Club Med Punta Cana
"it Takes A French Village....."
I had not visited a Club Med resort in well over 25 years, so when this recent opportunity presented itself, I immediately accepted the invitation to spend a few days at their Punta Cana location.
Arriving at the Punta Cana airport can sometimes be both daunting and frustrating. The seemingly interminable line snakes around in a hangar like building with no air conditioning , finally spilling itself into another building, this time a thatched roof one where unsmiling officials take $10 cash from each arriving passenger, dispensing a small paper receipt, which is then checked by another "official" who tears it in half and then directs you to passport control. A mad dash for your luggage and then the search for your transfer guide, one of dozens holding hand written signs. I finally found the one I needed, holding a sign that read CLUD (sic)MED, written in bold blue marker.
However, you may experience a much smoother arrival experience, if you happen to land when yours is the only flight arriving at that particular time, as many of my fellow travelers informed me.
CLUB MED PUNTA CANA is located just a few minutes away from the airport and is located on a long stretch of pristine beach, shaded by tall palm trees and blessed with sea breezes which make the hours lounging poolside or on the beach much more tolerable and pleasant.
Unlike the Club Med resorts of yesteryear, and by that I mean the 1950's through the 1990's, the brand has evolved, modernized and upgraded in order to compete in this new world of all-inclusives that did not exist when Club Med was busy creating the concept.
What was once a young adult camp filled with booze purchased with beads, and continual parties is now a brand that offers deluxe accommodations, private villas and activities for families and children.
In Punta Cana, you will find such a family centered resort, offering safe and organized activities catering to all ages, from 4 month old infants, to teens, divided into "baby club" (4-23 months), "petit club"( 2-3 year olds) "mini club" (4-10 years olds) , "pajama club" (4 month to 10 years old ...late night , at an extra fee) and even "passworld" categories for 11-17 year olds which is further subdivided appropriately by age.
The activities for children and adults seem infinite and provide something to do at every hour of the day and evening. Aside from the ubiquitous water sports, there are opportunities to play or learn to play tennis, soccer, bocce,archery, basketball, fly on a trapeze and also try other circus centric actions and contortions ! A new "Cirque du Solieil" activity center is in the works and will be completed by June, 2015.
Salsa dancing classes went on all afternoon on a deck, beachside, while others just sunbathed in tranquility under a palapa or a palm tree reading a book, sunbathing or people watching.
Last week while I was there, 69% of the visitors where almost evenly divided between French and Canadians, followed by Americans, Italians , Belgian, Swiss, and representatives from all parts of the world. That said the predominant language used throughout was French, closely followed by English and Spanish. I had fun using my French in communicating with the GO's as well as French speaking visitors.
The very large pool is the epicenter of the resort, flanked by a beautiful and large bar with lounge style seating perched several steps higher than the pool deck. This is the gathering place every evening before and after dinner, with piped music as well as lively DJ action with nightly line dancing straight out of the Club Med play book ( I remember those line dances a few decades ago when visiting a Club Med in Playa Blanca, near Puerto Vallarta).... Not much has changed. The Euro beat music is newer, the moves updated, time seems to have stopped but the fun is still universal!!
Of course there are nightly shows, which I confess did not have a chance to see.
Those who did, seemed to have enjoyed them tremendously!
Meals are all buffet style, served in one of two restaurants . I must say there were surprisingly exquisite dishes offered nightly, with enough variety to please all tastes and culinary expectations. One particular evening, chefs were making fresh pasta, cutting it into perfect ribbons of fettuccine and cooking it al dente ( unheard of at any buffet I ever saw before) , and the delicate choice of sauces were not over salted and delicious. At times one could find whole grilled fish, stir fry made to order, an array of meats and seafood, soups, salads and of course desserts. There is no waiter service, except to offer you wine, beer , water or coffee; all else is self serve.
The rooms are basic and certainly not as luxurious as those one can find at other resorts. The standard rooms are motel grade and therefore basic. They seem to be located a bit further from the pool, beach and restaurants, while the deluxe rooms were better located and seemed to have a fresher feel, with upgraded amenities, a mini refrigerator stocked with bottled water and soft drinks, also robes and slippers.
All room categories had a sitting room and small balcony or deck with seating.
There are also 32 beachfront villas with two bedrooms , in a mini gated area which boasts its own bar, snack offerings throughout the day and an infinity pool also beachfront. **** they have Nespresso machines with a variety of pods !!
For me, personally, a super amenity!!!
The concept of this resort, unlike most others is that it is designed horizontally, alongside their private beach. If one should walk from one extreme side of the resort to the other, always beachfront, it could give you a nice aerobic workout!
While many other branded resorts may also be beachfront, their structures usually are built more inland giving clients less horizontal beach space.
All resorts have pluses and minuses. Club Med Punta Cana has many many pluses including an incredible beach, super friendly staff, tons of activities, great food overall and a real feel of European style hospitality albeit in the Caribbean.
I left out many details, but I want to leave some surprises for you to discover for yourselves on your next visit.
There are special offers periodically, so feel free to ask me and I can certainly help you become a part of the Club Med family!
"it Takes A French Village....."
I had not visited a Club Med resort in well over 25 years, so when this recent opportunity presented itself, I immediately accepted the invitation to spend a few days at their Punta Cana location.
Arriving at the Punta Cana airport can sometimes be both daunting and frustrating. The seemingly interminable line snakes around in a hangar like building with no air conditioning , finally spilling itself into another building, this time a thatched roof one where unsmiling officials take $10 cash from each arriving passenger, dispensing a small paper receipt, which is then checked by another "official" who tears it in half and then directs you to passport control. A mad dash for your luggage and then the search for your transfer guide, one of dozens holding hand written signs. I finally found the one I needed, holding a sign that read CLUD (sic)MED, written in bold blue marker.
However, you may experience a much smoother arrival experience, if you happen to land when yours is the only flight arriving at that particular time, as many of my fellow travelers informed me.
CLUB MED PUNTA CANA is located just a few minutes away from the airport and is located on a long stretch of pristine beach, shaded by tall palm trees and blessed with sea breezes which make the hours lounging poolside or on the beach much more tolerable and pleasant.
Unlike the Club Med resorts of yesteryear, and by that I mean the 1950's through the 1990's, the brand has evolved, modernized and upgraded in order to compete in this new world of all-inclusives that did not exist when Club Med was busy creating the concept.
What was once a young adult camp filled with booze purchased with beads, and continual parties is now a brand that offers deluxe accommodations, private villas and activities for families and children.
In Punta Cana, you will find such a family centered resort, offering safe and organized activities catering to all ages, from 4 month old infants, to teens, divided into "baby club" (4-23 months), "petit club"( 2-3 year olds) "mini club" (4-10 years olds) , "pajama club" (4 month to 10 years old ...late night , at an extra fee) and even "passworld" categories for 11-17 year olds which is further subdivided appropriately by age.
The activities for children and adults seem infinite and provide something to do at every hour of the day and evening. Aside from the ubiquitous water sports, there are opportunities to play or learn to play tennis, soccer, bocce,archery, basketball, fly on a trapeze and also try other circus centric actions and contortions ! A new "Cirque du Solieil" activity center is in the works and will be completed by June, 2015.
Salsa dancing classes went on all afternoon on a deck, beachside, while others just sunbathed in tranquility under a palapa or a palm tree reading a book, sunbathing or people watching.
Last week while I was there, 69% of the visitors where almost evenly divided between French and Canadians, followed by Americans, Italians , Belgian, Swiss, and representatives from all parts of the world. That said the predominant language used throughout was French, closely followed by English and Spanish. I had fun using my French in communicating with the GO's as well as French speaking visitors.
The very large pool is the epicenter of the resort, flanked by a beautiful and large bar with lounge style seating perched several steps higher than the pool deck. This is the gathering place every evening before and after dinner, with piped music as well as lively DJ action with nightly line dancing straight out of the Club Med play book ( I remember those line dances a few decades ago when visiting a Club Med in Playa Blanca, near Puerto Vallarta).... Not much has changed. The Euro beat music is newer, the moves updated, time seems to have stopped but the fun is still universal!!
Of course there are nightly shows, which I confess did not have a chance to see.
Those who did, seemed to have enjoyed them tremendously!
Meals are all buffet style, served in one of two restaurants . I must say there were surprisingly exquisite dishes offered nightly, with enough variety to please all tastes and culinary expectations. One particular evening, chefs were making fresh pasta, cutting it into perfect ribbons of fettuccine and cooking it al dente ( unheard of at any buffet I ever saw before) , and the delicate choice of sauces were not over salted and delicious. At times one could find whole grilled fish, stir fry made to order, an array of meats and seafood, soups, salads and of course desserts. There is no waiter service, except to offer you wine, beer , water or coffee; all else is self serve.
The rooms are basic and certainly not as luxurious as those one can find at other resorts. The standard rooms are motel grade and therefore basic. They seem to be located a bit further from the pool, beach and restaurants, while the deluxe rooms were better located and seemed to have a fresher feel, with upgraded amenities, a mini refrigerator stocked with bottled water and soft drinks, also robes and slippers.
All room categories had a sitting room and small balcony or deck with seating.
There are also 32 beachfront villas with two bedrooms , in a mini gated area which boasts its own bar, snack offerings throughout the day and an infinity pool also beachfront. **** they have Nespresso machines with a variety of pods !!
For me, personally, a super amenity!!!
The concept of this resort, unlike most others is that it is designed horizontally, alongside their private beach. If one should walk from one extreme side of the resort to the other, always beachfront, it could give you a nice aerobic workout!
While many other branded resorts may also be beachfront, their structures usually are built more inland giving clients less horizontal beach space.
All resorts have pluses and minuses. Club Med Punta Cana has many many pluses including an incredible beach, super friendly staff, tons of activities, great food overall and a real feel of European style hospitality albeit in the Caribbean.
I left out many details, but I want to leave some surprises for you to discover for yourselves on your next visit.
There are special offers periodically, so feel free to ask me and I can certainly help you become a part of the Club Med family!
No comments:
Post a Comment