There’s always something special about a getaway with just my husband and I. The kind where time slows down, the sun feels warmer, and every moment is shared without the distraction from a hyper 6-year old. My husband and I recently went on our annual ‘adult only’ vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, where we experienced our first stay at an Excellence Resort.
I’ll be sharing my honest thoughts on our first stay at an Excellence Resort—largely because, when I was researching options for our annual trip, the reviews for Excellence El Carmen were incredibly mixed. After we quickly booked this resort following a last-minute cancellation of our trip to Mexico, I’ll admit I had a bit of immediate regret. The deeper I dove into reviews, the more uncertain I felt.
I searched everywhere for reassurance—TikTok, YouTube, blog posts, Instagram… if there was a review out there, I probably read or watched it. But over time, my concerns started to fade. I realized many of the negative reviews seemed to come from travelers with very specific, elevated expectations, and a lot of the complaints felt overly nitpicky for what we personally look for in a vacation.
At the end of the day, our priorities were simple: an adults-only, all-inclusive escape with a swim-up pool, spacious and beautiful resort pools, a variety of dining options, and opportunities to explore through excursions. With that perspective in mind, we went into the trip excited—and ready to experience it for ourselves.
The Rooms
Our original plan was actually to visit Mexico, where we had booked a stay at another Excellence property—Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres. But after seeing unsettling news and videos related to cartel activity, we decided it was better to be safe than sorry. We made the quick decision to cancel and instead return to the Dominican Republic, since we had such a great experience there the year before. That’s how we ultimately landed on Excellence El Carmen.
On paper, the two resorts felt very similar—both offering a wide variety of restaurants, multiple swim-up pool options, and a large, central pool area to enjoy throughout the day. While doing my research, I did come across a few older YouTube reviews that raised concerns about the quality of the rooms, which admittedly made me a bit hesitant going in.
That said, I’m happy to report that our experience was the complete opposite. We booked the Excellence Club Junior Suite with Swim Out and our room was beautiful. It was spacious, spotless, and thoughtfully designed. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the mini fridge was fully stocked (a perk of our Excellence Club status), and the swim-out feature made it feel like our own private oasis. It ended up being the perfect place to unwind after long days in the sun, or if we just wanted a more quiet pool atmosphere in the middle of the day.
The Food
Now, my husband and I both agree on one thing—we’ll probably never fully understand the level of criticism some people have about food at all-inclusive resorts. Maybe we’ve just been lucky with the last three resorts we’ve visited, but we’ve never had a truly bad dining experience. If anything, our only minor frustration on past trips was that not every restaurant was open each night, which limited our choices—but that really came down to us not doing enough research ahead of time.
At Excellence El Carmen, though, the food genuinely impressed us. I think some travelers go in expecting five-star, fine dining at every meal, which doesn’t quite align with the all-inclusive model. When you’re paying one flat rate, our expectation is simple: the food should be enjoyable, satisfying, and offer variety—not necessarily rival a high-end standalone restaurant. That said, we’ve often been pleasantly surprised by the quality, and this resort was no exception.
There was no shortage of options either. From Italian and French cuisine to Mexican, a steakhouse, Indian, Mediterranean, and fresh seafood, plus a breakfast buffet, sports bar, poolside snacks, and room service—it felt like we had something new to try every day. And across the board, everything we had was flavorful, well-prepared, and more than met our expectations.
The Pools
One of my initial hesitations about this resort had to do with the main pool. I am a pool girl through and through, so a nice size pool (or multiple pools) is a requirement for me whenever we go on a trip. Compared to the Excellence property in Mexico we originally booked, it looked noticeably smaller in photos and videos. But seeing it in person completely changed my perspective—in the best way.
The resort actually features two main pools, one of which has a unique wraparound design surrounding the bar, creating a really fun and social atmosphere. There’s also a smaller pool area in front where they occasionally host activities, which adds a nice touch without overwhelming the main space. In addition, there are two Excellence Club–only pools tucked toward the back of the property (though we didn’t end up visiting those). Overall, the main pool area felt much larger than expected, and even on the busiest day of our trip, it never felt overcrowded. And never having to fight for a pool chair is always a nice plus.
As for our swim-out room, the location truly couldn’t have been better. We were less than a one-minute walk from the main pool, which made it easy to go back and forth depending on our mood. There was also a nearby bar that we could quickly walk to and be right back in the water within minutes—something we definitely took advantage of. The timing of the sun was perfect too: we’d spend our mornings at the main pool, then transition to our swim-out pool in the afternoon when it got the best sunlight, usually from around noon to 4 or 5 PM.
Even with neighboring rooms occupied, it often felt like we had the swim-out pool all to ourselves, which made it even more enjoyable. If you’ve never had a swim-out or private pool, I would 10000% recommend. Ever since our original vacation to Mexico in 2024 where we started booking swim out rooms, I can never go back to a standard room at an all-inclusive. The option for privacy is top-tier.
I’ll admit—we’re not huge “sit on the beach all day” people, so most of our time was spent poolside. That said, we did make our way down to the ocean a few times and had so much fun boogie boarding in the waves. It ended up being the perfect balance.
Excursions
When it comes to activities and excursions, my husband and I like to strike a balance between relaxation and adventure. For the past four years, our annual vacations have typically included two excursion days mixed in with plenty of time to unwind.
This year, we decided to switch things up with a spa day since my husband opted out of golfing (normally, while he’s on the course, I’m perfectly content relaxing by the pool). Since golf wasn’t on the agenda this time, we treated ourselves to a couples massage—and it was incredible. The last time we had one together was during our honeymoon in Hawaii in 2017, so it felt especially overdue. The spa at Excellence El Carmen was absolutely beautiful, and that 60 minutes of pure relaxation was exactly what we needed.
Another perk of the Excellence Club package was a complimentary hydrotherapy session at the spa. A spa guide led us through multiple relaxation stations, including a sauna and steam room, an invigorating ice bucket experience, water therapy, and a hot tub. The session ended with a head and neck massage while we relaxed on heated stone chaise lounges. It’s definitely a service I would have happily paid for, so having it included in our stay made the experience even more special.
Along the beach, there was a water sports area, and although my husband and I love kayaking, we weren’t able to do it on this trip due to the rough waves. Even though we felt we probably could have managed, the staff wasn’t allowing anyone out in the kayaks. Instead, we decided to try boogie boarding—and I had never done it before, but it was so much fun. It ended up being a great substitute for our usual kayaking adventures.
As for excursions, we ended up opting out entirely on this trip. We went into the vacation planning to visit Monkeyland, but each day we kept putting it off—saying we’d book it later, then tomorrow, and so on. Since it was Easter weekend, the excursion was closed on Sunday, which is typically one of our go-to excursion days. I think that’s when we realized we were truly craving a more relaxing vacation.
The more excursions we looked at, the less excited we felt—unlike our usual trips. Part of that may be because we visited the Dominican Republic last year and already experienced snorkeling, an adventure park with a cenote, and a trip to a sandbar. Since this wasn’t a brand-new destination for us, we naturally leaned into slowing down and enjoying the resort instead.
And honestly, I don’t regret that decision one bit. It turned into the perfect vacation—full of relaxation and meaningful one-on-one time together.
Overall, I was very pleased with this location and our stay at Excellence El Carmen. It really goes to show that you can’t always trust everything you read online—many of the complaints and negative reviews we came across didn’t match our experience at all.
As I mentioned earlier, maybe we just don’t have overly high expectations. We understand what comes with booking an all-inclusive resort, and it would take quite a bit for us to find something worth complaining about.
Next year marks our big 10-year anniversary, and we’re already starting to research where we want to go to celebrate. We’ve been tossing around ideas like Greece, Tahiti, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica—but who knows where we’ll end up.
