There is also a beachfront massage option if you wish to listen to the crashing waves against the shore. My mom had a good point if you need to rinse your straws out, it can become inconvenient with having to run to a sink to rinse out, or could possibly make you sick if youre not using bottled water. The seafood, in particular, was spectacular. Resort kids clubs - do they enforce/check ages? Regardless! The poolside service was always quick, the entertainment staff were a blast, the waiters were so courteous and attentivethe list goes on. The only restaurant that requires a reservation is Spice, which has limited seating at its teppanyaki counters. Drink service is on offer at the pools and beach. We have celebrated our past 5 anniversaries at Excellence Group resorts (Excellence Riviera Cancun and The Finest). Find it on the Apple Store or Google Play! Its a little cubby that can be accessed by room service staff from the outside to retrieve your dishes. Its open at 8:00 am and the view of the azul-blue pools and swaying palm trees along the beach cant be beat. Who has had experience with the Excellence Club at (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Luxury runs through every one of Excellence Punta Cana's 461 suites and Excellence El Carmen's 492. That, of course, is no fault of the hotel. Once the info sheet is delivered try and book the treatment for the next day to grab a bargain. This is always a favourite for me but I had to sacrifice my desire for sushi to try some other restaurants! It was one of my favourite spots to go to and they open at 8:00 am. Getting married here seems to be a very popular choice. Im with the mindset that if we can afford to travel, we can afford to tip. Since my mom and I were on a girls trip (which we hardly ever get to do!) Excellence El Carmen: Great hotel ! When we stayed in mid-2019 we paid $2,800 USD for 7 days. Its fun to watch the cook prepare your food right in front of you! The menus denote which dishes are grain free. Chez Isabelle is a quiet restaurant to visit for a romantic meal and the decor is beautiful. To some it definitely seems like the EC is worth it, but by the sounds of it to me and the wife, I think we'll be just fine with our first room choice even though the EC is not an option. The Excellence El Carmen is dotted with four-floored buildings (designed to maximize ocean views) that are surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns, towering palm trees, and blossoming flowers such as ixora, hibiscus, and bougainvillea. Dont have time to read this review of Excellence El Carmen right now? Getting to beautiful Saona Island takes an hour and 15 minutes and requires a drive followed by a boat ride. Excellence resorts are just that: Excellent! If youre an Excellence club guest you will have a complimentary Hydrotherapy session during your stay. We even had a decent signal on the beach. Required fields are marked *. One comment I will make that really deterred me from being on the beach, is the vendors. A private lounge, pool, beach, and restaurant are available exclusively for Excellence Club guests, while luxe, in-suite offerings such as private check-in, daily in-suite fresh fruits and petit fours, in-suite sparkling wine and fresh flowers, and complimentary shoe shine . The beach at Excellence El Carmen is long its a beautiful, soft, and golden stretch of beach when there is no seaweed. Hi David! Spice also has a fun option for groups and for a live cooking show: the Hibachi! Anytime we had finished a drink or a meal the staff were on hand to refill or clean away our empty glasses or plates. In Search of Sarah is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All restaurants, with the exception of Oregano and the Lobster House were located off the main lobby, making everything centrally located in one spot. The beach at the El Carmen resort is truly stunning. Were not whiskey drinkers, but we do love tequila. You could jump from activity to activity all day long and you still wouldnt be able to participate in all of them. My husband doesn't drink and I may have one drink a day at most so the liquor is not of value to us, however, we are interested in the spa. Theres always some type of entertainment going on. You certainly will never go thirsty here! Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. We are going to EEC to celebrate our anniversary in mid September. Before dinner every night we perched ourselves at the Martini bar for a few pre-dinner drinks. The Masala beef was the best we have ever had. There is also an extensive wine on offer if you dont fancy the house wine. These cookies do not store any personal information. Pricier Excellence Club upgrades add pillow menus, Bulgari toiletries, loaner beach bags, and minibars with top-shelf liquor. Do yourself a favor and try the Excellence resorts for your next stay! We had a fabulous time the first time we went to ERC, which was non club, so much so we went back for our honeymoon. The honeymoon package also was meant to include a rose petal filled bath in the room after dinner on the beach, which never happened, despite telling concierge 3 times, on each night we went back to the room in the hope for the bath to be filled, but nope, never happened. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, big waves and strong undertow make it unsuitable for swimming. When we complained, we were also upgraded to a beachfront room. Located right above one of the pools and overlooking the beach, this is the perfect spot for some pre-dinner drinks while you listen to the lapping waves. Its definitely on the premium side when you compare it against other resorts in the Punta Cana area, but for what you get it is definitely worth the additional cost. As Excellence Club guests, we were given a free hydrotherapy session to use during our stay, which is always a must for me to experience! The Excellence El Carmen is about a 45-minute drive from the airport. Today's best Excellence Resorts coupon is up to 62% off. The staff really do put their best foot forward in making it an entertaining getaway for the guests. Right behind the main pool is a smaller lap pool which they use for the water activities and games which is always fun to participate in (or watch!). The Hoyo Azul is also known as the blue hole and is their most famous one. Excellence El Carmen, Uvero Alto: "Between the excellence punta Cana and the." | Check out answers, plus 8,668 reviews and 12,158 candid photos Ranked #3 of 9 hotels in Uvero Alto and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. If youve never experienced it before, its a must-do! So all in all, is it worth it, no not for us! Excellence El Carmen is a luxury adults-only all-inclusive resort that sits along an idyllic beach in Punta Cana's laid-back Uvero Alto. But have you ever checked into an all-inclusive resort and noticed that some guests have access to otherwise restricted restaurants, premium alcohol, luxe pools, more comfortable beach chairs, and, Aerial View of Excellence Punta Cana/Oyster If youve been researching the best adults-only luxury hotels in Punta Cana, youve likely come across the sister properties Excellence Punta Cana and Excellence El Carmen. The entire week we didnt have anyone above us either, which was awesome! You can also grab these at Las Olas when they have their Coco Loco drink station going! Is Excellence Club Worth it at Excellence El Carmen? If you fancy getting a treatment at the spa, we recommend that you check on the day as the Spa does daily specials on various treatments. Today we are sharing a best food and worst food review of Excellence Club El Carmen, Punta Cana Dominican Republic. The food, the staff, and the feel you get as you walk through the resort are 5-star. A steakhouse in an all-inclusive is not normally a good pairing and sadly the Grill at the Excellence El Carmen was no different. That is important to us, as we are "beach people" who spend the day from 8am until 6 pm on the beach. If you are looking for the quality of an Excellence resort and are looking for a cheaper option compared to their Cancun and Jamaica offerings then the El Carmen is the resort for you. The staff work so hard, and provide excellent service with a smile. Is Excellence Club at Excellence El Carmen worth it? A. There is music by the pool bar, too! They have it all from the top-shelf liquor options to local beers and spirits. more. The Excellence El Carmen is just a 40-minute drive from Punta Cana international airport. Its 492 modern suites have elegant interiors plus high-end features like free bottles of liquor and double jetted tubs overlooking private balconies. When we eventually secured a table this place didnt disappoint. Excellence El Carmen: Excellence Club WORTH IT - See 9,018 traveler reviews, 11,291 candid photos, and great deals for Excellence El Carmen at Tripadvisor. There are only a few tables though, so you have to book the morning you want to eat to get a reservation. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. We found the signal to be very good throughout the resort. The Excellence Punta Cana is a luxury offering at a competitive price. Alternatively, you may use, Sanctuary Cap Cana, a Luxury Collection All-Inclusive Resort. Just something that you might not have considered that might help you decide. The shows start later 9:30 pm (most nights at home Im in bed by then!!! - See 9,459 traveler reviews, 11,732 candid photos, and great deals for Excellence El Carmen at Tripadvisor. Note that none of the bars are open 24/7. With 8 treadmills, 6 ellipticals, a number of stationary exercise bikes, free weights, and a wide variety of machine weights its the perfect spot to work off the indulgence from the night before. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. We were not excellence club. There are 23 pools and 9 jacuzzis at Excellence El Carmen seriously! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. We heard from a few of our fellow guests that if you ask very nicely that you can potentially order some of the dishes from the restaurants to be delivered to your room. I will second Thomasgran for all of the reasons he stated. My favourite spots included Aroma, the Revive Bar, Magna (for Excellence Club), and the Lobster House. We have been to ERC twice, once non club, then went club for our honeymoon. The Excellence Punta Cana is located a short 6-minute drive from the El Carmin offering, as well as the Finest Punta Cana which is their latest offering and is located a 5-minute drive from the El Carmen. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Yes, parking is available for guests and it is complimentary. Excellence Playa Mujeres: Mexicos Best Adults-Only Resort! Unfortunately, there are some guests who havent been to all-inclusives before that dont know that isnt the norm, and pay it. You can, of course, enhance your stay by option to upgrade to their paid honeymoon and anniversary package which includes everything in the complimentary package, plus dinner on the beach, and a 40 minute spa package. This resort was beautiful!!!! They serve food here too, but we never ate there. It's like VIP at the airport. I love the outdoor seating and the decor here. I am big on details from big to small so this review will cover a lot. For a more serene atmosphere, dont miss the pools by buildings 11-16. This spot does Tapas really well. The food here was very good. Nespresso coffeemakers and free minibars stocked daily with beer, water, soda, and snacks (plus full bottles of whisky, rum, and vodka) are also available in all rooms free of charge. There are plenty of lunch options for you to try during your stay, and you wont go hungry! Other options include an extensive buffet with live-cooking stations and small selection of Dominican specialties; the open-air eatery Oregano that specializes in pizza and pasta; and the Lobster House for seafood specialties overlooking the beach. Discover a world of rewards with The Excellence Collection Rewards benefits program. We highly recommend the Irish coffee they serve for a great morning wakeup and hey, your own holidays, what better way to start the day than with alcohol and caffeine. Access to twelve private pools and seven jacuzzis (hot water) in the pool area. We loved the modern vibe to the resort; the clean architectual look, the immaculate gardening and landscaping, and the freshness of it all. It was awkward drinking Coco Locos without them! The buffet, Kitchen Table, has options for everyone Id be shocked to learn if someone couldnt find something they liked. It takes roughly 45 minutes for it to show up at your room but I loved the freedom it gave us with getting ready and not having to get froofrooed up, as my mom says. Nothing beats having a warm ocean breeze while dining and there are loads of choices to satisfy everyones taste buds, from pizza and pasta to healthier options like salads. Excellence El Carmen Dominican Republic has shops selling sundries and beach attire, a medical clinic (fee to use), and an ATM. All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. We always stay in the club area to take advantage of the club anniversary package. Access to a private beach area. If you want to swim, I would recommend bringing water shoes to protect your feet! It doesnt have to be much, and the tips are also very appreciated. Once inside, it's all about sharp neutral decor, tranquil vibes, and breezy ocean views.