Family holiday review: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Best for

Families with children of all ages who want to spend a few luxurious days in the Caribbean but keep children entertained.

Where to stay

Punta Cana is one of the most famous resort towns in the Dominican Republic, and as such there are many hotels and resorts that you can stay with. We spent days in the luxury all-inclusive Club Med resort, a well-groomed hotel that is part of the Club Med chain.

With a whopping 553 rooms, the hotel has 3 restaurants and 4 bars, which are all exclusive for the use of Hotel guests.

What’s the room like?

In a word, fantastic! The rooms are well-designed and spacious, meaning if you have two children, you can all stay in a single suite.

Stepping into a room for the first time does really make you feel like you’re about to go on a luxurious adventure, it’s quite nice to take in.

The room has a large-screen TV, (there isn’t a door dividing the room) there’s a good-sized fridge and a bathroom. It’s a great way to keep the family together while having some privacy.

For the most part, the staff at the resort are polite and helpful, but there was a serious lack of continuity and attention to detail when it came to the house-keeping. You may find yourself having to ask repeatedly for towels, shower gel and other amenities that come with the room.

How many children can sleep in the room?

It depends on which room you go for, but some can sleep up to 3 children. Cots can also be provided for babies.

What facilities are there in the room?

• Kettle with tea/coffee and biscuits
• Fridge
• TV
• Phone
• Safe
• Iron and ironing board

What’s the pool like?

As you’d expect the children’s favourite part of the hotel was, one of the three very large swimming pools.

There is a huge central swimming pool that’s ideal for older children, teenagers and adults, with a swim-up bar. There is also a separate pool for young children and toddlers, supervision (and armbands) with a slide and shallow water. But it is the adult-only Oasis pool that’ll have parents wanting to lounge the day away.

Visiting in out-of-season (start of September), there was still a scramble for sunbeds by the pool, but the beach was relatively empty. And while you could get towels by the pool, it was hit-and-miss if you could get your hands on a towel at the beach.

What’s food like?

A brilliant selection of all kinds of food items – from European to Caribbean foods, there are two buffet style restaurants and a cook-to-order restaurant right on the beach. All dining areas offered amazing service, but depending on the chef, the food could be excellent or mediocre.

What’s the entertainment like?

There really isn’t much that Club Med doesn’t offer its guess by way of things to do. From watersports, golfing and tennis school, to yoga, fishing and Cirque du Soleil acrobatic classes. The Baby Club Med, Petite Club Med and Mini Club Med resemble the adult version, in that there is always something to do.

Saying that, as it’s a Spanish and French speaking island, it’s likely you’ll get an instructor who doesn’t speak English, which is fine if you’re adult, you can work your way around a conversation. But it’s not so easy for the children, so you’ll have to check with the kids’ beforehand that communication won’t be an issue.

It’s also worth noting that sometimes the scheduled activities didn’t always happen, and as it’s such a big resort, there usually isn’t staff around to ask when is happening, without going to the main reception.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day excursion to the local town and visit to a chocolate museum, and cigar factory. A word of caution, excursions outside of the resort are very expensive and you will be charged a pretty penny for the taxis, souveniers and trips away.

However, it is completely safe, enjoyable and a worthy experience.

When to go

With school aged children, it’s great to go in the second half of August, as it’s amazingly it’s out-of-season, so prices are a little cheaper.

However, the reason it’s off-season is the heat. We’re talking seriously hot in the day, and not much cooler in the evening!

If you go in the Easter holidays, temperatures are in the more equitable, while the October half-term will cooler.

With pre-school children, January to May the most popular months to visit (manageable heat) – but expect to pay peak season prices.

Essential info

Club Med offers seven nights at Punta Cana resort from £637 per person on an all-inclusive basis, without flights. To book, visit the Club Med website.