Excellence Punta Cana

Fast approaching our final night of a ten night stay here at Excellence PC. Our first stay in the DR and obviously therefore our first at EPC. For the last few years we have stayed largely in hotels in Mexico so this year we fancied a change…and a return to a resort with a more traditional Caribbean feel to it. Online reviews leaned towards EPC being a mature resort with excellent levels of service despite perhaps being “a bit old” with regards to the room standards. In the main we have had a very nice stay with some stand out moments and hit a few potholes now and again… Check-in: 10/10. Taken care of swiftly at the Excellence Club Lounge and I think we were at our room within 15 minutes in time for a wee stroll about the place to find our bearings. Our Room: 7/10. So no, not to the standard we have experienced in more modern resorts. I don’t know if any renovations are planned in the future but there are things the hotel could do now which I believe could lift the rooms. A splash of colour with new curtains, cushions, lampshades and a piece of art on a wall would do wonders….but it may be a bit late even for that. The panelling in our shower has been painted so many times and the resin sinks are well past their best. Time for a rip out me thinks. If they could get rid of the bath tub and put some more drawers that would be ggggreat! Housekeeping: 8/10 Room has been kept clean and everything stocked most of the time. One day we came back to our room at about 3pm and it hadn’t been seen to yet which yes, I understand the service can be done anytime up until 5pm but it was just a bit of a pain not to be able to crash for a siesta…but all was sorted out pretty speedily and everyday day since our room has been done in good time. Pools: 8/10 We have spent most of our days at the Excellence Club pool on the beach side where Hendriex has looked after us like long lost family. It’s a mosaic tiled pool and yes, there are tiles falling off. The pool could really do with some shade as has been achieved in some areas of the other pools in the resort by constructing raised plant beds with palms in in the centre of the pool. That would be a great addition. One thing that has hit a very dull tone is that it appears to be acceptable to smoke both around and actually in the pool and I find this pretty unacceptable in this day and age. On the beach , sure, not in the pool. I enjoy a cigar myself but wouldn’t dream of lighting up in a pool or jacuzzi. I hope the management prohibits this in the near future. Hotel Grounds 10/10. If I could…I’d give a 12. The grounds staff, gardeners and cleaners on this resort deserve a particularly special mention. It is immaculate. Every morning, not so much as a drinking straw in a flower bed, not a single empty glass left out from the night before. Every hotel I’ve ever been to you always see that one guy raking or sweeping one spot of grass for ages and leaning on his rake or broom and basically doing nothing much….not here. At least, not that I’ve seen. That is outstanding and the management should reward all the staff responsible. Food & Beverage 7/10 We’ve had, on the whole, good meals from a variety of different venues. Good, not great. Breakfast in Magna is limited but with a delightful setting. The Kitchen Table breakfast buffet is strong on quality and variety. Get there early and it’s quieter…by the time the place begins to fill it feels more like a canteen with all the noise. Our meal last night at Spice was a tad farcical due to it being freezing cold…the restaurant, not the food…I’ve never seen people sitting in a restaurant in the Caribbean in sweaters and coats! The food was good with the exception of the dessert which was practically inedible. Like I said, some good meals…nothing breathtaking. It’s a seven. Service 7/10….hear me out….the vast majority of reviews rave about the service here at EPC and, to the most part, rightly so. The service is enthusiastic and friendly and you are made to feel very welcome. The style of the service here is very much geared to the Americans as they by far are in the majority here. We all know that tipping is an intrinsic part of the American service industry and it shows here. I suspect our service (us being miserly old Brits bah-humbug) might have been enhanced by tipping more…but who knows. If I’m honest, in general, we have found the service, particularly from male waiters, a tad over-enthusiastic and a bit too personal. The constant fist bumping, incessant “is everything ok” (I counted being asked that seven times by three different waiters in the space of under 15 or so minutes), the shouting emanating from kitchens, whoop-whooping…. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a big party place by any means, it’s just that ultimately I think us Brits might find the service a bit full on. A bit TGI Fridays. Entertainment: 8/10 The evening cabaret shows have actually been pretty good…a bit on the loud side for my eardrums but I’m getting old haha. Everyone seemed to have a pretty good time…the Beatles act were pretty bizarre but still had a good stab at things. The sports bar is, well, just that. The snacks served there are pretty lacklustre but there’s a pool table and I enjoyed that and would have enjoyed it even more if a clever maintenance man could pop down there with a spirit level and some beer mats. The Magna restaurant has a small pre-dinner drinks lounge with a well stocked bar but, surprisingly, no table service which would be a great touch. Despite this being an adults only resort I do think it could benefit from an area with a more “grown up” feel to it. A colonial style piano bar with a soloist in the evening would be excellent. 65/80….hence I’m giving 4 on the Tripadvisor scale….would we come back? Yeah maybe. Thank you to Juan in Guest relations for stopping to talk with us on occasion…it is clear that he is striving towards higher standards and a thank you to all the staff for making our stay a very enjoyable one.

This was an amazing location and the staff went above and beyond. We will definitely be back. The property was beautiful and the restaurants were very good. Staff were excellent

Came here on our honeymoon. Lots of great restaurants and the workers are very friendly. Would recommend.

It was a fun trip. The location is good. We didn't leave the resort. It is a calm environment and good for couples. The food was good.

This was our first time and we had an absolute blast. Our room was clean and faced out along the beautiful waterfront and we enjoyed the sounds of the ocean from our balcony every night (which was impressively quiet considering there was a tribute band playing one of the nights across the resort and we couldn’t hear a thing). I wish we could have managed a longer stay because there was so much to do and amenities but so little time for us, we cannot wait to come back and try all the things we missed. Rayson was one of our attendants in the excellence clubs beach cabanas and was so incredibly attentive and kind, even surprising us with a birthday cabana set up on our last day. Richard and the staff at Los Olas and The Grill wonderful and definitely took care of us! Just an all around incredible experience! We had a 4 day 3 night stay which was incredibly affordable considering it also included our flights, and the resort is nestled along the coast just north of town with an easy 45 min drive.