken in here either. Overall I was very disappointed with this resort. I expected more from Excellence. The Dominican is very beautiful, but this hotel ruined it for me. If I ever decide to go back it WON'T be at Excellence. Playa Mujeres was about a 1000 times better than this one. Stayed January 2012, traveled with friends