Excellence Punta Cana Luxury Adults Only - All Inclusive

My wife and I had stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres in 2009 so we decided to try one of their other resorts. Punta Cana's resort is not as new so we had that in mind before we got there. The staff was just as friendly and accomodating and there were more activities offered on-site. The food, however, was not as consistant as at Playa Mujeres which was one of the few disappointments. Golf was not as accessible either. Our overall experience was very good, and would have been "Excellente", had we not been to one of their other resorts.

We had a great weekend! The honeymoon suite is amazing! The staff is great!

We stayed at Excellence for 5 nights from January 3 to January 8. We selected this resort based on reviews we had read online and because it is an adult only resort. When we arrived we were warmly greeted at the front entrance, checked in, and were shown to our room. As soon as we opened the door we were hit with the strong musty smell several other reviewers have noted. When we got in we immediately opened the patio door and the main door and let fresh air through which seemed to help a lot. We had one of the dated rooms on the third floor in block 4. It was very clean, but needed some attention. The mattress was quite uncomfortable, and the pillows and bed linens were very low quality. I expected much better. There were also problems with the bathroom including low lighting levels above the sink and in the shower, and the whirlpool tub drain stopper would not seal so you could not fill the tub with water. Also, it looked like there was a shelf in the shower at one time that had broken off and was never replaced, so you were left with trying to balance soap and shampoo on the faucet handle or set it on the floor. Based on our service upon arrival, I was expecting top-notch attention during our stay. Unfortunately that was not the case. Most of the bar staff seemed pretty good, but the restaurant staff, in general, were less than average. I understand the language barrier, but it was much more than that. Several dishes that our party ordered came out wrong. Asking for a description of a menu item is useless. Our waiter at Barcelona was just rude. I was really surprised there was not a higher level of service here. There were exceptions of course and a few of the staff were great but most were not. Restaurants seemed to vary pretty widely in quality of food. Toscana for breakfast and lunch were basically what you would expect from a buffet. The juice bar was kind of fun with some unusual options. We enjoyed our dinners at Spice and Agave, but our favorite was Café Isabelle. However, we were a party of 4 and had to wait almost 2 hours for a table! We were not even seated in the restaurant, but in the courtyard. This restaurant is definitely tailored to couples. We thought the food was very good, but very slow in getting to the table. The spa is definitely a highlight of this resort. It is very clean and modern with professional staff. Do take advantage of the hydrotherapy if you have the time. The spa services were well worth the time and money. The pools were beautiful and well maintained and the swim up bar was a fun experience. The beach is also well kept and cleaned and groomed every night. There is a lot of garbage floating around in the water however. You will see a lot of it on the beach right outside the resort if you venture out. There are also persistent vendors just outside the resort property so if you don’t want to be hassled, stay on the resort beach. Because this was our first experience at an all-inclusive resort, I would probably not stay here again. I would try another resort in another location for a new experience.

Everyone is great at this resort. The room had a few deficiencies but everything was rectified in a timely manner. We tried most of the restaurants and found the food to be very good, with wonderful service. Hope we'll be going back soon!

We went for a relaxing get-away and that is exactly what we got. Weather wasn't great in January, so unfortunately we had some rain. Food was just average, with a few very good meals here and there. Staff were wonderful and drinks were very strong - they did not skimp at all despite it being an all-inclusive. Rooms were fine, could use a little face lift but jacuzzi bath was wonderful. Spa was great but not included. They boasted wi-fi throughout hotel but we found it really only worked well in the lobby. Shows at night were hit or miss - some excellent some really bad. Overall we had a nice trip, though not exceptional.

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

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

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.

The staff gets a 10! The people make this resort! The resort is under construction,with 1/4 of the excellence club rooms closed along with part of the pool. The food was good.They made paella down by the beach, was excellent. The beach is great,but the waves are a little overwhelming for swimming. The shows were more entertaining than other all inclusive we have stayed at. The resort is about 45 min from airport.We took a private transportation from airport (70$ each way) but was well worth it,because no stops and direct route to resort and we had a short stay . All I can say is we will be going back! Our stay was Dec 14,2011

Overall great experience and had a blast on our 5 day vacation. We went in early December so I would guess it was about half full. First the pro's: - Staff was great. Remembered your names and drinks, friendly, went out of their way to please. Saw the same people all the time so you got to know them. - Great pool, plenty of chairs, lounges, beds. - Bars were plentiful and bartenders were mostly great. Con's: A litle off the beaten path so you aren't very close to excursions. - Food was OK - not 5 star by US stndards but we never went hungry. -Construction was going on so the relaxing pool was interuppted by power tools at times. nothing major and it was funny to watch what they called "safety equipment" - like a rope tied around a worker on a roof held by another worker on the roof. We'd definitely go back and many of the couples we meant were on their fifth or sixth return visit.