One may be taken off guard with the one hour drive through the countryside to the resort. However, our stay at the Excellence, was great! We celebrated our anniversary and was pleasantly surprised to recieve a welcome glass of champagne and an upgraded room view. We also recieved a complimentary breakfast in bed (different from room service), a romantic setting at our restaurant of choice and flower petals along with chocolates on a turned down bed.

The resort is absolutely beautiful and although somewhat dated, it is well maintained. The suites are spacious and clean.

There are many restaurants to choose from and no reservations are necessary. The presentation is misleading because you think you're about to encounter 5 star quality food, however most of the dishes tasted as if they were frozen and then microwaved.

The entertainment was wonderful. It was nice not having to go on excursions. Our favorite was Domingo Saxo, the jazz musician. If you love jazz, purchase his CD's. They're worth it.

The staff went out their way to accomodate all needs. But the mosquitos and other insects are a nuisance, so make sure you take plenty repellent.

The beach is beautiful, although the water was kind of rough. I was told that this is because the beach is on the Atlantic Ocean side. You wont find pink or white sand here, but none the less it is breathtaking.

If travelling in October, remember it is the rainy season so you might not see much sun. The resort offers board games, indoor entertainment and movies for those days that outdoor activities are limited.

There are some staff members that did an exceptional job -- Fransico (The Cisco Kid) , Mariel, Rey (Dancing), and John (waiter at Tuscano Restaurant).

We have more positives things to say about our first visit to the Dominican Republic, then negatives. I'm sure we will return to the Island, however we will probably visit Puerto Plata or Santo Domingo.

Mike and Lynn

Just came back from our 5 days at the Excellence Resort Punta Cana. Over all very nice trip, but lets take you there.
Airport in Punta Cana, you are greeted by having your picture taken, then give $10 for a temp. Visa, which you then walk 100 ft, and hand to another person, quite odd. The trip to the hotel is well over an hour, not 30 min. and the streets are full of potholes, and the scenery is dismal ( bodegas, shandy houses)
Hotel grounds are very nice, some construction going on, but quite nice. Orlando at the front desk was very helpful in accomodating us with a nice pool view room, our first room had minor issue, no iron or board, some lights not working, TV remote not working and the view was of just a bunch of trees in the back of other units.
The service and staff were the most friendly & helpful that I had ever experienced. I was quite surprised to see that all of the bars had top shelf liquor (Sapphire, Chivas, J.Black, etc)
Bartenders very attentive and friendly (Coco Loco drink). The staff got you to loosen up and get involved in everything from drinking games, karioke, volleyball, etc, but more important they remembered your name, gave a shout out to you everyday, introduced you to others. In particular Rey was great, he and Francisco, Isabelle and Marine really stand out. The restaurants were all very good, better than any other all inclusive. Nice atmosphere and service (Spice & Chez were my favorite, Barcelona lacked atmosphere (no music, too quiet).
The weather in Punta Cana is odd, sun fro 7:00 - 11:00, then mostly cloudy, and showers daily. The beach was nice, the waves were bordering dangerous.
The shows at night were quite amateurish, and the Dance Club, we went every night, but was really nothing special.
The rooms wer spacious and clean, but the tile work and mini repairs were shabby. Housekeeping didn't get to our room till almost 5:00 daily, no wash cloths, only 2 bath towels, just seemed a little skimpy.
Over all the resort was beautiful, great pools, food, drink, and for the price it can't be beat, but if your looking for a 5 Star resort, I think the attention to details is lacking. I don't think there is really anything they can do to upgrade it, but for the price it can't be beat. And again they service was THE BEST.