Finest Punta Cana

We did a split trip this time; five nights at Finest Punta Cana and three nights at EEC (now ECPC). This was our second trip to both resorts. And honestly, this review is not what I thought it was going to be when we were packing to leave the house. We booked this trip in Nov 2025, nine months before leaving, for a beachfront honeymoon suite with private pool. I liked the look and the idea of that room when I first saw it in 2024 and it was the main reason for the trip. Five days before we left, Excellence corporate (Not Finest) called us and said our room was no longer available, and we would be moved to a honeymoon 2-story terrace suite with plunge pool. Told them that would be a no go; I’m over 70, have had five knee surgeries plus many others and cannot do the stairs in those rooms (we toured one the last time we were there). They said they would see what they could do. Less than 12 hours before we left for the airport they called back with another room type, again with a plunge pool, with a garden view that was right on top of Market Kitchen buffet. So, when we left home for the airport I was expecting an argument, frustration and disappointment when we arrived. Instead, the Excellence Club check in staff did what they could to make us happy and started getting their management involved. Ended up with a swim-up towards the back of building 7 but at least had a pool. Besides the staff on duty when we checked in (whose names I failed to get) I would like to thank (know I’m going to mess this one up, sorry) Xecmia (the staff check-in supervisor), Filomenia and Jimena A for all they did to resolve our problem and make us happy. Without all the effort they put in, this trip would have probably turned out quite a bit different. Thank you! I had also read the reports and the reviews on the changes to the restaurants and the food so that worried me a little. There is less choice, and less beef, than there used to be and the quality seems to be somewhat worse than it was before, but you will not go hungry at all. The restaurants are open based on occupancy so depending on when you are there you need to watch the app to see what is open and when. We saw Filomenia all over at mealtimes, she listens to guests and gets things done. Another shout out is to Margarita. It was getting funny; she was our hostess at Dommo the night we ate there, then she was at La Petit the next night and finally she was the hostess at Market Kitchen the night they did Dominican Night. Three different restaurants, three different nights, same hostess. That’s unusual at the least. La Petit was the only meal we had complaints about while we were there. I will say the wife and I thought the food at FPC overall was better than the food at ECPC. For your drinks – Happy Happy and Francis are the go to’s at the main bar and Rony is your man at the Excellence Club lounge. This trip ended up being a solid 4 rating overall, and that’s from a couple in their 70’s with no kids at a family friendly resort. If we had the room we booked it would have probably been a 5 but I have to knock off something for the corporate incompetence of booking rooms they knew would be under renovation and then not telling the guest until less than a week before departure the room was gone. For a mini comparison, we thought the food, drinks and nighttime entertainment were better at FPC than at ECPC and the staff at FPC seemed to be happier and friendlier than the people working at ECPC.

British guests generally like their food hot and time between courses as they tend to Dine. In the restaurants the quality of food was good to excellent but often only warm even when only 4 of us were eating together, this was a bit of a downside for us.

The food was lacking, sheets synthetic, beautiful facilities, service inconsistent. Carlos was great

Having visited multiple times and gotten married at Finest Playa Mujeres, we had high expectations for this trip. Unfortunately, our room was poorly cleaned at arrival with dust bunnies and hair in the closet, multiple hairs on toilet and vanity, and the toilet rim was, let's say, dripped on. Management was SUPER responsive about the conditions of the room and send housekeeping right away and gave us a dinner at the beach for the trouble. The furniture and fixtures are VERY worn down with stains in the shower pan and upholstery, and the fixtures are all scratch and not working properly, like they are very hard to open-close, or water splashes everywhere. Service was a hit or miss. Hosts at of each restaurant were amazing, and I want to give a special shoutout to the ladies at the sweet corner who were there day in and day out always with a smile and going above and beyond, and to the ladies at the imagine kids club which passion for kids is apparent. There were also a handful of other servers who were great, but the rest honestly seemed angry and unhappy to be there. At the Market Kitchen drinks never made it to the table, water was served mid-meal, whenever an additional place set was requested they would forget and you had to steal one from another table yourself, and the coffee was extremely thick and most of the time full of coffee grounds. Also most of the food at the buffet was missing identification cards, and having a family member with shellfish allergies made it extremely difficult to know what was safe to eat. Now the good! The design of this resort and layout of the amenities is amazing! There are kids pools available central to the resort, so you are not having to go to the end of the world to keep your kids entertained, except for the little waterpark which is a little far, but honestly worth the walk! Its so fun. The kids club is the best we've seen in any kid-friendly resort, and there are available playrooms at every single restaurant! Entertainment was also great with something fun every day. and finally, something that was a problem at Finest Playa Mujeres was how you could hear all the parties happening outside at all hours from your room, but they absolutely fixed that on this one, once you close the patio door you cannot hear a thing. Overall, I would recommend this resort to people with small kids willing to oversee somethings or point them out to the staff, because they are still better than similarly rated resorts in the area

We had an absolutely incredible stay at Finest Punta Cana and couldn’t be happier with our decision to choose this resort for our family vacation. From the beautiful resort itself to the incredible entertainment and activities, our stay was truly phenomenal. One of the biggest highlights of our trip was the entertainment crew. Javier (with a J!), Kevin, Soledad, Domingo, and Xavier or, as he calls himself, “Barack Obama” were absolutely amazing! They were so friendly, welcoming, energetic, and wonderful with our children. From the moment we arrived, they made us feel like part of the Finest family. They were constantly checking in on us, saying hello, and making sure we knew about all the activities happening throughout the resort. They encouraged us to participate in everything from silent disco, karaoke, faceless doll painting, painting classes, mojito making, and so much more. There were also plenty of activities for the kids, including sand art and slime making, which my children loved. The entertainment crew really made the trip extra special. Their energy was contagious, and they genuinely interacted with the guests rather than simply running activities. During the silent disco especially, they were right there dancing and getting everyone involved. You could tell they truly enjoyed what they were doing, and it made the atmosphere so much more fun. The nightly entertainment at the main theater was also fantastic. There was a different show every night, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Stars, magic show and other performances. There was always something to look forward to in the evening. The resort itself is beautiful and very well maintained. The beach did have some sargassum, as is common in Punta Cana, and some days were definitely better than others. However, it was still good enough for us to enjoy swimming in the ocean, and we never felt that it ruined our beach experience. The drinks were great, and we especially enjoyed the swim-up bar. The food was more of a mixed experience for us. One thing we really appreciated was the variety of vegan and plant-based options, since we do not eat meat. Our favorite restaurants were Lizo, the Mexican restaurant, followed by The Melting Pot (Chinese) and Shoj (Japanese). Unfortunately, the Italian restaurant was our least favorite. Duke’s was also pretty good. The Marketplace was convenient for breakfast, although we did find that the food was not as good as the restaurants. Overall, despite a few minor things with the food, our stay was exceptional. The beautiful resort, amazing entertainment, family-friendly activities, and especially the incredible entertainment team made this vacation one we will remember for a long time. A huge thank you to Javier, Kevin, Soledad, Domingo, and Xavier (“Barack Obama”) for making our family feel so welcome and for bringing so much energy and fun to our vacation. We would absolutely come back to Finest Punta Cana and would definitely recommend it to other families. We are so happy we chose Finest for our stay!