Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was my third and last trip planned in May. I think I slept in my bed a total of 5 nights between work and all the travel...but it was definitely worth it! We decided on Punta Cana earlier this year after our trip to Mexico last year. We traveled again with our friends Ali and Sean and none of us had been to the Dominican Republic so we decided on another Caribbean vacation this year as well!
Where did we stay?
We stayed in Punta Cana for 6 days at Excellence El Carmen all-inclusive 5-star resort. I am going to link their website incase you wanted to book a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana! We booked the accommodations on the website and by doing this it included a private transfer to and from the airport. We were picked up in a Suburban style vehicle and the airport was approximately 40 minutes from the resort. The resort had a private gated entrance, however unlike some destinations the beaches in the Dominican Republic do allow for beach access so we did have a few vendors on the beach (i'll get more into that later on in the post.) We felt very safe during our stay on the property.
We arrived, checked into the resort and got our rooms assigned. They gave us a glass of champagne and cool towels when we arrived as well. We booked the Junior Suite with pool view. The Excellence resort chain have their own App that you can view suites, the schedule of events, food and drink menus, hours, and book other excursions/accommodations. The resort did have wifi so if you had a phone capable you were able to view that regardless of cell service. All the restaurants and bars had the menus on the app only so it was a definite must.
The room had an outdoor lounge area, a daybed, and chairs with side tables. The room had an indoor soaking tub that had windows on the side to view the patio. We were locate in building 6 which was the perfect location in the resort because we were close to everything and our view was the main walkway.
We loved the resort and the property was so well maintained and kept. The property had views for everyone and was overall very beautiful!
Food and Drinks
The food and restaurants were what we expected for an all inclusive resort, but better than other resorts we have stayed at. They have 12 restaurants, including 1 Club restaurant for Excellence Club Members. The resort offers 24 hr room service as well. There are many bars in different areas of the resort, including a martini bar and swim up bar. They also had a sports bar, a club, a juice/smoothie bar, and a coffee/gelato shop! I know it sounds very plain but let me tell you... the cheese sticks from the sports bar are HUGE and DELICIOUS. I was so full the last night but I couldn't leave without having one more cheese stick! Ali and I were obsessed!
For breakfast we ate at the main buffet a majority of the time because it is MASSIVE. They have anything and everything you could think of or want for breakfast. My personal favorite dinner was The Lobster House and the Grill. I had the Lobster risotto and the Ribeye was potatoes and creamed spinach and both were very good for an all inclusive.
All of the food was delicious and the drinks were pretty good most of the time, as some of them were hit or miss! You have to get a Coco Loco though! It is a drink in a real coconut with coconut rum, fresh coconut water from the coconut, and cream of coconut all blended together. Coconut lover unite because SHEESH, this one is GOOD. Everything we ate and drank was included in our stay so it was nice not having to worry about what to order for dinner. The resort had a snack truck too but they moved it and placed out of commission due to construction so we weren't able to try that. You are also able to order and bring food to the pool which I think is a must for resorts!
Happy Hour at the Martini Bar
Activities
When you get to the resort they have activities and a schedule of entertainment posted on their "app." They had many entertainers, shows, and pool events every day. During our stay we went to silent disco that was offered twice during our stay, the fire show, and overheard the Rock show from our room. HIGHLY recommend Silent Disco if you have never done it..so much fun and I think its absolutely hilarious to take he headphone off and watch people sing and dance without any music playing!!
The boys were able to take kayaks out for free and you can rent snorkel gear for free as well down by the beach. The resort does have an option to set up excursions outside of what they offer. If you wanted to book anything they have a section in their lobby to set up excursions or concierge can help.
There is plenty of seating options by the pools and down at the beach. The resort is located on the beach so they permanently have cabanas and beach loungers set up. I loved hanging out at the pool but loved the beach even more! There was always a constant breeze and you could be in complete shade or pull your chair out if you wanted some sun. The beach does have a fair amount of seaweed but the resort did clean it as best as they could every morning. I know sometimes of the year tend to be better or worse as far as the seaweed goes. Either way, the beach was well kept had beautiful warm waters to swim in.
I would definitely go back and stay at this resort and would recommend it to anyone looking to book a trip to Punta Cana. Excellence does also have another all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, which is Excellence Punta Cana. The location, resort and staff were all wonderful at El Carmen! I am linking all of my looks on my Liketoknow.it page and app. Be sure to download the app to shop all my vacation looks and more!
Thank you Ali for taking my picture all week and Thank you for all the beautiful pictures of the resort!
I cannot wait for our next vacation and I am counting down the days! Let me know in the comments or send me a message if you have any questions! I would be happy to help and I recommend to anyone looking to relax in paradise visit Excellence El Carmen.
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