Posted by Jeff Claeson of www.all-travel.com

Our trip to Punta Cana was better than I had hoped for. Starting on the west coast, it took a little longer to get there than desired, but it wasn't bad. We started about 6am and flew to Newartk. We stayed overnight close to the airport and got up early again to flt into Punta Cana. There was a short stop in San Juan and on the short flight from there to Punta Cana the captain gave a fly-by tour of the island. We did not get transfers from Club Med, so we went to the Club Med transfer desk and a taxi driver was standing there and offered to take us to the resort. The ride cost $20 for the 2 of us and the resort was a short 5 minutes away.

Upon arrival to the resort, the GO's were waiting to greet us. Check-in was quick and painless and we were given a nice cold fruity drink and cold towels...which was very nice. We were given a ride to our room on a golf cart and our bags were brought up for us. The rooms had a tropical feel to them. They were nothing extraordinary, but they worked. There was a walk in closet, a toilet separate from the shower and sink, a large bed (2 twins put together), and a sitting room with a TV inside. There were safes in the room which were easy to use. All the rooms had a balcony as well.

Now to the good part....We had an amazing experience at the resort. The resort guests were predominately French speaking. Most of the GO's were multilingual, which made it really nice to converse with anyone. The workers there were all very excited about what they do and understand customer service. Everyone of them were able to make us feel at home. There were many activities set up for all ages. Punta Cana is a family resort. As we walked we repeatedly wished we had brought the kids with us. We learned to sail, took the kayaks out, hung out at the beach and at the pool. There was volleyball, basketball courts, tennis courts, a small skate park, and many other activities. We wished we had learned the trapeze...definitely next time. Every day had a different theme where everyone could dress in the same colors, and there was a show every night as well for the kids and the adults.

We did go on 2 different excursions. One was shopping in Bavaro, which we would not reccommend. First we went to this place almost set up like a flee market. Every store...one after the next had exactly the same items in the store. If you are looking to buy souvenirs, this could be the place if you are great at bartering and can handle a guilt trip for not paying $45 for a sundress for your 1 year old daughter. The time spent there was a definitely longer than necessary. The workers in the shops would stand in your way and try to get you into their shops. After about 30 minutes we were done and had to wait for about another hour until the van came. The second stop was at a local mall. There were some fun stores, but I think I would have rather been lying on the beach. Our second excursion was a short boat ride, snorkeling for about 45 minutes, ending up in an enclosed area with nursing sharks and sting rays. It was really cool. The sharks have no teeth so there was no danger. Following the snorkeling we were back on the boat for another much longer ride. We stopped near a private, empty beach and they made pina coladas, and brought around trays with sandwich fixings. We took the boat over to a natural swimming hole where people had the opportunity to swim. By this time it was raining pretty hard and it was a little cold since we had been in the water and with out the sun to warm us up, we opted to stay on the boat. The price for the excursion was a little bit steep...about 80 per person.

This is my favorite part.....The food was incredible. There were 3 meal times a day. One of the restaurants was closed during our stay, but since the food is the same at either place and the resort was not full, it didn't make a difference. Every night had a different theme. Pasta, Mediterranean, seafood, were just a few of the choices. There was always more than enough to choose from and for people who don't want to step out of their comfort zone, there were plenty of other options. There was Hamburgers, french fries, fish, chicken, pasta, soup, salad, bread (don't miss out on the white chocolate bread) at every lunch and dinner. Breakfast options were fairly traditional and satisfying. You could either sit at a table for 2 or at a group table with other guests. I could go on and on about the food, but I won't, just know that it was great.

In a nutshell, I would definitely return to Club Med. Upon departure the Chief of the village was saying goodbye and checking out our stay, he learned we did not bring our 4 kids with us and met us at our cab with a gift for each of the kids. What a great way to end our stay. For more information call 800-300-4567 or visit www.all-travel.com/clubmed