Punta Cana Dominican Republic

This was our second visit to Club Med in Punta Cana. We were last there in September 2023 (a year before the fire took place). Even though the main bar and other places central to the resort were destroyed and blocked off, we hardly noticed and still had an incredible time. Don't let the news of the fire stop you from visiting this wonderful resort.

There were so many positive take aways from this trip. First, the food and drinks. We love the food at Hispanola (the main buffet restaurant). It's a perfect mix of kid-friendly foods, healthy options, local cuisine, and tasty treats. We all tried new things (which can often be a challenge with 3 kids under 10) and found a way to strike a balance between being indulgent and making healthful choices.

The staff at Hispanola were kind and attentive (Joanna made an impression with her earnest smiles). Working at Hispanola must be very hard considering the heat, uniforms, and busyness, so I was especially impressed with the staff's attitudes. We also saw Hector each night, who works at La Cave (the wine and spirit shop). He stopped by our table to check on us each night, helped us book a rum tasting, and chatted with us about our trip. He absolutely went above and beyond for us whenever he stopped by. La Cave is one of the upsell options, but we never felt pressured or uncomfortable as upsell features can sometimes feel.

Speaking of La Cave, we did book a rum tasting while we were there, which meant that we got to spend some time with Miguelon, who also did the rum tasting for our previous visit. He was friendly and made the tasting fun and special. We found a rum that we loved and brought two bottles home with us!

The drinks more generally are the best we've ever had at an all-inclusive. Everywhere else we've been, the drinks tend to be watered down, super sweet, and leave you feeling sick. But here, the drinks were like a standard bar. Good pours, good quality alcohol and mixers, and well balanced drinks. There are also great mocktaill options when you need a little break. The bartenders at Indigo and the beach bar were all exceptional. Special shout out to Fritznel who made us amazing drinks and put lots of care into the quality and presentation.

During our stay, we also booked several sessions at the spa. It's one of our favorite parts of the trip. We had some confusion about what we had pre-purchased in our package, but once it was clear what services we could get, it was smooth sailing. Thank you to Marie and Dania for very patiently explaining the spa menu to us and for the warm welcome each time we visited. We were also given a lovely canvas tote after our final service as a thank you. I love a good tote bag! We had services with Ecida, Genesis, and Melodys. Each of these women provided exceptional care during our services. They were professional and provided a relaxing experience.

The biggest benefit about Club Med for us is the Mini Club. We cannot say enough about what this benefit brings to our experience. The Mini Club lets every member of our family have the vacation that is best suited to them. The kids spend all day making new friends and participating in age-appropriate activities in a supervised environment. And us parents get to enjoy quiet time, try new activities, or even join in on events with the kids when we'd like to. The flexibility it offers is incredible. And the staff at the Mini Club is spectacular! I can't imagine how challenging their job is, but they always looked happy and were full of energy. Leo single-handedly saved the vacation for our oldest kid. She gravitated to him immediately and the success of her vacation entirely rested in Leo's hands. He was generous with his time and attention and seems to really love what he does. We're so grateful to him. Some other Mini Club staff members who stood out were Alicia, Djerson, King, and Davidson. But honestly, each person at Mini Club has our deep gratitude for the invaluable work they do.

The accommodations were great for our family. We stayed in a family suite that gave the kids their own room. We were also ideally located right in front of the Mini Club entrance and quite near Hispanola. So getting where we needed to go first thing in the morning was a breeze. Given the size of the Village, this was a big benefit for us. The cleaning staff kept the room in great shape and they were so friendly each time we saw them.

Some stand out activities: we loved the new water park and spent so much time there, going down slides with our kids. We also had a blast at the Queen tribute band show and other night shows at the theater. The Mini Club Show was a hit for us and we loved watching each of our kids shine during their group performance. Again, the Mini Club staff make so many moments (like this one) into special memories that we'll hold onto forever.

Some other staff members who stood out include Ricardo (who lead AquaGym for us), Meaghan (who greeted us on our way into dinner each night), and Ramon (who worked the drink station at the new water park). One thing that really stood out to me is that every single interaction we had was lovely. Every staff member and GO we passed always said hello to us. Even staff who we only saw in passing made an impression. Like Jorge, from golf - we didn't do golf during this visit, but Jorge took a few minutes to mess around with our kids as we left Hispanola one night. Everything is a constant, fun party from the minute you arrive until they are waving you off at the end of your stay!

One tiny piece of constructive feedback that we have: we would love it if the nightly dance parties changed up the music and dances from one night to the next. The group dances are quintessential to the Club Med experience, but we would also enjoy less structured dance time with a more varied set of songs. It's entirely possible that the dancing becomes less structured as the night goes on, but we usually only participate in the first 1-1.5 hours as we all get tired and head off to bed by 11pm or so.

We are so excited to visit again next year, especially once all of the construction is complete on the central area that had been impacted by the fire. We can't wait to see what the new sections are going to look like.

airport was large/roomy/not busy/quick and easy to navigate, food was good with lots of choices (noticed things like messy tongs, etc. and empty serving dishes) but there was always something to eat. lots of little kids in hispaniola (main restaurant due to fire) but because everything is open, it felt ok. rooms were large, clean with all amenities (had hair conditioner) and lots of room to roam outside on property, the common grounds were well kept. bring a bag of cat treats please if you go! lots of very friendly cats there keeping mice at bay! find fekiel in hispaniola if you need anything - he works magic in there and speaks english! yes, the fish tacos (only in indigo) were as good as everyone had said. new chef du village abdel will make great changes like bringing pepito from cancun who will thankfully change up the entertainment and bring good energy. Youyou from morocco (formerly at cancun) will be a huge addition (you will recognize him as he always has a smile on his face) as well as lauren, who is caring and kind. i can't comment on the go's other than the ones who came from cancun as nobody stood out at all and didn't really take the time to connect with us (william and hannah at reception were helpful and kind though). beach is spectacular (yes there are sand flies which bite) but bring spray and wipes and you'll be fine. it's true, very few english speaking staff, gm's but it wasn't an issue even though our spanish is limited. mostly french speakers. know that gm's may move your towels, etc. if you leave them on the beach - happened to me twice when we put towels down/ran to breakfast. came back, towels moved, someone else sitting at our chairs. they (gm's) said there's a half hour rule published somewhere? but there are plenty of umbrellas and chairs. loved the new tier system - i got the building i had requested and a personal shuttle (gold level) and i appreciated it. anxious to go back soon to see the changes and hopefully rebuilt center. beautiful beach - saw them cleaning it constantly, good equipment to use (sailing, tennis, beach chairs, etc.), waitstaff works super hard! night time shows were lacking but i know they're working on that. don't forget to check your app for dress code - felt like not many people were theme dressed (another thing i noticed is that the go's weren't really dressed either - literally all go's were dressed at cancun as were the gm's which made the dress code super fun).

Waly was our kid’s Teen Events manager, who engaged our kids all week with fun activities. He always had a big smile, and all the kids loved him! We knew every day that our kids were having a blast with him.  Florian also spent time with our teens and was equally as inclusive, encouraging, kind, and fun to all the kids. They both exceeded expectations and deserve accolades along with Lilith.  

The Circus/Trapeze staff help teacher kids tricks and coach them through difficult moves to gain confidence. They made it fun every single day. Nine who helped with paddle boats was also super great.

The bar staff (Maria, Ibo, Bonny, and German) and kitchen and maid staff were always friendly, polite and reliable as well.  This location has super people all around to help make for a great customer experience.