In a nutshell, this is Paradise! For the Aussie’s who are unaware of ‘All Inclusive Resorts’, it’s the mother of all holiday trips! Think free booze & free food, 24 hours a day while sitting poolside, beach side or bed side in a 5-star resort. These packages include your return airfare, transfers to and from the airport and all food & beverages. So at the end of the week, you walk out the front door without spending a dollar.
After doing much research on which Caribbean Island we wanted to go to, we narrowed our options down to Dominican Republic. From here came the question of which side of the island we wanted to stay on, the side with the white sandy beaches, but rough waters, or the side with slightly off white sand but calmer waters. After much debate we decided the beach itself wasn’t as important as the hotel and food and beverage quality. Trip Advisor became our number one spot for looking up reviews from passed guests. From our research, Puj Excellence Punta Cana became our next holiday vacation. Although slightly more expensive than some of the other resorts, our decision was an excellent one.
Our week started with fresh coconuts on beach beds whilst listening to the sound of the ocean. Each day was more flawless than the next by doing as little as possible, laying by the pool, with frequent breaks to the beach beds.
On one of the first nights, we saw a couple having a romantic dinner on the beach and I jokingly said how romantic it would be to do that! Much to my surprise, on our last night there was a romatic dinner waiting for us on the beach with live music and a lovely dinner.
With 8 international restaurants and 10 bars, all with different styles of food, drinks and service, there was no shortage of finding somewhere different to eat and drink each night. The quality of food was fantastic and the spirits available were much better than most of the other resorts we looked at. Most resorts only offer locally made spirits, but this resort had all our favourites.
We spent one afternoon horseback riding along the beach, which was incredible! It only runs for 45 minutes, but it was such a fun experience!
To get the full island experience we did a full day catamaran excursion on the opposite side of the island. A day at sea with free drinks and food, and sitting in the sun! What more could you ask for. We spoke with one of the locals who offered to do a photo session on one of the beautiful beaches we stopped at. We took her up on her offer and got some fun photos of the two of us done on the beach.
The amount of things to do on this resort are never ending.
- Secluded powdery sand beach
- 2 enormous swimming pools
- 2 outdoor Jacuzzis
- 8 international restaurant options–no reservations required)
- 10 bars including poolside and beachside
- 24-hour room service
- Pool and beach waiter service
- Fully equipped fitness centre
- 3 lit tennis courts including one multi-sports court
- 607-meter jogging course
- Use of snorkeling gear
- Introductory scuba lessons
- Bicycling
- Table tennis, darts, board games, archery, air rifle shooting, billiards,
- Baseball pitching machine
- Grass mini-golf
Whether you’re looking for a week of relaxation or a week of activities, Excellence is the perfect spot. I’d recommend this resort to couples, a honeymoon destination or a destination wedding location. There are very few children at this resort, which keeps the pool area quiet (huge bonus!).