by Sharm | Nov 28, 2017 | Hotels, Spas, Travel, Travel & Resorts
If you are thinking about visiting the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana should be on your list. There are plenty of all-inclusive resorts including Excellence. We stayed at the Excellence resort a few months ago and are set to go back this spring. Below I have listed an overview of the property and all of the perks of the resort that we enjoyed.
Accommodations: Our room was a junior swim up suite that has it’s own beach bed just steps away from the pool. There are quite a few suite options that include mountain view, garden view, ocean view and ocean front. All suites range in price so it is the perfect place to stay as you can find one that fits your budget.
Food: With nine all-inclusive international dining options, one buffet restaurant and beach snack grill, you will not have to worry about getting hungry or hangry in my case. The food was quite good and elegant. It is not quite as gourmet inclusive as the El Dorado Casitas but we still very much enjoyed it.
Drink: You may get drunk, but you will not go thirsty. Unlimited alcoholic beverages and soft drinks are just a beck and call away wiith 24-hour room service and pool and beach waiter service. Or you can visit one of the 12 bars on the property! My favorite is the Piña Colada served oceanside in a fresh pineapple.
Activities: I was pretty content to just hang out in the beach bed or pool most of the day but I did manage a few workouts in the fully equipped fitness center. If you are not like me and want to get up and go, there are plenty of daily activities, snorkel gear and scuba lessons available. If you wish to venture off the resort, there are plenty of excursions including four wheeling, shopping in the local village, spelunking down the Caribbean’s longest underground cave, golf and more.
Entertainment: If you haven’t worn yourself out during the day and are still sober, there is nightly entertainment featuring a different theme show every night you can enjoy.
Spa: If laying out in the beach bed all day is not relaxing enough, you can pamper yourself at the Miilé Spa.The grounds of the spa are tranquil and tropical with a flock of flamingos lounging in the nearby lagoon.
There are plenty of treatments to choose from including massage, body wraps, facials, manicures, pedicures, salon services and more. I enjoyed a body scrub with a massage and it was heavenly!
Service: The entire staff is friendly and ready to serve you what ever your heart desires and being that it is all-inclusive all taxes and gratuities included.
Booking Specials: The prices are always changing but there is usually some type of special going on so just check out the Excellence Resort Website for information on rooms, pricing, amenities or any other questions you have.
As a traveler I enjoy researching and reading about people experiences on places we may visit so I hope this helps if that is what you are looking for. I need to be clear that I am not endorsing the resort nor was I compensated to write about this. This was a vacation we took and paid full price.
We very much enjoyed it and as I mentioned earlier already have a return trip booked. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions by commenting below or contacting me.
SafeTravels!
Sharm
by Sharm | Mar 4, 2017 | Hotels, Travel & Resorts
A stay at the El Dorado Casitas Royale will sweep you away to paradise. Hubby and I vacationed there a few months ago and oh my was it heaven! I can’t really call this post a review as there was no compensation involved so I will refer to it as an experience. If you are looking into staying at the resort, I hope this experience will help you make your decision. Please feel free to reach out to me by commenting below or sending an email if you have any questions.
The El Dorado Casitas Royale is part of the Karisma Gourmet Inclusive line of resorts. The Gourmet Inclusive resorts take pride in the food served. Most fresh herbs, fruits and vegetable are grown on site to ensure freshness, quality and of course taste. There is tour available to visit the on-site green houses and gardens.
Locally sourced meats and fish are served when available and unique ingredients are imported from the country of origin. For instance in the Italian restaurant on the property, the ingredients used in the house-made pasta are imported in from Italy.
With so many restaurants to choose from it is best to stay a week so you can try them all. Not one of them dissapointed and each of them serve such artfully plated food that it can almost be to pretty to eat.
In addition, the resort has what I have called “Foodie Experiences” and must not be missed.
Foodie Experience one is the Fuentes Culinary Theater.
This live action cooking demonstration hosted by the Chef and Sommelier will ignite all of your senses with a 5 course dinner with wine parings.
Foodie Experience two is the Chefs Table.
Tucked away in the back of D’ Italia there is a private room awaiting to indulge your senses. You will interact one on one with the chef as he prepares a special and unique menu just for you.
The food at this meal was some of the best I have ever had and even made me a fan of goose liver. Who new it could be so good!
At one point there were three chefs preparing house-made sorbets and syrups to create a stunning masterpiece of a dessert.
Reservations must be made for all of the restaurants and experiences, so it is best to get with the concierge upon arrival and book all of your reservations for the duration of your stay. Here is a listing of all of the restaurants and descriptions of each.
Now to the accommodations. The resort is divided into two sections with the Casistas being a little more secluded. Access to personal concierge service is included when staying at the Casitas as well. It is a little farther to walk to some of the amenities such as fitness center and theater but having the selection of beach front beach beds was heavenly. There is also a golf cart type shuttle available to get you to and from if needed.
I cannot comment on other accommodations other than the room we had which was lovely. Upon arrival there was champagne chilling on the table.
The room was spacious and very accommodating.
The bathroom features an indoor and outdoor shower so that speeds up the process for two people getting ready at once.
Our room had a small private pool area along with seating for lounging.
Speaking of lounging, my favorite place was the beach front beach beds. It seemed my day consisted of hubby getting up early to grab us a bed while I did morning yoga overlooking the ocean. On the way back I would grab a protein shake made with fresh tropical fruit and lounge the morning away overlooking the ocean.
By the time lunch rolled around it was time for a tropical drink and then maybe a seaside nap. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner.
Now by all means, you do not have to be lazy like me if adventure is your thing. The resort offers plenty of activities, excursions and a tequila tasting featuring unique and local tequilas.
I was most pleased with our stay. All of the staff were courtesy and friendly. The grounds, rooms and venues were clean and well kept. After writing this and reliving it through the photos, I am ready to go back!
Happy Traveling!
Sharm
SaveSave
SaveSave
