Second visit this year

I was there in July and again Dec 17-21, the place is amazing. I am an avid traveller, vacationing at least 2 times a year. This is the first resort I have visited twice. The resort is beautiful, very clean and the staff are amazing. Book an excellence club swim out room and you don’t have to leave your room. Pool is right there, fully stocked bar fridge with premium liquor, 24 hour room service and a short walk to the beach. I’ve been to all the restaurants now, my only complaint.. portions [... lire plus] too big lol fantastic food, service is amazing! Aqua therapy massage was an experience, I regret that I didn’t try it in July. I expected the shows at night the be the same as in July... all completely different. The staff truly make sure you are having a good time. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to be spoiled

Amazing Resort / Sub-Standard stay

Hotel, grounds were amazing. I was staying for a 1 year anniversary. Excellence El Carmen made this 1 year event a very bad memory for my partner and I. Anniversary dinner was forgotten on 2 consecutive days. No flowers were left in room until a complaint was filed. At that point it was too late.

Excellent!

The Excellence El Carmen was by far the best resort I have ever visited. The customer service was great, the food was great, the hotel was clean and we had an overall wonderful experience. We would definitely go back to this resort or any Excellence!

Excellence el carmen

First let me say that our travel agent, O'Neil Graham from Trip Central was/is phenomenal. The Excellence Resort never disappoints. It was our first time at a beach front walk in swimming pool right from our deck! and it was fabulous ...the views we had from looking out while sitting on our bed was our pool and the beach/ocean. It was beautiful. The resort is well laid out, modern and the staff are amazing! Whatever you need just ask them and they will try and make it happen. Things that I pick [... lire plus]ed up on since my husband and I have been to EPM is that at times are a little lacking at EEC is notifying the excellent club members of the special little events like the chocolate party or the sweets and treats party at the ex ellence lounge. I spoke to many Excellence club members that didn't get an invitation to the sweets and treats this week when we were there. My husband and I knew about this because of the Chocolate party at EPM. As well the excellent club members did not realize that the bottles of liquor in the room can be exchanged for a variety of different liquors if you choose to do so with the concierge. Concierge has a list of substitute liquor bottles. Also the excellent club's members did not realize that they were entitled to 1 hydrotherapy treatment per person in the spa free. Maybe when people are booking with trip Central the agents can mention these things as a selling feature to these properties as well. One thing to mention and I know it says it on the website is that Excellence properties do not have a buffet for dinner however the restaurants they do have, well let's just say the food is spectacular at these restaurants. Anyone that can't find something to eat while on this vacation is simply not looking or to me just wants to complain. Again a big, big THANK YOU to O'Neil Graham for going the extra mile and then some. Trip Central ... O'Neill is an awesome employee and a pleasure to deal with . Thanks again and we will be booking with Trip Central again and looking forward to speaking with you O'Neil again to book our future vacations. Sharon and Jason Horton

Top class resort will leave you wanting nothing more

It would be a travesty not to recommend this resort. The layout of the entire resort could not have been designed any better. The cleanliness of the rooms, resort, bars, pools, and restaurants was astounding. The beach could very well be one of the nicest beaches that i have ever seen. The ocean bottom is sand without rocks or seaweed. The staff go out of their way to please you and show complete professionalism. I have been to many resorts in my years and I am comfortable to say that this res [... lire plus]ort was by far the best resort that I have ever stayed. The only negative, and this is strictly a matter of preference, is that they do not have a dinner buffet. All dinners are a la carte and although there is a large number of restaurants to visit, I prefer a buffet style dinner which gives me the choice to eat whatever I am in the mood for. Great experience and will be returning.

Very nice resort, but issues

This resort is beautiful, its located on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Although it's very clean, the grounds are well kept, I found it odd that a resort barely a year old had to have panels replaced in the walk ways but they did it pretty quickly. The staff is friendly and pretty eager to please you. The variety of food (restaurant ala cartes very good) is very good but at that I must leave a warning to all... During a lunch buffet we noticed that the kitchen supervisor/manage [... lire plus]r came out and was making sure the food was hot. They didn't take temperature but we watched and everything he looked at had steam coming off it. Because of our time difference we usually didn't eat until lunch time but the one day we actually got up early enough to try the buffet breakfast. EVERYTHING that we tried was barley warm (we were there at 9 a.m.). I enjoy eggs Benedict and saw two on the buffet and proceeded to take them back to my table. I took a bit out of the first one and the English muffin was soggy and the egg was cold, I almost spit i on my plate but refrained and swallowed it. I tried the second one, it was not soggy but it was just as cold and nasty as the first. Needless to say I didn't finish those eggs, in fact that ruined my appetite so bad I didn't eat anything else on my plate. A while later I started not feeling very well and later that day the bathroom and I became very close. We are home now and one week after that day I am still sick and have a bacterial infection. My doctor told me that it could have been the eggs but it also could have been from some meat I ate. My warning is this, PLEASE make sure your meat is thoroughly cooked. I think it was the eggs that got me because of the timeline as to when I started feeling ill. Trust me, NOBODY wants to feel how I feel right now. A beautiful vacation shot to hell because of this. All that money we spent and got to enjoy half of it. I feel completely ripped off. I know it wasn't intentional but when you see people working in the buffet area and they are touching their faces (with no gloves) and then touching the food. Someone is going to get sick. On the very last day we were there, I was so sick that I was freezing with the sweats and I was shaking. It felt like an internal earthquake. My wife phoned down to the front desk and asked to speak to a manager. We still don't know who she talked to but she asked if there was any Gatorade in the resort because I was so dehydrated. She was told... " I have to get special permission to provide that" and after an hour we got no call back so my wife when down to the gift store and bought it herself. It's a good thing she found it because if she hadn't there is a good possibility that we weren't going home that day. My wife called down again to complain about no call back. It was as if they didn't care. I guess they would have cared if I got worse. I didn't think I was that sick until that very day, that's why we never sot medical help. We had brought immodium and other things just in case, not that it helped much except for the bloating and gas. We are trying to find out a way to contact their head office so that they can work on fixing this type of thing but there seems to be no direct contact information only resort information. Since the resort didn't care at the time there is no point in contacting them. Perhaps someone reading this can forward this to them. I just don't want anyone else to suffer like I am right now.

Extraordinary Service!

Overall the resort is a modern multi- building, multi pool paradise with a spectacular beach! There are many places to start your day whether it's in the well staffed gym or coffee bar, beach front restaurant or incredible buffet. The same holds true for wrapping up your day with delicious dinners and a show in the theatre or a quieter drink with new friends. This resort is luxury but above all they pride themselves on friendly, genuine staff who appear to effortlessly meet your every wish!

Its all in the name... Excellence (El Carmen)!

The Excellence El Carmen is a relatively new, adult only resort about 45 minutes from Punta Cana Int'l Airport. This was our 6th Excellence visit, but 1st to this property. The property is nicely laid out, with easy pathways in and out of the sunshine (helpful if it rains!). There are many pools to suit everyone's tastes, quiet, busy, mostly with nearby bars for beverages of choice to self pickup or wait-staff delivery. The beach is fantastic, with plenty of protected seating, and also serve [... lire plus]d by beverage wait-staff. The rooms are very spacious, with King Beds (at least ours was), generous bath facilities including Jacuzzi tub, a spacious sitting area, a balcony/terrace with table, chairs and loungers. We were fortunate to be assigned a suite with a private pool, and small grassed area right outside our door. There are about 5 buildings with these suites on the ground floor levels. The Restaurants are numerous, with lots of variety, and we did not have enough time to sample them all. As we have found on our previous Excellence visits, the staff are outstanding, genuine, friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. Personally, I suffered a leg injury 2 weeks before departure, and my mobility for the trip down and back, and while on site was severely restricted. TripCentral Rep Jenn Black ensured that the resort and the Airline were able to accommodate my temporary mobility needs, and I am happy to report that these measures were well executed in all respects. We will be returning to Excellence properties in Punta Cana again, and will certainly be pleased to work with Jenn Black and the talented and dedicated TripCentral.ca team again.

Awesome Resort

Beautiful and quiet modern resort! If people want to have a quiet resort, this resort is the right place to be at. There were a lot of seaweed at the beach but the workers work hard to have it cleaned.

Stunning Luxurious Resort with the most amazing people!

From the moment you step out of the airport transfer which was included in our package you are immediately welcomed and your bags taken. They start the checking in process quickly and have champagne waiting for you before you even walk inside. These giant dark doors automatically open and you get a glance of the huge stunning lobby with beautiful polished stone and rich finishes. It's hard to pay attention to guest services while your checking in because it is so nice. Our bell man Sergio "b [... lire plus]est of the best" was more fantastic and very energetic and always making us laugh and feeling good. We were in our room and had our bags quickly. Our room was gorgeous, we choose a 2nd floor suite in the main building facing the center of the resort with a outstanding view of the resort, palm trees and the ocean in the back ground and the sunrises were really beautiful. It was a Terrace Suite with plunge pool and again was amazing. High end finishes, stone everywhere, custom glass enclosures, flush mount rain showers, in room safe in a custom floor to ceiling cabinets. A huge king size bed that is sooo comfortable as well as a jam packed mini bar and 2 flat screen Tvs. Giant patio door and all glass wall makes for a wonderful view even from bed. Whirlpool enclosed in glass with private shutters if wanted was a nice touch and we loved our plunge pool and laying on the sun loungers on the terrace. They kept the room clean and the mini bar stoked and adjusted when asked. Only tired room service once and it was ok nothing to rave about and nothing to complain about. The property is very well laid out and maintained and they are always working on it constantly. It is really a piece of paradise. We had breakfast at the buffet every morning in theThe Kitchen Table and it was great! Fresh food of all kinds the biggest selection I have ever seen and all soo good. Our favourite was the omelette station and El Jeni who made our mornings fun and always made us smile and made a damn good omelette. We also tried The Lobster House and The Grill and both were very tasty with fresh well seasoned and uniquely prepared food. My steak came out a beautifully cooked med rare sirloin strip and it was melt in your mouth good and seasoned perfect. We went on a few excursions so we didn't have much time to eat alpt at resort. We did get to do it beach dinner and it was so cool! We were served a tropical drink on our way in and spoke to hostess and were seated immediately. A buffet fit for a king with unlimited authentic booths of food prepared in so many different ways and flavours, grills fill the air with such a savoury smell while the band plays authentic and current music with a Caribbean twist. We met a great couple at this dinner and had a blast till it was over. The beach is beautiful and I love here little huts and comfy sun loungers. They get lots of seaweed sometimes but work hard on taking it up. The swim up bar is perfect and when your relaxing at the pool in a lounger or in the pool they make sure your drinks are never empty or not for long. There were a few minor things but really nothing not expected for a new resort and if anything arouse it was taken care of quickly and we were happy with all the service we received. The shows were all good but our favourites were the circus and the fire show. The live music at night is fun and they get you up dancing and having a good time always. We can't wait to go back as we absolutely loved EEC and the people throughout. I want to give a special thank you to all the people in general, the front desk staff and especially Yamirsy "shaky shaky", Sergio "best of the best" bell man, Julio, Bruno mars, Spaghetti, El Jeno "omelette king", Christiana "happy birthday", & our west jet rep Ernesto. Together they made our stay unforgettable. I'm forgetting names as well. I can't wait to go back as we now plan to spend a lot more time at EEC in the future.

Excellent resort in every way

I have to tell you that this is by far the best resort I have visited to date. The gardens are beautiful, the lawns fresh and green and the beach is sandy and clean with lots of lounge chairs with shade. Clean towels were rolled and ready all day in stands all over the resort . Every building had their own pool plus there was a swim up bar pool close to the beach . The rooms were amazing. Ours had 2 walk in closets, king size bed, sofa and comfy chairs, double sinks [... lire plus], big shower and separate toilet area. The balcony had a double cushioned lounger, private jetted tub and anot her outside shaded bed with pillows. We are early risers so every morning we'd watch the ground and pool crews come out and quietly go to work . Lots of joggers doing laps as there are good secure areas available . The dining was amazing . We did not have one bad meal the entire time we were there. There are a variety of restaurants with different themes so something for all palates. Wonderful presentation . The morning buffet had a great variety also with all breakfast menus covered. There were bars open scattered throughout the resort plus the main lobby area had a great martini bar, sports bar and more. Entertainment was provided in the form of morning exercise routines at the beach area, pool tables in the main lobby area plus spectacular theatre entertainment every evening . But none of this can compare to the royal treatment you got from each and every member of the staff . Always smiling and ready to go that extra for you . From getting that perfect omelet in the morning, serving you drinks at the beach and all the pools, asking about food allergies, remembering how full you like your coffee cup and even going to get your favorite drink from another bar because they ran out, WOW. The restaurant staff, the 24 hour room service, the maid service and even the grounds workers, all remarkable .

Excellence El Carmen - A true 5 star resort

The Excellence El Carmen was wonderful. The resort was exceptionally clean and well cared for. Our room (terrace suite with plunge pool) was spacious and comfortable. The rain shower was fabulous. No hot water issues and great water pressure. The service was the best that I have ever seen at any resort. Room Service was fantastic when we ordered. We met some wonderful people (other guests) at this resort as well. The staff were friendly, helpful and a lot of fun. We received the same le [... lire plus]vel of service whether we tipped or not. The evening shows were the most professional compared to any resort we stayed at. Even though we did not partake in the Excellence Club, both my husband and myself felt nothing lacking. We had one meal that was not very good (Grill House). My husband's steak was exceptionally rare, but the restaurant was very busy and had a birthday party going on at the same time. Talking to other guests, they had a wonderful meal when they went, so we just put it down to an exceptionally busy night. It in no way affected our overall opinion of the resort. We are looking forward to going again for our 10th anniversary. This is a 5 star plus resort in our opinion.

Pleasantly surprised

We weren't sure what to expect with this one - mixed reviews and a new place - but we were pleasantly surprised. Great service, good food and an all around relaxing time. Also loved the modern gym for mornings after a lot of well worth it indulgences. :)

Go here! So Goood!

There is not one thing to not like about this place. I am telling the truth. Perfect 10! I have been to 12 other all-inclusives. This is a REAL 5 star! Swim out room was perfect for me and my lady. Romantic. Many food options; restaurants; the buffet has it all. I will go back here, for sure.

Excellence El Carmen is Excellente'

Everything at this hotel is new and is well worth the stay! Staff are amazing and more than willing to please! Grounds, beaches, pools, hot tubs, restaurants are all top notch! French Cuisine was my favorite, the food and Staff were out of this world .

Staff were amazing

As a visually impaired guest, Staff went out of their way to make this a great experience. Room was impeccable, service was amazing and food/drinks were scrumptious - although the odd time I found a hair in my food from the main buffet (it's a good thing I'm not picky! Haha.) Overall I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing all inclusive vacation.

Amazing Resort

Excellence El Carmen definitely exceeded my expectations!Loved every minute of it. The room was beautiful, with our own hot tub, great balcony as you could sit out on it even if it rained which thankfully we did not get too much of. The beach was amazing, the people working there provided excellent customer service, always with a smile!Especially great service at breakfast at the Kitchen table from Judy and Emanuella!As a vegetarian was delighted at the fantastic selection of delicious food!Also [... lire plus] FREE long-distance calling to Canada and U.S! I would highly recommend Excellence El Carmen.I hope one day to be able to afford to go back!Special thanks to Majic 100 and Barry Tomlinson of Trip Central for making this vacation possible. Kimm

Excellenté!

Our 7 days at El Carmen were truly luxuriously relaxing. The pool view suite was comfortable, large and the balcony allowed us to sit out there during some rain and just enjoy it without getting wet. The staff were all extremely friendly amd as helpful as they could be while we both tried to close the language barrier gap. The only issue we experienced was with room service that was horrible one day/night (2 hour wait for a wrong order and then another 2 times of day old luke warm coffee being [... lire plus] delivered) but as the resort staff grows, and they get more famimilar with English tourists.. it's an issue that should resolve. The grounds are well maintained, the pools clean and the bars are stocked. The food was quite good, including the Buffet. Only "Oregano" was a big disappointment. We couldnt finish our dinner because it was not good. Overall... our experience was "Excellenté!"

Relaxing

The resort was clean, and the staff were very welcoming. Unfortunately I got quite ill mid-trip, but thankfully we were able to return to the hotel after our "adventure" to the hospital. We definitely enjoyed the relaxation thereafter.

Totally amazing resort

I am absolutely in love with Excellence El Carmen. I loved the room and the food and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. I would recommend this resort to any one I know and would visit at any time. I have nothing but 5 star rating for the service and staff there.