Excellence Punta Cana

We really enjoyed our stay there. The grounds were well maintained and beautiful. The restaurants were amazing as was the staff. Everything was exceptional. The shows at night were also very entertaining.

Excellent Experience at the Excellence

I am a fairly experienced traveller that has stayed at numerous different resorts in the Caribbean and overall I would have to say this was my best experience to date. Overall this resort was quite good, and had above average quality food and resort grounds (compared to like rated resorts) and generally excellent service. There was some areas that could be improved (which I will highlight below), but they are minor in nature. I guess the biggest drawback from the week was the rough waters off [... read more] the beach. The red flag was the common sight with yellow appearing only very infrequently. I don't know if it was because of the time of year but if you walked half a mile on the beach either direction the waters were much quieter. So if you value swimming in the ocean everyday, you may be disappointed with this resort. My opinion on some of the major categories of the feature of this resort are as follows: Restaurants/food In my opinion, this is one of the strongest features of this resort. The food was excellent everywhere, from the buffet restaurant to the myriad of a la carte and specialty places like the sports bar and coffee/bakery/ice-cream shop. I found the food fresh, tasty, and the variety excellent. Although the steaks at the Grill Restaurant had fairly thin cuts, it was always perfectly cooked and seasoned. The buffet restaurant near the beach had a theme everyday, and we enjoyed taco Monday, as well as BBQ Day (the BBQ ribs were delicious). For Club members, the Magna restaurant offered a la carte breakfast (which we enjoyed everyday), that had fantastic variety and quality. The only minor point of improvement would have been to better label some of the food items at the buffet. Although some stations were labelled, some others for example the Asian cuisine portion was unlabelled. It would have been nice to know the types of sushi and the variety of sauces (that all looked alike). The no reservations required at the al la carte restaurant was awesome! The only reservation required was the Japanese Show Cooking which was done on the same day. We never had a problem getting seating at the restaurants between 6-7 pm, however from 7-9 pm, there was often a wait on the more popular restaurants (ie the French and Lobster House). If there was a wait, we would have a drink at the closest bar and they would come and get us (not unlike waiting at a restaurant at home). I however heard from other guest that they had made reservations by asking some of the staff (there was probably a nice tip involved). There was a rather very pricey wine list available at all restaurants ($15 wine bottle at home was listed for about $80... ouch). The premium drinks for Club members was only available at the Magna Restaurant. It would have been very nice to have it accessible to club members at all the restaurants (especially since they checked you off a list before you ate there, so they knew that you were club). The Resort Grounds Another very strong category for this resort was the beautiful and well maintained grounds. The resort was very well laid out, and the grounds were constantly being maintained. There was a very nice walking/running trail on the inside perimeter of the resort which ran through ponds with wildlife like flamingos, parrots (a red one with quite the personality), and other exotic birds. Beach/Pools There are 2 rather large winding and river like pools in the main area and 2 smaller pools in the club area. I had the opportunity to enjoy all the pools and I liked the quieter nature of the club pools. The main pools had all the water activities and the swim up bar. Overall the pools were nice. One of the hot tubs required some maintenance on the handles (unfortunately a women received a rather nasty black eye from a fall from the loose handle bar leading into the tub). The beach was beautiful and well maintained. We took long walks on the beach everyday and you easily go several miles on either side. One of my favourite features was the variety of lounge/seating options at the beach and pool from regular lounge chairs to very comfy beds under huts and some had adjustable screens. We never had problems finding either beds or lounge chairs at the beach or pool although the screen adjustable ones were scarcer. As stated above the ocean waters were rough throughout the time we were there. I waded in a few times but they were not swimmable. The temperature of the water was perfect however. Resort Rooms We stayed in a club room with ocean views. The room was very nice. The room was clean and updated. The bathroom in particular was fantastic with a rather large shower which offered both rain shower on top and a wand. Counter space was plentiful with 2 sinks and closed in toilet area. The TV had a remarkable amount of channels available, and we ended up watching a few movies late at night. We liked the soaker tub in the room itself (I guess some people found it strange), and there was a lot of little extras that enhanced the experience such as a steaming appliance for cloths, and incense sticks. The mini bar was well stocked with a good variety of items and there was premium bottles available (ie vodka, rum, gin and whiskey). Unfortunately, we enjoy red wine and although the quality at the resort isn't the best, the Club Wine which is Fontera from Chile was certainly drinkable (house quality in my opinion). However we could not get it stocked as part of the mini bar and we could not get a bottle of that brand delivered to the room (only available at club bars and magna). Finally the maid service was excellent. We received "petit four" deserts and towel animals nearly everyday and the room was cleaned very well. As well turn down service was also done, and you would receive the activities list for the next day with a few chocolates. Be careful when you reserve a swim up room as well, some of them where located in shade all day and the water was pretty cold (according to some of the guests we talked to). Bars and Service I think there is nearly 10 bars on site, and we never had to wait and travel long to find a drink. The variety and the quality was quite good. At the sports bar, they had a german beer and some other varieties and the martini bar had some pretty tasty concoctions. Club members were only able to get the premium drinks (Frontera wine, Grey Goose Vodka, etc..) at the club bars near the club pools, the magna lounge, and the Club Lobby area. The service overall from the staff was excellent. They were frequently doing the rounds at the beach and around the pools. I never really felt neglected. Tipping certainly does help but I never felt obliged. I certainly got the impression that the staff at the resort are generally happy people and some of them had been working there 6 years + which is telling. The language ability overall of the staff is pretty much on par with other resorts. Some spoke very fluently in English and others had only rudimentary skills although my Spanish also needs a lot of work. We found the service based at the Magna Restaurant however was just a notch above everywhere else. If they could get the waiters to be able to express themselves a little more about the food they are serving, it would definitely improve the overall service but their skills (less the Magna) was pretty basic in taking your order and providing drinks. I would like to express my thanks to Joana and Viktor at the Magna, Jhon at the Club pool bar, and especially Orlando at the Club Lobby for providing outstanding service and improving our experience. Entertainment and Activities The nightly shows were pretty typical and average for this type of resort. We watched a portion of nearly every show and they were pretty average in quality. I can't say any one of them stood out. The theatre (conveniently located beside the lobby) was always packed and you needed to be there an hour before to get the best seats (ie around 830 pm). At about 9 pm, the only seats available were usually in the back or sides of the theatre. There wasn't really any bad seats however. There was the typical activities and games you would find at other resorts ie aqua aerobics, Spanish lessons, dancing lessons, beach volleyball, darts, variety of beach games. The activities crew were pretty subdued and they rarely hounded you to participate. For most of the time, I was unaware that they were occurring, however I did manage to participate in a few by seeking them out. This was also a great feature of the resort, since I have been to a few that constantly hound you to participate in daily activities. There was also a games area at the resort which included tennis courts, a full basketball court, billiards, ping pong, a very small mini put area, and archery. I only visited the area twice and it was deserted but it appeared well maintained. There is a disco on site, and even though I did not go, I heard the music there was pretty loud ie ear ringing range (not a young crowd which would probably appreciate it more). The Spa onsite was amazing as well. We received the included hydra therapy session which was pretty awesome. It was even better then a couples massage we had received at another resort for over 200 USD. The stores that line the front right side of the resort are very, very pricey, which included souvenir, jewelry, and pharmacy. There was some souvenir shops on either side of the resort on the beach. If you choose to go, go to the left facing the ocean, more variety, and better overall. Overall Overall, I was pretty happy with my stay and I would recommend it to my friends and family knowing what they value in a vacation. I felt the Club upgrade was really worth it. Another couple we met regretted not getting Club after their travel agent told them that it was not worth the extra cost. I think it was worth it, and I would definitely do it again. The resort is about 40 mins away from the airport so definitely not the closest but it was nice to be able to walk on the beach on either side of the resort for about a mile on either side before hitting another resort.

Wonderfull Trip

Beautiful Ocean view rooms[with pool views also] with about half of the rooms. Long sandy shoreline especially for a mid size property[around 500 rooms].Doesn't take long times to get anywhere and a nice walk around the resort and beach.Food and service is great at this resort.We had most of our breakfast's at the Lobsters Restaurant [instead of the Buffet] for the excellent service,staff and ocean views[open air].You may be limited to areas you can ocean swim as it was windy there and big waves [... read more] but was a beautiful view. Lots of lounges around the beach area but the pool ones go faster if it is a windy day. Shows activities, are similar to other resorts[Michael Jackson, theme song dancers, circus show] Disco opens at 11 and is very small,dark and loud so we never went in over 3 checks. Activities are tucked away at the far side of the resort[tennis, basketball, pool, ping-pong, mini golf] but not many there. For young couples looking for a quitter private trip this is a great choice. If your young couples or singes looking for more activities , nightlife etc. I would check out some larger resorts. Shopping at this resort is very expensive[jewelry, clothes] except for the smaller items.

Amazing Resort

This has got to be our fave all-inclusive resort ever. Grounds immaculate; rooms super clean; food at the a la cartes as good as any 5 star restaurant and loved you didn't need reservations; staff were friendly and very helpful, no request was too big or too small and was handled immediately; there were enough chairs and "umbrellas" for everyone whether at the beach or at the pool; loved that towels were readily available and you didn't need to exchange them. The only suggestion I would make i [... read more]s that they add more places to put away clothes and hang wet towels, bathing suits, etc., in the rooms.

You won't be disappointed!

We have been to the Excellence hotels in Mexico 5 times and thought around try something new and this place did not disappoint us! Pros 45 million reno with several upgrades, new rooms, new pool in excellent club, new restaurants and bars We love the layout better than excellence in Mexico as all restaurants in central area and you can walk to everything covered Can see and hear the beach from your pools Top shelf drinks and service at pool and beach Spotless grounds and rooms People go o [... read more]ut of their way to make you're stay memorable Entertainment was amazing...singers don't lip sync like at excellence resorts in mexico Cons - this is just my perspective 45 min transfer to hotel Service at restaurants to get your main meal a bit longer than use to Beach is always rough and the week we went Feb 7-14 high winds so even tough to sit on

Wonderful Resort

Our group of four enjoyed every moment of our vacation on this beautiful resort. We enjoyed relaxing and quiet atmosphere, friendly staff, great food and drinks in all restaurants and long walks on a wide sandy beach. During our stay the wind was rather persistent so we avoided swimming in the ocean.

Great vacation!

We have been to Punta Cana 5 times and enjoyed this hotel the best. We would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice quiet and relaxed vacation. Room was comfortable (except for a spider!) , food very good. Resort is spaced out so it does not ever seem crowded. Dining rooms very nice. Rode on the beach every day with Fausto - great horses and fun in the surf. Was too windy to swim in front of the resort (could actually surf!) but a short walk up the beach and around the bend, [... read more] the waves calmed nicely. Staff very nice as well. We will definitely go back ! We were there from Feb 1-8th, 2018.

Surpassed all expectations

From the moment I logged onto TripCentral, everything was easy and practical. We had all the information we needed emailed to us, and because we printed the info and kept it in our carry-on, all the travel was quick, from home to resort and back, despite weather (snow) delays. WestJet gave us hotel vouchers for our cancelled flight, and Excellence Punta Cana made sure our stay was my most relaxing vacation ever. My sole curiously, not exactly a concern, is that for the majority of our stay ou [... read more]r name was highlighted on their list as "Inc. R" and we were told that it was due to a "problem" in one of the restaurant s, yet no one would tell us what that problem was. I would have liked to understand more. Other than that, we never wanted for anything, because there was always someone happy to help, whether it was a drink, changing funds, making a phone call, anything and everything. Always a lounging chair available and very clean. It is a quieter resort than most that I've seen, but that was exactly what we wanted. The crowd is very mature and relaxed. And the food.... Wow, the food was my favourite part! I would be very happy to repeat this experience.

Reasonably good

Good grounds, rough water so the beach area not good for swimming, though clean beach area. Food needs to improve. not much choice and need an evening buffet. Hard to get into the restuarents and hard to reserve too.

Fabulous resort

Just returned home from a great 10 day vacation at the Punta Cana Excellence Resort. From check in to check out the staff were outstanding with their customer service. The spa is definitely worth a visit and you can be assured that the whole experience will be one to remember. Staff were friendly and very accommodating. Clean rooms, excellent dining options and a beach that needs to be seen to truly enjoy its beauty. Recreation staff were upbeat and friendly. Johnathon, Felix, Rosia we’re  [... read more]attentive and made our group feel special. Bartenders and wait staff were also great and knew your drink of choice within the first day. Thank you to Danny, Geoffrey and Juan. This resort offers lots to do, from relaxing to excellent shows at night. They know your name and make you feel at home!

Excellente Resort

The Excellence Punta Cana has beautiful grounds with lush greenery and flowers.The room was great with a comfortable bed and a large jacuzzi tub. The balcony had a nice view of palm trees and flowers. The bathroom was more than adequate with a large shower and two sinks. The food was very good, a little bland at times, but quality. The service was excellent, friendly and attentive. Only downfalls were: an unexpected $22 charge for a two minute local call, and the Excellence website lists a 30 [... read more] minute included horse back ride, which no longer exists. Overall a 4.5 out of five for us!

Very nice resort

We had a wonderful week at Excellence Punta Cana. The beach was fantastic, the food and drinks very good and the entertainment was amazing! The Tapas restaurant and the Japanese grill were especially good.The hotel staff is very friendly and accommodating. They had a lovely Dominican night with bands and food but sadly it was not attended well by the guests. The drink service on the beach was really nice...and the beach BBQ hut had different items every day. Beach beds were very comfortable.

Best resort I’ve ever stayed in

The resort is first class in every way The food was great and the service Excellente We upgraded to Club Class which we enjoyed very much and would recommend to those looking for that extra quiet luxury

The Excellence was Excellent

On arrival in our swim up room we had a problem with bed bugs. After staff wss called to acknowledge, we were asigned another room in anither building, which was "thoroughly " checked by us and no signs of bed bugs were found (nonetheless, on return home, all suitcases, clothing etc was placed in a 140 degree bed bug killing case, for 2 hours, to ensure no bed bugs made our home, theirs) Food, hospitality, shows, restaurants on site were perfect. There is unfortunately a big language barrier, [... read more] making it very difficult to communicate needs, wishes etc. Our suggestion on our last stay at Excellence was to have food staff (in restaurants etc) educated on food allergies, which they did and now ask on entry to the many on site restaurants. Unfortunately, regardless of the fact we stressed our allergies to the Excellence restaurant "Chez Isabell" last week (Nov 24 to Dec 01 2017 stay ) my wife and i were both eerved food heavily Laden with nuts, which if my wife wouldnt have noticed, would have hospitalized us both, if we survived the anaphylactic shock. Excellence needs to pay closer attention to such situations (which they were very aware of yet failed to exercise)We now have experienced 4 stays at 2 Excellence properties (Punta Cana and Mexico) and regardless of some issues, we will return !!

Excellent resort

Every services ,activities,the beach is excellent. His is our 8 stay at the Excellence Punta Cana Worth visiting and adopting It appears to be the resort with the most repeated guest on the island We have met some guest with 22 visits,14 visits and many others

Excellents Punta Cana

Stayed at this resort for the 8th time, Nov. 1 to 11th 2017. This property had been closed during the summer for a major upgrade and facelift. We were the first guests to arrive on the reopening day, Wednesday, Nov.1st. We were greeted by members of the staff and an entertainment group. We had booked our usual standered room, but to our surprise the hotel had upgraded us to the Exclusive Excellents Club. After checking in we were given a tour of the “new” complex, the transformation was abso [... read more]lutely astounding. There were so many changes to mention but it is beautiful. One of the main reasons we like this resort is the layout. The entire complex runs parallel to the beach, so were ever you are accommodated you are only a few steps from the restaurants and the beach. The rooms, restaurants, and entertainment area are top notch. One big change was the relocation of the Exclusive Excellents Club. They have 2 new private pools, each with its own jacuzzi (2) in each pool, also rooms with their own swim up pool. The food is outstanding, and service is there big attraction. I had a chance to talk to the owner at breakfast one morning about the changes and he said they spent about 45 million dollars to bring it up to a more modern facility. This hotel is an adults only, so if you are thinkiing about a vacation in Punta Cana, look at this location, it is a little smaller than most of the new hotels, but it sure beats the long walk in the big properties.

2nd Visit - Great resort

This is a beautiful resort, good food and great staff. We had a Terrace Suite with a plunge pool which was fantastic. All the restaurants were great and we loved that we did not need reservations. The entertainment each night was very good, some were better than others, but the Michael Jackson and Circus shows were great. The beach was great, but the waves are strong all the time so swimming is limited in front of the resort, but if you walk to the right of the resort there is a very calm are [... read more]a. This resort is well worth the money and my wife and I will be back.

Excellent Vacation

Just returned from the Excellence Punta Cana. As per some previous reviews, I would agree that the resort was a bit tired. We had an amazing time and would return if the price was right but I will say it didn't compare to the Excellence in Playa Mujures Mexico. The food was good but not great. Service was good, not great. And even alcohol wasn't top shelf like in Mexico. That being said, the weather was much hotter - which we liked and had more of an island feel that Mexico. Had we not be [... read more]en to the Excellence in Mexico, I'm sure I would have given this resort a 5 star review. But, I can't help but compare and so would rate it 4 stars. They are about to undergo a major renovation in July. We will look forward to returning when that has been completed.

We love Excellence Punta Cana!

cThis was our third time at Excellence Punta Cana, which shows how much we love it. The grounds, the service (with the one exception noted below), the beach and the food are 'excellente' as the staff would say. We always choose the Excellence Club option, as we enjoy the benefits we get from that offering. This year, we also decided to upgrade to a Master Suite, so we were looking forward to a larger, better room. We were disappointed, however, in the room we were initially assigned which wa [... read more]s a ground floor room 7005 directly facing the loud swim up bar. Not sure how this room qualifies as an Excellence Club room as it is very far from Building 10 where the EC lounge is and not in a good location. The concierge in EC was able to move us to a second floor ocean front room in Building 10 the next day, so we were happy but this should not have happened, especially since this was our third time there. Also, I was happy to hear that the resort will close this year to renovate the rooms, as they really need it and really aren't five star. For example, the air conditioning was so loud we couldn't sleep with it on, our two sliding doors didn't lock, the mini fridge was totally broken inside, so every time you opened it, stuff would fall out etc. We're looking forward to updated rooms! My one other comment is with respect to 'reserved' tables in a resort where reservations aren't necessary or allowed. We showed up at the Lobster House for dinner at around 8:00 on our last night (we were a party of 4) and all the outside tables were open. Just as we were speaking to the hostess and asking for a table outside, a large group that had obviously had been there before, burst in giving everyone hugs and obviously slipped the main waiter some money and scored a big table outside, while we were told that they were all reserved for 'special dinners'. I didn't give up and pushed for a table outside, explaining that we had arrived before the large party and wanted to eat outside. They eventually accommodated, but the experience was not good. There should be more transparency around how 'reserved tables' for 'special dinners' work. The last thing you want is to have a confrontation just before dinner!

Cosy and intimate resort

peacefull,clean,couteous staff,activities well structured and a lot of participants.Appears to attract a senior clientele from all over the world.. Many repeats clients, in my case 8 times .some 14-21 times