Punta Cana

What a wonderful vacation! My husband and I visited Excellence El Carmen February 12th to 19th. We are a couple in our late 30's and early 40's with 2 children that we left at home, we live in Manitoba, Canada. This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic. We've been to Mexico and Cuba multiple times on all-inclusive vacations, with and without the kids. The Punta Cana Airport: I was warned that the immigration line-up could be terrible, but I didn't realize HOW bad it would be. We waited in line with HUNDREDS of other people for 1.5 hours. It really was a super huge disappointment. We didn't make it to our resort until almost 6:00. Which meant we really didn't have much sun left for the day. I would 100% prebook VIP at the airport next time if I could. The transfer to the hotel was fairly quick, only about 40 mins with 1 drop off on the way. Once we arrived at the resort we were very warmly welcomed "HOME" by Edwin. Cool cloth to freshen up, glass of champagne, and a lovely walk through the lobby to the concierge who checked us in quickly and offered treats from the excellence club lounge from their chocolate party. We were then taken to our room which was fabulous! The room: Excellence Club Swimout suite. 5051 (5A). We were the first room on the corner. We were welcomed with fresh flowers, petit fours, and a bottle of sparking wine. We were also left with a full minibar and 4 bottles of premium liquor. The walk-in closet was so awesome for all of our stuff. I really appreciated having space to lay out our clothes without having to keep them in the suitcase. We were given bath robes and slippers to use during our stay. The bathroom was my only complaint about the room. It just wasn't private enough. The bathroom needs a separation. The toilet had a separate door, but it still didn't feel very private. I was always worried, cleaning staff, or anyone else would walk in while I was in the shower or something. You could actually see through the patio doors into the mirror where you could fully see a person in the shower. So I was always careful to make sure the curtains were totally closed. But it also meant that anytime anyone got up early in the morning or in the middle of the night to use the washroom, you woke up your partner. The bed was fine, totally comfortable, clean. The cleaning staff always made it up nice during the day, and we had turn down service in the evening. We were often in our room during turn down so didn't always get it. The swim up patio was hands down the best thing I've ever experienced at a resort! I LOVED having a little pool and a patio to hang out at. We could hear the ocean from our patio. It was lovely. I did find the main pool to be somewhat loud in the afternoons if I wanted to relax and read my book. But often we were at the main pool during the afternoons to enjoy the activities. The swim up pool was colder than the main pool but I enjoyed it, it was refreshing. I enjoyed being able to float and relax. Our room was on the A side and found it didn't get sun until around 12:00 and was gone by 5:30 - 6:00. It seemed as though the B side had sun the whole day. Main pool: lots of fun activities at the main pool where the swim-up bar is. We really enjoyed pool bingo and meeting new people. The drinks at this bar seemed to be VERY strong (or i just had too many ;). I believe the bartender here was Julio Caesar who was always helpful. The main pool closes at 6. So it felt a little early as we were really enjoying hanging out with people we met. This pool was quite warm! Restaurants: We went to Magna our first night as we were pretty tired from travelling all day and just wanted to eat and go to bed. The service was amazing, the food was delicious, portions were perfect (not too big). We booked the cooking show at Spice, you are supposed to call between 5 and 6 and then they give you a time slot. Ours wasn't until 9:00 but we were fine with that. We had a snack at the sportsbar and hung out with Felix for a bit. The cooking show was ok, Marcellano was our cook. He was friendly and the food was delicious. I think we had a quiet group, so it wasn't spectacular. The Lobster House for breakfast was delicious. It was so wonderful not to have to eat Buffet food all week. I loved that you could order what you wanted. We ordered room service for lunch one day because we just wanted to relax by our pool. Room service is awesome! We also ordered for dinner because after hanging out at the main pool we were exhausted. It was quick and delicious. We went to the grill one night. Super good! The bread with dips they give you when you arrive is delicious. We did have to wait about 30 mins when we went, I think we just went at the busiest time. We had the most amazing Valentine's Day dinner. It was outside the middle of the resort. They worked all day setting it up. They had an amazing saxophone player, a dominican band, and dancers. It was beautiful. The dinner was soooooooo delicious, the best I had all week. We enjoyed Chez Isabelle on our last night. We went with two other couples and it was SO lovely. Carlos was our server, and he always made sure our wine glasses were full ;). We decided to try the lunch buffet for a quick lunch, honestly, best buffet I've seen! There was so many options and the food was delicious. We tried Oregano for lunch as well, so nice to be in the open air by the ocean. The beach: so perfect. Soft clean sand. No rocks. The excellence club area on the beach was great. David would remember us by name and bring us to a lounge chair or bali bed and set up our towels for us. We felt so very well taken care of. Carmen would remember what we were drinking and bring them to us without us even asking. Excursions: We weren't going to bother this time around but a couple we met invited us on a boat trip. It was called happy Fish. They picked us up at 1:00 and brought us to a beach closer to downtown punta cana. It was a small-ish boat with only 11 passengers so it was nice! The tour guides were Daniel, Franky, and Rafael. They were so much fun and took great care of us! We went to a snorkelling area, and then a natural swimming pool area. They brought out a floating bar and served us drinks in the water! There was even a slide on the boat which was fun! We returned to the hotel around 6:00. It was a perfect day! Spa: this spa was so luxurious! The hydrotherapy was so awesome. It was such a refreshing circuit. We had a couples massage after and it was so lovely and relaxing. I also added the lifting facial mask. Absolutely no complaints. They do have daily specials so we did that. Entertainment: So fun! The Dominican band was great, they played at the plaza a few nights, then the shows at the theatre were fun to watch. Great dancing. Very entertaining! Staff: BEST STAFF I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED! I don't know if this is because we've never been to DR or because of the resort. Either way, I loved the staff here and had many great conversations with them. Alvin at the Martini Bar was one of my favourites, along with Joan who made sure making drinks looked fun! Yireny would come to our pool and ask if we wanted drinks and was always smiling! Jensel was a server at Magna, he was so friendly, polite, and took great care of us. Black Coffee and Spaghetti sure made sure that the guests were all having fun! The ladies at the coffee shop... Leocaria, Joandry, and a few others I can't remember! They made some pretty amazing coffee, love that this was available. Yanet was the concierge at building 5. She was always making sure we were happy. When we were sadly having to leave, Hector made sure our stuff was safe and that we didn't have to lift a thing. Happy Jaun made us want to stay forever! Very long review: I know there is so much more that I could add! It was overall the best vacation I've ever been on. Not having to fight for towels, chairs, or reservations at a la carte restaurants. Having a swim out room is the best. Staff was incredible.

CHIC punta cana is our favorite resort. it was our third visit and it wont be our last.

Please see strong and weak points. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and recommend the Bahia Principe Esmeralda in the Dom. Republic

Its nice, but wouldn't go back

We resided at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach (Adult only resort) March 8-15th. Our room block #2, 2nd floor was nice, clean & we had an Ocean view. When you walk in, you have a first section and a 3 sliding mirror doors closet with digital safe & shelves. Facing the closet, you have two sinks and then a smaller closed bathroom, tub/shower room. Between the closet/sink/washroom area and the bedroom you have a door. You then access the large bedroom area. The AC which was quiet worked fine for the duration of our stay. We had a king size bed which we found very comfortable. There is a ceiling fan above the bed which we enjoyed. The patio door curtains are very opaque. Our balcony was small, private with 2 chairs small table. Our maid service was excellent, bathroom towels/items... were always replenished when needed. Edward always had our fridge (beers, soft drinks & 1.5 L. water bottles) replenished on a daily basis. The food was excellent at all the locations we ate: Buffet (variety of meats, fish, pastas, cold cuts, breads, cheeses, fresh fruits/vegetables, jams, ice cream, yogurts, ice cream, deserts, condiments, syrups, etc...). We went to the Steak/Internationals, Mediterranean A la Carte restaurants and All were delicious and had a good variety to offer. Reservations for these are made at the Guest service office. The service at all the bars was excellent. The pool was kept clean and the water was clear throughout the whole day. All the long chairs (beach & pool area) are comfortable and appear new. All public washrooms were kept clean. There are no palapas on the beach, if you want shade, look for a palm tree. We enjoyed that there was no long chair reserving. We always had a choice for long chairs at the beach. The location of the Bavaro Beach is ideal for beach walkers. You can walk either way (North/South) for long distances. The Beach is amazing, white sand and a blueish/green ocean water. Wi-Fi was free at the casino (Palace section). There is a small train/shuttle that goes from the adult only (Beach section) to the Palace section (family resort) approx. every 10 minutes, we never waited. We enjoyed this shuttle to go to A La carte restaurants located at the Palace section. The guests are mostly from Canada, USA and Europe. The hotel (Beach section (adult only)) is quiet, no loud music/noise after the daily evening show. We really appreciated the friendly service we received from Miguel at the buffet, Evelyn at the Guest service office and many others. The hard working hotel personnel are ALL wonderful, friendly & give you an excellent service with a smile. They asked for suggestions: we would enjoy an umbrella in the room and also if there could be a piano bar/jazz music, etc… that would be appreciated. My spouse and I will definitely return to the Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort as we had a relaxing vacation at this Adult only resort.

Beautiful surroundings. Grounds immaculately maintained. All restaurants excellent. Staff friendly and helpful. Beach and pool fantastic. Room was very clean but always damp. Sheets and blankets felt damp. Room could use renovation. Bathroom too open, no privacy.

The hotel is a good size, not too big. The rooms were comfortable, beach was great, restaurants were good and the service was good.

We stayed at the Punta Cana Princess for 2 weeks starting January 22. The resort is small and the majority of the staff are amazing. We have stayed at many all inclusive and adult only resorts and this resort ranks very high. The beach is beautiful and very busy. Food was average in the buffets. We did experience some problems with the air-conditioning not functioning well (building 1). It never was fixed in the 2 weeks that we stayed at the resort. Another problem is the vendors that are allowed to set up inside of the resort on specific nights. The vendors set their tables adjacent to the buffet so that you have to walk by them when going to the buffet. They actually were quite rude with their remarks when we did not want to buy at their tables. We always support local and buy something each trip but not with poor attitudes of these vendors!! Management need to remove these vendors or place the tables in an area away from the buffet or reception!

Staff was super friendly and helpful

We stayed here when it was IFA 7 years ago. Loved it. Went back. Totally disappointed. There was a sewer backup that smelled terrible and it was all around the lobby and in the Mexican restaurant. We were there for 4 days before we actually got a beach chair, twice, on the beach, despite a bunch reserved for the "Unique" which no one used. We never had one near the pool. All of the chairs were removed from the children's pool leaving parents to stand while their children played in the pool. Spent several days with the power going off and on. Several days without water off and on. It took a couple of days to get a beach towel. Little entertainment. In our room by 9:00 every night. I seen at least 4 people injured by slipping on wet marble. When it was smaller staff always cleaned and removed hazards.The mirrors in the elevators had the same mess, which looked like sneezes, on them the full 7 days we were there. There were 2 elevators close to our room, which, until the 6th day, only one worked. Check in was slow. Slow line, in the sewer smell to ask any question/request from the reception. Offered change, but never had change.Although it took us a year to save to come back, based on our past experience, I looked out of the bus window and wished for a lottery win to bring all of my children and grandchildren. The water slide park,, the archade, the beach, melted my heart wishing everyone could see this was changed as it took forever to check in, smelling sewer waste, gross elevators. Imagine your 5 year old grandchild touching that to show you something. Then, the little ones can't be long at the pool because it is hot and there is no where to sit. Can't sit at the beach or other pools either because there are no chairs. I feel really bad because I am not a negative person. I don't bad mouth people or businesses. But you went too big, too fast and did not consider your staff or your customers. Please think about the fact that without staff and customers, it doesn't matter who or what you are, you can't succeed. You might be busy until the word gets around, but eventually there is no one. Oh yeah and every shower leaks all over the floor. We were three different couples in three different rooms, all the same.