We’ve always had our eyes on Club Med as a great family-friendly all-inclusive resort to visit,
and finally had the chance to make it happen! Located in the Dominican Republic’s beautiful
Punta Cana, Club Med hosted us for 4 days – here’s a recap of our stay.
An Intro to Club Med
Club Med originated in France and the influence of French culture can be felt throughout the
resort. While we have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts we quickly realized that Club Med
has a unique culture. To learn more check about how Club Med’s culture influences your visit
check out: An intro to Club Med’s Unique Culture
Arrival
Our arrival into Punta Cana and subsequent transfer to the airport was really smooth! We had to
fill out an entry form online prior to checking in to our first flight to get a QR code, so we didn’t
have to fill anything out upon arrival. After processing through immigration, we were greeted by
Club Med staff, who had a shuttle ready to take us to the resort, which was less than 10 minutes
away! We arrived to a personalized check-in experience at the Tiara space, which is part of
Club Med’s Exclusive Collection. We were welcomed with refreshing towels and a delicious
beverage to kick off our stay, then escorted to our room.
The Resort
We stayed at the Exclusive Collection Space Family Suite, which was perfect for the 4 of us.
The kids had a separate room with twin beds, while we had a master suite with a king bed, living
area and outside terrace with a daybed overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We were steps away
from the Tiara space, where there was a small pool, bar, and snacks throughout the day.
The rest of the resort is centered around the main pool and beach area, where most activities
take place throughout the day. If you’re looking for a quieter environment, there is an adult-
exclusive pool and bar called the Zen Oasis. It’s right next to the Spa, where we enjoyed a
fabulous couples deep-tissue massage on outdoor cabanas next to the beach.
For dining, there were two options to choose from when we were at the resort. The main
restaurant, Samana, offers buffet-style meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner with indoor and
outdoor seating. The other restaurant, Indigo, is beachside and is open for breakfast and lunch,
but requires prior reservations for dinner.
There are different events every evening, from poolside dance performances, to theater shows,
to all-out dance parties at the Rotunda. Club Med is famous for their “crazy signs,” which are
parties in which performers are on stage showing guests how to dance to each of the songs that
are being played. It has a Zumba vibe, but with a nightclub spin to it which was really fun.
Activities
There was certainly no shortage of activities available during our stay at Club Med Punta Cana!
We weren’t even close to doing everything on the schedule, and the variety of activities included
in our stay was impressive. For those interested in athletics, there are basketball, tennis, and
soccer areas where you could compete or practice with other resort guests. If you’d like to learn
archery, there’s a field where the whole family can get lessons. There is also an outdoor Fitness
Palapa with various events like Zumba, Pilates and more. For watersports, there are kayaks,
stand-up paddleboards, and snorkeling rentals. And to top it off, you can even get beginner
sailing lessons.
Aside from these activities, there are other events happening almost every hour – from trivia &
coffee, to dancing lessons and beach BBQ cookouts.
Mini Club
The included Mini Club was a highlight for our kids, since the resort has a fantastic staff that
keeps them happy and entertained. While there is a dedicated area for the kid’s club, the staff
runs a schedule that moves them around to different activities at the resort. For example, the
kids went to the Circus School (more on that below) as part of the Mini Club, and then were
taken to lunch and snacks prior to swimming activities at the pools. There was even a mini
Olympics event at the end of the day where they participated in fun activities!
One of the aspects of the Mini Club that we unfortunately weren’t able to participate in was the
preparation for the weekly kids dancing show. Throughout the week, the staff will teach the kids
several dances, and the kids will get to perform them in unique costumes at the Friday evening
show. Because of this, we recommend arriving and departing on Saturdays, so the kids get the
most time to practice and prepare for these amazing performances.
One important thing to note is at the Punta Cana location your child must have a bag with: a hat,
sunscreen, swimsuit, and closed toed shoes when you drop your child off.
Circus School
The Circus School was absolutely the highlight of our Club Med experience! After all, it’s not
every day that you get to practice and learn how to use a flying trapeze. The Circus School is
open every day except Saturday and has scheduled times for different age groups to try out the
different activities there.
At the kids’ (4-10 years old) session, they got to try out the flying trapeze, acrobatic bungee and
trampoline. Each of the stations was manned by the resort’s performers, and the kids got to
practice proper technique while receiving feedback. On the flying trapeze, they practiced
launching from the platform, putting their feet over the trapeze then hanging from it, and
finishing up with a backflip onto the net. As they continue to practice, they can then be moved
on to a “catch” practice, where a performer will catch them from a separate trapeze!
The adult hour was similar, with the addition of a vertical wall where you can learn how to
perform rappel-like movements. Our biggest regret was not staying longer so we could practice
doing “the catch” on the flying trapeze with the circus team.
Final Thoughts
Overall, our stay at Club Med Punta Cana absolutely flew by. We definitely recommend a
Saturday to Saturday stay, since the resort seems to operate on that schedule. The evening
performances and parties were a lot of fun, and the kids loved the activities at the Mini Club. We
all raved about the Circus School and look forward to going back so we can continue to practice
our flying trapeze skills!
