Pluses: all adult, good food, not great, but good, friendly staff and they worked hard to make things enjoyable, clean, great gym, spa and plenty of room even though it was booked full; beautiful beaches, not a lot of people on the beach and no hassels from vendors selling junk and excursions.

Minuses: Coffee maker in the 4 rooms we rented did not work and replacements didnt either; staff had difficulty with english, often hard to communicate; a long long shuttle to the airport and any outside activities, a snorkel trip advertised as a 30 min bus ride was 90 minutes; alarm clock/IPod player did not work; and generally the resort is 12 years old and starting to show signs of wear, lacked a "fresh" appearance; the wind blows constantly there making getting in the ocean not safe (red flags out 7 days in a row).
Generally: Very good stay, would look to a different resort as a result of aging of hotel and windy conditions. But, very nice people!!!

Long drive to get to hotel, but worth it. Champagne welcome and our request for top floor was accomodated when we checked in. They even put a bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit in our room. Vaulted ceiling and jacuzzi tub were awesome. Incense in the room daily helped with the slight musty smell- but it is very humid there. The staff were amazing!! Kind, friendly, they even bring you drinks on the beach. We tipped everyone and left school supplies every day for maid staff (along with the tips). This country is very poor.
We went on several excursions. Saona island (sp?) was not a good tour because our tour guide did not speak English and we were the extras or overbooked folks following the tour bus- make sure you get on a good tour bus... We did zip line also which was the best excursion. We did Pedro's dune buggy off the beach. The children ran beside the dune buggy... We made the mistake of handing out candy and school supplies, then every last dollar I had. There were so many kids running along side, but we were on tour alone- just us and guide. At one point, one of the kids had a gun- I am assuming it was a toy, but it freaked me out!! we were flipped off by a couple of other kids that were a bit older. you are basically driving around their small community with a loud dune buggy. I could feel and see the resentment and felt bad. The zip line tour guide actually told us they prefer we never hand out money or candy- bring school supplies and do not hand them out until you are stopped and at a place where they tell you to give the kids stuff. They are trying to encourage education not begging. They are also trying to teach people locally to not litter. Despite the few instances where I felt hated, most everyone else expressed gratitude for us coming to the country. The staff at the resort were absolutely amazing. We liked Spice restaurant and ate there the most, but the steak house and mexican and italian were also very good. Gotta try the mamajuana...OH- and we did massage with Nancy on the beach. It was very good and every bit as good as the ones I got in the spa (did 2)- do the excellence one, not the native healing one.... enjoy- this place was paradise. oh- bring ear plugs-there is an obnoxious bird that peeps all night!!!!!! It sounds like an angry screaming frog.,..

We had a family vacation at Excellence Punta Cana based on reviews and recommendations by our travel agent. Having visited many resorts on vacation and business we went with great expectations , none of which were fulfilled other than the beautiful pool and beach. The service was mediocre at best and the staff seemed uninterested in providing the 5 star service we read about. They did not go above and beyond and the service or lack thereof in the restaurants were" Horrible " . We were greeted at lunch by "Jesus" the greeter and immediately told to move away from the door and went downhill from there. Lunch took over an hour to receive and he wanted to argue with the entire table. A family member requested pancake syrup and was told " breakfast only " so went without. The wait at dinner was horrendous and on two occasions took more than 1.5 hours to be seated.
I could go on but I am certain you get the picture, you can get much better for much less where you would be treated much better... We will tell everyone we know how poor we were treated by "Excellence " and it's far less than Excellent staff.....

Our 4th time to the Excellence, still an outstanding resort, the service is as good as ever, there has been a ongoing renevations but these did not interfere at all with our holiday, we did notice some subtle changes from our last visit 18 months ago. 1: No more Budweiser available, which really disapointed my husband, we also over heard a lot of guys bemoaning the fact it was no longer available.. At the end of the day we pay top dollar to come to the excellence we should expect top brands. 2: No floater beds for the pool available anymore, (we bought ours from `walmart` on the beach ) dont pay more than 15 dollars though.We visited The Steak house 3 times and on every occasion found the cuts of meat an inferior quality, my steak was inedible on one occassion just a plate of fat but the manageress was very apologetic and concerned but any manager can only be as good as the product they supply, the Spice restaurant was excellent and consistant in its quality, room service food basic but good, takes about 30 minutes. omelette guy at breakfast is awsome, all freshly cooked in front of you, choice of food at lunchtime buffet very good. although we have had a couple of small bitty moans we will be returning. just a foot note to the Excellence management, cutting corners to save a few dollars is not really working, we do notice, do not demote the Excellence quality and reputation that you and all the staff have worked hard to acheive