All-Inclusive Experience: Resort

If you didn't already know, I love to travel. I just cannot get enough of it. I remember my first international trip: my friends were getting married, and we were certainly ready to have a great time in our early 20s. When I stepped foot off of the airport transportation bus I remember feeling like I was in a dream, my mind was blown. Three of us had had just flown in from Las Vegas, having attended had a work conference, so we were already in a luxurious state of mind from those hotels, but this resort simply took my breath away. The sparkling floors, ocean breezes in the lobby, beyond friendly service, luxurious bedding, and because it was all-inclusive, the dining and cocktail selections were amazing as well. Despite the horrifying scalp sunburn that required medical attention on Day 2 in a foreign country, I was hooked immediately.

Fast forward many years and lessons later... It was time for Tom and me to take a well-deserved tropical vacation. We did an unbelievable amount of research and honestly, I became overwhelmed at the number of locations and resorts to chose from. Luckily, his parents had been to Excellence in Punta Cana, so we did a little more research, but basically booked based on their recommendations. Immediately upon arrival, we knew it was the right decision.

You'll likely hear a lot of people say they opt for smaller rooms because you barely spend any time in them; this information is true for most, but if you like having the extra space, there are plenty of options for you as well. We chose to upgrade to an Excellence Club room. This upgrade included the usage of a Club Level only restaurant, Club level only pools, alcohol perks, and a daily selection of sweet treats delivered to your room (we noticed you had to be in your room at the time of delivery for these), and what a special treat they were after sitting in the sun all day! There were other perks as well, so be sure to check them out for yourself. They may change over time.

PRO TIP: The room choices vary and may seem a bit overwhelming when booking, but we tend to use YouTube videos to help us decide what we are looking for.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with smiles and champagne. As Excellence Club Level guests, we were escorted to a private room for the check-in process and offered selections from their stocked bar. We didn't request a special room building number as some people tend to do, but I was excited about the room they chose for us. We had a beautiful view of the wedding gazebo and ocean and were on the furthest end of the property allowing us the ultimate privacy. We had a private plunge pool, so we were on the ground floor. The downside to our end room was not getting full sun on the pool and since we had a week of fairly mild temps, the pool was chilly. Honestly, it wasn't a big deal for us, as we were not there for the pool anyway. We did get in one time and it was nice to have a private pool to ourselves. There was also some patio furniture to enjoy your room service or drinks outside on.

Room: We booked an Excellence Club Junior Suite with a private pool. Our room had a King size bed, a couch with a large coffee table, and a soaking tub in the main area with a surprisingly sizeable television. Channels varied, with some American/English channels and shows and free access to some erotica for those that might be interested. Just throwing it out there for ya! The bathroom area was open and spacious with a walk-in rainfall-style shower and a separate toilet closet. The club-level upgraded toiletries were a nice touch. While I always take my own body wash, Tom used them and was very happy. I really should stop carrying the extra weight in my suitcase and use the wonderful resort options, it certainly would free up luggage space for me. We had plenty of closet and drawer space to unpack our overpacked bags (hindsight is 20/20 after all). The safe was easy to use. Premium liquor upgrades are also part of the Excellence Club Level rooms, so the bar was nicely stocked. The mini-fridge had a soda variety, bottled water, juices, beer, and some treats (specifically Oreo cookies). This was restocked daily. We left a note requesting what we wanted with a (not required) tip for the special care and they were happy to fulfill our requests.

Property: The property was absolutely amazing! Just thinking about it takes me back so easily I can smell the salty ocean breeze that came through the lobby as I am typing this. Most of the restaurants stem off of the same lobby area which was great. Yes, there is a bar as soon as you arrive too. If you enjoy excursions or are interested in offerings, you'll notice a vendor section off to the right. We did partake in one excursion and you can read about that here. The property itself is larger than it may seem because they have it laid out so well. While it has around 400 rooms, we never felt like we were at a typically sized resort, that they crowded, or even thought about having an abundance of people in one area. Sometimes, I am not as relaxed as I should be at other resorts and hotels with varying numbers of guests, so I thought I would mention how separated from the other guests I felt when I wanted to.

The front of the property has a great nature walk with a bird sanctuary. I wasn't sure if we would enjoy it, but we totally did! From flamingos to amphibians, and the ever-so-popular parrot perched by the driveway, you'll find several interesting spots while meandering this unexpectedly cool walking path. You cannot see the ocean from this spot, which makes it seem like you are on an excursion without actually going anywhere. I recommend you take advantage of all the property has to offer as we almost didn't.

Activities: When I think of resort activities I either think about guests doing the Bunny Hop in the movie Dirty Dancing or massive foam parties at party resorts. Personally, I'm not into either of those. This is not what you will experience at this resort. There are (non-foam) activities available in the main pool area at certain times of the day, you can check out the times in your daily newsletter once checked in. Typical water activities were available: snorkeling, yoga classes, beach volleyball, etc. They do offer dance lessons too, but since I am not sure if the Bunny Hop is one of their specialties, it'll just have to remain a movie reference for me.

Evening shows are held in an open-area space where drinks are plentiful and the show changes each night from the last. Solid resort entertainment includes high-energy music to appeal to a general crowd. We really enjoyed a few nights but skipped once or twice as well. Note: if you are accustomed to the premium liquors served in the Club Level areas, you will not receive those in the show arena area.

PRO TIP: If you have your brand preference in the room, I would suggest bringing that bottle with you and ordering club soda or whatever mixer you may want in a glass of ice.

You'll find the remainder of the property is pretty quiet after dinner. I would have enjoyed a little lighting by the beach for evening walks, but it may be a safety or nature concern. The sidewalks and property do have lighting for evening strolls between the beach and the first row of buildings. One of the evenings we skipped the show, we spent at the outdoor game area. We played table tennis, shot some pool, and since we are complete suckers for mini golf courses, that happened too. Next time, I will definitely try archery and, who knows, maybe even borrow a bicycle for a beach ride.

Spa and Gym: These are options on property. The spa menu is available online as well as reservation management. The gym offers a variety of equipment for use. We did not use any of these amenities or even go inside, so I cannot give you any insight.

Pools: Pools galore! There is a huge elongated pool that goes from one side of the resort to the lobby. Tons of chairs, activities throughout the day, and a swim-up bar. There are some swim-up rooms available; from those, you can jump in the water at your patio to swim 10-15 ft grabbing a tropical beverage from the bar. How cool is that?! There are four total pools on this property excluding the private pools for certain rooms. It is worth pointing out Excellence Club Level rooms have special access to pools that standard level rooms do not. While there are plenty of pool chairs and towels available for the pools, please do not neglect the beach while you are there!

Beach: Beautiful water. There were a large number of chairs available as most people (while we were there) opted to hang by the pools. We had beachside service from the bar and a couple of times, they even brought us pizza, which, let's be honest, it doesn't get any better than that. We had covered seating options on the beach, and as a pale-ass white girl, is necessary, so thank you Excellence Resorts for keeping me in check with my needs. Sadly, we did have red flag days every day during our stay in February, so the lifeguard wouldn't let us in the water for good reason. But, we walked outside of the property lines (passed the wedding gazebo) for about 5 minutes, much calmer waters were available. This is NOT on the property, so no lifeguard was on duty. We visited that area twice during our stay for several hours and recommend doing it! Several tourists were walking the same sandy beaches and went far beyond where we decided to spread out our towels and pretend we were on a somewhat secluded island. We took some beverages, snacks, and towels with us for a romantic beach picnic.

Bars: There are bars located throughout the property. The martini bar is a cool spot to hit, as well as Sol if you want to try tropical cocktails oceanfront. Each bar has varying hours. If you aren't drinking alcohol, you can grab seltzers, flat water, and sodas at these places, or create your own virgin cocktail.

Restaurants: There are so many food options and all of them are wonderful. A variety of cuisines are available. There is so much to tell you, it is best to have a second page. You will find it here.

Big Life Breakdown: Rooms: King size bed? Perfect. The walk-in shower was huge so no claustrophobic feelings or constantly hitting your body parts on the doors/walls while trying to shower. Plenty of space for two large people to move around in the sink and dressing area, which was an open space with double sinks. The toilet closet could've been wider but it was fine. Ask for extra towels if you desire. Take note: The beach towels are larger than the bath towels. The hangers worked fine for my larger clothes and both the closet and drawers were spacious. I didn't take a bath in the bedroom-located tub, but it was a decent size so I think I would've been okay had I wanted to. It would not have fit two of us, and honestly, it likely would've made a mess on the tile floor by the bed. I'm not into cleaning floors while on vacation. The patio chairs outside the room were just okay, we didn't sit out there much. Our plunge pool had in-water cement steps that were not steep.

The beach chairs were solid and very sturdy, and you can grab beach towels to sit on. If you get hot easily as I do, the covered beach offerings are wonderful. Most of the restaurants had armless chairs, with the exception of some outdoor areas. Just keep an eye out but I don't recall having any issues.

Most of the activities and restaurants stem from the main lobby in the middle of the resort property, so if you aren't as mobile, you can remain central in certain rooms. Behind our oceanfront area, the rooms did seem more cluttered in my opinion, so discuss your options with customer service if you require special accommodations. If you get to your room after check-in and have concerns, just contact the front desk.

I felt very welcome and not at all judged by any of the staff or other guests. I walked around the resort in my bathing suit sometimes with and sometimes without a coverup. We spoke to several other guests throughout our stay and they were all friendly and kind. We noticed several guests were repeaters, some visiting several weeks at a time. It really felt like people were a family at this resort, so I didn't feel uncomfortable with any requests I might have made or even for being "me" in a foreign country.