Flight to Punta Cana on US Airways

I WILL NEVER TAKE US AIRWAYS AGAIN!!!  First, we booked our flights way back in October and we had one stop in Charlotte on the way home, no problem.  We received a call from them in January saying that our flight was canceled and the only way for us to get home the same day is to have two stops! When we complained we got an “oh well” attitude and response from the agent.

First we flew to Philadelphia, then to Phoenix, then to Austin. We did not make it back home until 2am Sunday morning when originally we were scheduled to land at 8pm Saturday night.  Such a nightmare!

In addition, the plane had NO closets to hang my dress on the way down, so I was forced to place it in the overhead. 

Transportation from PUJ airport to Excellence Resort

The transportation was good! There were 6 of us in our party so we had a private van from VIP tour company.  The ride was safe and comfortable, and we got to see a lot of the country. No complaints.

Check-in

OMG such a nice welcome to receive cool towels and a glass of champagne when we arrived! The bellmen were quick to grab our bags and escort us to the front desk in the immaculate lobby!

Staff

I am SO sorry, but I cannot sing enough praises about the staff here.  Everyone goes out of their way to assist you and make sure you have more than you asked for.  If you ever needed anything, they were quick to get it for you.  They are definitely the reason we will go back.  I have never received such great service in any of my world travels.  They were SUPER excited that I spoke Spanish and so did a couple of other people in our group.

Special shout outs to:

Carlos and Cesar in the Excellence Club.

Robert, the jack of all trades. I swear this guy was working everywhere! He made sure we had full

bottles of rum in our room daily, along with Mamajuana bottles.  He called us his “familia” while we were there, and we truly felt like we were.

Felix at the beach bar.  Such a cool guy indeed, he always kept the drinks coming and made sure they were well equipped with alcohol.

Oscar at the spa.  Such a nice guy all around.

Jose at the front desk. Always remembered us by name anytime we walked by, and our room number.

Valentin the tour guy. He was always walking around trying to sell tours, we did not buy anything from him, but he plays a mean game of dominoes LOL

Food

We are definitely foodies! The food was pretty decent, better than we expected after reading Trip Advisor reviews. Here is the breakdown

Spice: nice shot at Asian fusion, and the miso soup was full of seaweed which we liked.

Chez Isabelle: very nice romantic ambiance, and the presentation was the best here by far. 

Chateaubriand was delish.

Toscana: AWESOME breakfast buffet! There were so many selections from omlettes, to fruits, fresh cheeses, and crepes.  Something for everyone.

Lobster House: the lobster here was good and you can get it cooked a number of ways.  They also have a la carte breakfast, but we preferred the Toscana breakfast buffet.

The Grill: nice place for casual lunch dining, they are also open for dinner but we only had lunch there. 

Their lobster ceviche is pretty good

Beach grill: our fav for lunch! They have wood fired pizzas, burgers, and sausages daily, but everyday they also have a special.  Their grilled “pollo con papas” was great as well as the paella.

Oregano: GREAT late night spot. They are open till 2am and make really good pizzas and other Italian fare. Their Tiramisu is pretty good as well.

Agave: we did not try because it is Mexican food, and living in Texas, we get enough LOL

Barcelona: we missed out on this one too, it was Meditteranean food, next time J

Good  must have drinks

Anything you want is good but TRY THE MAMAJUANA! It is supposedly the Dominican cure all and Viagra J

Also, the coco loco is great because it is made inside of a coconut and they cut it open with a machete right there in front of you! Kind of cool…

The Sammy Sosa will have you laid out, one of those and it is a wrap! It has 2 types of rum, is fruity in a pretty glass, and goes down nice and smooth. 

Last good drink is the dirty monkey or “mono sucio”.  It is a chocolatey banana treat!

Pools

The main pool is the best if you want to socialize and have action.  They have daily pool volleyball and water aerobics.  The main pool weaves throughout the resort.  The second pool is the Cascade Pool and it is more of a quiet atmosphere, but great for a cocktail reception.

Beach

Yes the red flags were always up, but of course there were also some idiots that swam out daily and almost drowned.  Not quite the action we were looking for, but we saw at least two rescues of people who over estimated their swimming abilities, it IS the Atlantic people!

The sand is well kept and we preferred the waves because it made it more picturesque than the water in calmer places like Jamaica.

Onsite coordinator

ISYUNEY IS THE BEST!!! She was there for whatever we needed! Our wedding day was the only day it rained during our whole trip and she was quick to arrange another site for the wedding.  We ended up having the ceremony in Oregano since it was closed for the evening, but by the time it was over it cleared up for photos.

Before the wedding she was quick to reply and answered any questions  I may have had.

Ceremony and reception

The ceremony was great! We selected the Gold package which included all kind of extras.  The food was good and there was PLENTY

Overall stay and experience

We will go back to Excellence in a heartbeat! If you do not mind having adults only at your wedding, this is the place to go.  The rooms are fabulous, the property is fabulous, and the staff is the best part.