My girlfriend and I went for a week and absolutely had an amazing time! Everyone was very nice and helpful at all times. The service was outstanding and couldn't have been better. I would recommend the vacation for our friends. Be aware of the early risers when trying to get a good spot at the pool. Some people will "claim" their spot and not show up until noon. My suggestion is ask someone around the seats and if they havent seen anyone, nicely set the towels aside and have a seat. :) The forecast may call for rain, but it is usually a short shower and nothing to worry about. The activities organized by the staff were great and a lot of fun. The horseback ride is worth the experience. It's included! Take a camera. Tipping is up to your discrestion, but I would recommend tipping if you appreciate the service. They'll give you change at the front desk. The food variety is good. Spice was our favorite dinner spot. Toscana has a great lunch. Don't expect to be overly impressed with the food, but it is decent. Bug spray, with Deet, is a must! A lot of people there had 20 and 30 bug bites on their bodies. We fortunately had that info and were prepared. Single or Lesbian Ladies, be aware of the male staff members that linger a little too long. We had a few inappropriate moments. Overall everyone was great. Rafalena-the swim up bartender was the BEST! She was supersweet and took good care of us! We had a wonderful time and would recommend the resort to all kinds. No kids running around and very relaxing with a fun nightlife! Take a camcorder is possible. Still pictures don't do the resort justice!

The Excellence Hotel appeals to absolutely everyone, I have never been to a place that can be so full of life yet so tranquil.

On arrival we were greeted with cold towels and a glass of chilled champagne…the perfect start to what was pure 5 * Excellence for 14 nights.

The room was amazing and the 4 poster bed and large Jacuzzi bath is standard! We had turn down service 12 of the 14 nights and on occasions they filled the Jacuzzi and left floating rose petals. They also leave you a daily Newsletter which is a great way of keeping in touch with what is going on.

Breakfast was incredible, you are greeted by a display of champagne on ice for bucks fizz or Smirnoff vodka and tomato juice for a bloody mary! We enjoyed smoked salmon bagels with caviar, freshly prepared pancakes and omelettes and the smoothy bar is also incredible.

The Pool was thoroughly cleaned everyday and the pool bar service was amazing. The hotel provides some fabulous blue floating mats (like lilos) for communal use and asked guests to ‘aim for guest harmony’ by leaving the mats in the pool….. some guests ignored this during our stay and selfishly kept the mats under their sun beds even when they weren’t using them…. Once some people did it others followed and therefore not all guests got to enjoy them which was a real shame.

The red flag flies everyday at the beach and they have small black flags in the sand as the sea is incredibly choppy and the waves are strong so do take care. If you do venture into the sea outside the designated area the security staff will blow a whistle and ask you to come out. You are on the beach at your own risk but its best to swim only in the designated area if you are a strong swimmer.

Pre-dinner drinks at the Martini Bar are fantastic as they have the most amazing saxophone player. All drinks are named brands and they have


There are 8 A la Carte restaurants in the evening which made us feel like we were dining at a difference place every night! We tried every restaurant and the French came out on top – it was the best foie gras and Chateaubriand steak I have ever tasted.

One thing I will say is take some strong mosquito spray! We took some with us but the mosquito’s were not put off by it so we ended up buying some from the pharmacy and its not cheap! The shops in general are very overpriced so take all the toiletries you think you will need.


This truly is an Excellent hotel and well worth the money as we had absolutely no complaints at all.

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!