We always find its good to get out of the resort a few times during your trip and try to see a bit of the country youre visiting. The room we stayed in when we visited was a junior swim-up suite. Or jump to your topic. We were handed a Coco Loco when we walked in and had a great view of the live music. The evening cleaning was more of a turndown service. Great hotel ! - Review of Excellence El Carmen, Uvero Alto, Dominican There were tons of loungers and palapas available, with great poolside service. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Its normally located on the X-Lounge terrace outside, but ours was held at the Kitchen Table. It was packed when we arrived and we actually walked away the first time because we thought we wouldnt get in. The pool is HUGE. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We love to tip, and I feel like everyone should tip, even a little bit! All of these rooms come with the option of having an ocean view. Excellence El Carmen Review vs Playa Mujeres (A Michael Story) A. The resort is set on large grounds so some of the room locations are a bit of a walk from the beach and the main areas. We spent 8 days at Excellence El Carmen, in a Ocean View Club suite. I love the beach, but Im not much of a beach swimmer since I was young. Bar-wise, Excellence El Carmens 16 options include swim-up pool bars, a sports bar, a martini lounge, a beach bar, and a made-to-order juice bar with fresh fruits and veggies. You can break large bills at the front desk for ones if youre running low. If youve never experienced it before, its a must-do! There are tons of bars throughout the resort. Went with two of my girlfriends and we were speechless!!! It includes upgraded amenities, exclusive areas, and added perks. The EC beach areas, room locations, access to Magna and location of the EC bars (even for non-alcoholic drinks) made it worthwhile to us. Im the type of person that pretty much tips every time. Excellence El Carmen: Truly Excellent! The Excellence El Carmen adults-only all-inclusive resort opened in late 2016 and has one of Punta Canas most modern and hip vibes. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Excellence always nails it with their Martini Bars and how its the focal point from when you first arrive and look down the stairs. Tons of free activities like pool games, Mamajuana making, and evening shows. Our Vacation was Exellent! - Review of Excellence El Carmen This is obviously down to the staff who were so proactive in making sure the place looked tidy. Everyone dresses up and it gives a classy feel to the resort. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If youre on a tight schedule or just want to get on with your day, the buffet is your friend. I like a mix of $1s, $5s and $10s when we travel to all-inclusive resorts. We even had a decent signal on the beach. ), Excellence Club is not worth it at Excellence El Carmen, 20 Best Cheap Travel Items Under $20 (that are. The waters were pretty calm, so if youre into ocean swimming this is the spot for you. My wife and I had a very similar experience at Excellence El Carman in November 2019. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Whether youre an early riser or someone who likes to lounge in the morning and head for a later breakfast, there are loads of choices for you. , Just an FYI the room service coffee was a bit strong and potent. If you are booking a room with a swim-up suite make sure to request a room that is directly in the sun during the day or in the morning. There are bars dotted all throughout the resort. So all in all, is it worth it, no not for us! I was confused because were in an EC building, and its the room we booked, but apparently not all of building 9 is EC. Request this at your time of booking and bring proof its your honeymoon or anniversary (like a copy of your marriage certificate). There are a range of precautions that the Excellence chain of resorts has put in place and if you would like to review these they can be found here. Excellence Club WORTH IT - Review of Excellence El Carmen The food here was the best we had in the resort and the minimalist Japanese decor really added to the experience. The Dominican Republic has a really beautiful landscape and the Hoyo Azul at Scape Park is a spectacular sight. If you are not in Excellence Club, you can swap out one bottle of alcohol per day. We went there for dinner and were a little disappointed with the food. The nightclub stays open late and has a DJ who takes request. Once a week, Excellence El Carmen holds a Dominican Night, where you can enjoy dishes unique to the Dominican Republic and enjoy live music and dancing. For an authentic Dominican town, the hamlet of Higuey is home to a famous cathedral, local market, and shops, and takes around 50 minutes to reach by car. Hi David! Excellence El Carmen is a large, and fairly new (2016) all-inclusive resort with a modern and tropical vibe. Tip: bring your own floaties with you! Smooth as can be. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. An Italian offering that serves up all of the staple dishes you would expect from your local Italian. We found this place the most difficult to get a booking for at peak times. There is also a really nice Coffee shop where you can grab a pick me up and a sweet treat. One of the best elements of the Excellence chain of resorts is their extensive drinks selection. Booking through Westjet Vacations, we took a shared bus to the hotel, which wasn't as good as the SUV car service that the hotel provided. The patio is HOT, so I think not having the pool wouldve made it nearly unbearable to sit out there (at least during the first week of August!). This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The sushi was actually really good and the ramen broth was packed with flavor. 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. We went on the day they had tacos and it was SO good. If youre not already a member of Welcome to Excellence El Carmen on Facebook I highly recommend you join there are a ton of Q&As in there! After youre finished eating, you can place your dishes in the X-Box located right at your door. Anytime we had finished a drink or a meal the staff were on hand to refill or clean away our empty glasses or plates. This is probably the most important part about the vendors: there are some men who walk around with parrots, monkeys, and iguanas. . They serve food here too, but we never ate there. My husband and I did Excellence Playa Mujeres last year. 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. Book Excellence El Carmen, Uvero Alto on Tripadvisor: See 9,464 traveler reviews, 12,158 candid photos, and great deals for Excellence El Carmen, ranked #3 of 9 hotels in Uvero Alto and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Its available 24/7 and the menu is very extensive. That, of course, is no fault of the hotel. . . Club is the icing on the cake as they look after all guests extremely well, However, the EC package at EEC has the most to offer of all the other Excellence Resorts as you have multiple EC pools, bars and even a restaurants. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Excellence Club WORTH IT - Review of Excellence El Carmen, Uvero Alto Once the info sheet is delivered try and book the treatment for the next day to grab a bargain. Mexico Resorts Excellence Playa Mujeres Excellence Riviera Cancun Beloved Hotel Playa Mujeres Caribbean Resorts Excellence Punta Cana . The butter chicken was really good. Does Excellence El Carmen have a club? It's worth noting that most dinner restaurants have a casual elegance dress code, which means that t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and beach sandals are not allowed. Excellence El Carmen | Hotels & Resorts | The Excellence Collection Magna has the best coffee at the resort French press and we loved that our server wheeled out a bread card and cut it for us. 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. Hi Taylor! . However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Excellence Club | Excellence El Carmen And since its the second-largest country. NEW riu palace bavaro ----opening when?????? Dont get us wrong, the steaks were well prepared and the burger we tried too was pretty good. When we visited we brought US Dollars and tipped a dollar for each drink we ordered and then $10 dollars for waiters for any of the meals that we had. You will never have an issue getting a spot at the beach. Casual wear (no wet swimsuits) is acceptable elsewhere for breakfast and lunch. Bvlgari toiletries. I realize this may be a dumb questions-but I have never done all inclusive and after a lot of research, it seems that sometimes all inclusive isnt really all inclusive and actually has a lot of extra hidden fees. They do advise that you ring before your trip to check availability. There are too many food stations to even mention. They have a large menu with all of the smoothies combinations under the sun. We have to give a shout-out to Felix the bartender here. When we eventually secured a table this place didnt disappoint. For beachside dining, head to Las Olas. All-inclusive rates cover meals at 11 restaurants (including several a la carte eateries) and top-shelf drinks, plus 24-hour room service and activities like snorkeling, Spanish lessons, and beach volleyball. Now the bathroom is one of which many people question. 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. Excellence El Carmen, Uvero Alto: 9,457 Hotel Reviews, 12,158 traveller photos, and great deals for Excellence El Carmen, ranked #3 of 7 hotels in Uvero Alto and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. 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. This man was hilarious and was really entertaining. Rooms are elegant in both resorts, but Excellence El Carmens are slightly bigger and more swish. From the housekeeping, service at the bars to the concierge. The resort has tennis courts and free lessons. We have booked Excellence in Playa Mujeres and in El Carmen for 2016 both non club rooms. The perfect spot to sink a few beers and watch some sports. Excellence now has their own app you can download to research everything either ahead of time, or to keep up with it during your stay! The food here was good, but nothing to write home about. - See 9 464 traveller reviews, 11,732 candid photos, and great deals for Excellence El Carmen at Tripadvisor. Available only to guests that are staying in Excellence club rooms, this bar and restaurant snack area is another place to relax and grab a drink or some food. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. To tribute acts and musical entertainment. 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. And there is no need to bring toiletries there is body wash, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and even toothpaste! Drink service is on offer at the pools and beach. Feel free to read mydisclosure policy. The gym is modern and loaded with Technogym treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bicycles, recumbent bikes, weight machines, dumbbells, free weights, a punching bag, and a squat bench. There are entirely separate menus for that. There is also an extensive wine on offer if you dont fancy the house wine. I also realize there is a lot of confusion with tipping at all-inclusive resorts, since technically, your package includes gratuities. The vibrant colors of the Caribbean are the inspiration behind the dcor at both resorts. Every staff member that we dealt with was great. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This is $699 USD, or complimentary with 6 nights or more in any Excellence Club room category! Good to know: In our previous trips to Excellence Playa Mujeres and Excellence Riviera Cancun, we looked forward to the copy of Excellence Times on our bed at turndown. ago Excellence Club is a nice-to-have but no must-have. However, big waves and strong undertow make it unsuitable for swimming. It never took longer than 5-10 minutes to walk to anywhere we wanted to go. The only restaurant that requires a reservation is Spice, which has limited seating at its teppanyaki counters. The balcony was covered in cigarette butts when we checked in. In my opinion, Excellence Club is not worth it at Excellence El Carmen. As soon as you enter the resort you really are put at ease. Excellence Club guests get private access to a top-notch restaurant that opens for breakfast and dinner. If you don't have it that's not going to ruin your vacation, but if you can swing it it will enhance the experience. Arriving guests step through the front doors into a hip lobby that features swish elements like funky, high-backed armchairs, sleek couches, and floor-to-ceiling shelves full of oversized art books. There are a few tasty options here, like the Dominican patty (filled with beef, raisins and egg, and sooo good! Even so, there's nightly entertainment ranging from live music and circus shows to Michael Jackson impersonators. Our experience with Excellence El Carmen in Punta Cana - reddit They even put your flip flops in a warmer for your feet afterwards! It felt like a newer resort. Thanks in advance. I also visited DR this year and I can only say it is a wonderful country. We love the Club benefits but have gone without it and had a great time. At the other Excellence guest-only eatery, we were pretty disappointed with the restaurant. Excellence Club upgrades come with private lounge and restaurant access, an exclusive area on the beach, and daily in-room treats. 5 star? depends on how you view 5 star - Review of Excellence El Carmen Although theres no money involved it was a great way to mingle with the other guests. Excellence El Carmen is very competitively priced. You can purchase drinks at the airport to make the ride a little more fun, and perhaps a bit quicker? Its fun to watch the cook prepare your food right in front of you! Will we be sorry not booking the club? We also only book an Excellence Club Honeymoon Beachfront Swim-Out Suite. We did not try Oregano, Spice, Flavour Market, or Basmati during this trip because we ran out of time. The food was beyond excellent, the staff were the most pleasant human beings i have ever came across on a vacation and the resort itself was absolutely amazing!!! A. Located in the Uvero Alto area of the Dominican Republic. The price including flights, airport transfers, and the all-inclusive came out to $3,000 USD for the complete stay. For a more classic Caribbean beachfront all-inclusive with similar amenities, rates are comparable at the nearby sister resort,Excellence Punta Cana. For starters, its absolutely stunning. Hmm. The staff work so hard, and provide excellent service with a smile. how do floodplains jeopardize the livelihoods of agricultural workers. The Excellence El Carmen is just a 40-minute drive from Punta Cana international airport. Do not miss the Grill for lunch! An Excellence resort AND a wedding? Answer 1 of 6: My husband and I are looking into going to EEC and we are wondering if the Excellence Club is worth it. When it comes to the food at Excellence El Carmen, there is something for everyone. This resort was beautiful!!!! From small surprises that delight the senses to complimentary suite upgrades and premiere bottles of bubbly, a stay at one of our resorts comes complete with an experience cultivated especially for our loyal guests. Part of our club honeymoon package was to get a free couples pamper session at the spa, but this was only available at certain times in the evening, which didn't suit us, so we ended up paying for spa treatments during the day. but then drinks happened and we ended up just lazing by the pool. Check-in is a breeze and you are whisked to your room where your holiday can really begin. Our Best All-Inclusive Resorts In Puerto Vallarta for Food, Our Best All-Inclusive Resorts in Los Cabos for Food. 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. ), burgers, fish and chips, quesadillas, fries and more! So I am just checking to see if there was any extra fees that arent included! The views at Oregano are lovely (as its located on the other side of the Lobster House) and it makes a great setting with the ocean breeze at night. We always stay in the club area to take advantage of the club anniversary package. For Excellence Club guests, dont miss Magna! Excellence Club provides additional benefits, but is it really worth it? The Blue Hole, a cenote with gorgeous turquoise water, is also around a 30-minute drive from the property. 7 de junio de 2022; where to buy used bicycles near me 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 treatments included in the excellence club as well as the room location being closer to the beach/better view. We had just as much fun watching everyone as those who participated in it. Its 492 modern suites have elegant interiors plus high-end features like free bottles of liquor and double jetted tubs overlooking private balconies. For honeymoons, you can get this package for free for up to 3 months following your wedding. Once inside, it's all about sharp neutral decor, tranquil vibes, and breezy ocean views. Yes, parking is available for guests and it is complimentary. The Excellence El Carmen is another top-class offering from the Excellence chain of resorts. There is a beautiful swan-neck fountain in the corner of the pool which adds to the ambience. You will likely not even realize what you are "missing" being non club. We spent our mornings at the main pool with their (only) swim up bar, Blue. You alternate between hot and cold pools, steam rooms and saunas, jet-oriented water experiences and more! Junior Swim-Up Suites, located on the ground floor, offer access to long pools with private nooks outfitted with a swan-neck jet. Excellence Club WORTH IT - Review of Excellence El Carmen Paper straws are biodegradable and inexpensive. As well as the staple options such as an omelet station for breakfast and a burger station for lunch and dinner. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. There is lots of choice at the Excellence El Carmen and if you have stayed in the Excellence chain of resorts before you will be familiar with their room offering. There is a daily room keeping as well as turndown service which is always nice to come back to: slippers by the bed, sheets drawn back, beside lights on, bottles of water on the nightstands, and flower petals or towels done up in some cute display. When it comes to food, the resorts 11 restaurants offer numerous options from casual spots to fine-dining. Our rooms were cleaned twice a day and the housekeeping staff was great at staying consistent in regards to the timings they would clean our room. is excellence club worth it el carmen - anmolsahota.com The Miil Spa is an attractive and quiet space offering massages, facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and salon services. There are tons of delicious vegetarian dishes (along with non-veg options) you can order you wont miss the meat! Woodie and I went to Excellence El Carmen, Dominican Republic in December 2021 and absolutely loved the resort! Required fields are marked *. The Masala beef was the best we have ever had. There is also a beachfront massage option if you wish to listen to the crashing waves against the shore. If youre in Excellence Club, try Magna for breakfast at least once! The expansive property seems large but its very walkable and manageable (as well as accessible). When we complained, we were also upgraded to a beachfront room. We have booked Excellence in Playa Mujeres and in El Carmen for 2016 both non club rooms. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. We visited these during our other Excellence trips and loved them. 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. No amount of milk or sugar was going to save that, so we just waddled over to Aroma later on for a caffeine drink. We were not excellence club. We have booked to stay at EEC for 2 weeks from opening day! I know they have tennis and their activities list pickle ballbut do they actually use pickle ball nets? - Read 9,463 reviews, view 11,732 photos, and find great deals for Excellence El Carmen at Tripadvisor Excellence Punta Cana - A Comprehensive Review (2021) There is a great bustling atmosphere and the bartender Jordy served up some of the best concoctions at the resort. EXCELLENCE EL CARMEN - UPDATED 2022 Resort Reviews & Price Comparison