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Travel recs - Punta Cana

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scooter84

Jack Campbell
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anyone been?

We take a Feb. trip every year with a couple of other couples to a caribbean all-inclusive. We have gone to really nice resorts in Cancun, Riviera Maya and Jamaica. We can't go to anywhere that is too hard to get to - cause we usually only go for 5 nights and we have people flying from different parts of the country.

This year we are thinking of trying Punta Cana in DR. We are looking at the Excellence resort there. Anyone know anything about that resort, specifically, or the area in general? Any reason we should avoid?

FYI - we like resorts that are either adults only or have an adults-only section - we have all put in our years traveling with little kids...

Most of the reviews are great - but there are a number that are concerning - (i) mosquitos and (ii) people getting stuff stolen from their rooms. The latter seems kind of weird as I have not really heard that anywhere else...
 
My wife and I stayed at the Excellence a few years ago (around May). Mosquitos weren't an issue and we didn't have stuff stolen from the room.

The food varied from dull to acceptable. Beach chairs were easy to get. Didn't go golfing. Dude's with machine guns stood on the beach at night (not sure where they are during the day).
 
mountainfried said:
My wife and I stayed at the Excellence a few years ago (around May). Mosquitos weren't an issue and we didn't have stuff stolen from the room.

The food varied from dull to acceptable. Beach chairs were easy to get. Didn't go golfing. Dude's with machine guns stood on the beach at night (not sure where they are during the day).
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Stayed there in March for a wedding. I would echo Mountainfried's sentiment. Didn't see any armed guards though. I thought it was nice for the price, but it wasn't super elegant or anything. I would recommend it, but with that being said, I have very little to compare it to. It's a solid 35-45 minutes from the Airport and not in Punta Cana proper (took a cab into town to catch a fishing charter one day...it seems pretty run down and the resorts in town looked awful), so I'm not sure if that effects convenience to the golf courses (didn't play any golf).
I don't really recall any(many) children being there.

One thing about DR to consider (which can be good or bad) is that it's super easy to get to...direct Flight from CLT...3 hours and you're there...which makes it nice if you want to get away for 3 or 4 days, but also means there everyone and their brother can as well (which isn't so nice)
 
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If you're used to the quality levels in Cancun/Riviera Maya and the nicest spots in Jamaica.... Just be prepared for a solid step down in DR. Still a fun place to visit, but definitely hasn't caught up with other top resort destinations yet. The food in particular.
 
We spent a week at Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana. It was a few years ago, but I would:
1. Stay on resort. I was there for a sales incentive trip and a few of the younger guys went off resort and ended up mugged and roughed up. They were probably up to no good, but still.
2. I was called by security at the airport to go back behind closed doors to a little off airport building. Totally sketch. They spoke no English (which is fine, but..) and we asking me to sing a document in Spanish. When I arrived, they had all my suitcase laid out on a table asking question. There were about 10 armed gaurds. They would not let me leave until I signed this paper which I had no idea what it read. So, I signed it Mikey Mouse and they let me walk. Scared as shit that I was going to prison. When I got home they had stolen my ipod and docking station.
 
Paradises Palma Real was fantastic.

Don't leave the resort for anything. Punta Cana is a shit hole.
 
DirtySouthDeacon said:
We spent a week at Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana. It was a few years ago, but I would:
1. Stay on resort. I was there for a sales incentive trip and a few of the younger guys went off resort and ended up mugged and roughed up. They were probably up to no good, but still.
2. I was called by security at the airport to go back behind closed doors to a little off airport building. Totally sketch. They spoke no English (which is fine, but..) and we asking me to sing a document in Spanish. When I arrived, they had all my suitcase laid out on a table asking question. There were about 10 armed gaurds. They would not let me leave until I signed this paper which I had no idea what it read. So, I signed it Mikey Mouse and they let me walk. Scared as shit that I was going to prison. When I got home they had stolen my ipod and docking station.
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Was that their version of squeal like a pig?
 
DCDeac said:
If you're used to the quality levels in Cancun/Riviera Maya and the nicest spots in Jamaica.... Just be prepared for a solid step down in DR. Still a fun place to visit, but definitely hasn't caught up with other top resort destinations yet. The food in particular.
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Liquid Karma said:
Paradises Palma Real was fantastic.

Don't leave the resort for anything. Punta Cana is a shit hole.
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Would agree with these general sentiments. It's definitely still rough around the edges in a lot of ways.

We stayed off-resort in a golf community type area, which was nice enough, but man it was rough trying to get anything done/figured out if you didn't speak Spanish. The food was pretty lackluster too, and within 2-3 days pretty much everyone in our group had stomach issues of some sort.

The airport was a clustercuss.
 
TownieDeac said:
Yea weird almost like it's a developing country.
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I mean, yeah, but there are other developing countries out there with better tourism experiences I think so that can't be the only excusee. Jamaica and Costa Rica to start.
 
About six years ago my wife and I did an all-inclusive in the DR; it ended up being in La Romana instead of Punta Cana, but overall I agree with the sentiments about not venturing away from your resort. Basically the trip more or less sucked, so it was a lesson reaffirming the idea of you get what you pay for. But if you shouldn't even leave the resort, then the question I'd pose is why even bother going when you could find a better place with more to do somewhere that isn't a low end third world country?

Definitely agree with an adults only resort. That would eliminate some of the terribleness of the trip.
 
CDeacMan said:
About six years ago my wife and I did an all-inclusive in the DR; it ended up being in La Romana instead of Punta Cana, but overall I agree with the sentiments about not venturing away from your resort. Basically the trip more or less sucked, so it was a lesson reaffirming the idea of you get what you pay for. But if you shouldn't even leave the resort, then the question I'd pose is why even bother going when you could find a better place with more to do somewhere that isn't a low end third world country?

Definitely agree with an adults only resort. That would eliminate some of the terribleness of the trip.
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this is what i've always wondered
 
+1 don't stray from the resort. Good question, CDeac.

We saw machine-gun dudes, too, so I guess that's typical.

cookoutdeac said:
The food was pretty lackluster too, and within 2-3 days pretty much everyone in our group had stomach issues of some sort.
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Whenever I have nasty flatulance, it has been deemed 'Presidente farts' because of my food/beer experience in the DR.
 
I wish it was just farts.

I did like El Presidente, decided it was safer than any water. :)
 
HailToTheDeacons said:
+1 don't stray from the resort. Good question, CDeac.

We saw machine-gun dudes, too, so I guess that's typical.



Whenever I have nasty flatulance, it has been deemed 'Presidente farts' because of my food/beer experience in the DR.
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The DR is shit. Worst vacation I've ever taken.

Will never return.
 
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