The Punta Cana Club Med

The tennis is one of the main sports activities at Punta Cana. It is located next to the archery. There are 14 courts (8 hard and 6 soft). You can play all over the day since some of the courts have some lights (the night comes at 6 PM at Punta Cana).

One hour lessons are given every day (in the morning and in the afternoon). You have three levels : beginner, intermediate and advanced.

The GO team has between 3 and 4 members depending on the season. In December 2007, there was Gaelle (the manager, french), Raymond (from Haïti, very friendly) and Ashley (from Chicago, a bit shy at the beginning but very friendly when you start to know her).

Tournaments are organized at 4:45 PM almost every day. Depending on the day, you have : double, mixed double, surprise double, single and davis cup. The surprise double is very funny because you play each game with a different player. It allows to level the games and to meet new players.

For the sports addicts, the tennis is an inescapable place in the resort. There is usually very good players. Finally, the only problem is the rain because when it rains, the activity closes for few hours (the time required for the courts to dry). The good thing is that it doesn’t rain every day.

The archery is located behind the tennis. There is two sites, one for the children and one for the adults. Since the activity is far from the resort center, there is usually only few people. It is excellent to practice archery while the weather is too hot to perform anything else. It is quite simple for a beginner to learn archery basics quickly. The Club has the right level of equipment to practice this activity safely.

The resort swimming pool, located next to the main pub, is one of the biggest I have ever seen. It isn’t really deep because of the numerous children in the resort. From a design prospective, it represents three consecutive rings. The first one is reserved for babies and children. The last one is the biggest and has a central island.

The swimming pool is opened 24 hours a day. It is monitored by pool supervisors. The water temperature is really nice. It is easy to take into it. There are deckchairs all around the pool but since there is a lot of people, you need to wake up early if you want to have one.

The snorkeling can be performed in the sea, next to the kayak. While not being the best one over the world, the marine environment is nice. You can see beautifull fishes just by swimming few meters from the beach in places where the sea isn’t deep. Some people have seen manta rays. I haven’t seen them however I have seen blue and green fishes swimming around me, certainly interested by my presence. You will get a snorkel, a mask and flippers from the Club, so all the required equipment in order to discover the tropical marine environment.

The resort has a circus school where you can try the flying trapeze and the trampoline. It is located next to the body building and the theater. If you like the extreme feelings, don’t hesitate to try it, the security is appropriate. I didn’t had the time to try this activity but all the feedback I had were really positive.

The beach volley field is located next to the bocce ball and the fitness. It is obviously on the beach. Everyday, there is a game organized at 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM. The field is a bit small (because of the palm trees). Therefore, you have to be carefull when you serve or you smash the ball, otherwise, it is go outside of the field limits.

I really advise you to go and play the beach volley because it is really excellent. Moreover, the GO who takes care of this activity is simply amazing. He is very funny and friendly. You cannot miss him, this is Tonton Roberson.

The bocce ball is practiced by many GM in Punta Cana as many retired travelers are in the resort. The bocce ball ground is located on the beach, between the night club and the swimming pool. So the ground is made of sand. It is more or less hard depending on the side. So you have to pay attention to this before throwing the ball as it can easily get  stuck or roll more than expected.

Each two days, you have a tournament organized at 3 PM. You have all kind of players from the beginner to the expert. Beware that even if this is only bocce ball at the Club Med, some players aren’t there to laugh and will fight hard for each point.

The resort has a nice soccer ground located behind the tennis and GO quarter. The field is really green and clean. If you really pay attention to it, you can find few holes but it is OK. The field can be divided into two smaller fields if they aren’t enough players to use it entirely.

Everyday, at 5 PM, Melvin, a GO who is also pool master, organizes a soccer competition. Melvin is really friendly, always smiling. The competition lasts around 6:30 PM (after it is the night). It is way enough as it is usually very hot and you will be quickly exhausted.

There is always at least 10 players ready to practice soccer. Beware that mosquitoes are numerous on the field and they will be looking after your legs…

The night club pub is located in the night club! It has an opened direct access to the beach and the sea. This pub is opened throughout the day and most of the night. There is one self-service machine for sodas. Next to the pub, you have the snacking where you can eat hot dogs and burgers outside of the regular lunch hours. The night club bar offers the same drinkings as the main bar. You will enjoy the quiet atmosphere during the day and the refreshing wind during the night between two dances on the dancing floor.

Located between the lobby and the swimming pool, the main pub is an inescapable place in the resort. Two self-service machines are available for sodas (sprite, coke, fanta, …). It is opened from early morning until midnight (after that, you should go to the night club). At lunch time, you can take crisps, peanuts and boiled ham with the cocktails.

With the “all inclusive” package, you can spend the whole day at the pub and take as many cocktails as you want. I however recommend to pay attention to that as with the heat, it could be painfull to take too much alcohol. The pub offers a vast choice of local cocktails (pina colada, sex on the beach, …). You can also have some cocktails without alcohol. You can also ask for cocktails not listed on the menu (mojito, …). Finally, if that’s not enough, you can still order a bottle of champaign but you will have to pay for it.

I advise you to try the different juices, especially the mango one which is excellent. The iced strawberry juice is so refreshing. You can’t leave the resort without having tried the pina colada (with or without rhum based on your taste).

The pub team is very friendly and available. When the resort wasn’t full, they even came around the pool to take the orders and bring back the cocktails directly to you!