Excellence Punta Cana gave us the wedding of our dreams! We got married there on April 18, 2008 and brought along 54 of our family and friends. We were worried that with such a large group (with many experienced travelers) that it would be hard to satisfy everyone, but it turned out to be the best decision we ever made. Everyone had a fantastic time swimming, playing volleyball and just hanging out and instead of just one night, we got to celebrate our wedding for a whole week! One of our best ideas was having a groomsman & bridesmaid host a happy hour each night before dinner. Since the resort is so huge, it gave a chance for all 56 of us to meet up and socialize. At least half the guests ended up at the disco every night where we would dance till closing.

Our wedding on the beach was beautiful and our wedding coordinator, Ana Luisa Rivas, was amazing. She handled everything for us and even put in all these little touches to make our wedding wonderful. My bridesmaid dresses were fuchsia and she provided a wedding cake, flowers, and menu cards to match. She delivered our gift bags to each guest, organized all my spa appointments, personally oversaw all my events and worked with the florist to get the special orchids I wanted for my bouquet. She even had the florist bring samples of the orchids a few days before the wedding and then tracked me down on the beach to show me. On the day of my wedding, she was with me from morning to night, overseeing every little detail. The whole event was flawless and the Caribbean band was a blast at the reception. My travel agent worked with Ana for months in advance to make arrangements for our wedding and guests and she claims Ana is the best wedding coordinator she has ever found. This is from an agent very experienced with planning weddings in the Caribbean. I absolutely agree. If you are planning a wedding at Excellence, just relax and leave everything in Ana's hands. She is truly incredible and so unbelievably sweet. She also works very, very hard. Ana, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we will absolutely be coming back soon to see you again.

We are very grateful to our wedding photographer, Fran Rodriguez. The pictures he took were amazing and he made the whole experience so much fun. He had us laughing the whole time. The coolest part is that all our photos and video were ready before we left the resort. Most of my friends have had to wait weeks or months for their photos. Fran even puts them all out on a website for you. His website is [--] if you want to see some more of his work. Thanks Fran, you are very talented and we love our pictures!

As far as the resort, it really exceeded the our expectations and those of our guests. The grounds are beautiful, there is lots to do (if you want) and the staff is very friendly. We will be coming back and I have a feeling quite a few of our wedding guests will be coming with us.

The only bad thing about Excellence Punta Cana was leaving. Other reviews that may seem negative are way off base and going with a positive attitude makes all the difference in the world. The people employed at the resort are friendly, hard-working and always willing to please. The food was great, in my opinion (and my husband's), and the pizza by the pool was awesome. For those of you who love beef, I would recommend the Chateau Briande (sp?) at Chez Isabelle. I recommend going to dinner between 6:00 and 6:30 in order to get in right away. Drinks are also top notch and flow freely (thanks Juan and Felix!). The "drink of the day" is always interesting to try.
Some people have complained about the beds, but from two people who have back issues, we found them a bit firm, but fine. It's not like you have to live there and sleep on them forever. Our room was beautiful (3rd floor with an ocean view and vaulted ceilings) and always cleaned within a reasonable amount of time. If there is something you need, just write a note and they will get it for you.
The resort grounds are downright gorgeous and not so huge that walking was a pain. We only had rain showers twice during the week and they only lasted 10 minutes each.
In the end, I would definitely go to Excellence Punta Cana again and May seemed to be the perfect time because the resort was not full and we didn't really have to wait in line for anything. Just some advice: when you pack, take a good look at your suitcase and then take half of your clothes out because you will likely be on the beach or in the pool all week. Also, put your sunscreen in your bag and then take twice as much (it cost us $23.00 for a medium sized bottle on the resort. Yikes!). Take lots of one dollar bills for tips that are most certainly deserved. This trip was definitley a do-over!

My partner and I stayed at this resort for 2 weeks for my birthday.
The first room we were given (Block 14) was tired with a leak which dripped through the fan, chipped tiling in the shower and the drying line in the shower fell off when touched. I slipped on the water which had dripped through the ceiling fan jarring my back. We complained about the room and the next day were moved to a room in block 8 which was in a much better condition and had obviously been renovated. The phone did not work however.
One couple who were on our flight with the same travel agent were moved 3 times due to various problems. One problem (they showed us the photographs) was black water comming out of the hot water taps.
We were informed by other guests (note not by the hotel or travel agent rep) that 2 people had drowned in the sea 2 weeks prior to our arrival due the the very strong under currents. The sea was dangerous and I would advise not to go above knee deep in the sea.
The cleanliness of the pool side toilets left a lot to be desired and the ladies often had no toilet papaer and for most of our stay two of the cubicles were out of order.
For two days there was an absence of hot water in the room.
For the first week the service at and around the bars was very poor and on occasions two bars were being tended by one barman, and insufficient waiters/waitresses serving at the seating areas. The staffing levels increased drastically for the second week and the service improved.
Ordering food was a lottery and in the same resteraunt on different evenings we ordered the same meal which was totally different. One lunch time I ordered chicken only to be served steak kebab?
Room service for breakfast was aslo interesting. Having ordered fruit, pancakes with maple syrup and bucks fizz (it was my birthday), what arrived was the fruit, large bowl of maple syrup and bucks fizz NO PANCAKES.
There are however some good points at the resort and the one that stands out is the entertainment. Dominico and Carlos were great and the shows entertaining.
The location and surroundings were also good.
In conclusion I would not reccomend this hotel and would not return. Not a patch on the Aventura spa Palace in Mexico and the 4* Riu Bachatta is superior to this hotel for half the price.

Our stay was unbelievable!! I was quite nervous after reading some of the reviews on here. I was expecting horrible food, lazy staff, stiff beds, and an unclean room with nothing in the minibar. I got quite the opposite. The food was absolutely phenominal. The greatest food I've ever tasted, it's only been 2 days since we left and we miss the food so much. The staff was incredibly helpful and extremely proficient. They were always making sure you were feeling "excellente" at all times. The beds...yea okay they are stiff but I've been on harder mattresses, we didn't loose any sleep from it. The room was very clean and tidy. We had a problem with the air conditioning one evening and within 2 minutes of calling the front desk there was a guy knocking on our door. Turns out they have this great setup where if the patio door is even the least bit open the air shuts off. My husband had been out on the balcony earlier and didn't shut the door completely. Easy fix!!! The only time our minibar was not stocked is when we had our do not disturb sign out. Our trip was incredible and I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. I really wanna go back on our next trip but also think I should see other places....but why mess with excellence? Oh, and when you go you've gotta try the Mamahwana and of course the Sammy Sosa and Bananamama. As for the ride to and from the airport, not as bad as I was expecting at all. I get motion sick and didn't get sick at all in the buses. The drivers were great. A lot of potholes to deal with but they know how to gently get around them. It is a long drive but doable.