Excellence Punta Cana

We loved going here for our honeymoon. The shuttle to the resort from the airport was great, and the driver was friendly. The staff at Excellence was very kind and caring, and I loved speaking in Spanish with them. Some employee stand outs were Juan and Soleano at the blue bar, the swim up bar. They always brought great energy and vibes, and we loved spending time there! Another amazing employee was Wander. He always tried to involve people in afternoon activities, and he was around at night for the evening entertainment. He remembered us, and we truly formed a great bond with him. We loved the food, especially all the seafood options at the Kitchen Table. The fajitas at Agave were also a huge hit!! Loved all of the drinks we tried, and the service was great, though I would not recommend room service due to small portions and it took us an hour to get it at night. But other than that, we had a wonderful time, and would love to go again!

My wife and I were supposed to go to Excellence Punta Cana for our Honeymoon in 2016. However, the concerns around Zika led us to making a change a few weeks prior. We ended up in Exuma, Bahamas through Sandals Resorts. After attending several other Sandals resorts in places like Jamaica we decided for our 10 yr anniversary to attend the Excellence Punta Cana finally. Keep in mind this review is based on a comparison of many other All-Inclusive Resorts in various locations. Arrival: We found the arrival process to be smooth and wonderful. This is the best part of any resort, seeing it for the first time. Miguel was the first one we saw and he greeted us extremely friendly and made us right away feel at home. In fact, he was the last staff we saw when we left and he was the same friendly person. We did the online check-in which made the process quicker. We then sat in the Excellence Club Lounge and met with staff to finalize the process. We were asked questions about our likes and favorite things from drinks to foods, etc. to better celebrate our 10 yr anniversary. It was strange they asked that because nothing was ever done to celebrate. More on that soon. The Room: We had the Excellence Club Suite that overlooked the garden. It was beautiful and peaceful. The room was clean and exceptional. Very comfortable bed. Our only complaint was we ordered a fan the first day and never received it. Bring a noise machine or something because there are some birds that at 3 am sound like sirens or alarms that are extremely loud, every night, always at the same time. The Resort: The resort is beautiful. As people say it is an older resort, it has so much charm and beauty it doesn’t need much else to be updated. We loved the beach and the pools. The Excellence Club waterfall pool was our favorite. There are plenty of cabanas and never had trouble finding chairs, something that we struggled with in every Sandals resort. The Food: We tried every restaurant except The Lobster House. Our favorite for my wife and myself was easily The Grill. I also liked Magna (The Excellence Club Restaurant). We loved Los Olas (one of the best burgers I have ever had, Top 5). We enjoyed Agave as well. We found Oregano to be good, but the menu was limited. Chez Isabelle was the worst. Sadly, we chose to go there for our anniversary and were sadly disappointed. The food was terrible and the service poor. More on the service soon. Aroma had great local coffee and one of the best donuts I have ever had. We really liked going there. Room Service: This doesn’t exist. We chose to order breakfast on our anniversary because we never received the breakfast in bed we were supposed to get. I called at 8:32 am and was told 35-40 minutes. After 1 hr 25 minutes of waiting we left the room and went to The Table (buffet) for breakfast. I was stopped at the door for violating the dress code. I had Boat Shoes, dress shorts, and a sleeveless button up shirt with a high collar. I was told no. Strange, as at dinner at Agave where there is a stricter dress code, a gentleman was wearing a Coors Light T-Shirt, cutoff shorts, and sandals, yet he was allowed to dine. This is the BUFFET. Most people come here before heading to the beach and pool. Besides, there were men wearing tank tops and swim trunks and women wearing thong bikinis, yet my attire was not good enough? Problematic. Staff Service: There were a few exceptions that I will highlight here, but for the most part this is what separates Excellence Resorts from Sandals. Sandals has been trained in customer service. Excellence, not so much. And before someone says “This is just the culture of the Dominican People”. I have many friends from DR and they are not anywhere close to this. Our experience was that staff at the bars, concierge desk, servers, etc. were all unhappy and not wanting to be there. When you asked for a drink or service you got the impression you were bothering them. We did arrive at the beach and right in the morning we had staff rush to get towels and get us set up in the cabanas. Then we never saw them again, and when we would approach about anything it was an annoyed tone. They would just sit in their booth chatting with each other. At Sandals no matter where were the staff were excited to serve. They had fun, they sang songs, had cheers, they tried to get you drunk, they remembered you, they tried to put a smile on your face. Keep in mind this was the case at several different resorts. Different countries. Entertainment: They did a great job with the evening entertainment. The Michael Jackson show was phenomenal and the Magician was top notch. These are not Vegas quality shows (as we have seen the Michael Jackson ONE and Chriss Angel), but they are very very well done. Anniversary Bust: This is the biggest difference. If you are celebrating something special at a Sandals Resort you are made to feel special for the time you are there. Extra little things, not even expensive, just to make you feel noticed. Excellence PC- nothing. We had to ask for the banner on our door saying it’s our Anniversary. We had to coordinate our own celebrations. The items they promised, like breakfast in bed, room decorations, a special meal, none of that happened. Conclusion: Excellence is cheaper than Sandals for the most part, even when choosing the Excellence Club which in my opinion is a must given the additional extras. You get high end food, plenty of drinks, a beautiful resort, great entertainment, and amenities. The difference is in the customer service. If you are going for a special celebration, go Sandals. If you are going just for the heck of it, save your money and go to Excellence

Maria really made our trip fun. The whole entertainment crew really goes above.and beyond Clean rooms. Quick quality service. 10/10 a great time ♡

We first went to Excellence Punta Cana in 2024 and we were so impressed we came back with our friends and family to get married. Our experience this time DID NOT match our experience in 2024. We started our trip waiting at the airport over 1 1/2 hours for our transportation from Seasons. The food wasn't as good as it was in 2024, the poolside servers were short staffed, and there was long wait for the restaurants for dinner. Several of my guests complained that their rooms smelled musty and the A/C wasnt working well. Our key cards were disactivated several times, making us walk to the front desk to reactivate each time. My sister and her husband paid $240 for guest passes to attend my wedding and were left in the lobby for over 30 minutes and then escorted to the wrong wedding, needless to say they missed the ceremony. The night club was closed, so you couldn't continue to party after 11pm. and finally, on the day of check out, we had another issue with the transportation company and almost missed our flight. My son's room was also charged $150 for a bottle of wine he NEVER ordered. It was just one mishap after another that added stress to my wedding week. The resort itself is gorgeous, and my wedding was absolutely beautiful, but the changes made between our first trip in 2024 until now were definitely obvious.

We just got back from this resort and it was our 2nd time going. The resort is absolutely stunning with attention spent on cleanliness, gorgeous views and service. Staff was always anxious to please and continued to ask if we needed anything which was much appreciated. With the exception of Chez Isabelle, Magna and Lobster House, food was sub par on this visit. Evening entertainment needs a major overhaul with many of the guests leaving shortly after many of the evening shows started which is a shame. We found this resort to be perfect for couples and adult family members. This is the place a person goes to for service, relaxation and welcoming......You are Appreciated as Guests here and once you arrive.....You are greeted with "Welcome Home" which is always a great start to your stay. This resort truly is a gem!!