Just to add my thoughts on this lovely place.....

Before I went to Club Med in Punta Cana with my husband and 6 year old son I became addicted to Trip Advisor.

I took everyone’s advice and took loads of provisions including pepto bismol, factor 30 suntan lotion, spray on mosquito repellent especially for the airport, plug-in mosquito repellent, malaria tablets, long sleeved tops for the evenings, shoes for the stony beach, packed hand luggage with a days worth of clothes in case they lost a suitcase etc you get the picture.

And we were very lucky. None of us got in the slightest bit sick, bitten by ANY mosquitoes, and needed the beach shoes. Our son loved the kids club and the GOs were really great - very welcoming and funny and loud. I did update our room though from a classic to the next one up - a family club room with a balcony and it was really nice. I think it was half renovated as it had the new room colours and some fittings but not the new bedspreads. I think this was really well worth it. And by day 4 of not going brown at all bought some factor 15 oil from the shop and finally got a bit of colour!

I vaguely noticed that the AirFrance place was a bit shabby and the airport chaotic but it all rather added to the charm of going to a new and different place.

The food was lovely. We have been to Club Med before so knew what to expect and it didn't disappoint. We had lunch and dinner in the lovely Hispaniola by the sea every day and had maybe one meal that was just OK but I think that is pretty good for an 8 day stay.

We loved the green, warm sea. The weather was sunny, always in the 30s but never too hot because of the breeze. While my husband played tennis, dived and snorkelled and my son experienced the trapeze, archery, snorkelling and football at the miniclub I went to yoga in the open air studio and Pilates. We were all really tired by the evening and didn't see one show! We did take a portable DVD player which I would recommend as it was used a bit by all of us at different times.

To sum up we had a great time and it really wasn't worth all the worry about all the different things that could (and yet didn't) go wrong beforehand.

Just to add my thoughts to the other reviews here.

Travel: we flew Club Med's travel arrangements - Air France via Paris. Their plane was shabby, the cabin service indifferent, the seats uncomfortable. Next time we go somewhere like this we fly a decent airline to Florida, and get a connecting flight down from there.

Airport: The airport is pretty, but chaotic. Don't forget your $10 per head tourist tax on arrival (fortunately we didn't). One long queue to pay for it, another queue so someone can take the ticket off you - doh - I just don't get these kind of arrangements!

Also try to get a tourist entry document on the plane and pre-fill it, otherwise you join the hundred other people trying to fill it in. Again Air France failed us in this regard. The bored passport guy just stamped everything and I doubt he read anything. Try filling it in with "Mickey Mouse" or "George W Bush", see if they notice.

Resort was great - the rooms are a little dated but ours was okay. We were lucky and got a block near reception and kids club, so we didn't have the lots-of-walking issues, but I can understand why others found it an issue - bring a buggy or use a club med one if you have very small kids.

Biggest problems: jet lag with a 3 and 4 year old, waking early and half-asleep in the evenings. We missed all the evening entertainments as a result - if we went again we'd fly via Florida and stop there two days to get over the jetlag.

Mozzies: despite what others have said here, mozzies were a a big and annoying problem for us. Perhaps they went at better time of year.

We were badly bitten on the first two nights despite applying sprays and having a plug-in insect repellant. TAKE MOSQUITO NETS!

Also AVOID the toilets behind the main bar at the pool - this is mozzie central 24x7 - even at midday you'll have five or six little friends immediately attack you when you go there for your relief. Club Med needs to install a bug zapper or those curtains.

We also found that the landward-side loungers next to the pool were mosquito plagued at about 4pm onward - we always picked the ones on the far side or on the beach.

I did my research ahead of time...small rooms, long walk, not all English speaking, buffet food. Small room, you shouldn't be in it on an island vacation anyway...long walk, aahh we all need the exercise... not all English, I learned some French... buffet food...delicious. You can always find something to eat. I would have preferred that breakfast stayed open a little later since we slept in the first day and couldn't get a decent cup of coffee. Secret, bring your own coffee creamer if you like to have some coffee in the room. There was never enough creamer and the packages were stale.

We flew in on the CM charter flight from JFK. It felt like chaos in the Punta Cana airport as we were shuttled to the Club Med booth and onto a bus. We sat on the bus waiting to leave for 20 minutes and were getting ancy when we realized, our bracelets were on our wrists, our keys and beach towel cards in our hands and we were sitting in air conditioning as they were getting the rest of the passengers to the same place we were. We realized...we were checked in! When you get to the resort, the music is playing all the G.O.'s are lined up to the main reception area and are clapping. There are cold drinks waiting for you and the Chief of the Village gives you a brief overview of how to get around. Then a G.O., or in our case, 2, grab the few carryons that you have and walk you to your room. By the time they show you where the mini-fridge is, your luggage arrives. I described it as CMPC has mastered the art of herding cattle without ever making you feel that you were cattle. It's incredibly organized. Never a line for anything.

If you're looking for a vacation with AND away from your 9 & 11 year old kids, this is the one. For the kids club for 8-10 year olds, there are 3 activities to choose from each hour. My son was diving out of bed and forcing me to get up early for fear of missing his tennis lesson at 9 am. And the circus school... not to be missed. My 11 year old did "the catch" where she swung off of one trapeze and was caught by a G.O. on the other.

The G.O.s were spectacular. They were just as happy and enthusiastic at 9pm as they were at 9am. We had a running joke with them all week with my son because we bought him a baseball cap with "Dominican Republic" on it the first day. I told him that he was Sammy Sosa. He went into the kids club and announced that he was Sammy Sosa and that was what the G.O.s called him all week. The G.O.s from the other groups even knew Sammy. They shouted to him across the restaurants and he announced how popular he was. He made a new best friend, Calvin that I'm certain he will keep in touch with.

The Ramp was the hang out for my 11 year old who I typically never let out of my sight. I am a paranoid parent always thinking the worst. However, I would kiss my daughter good-bye in the morning, see her for her shower before dinner and then kiss her good-bye in the evening telling her to be home by 11pm. Can you imagine telling an 11 year old to be home by 11pm and feeling safe about it???

The show Thursday night was all the kids from each group and you'd think they'd rehearsed all year. If you get a chance, go to youtube and check out the punta cana cheerleaders. This was a routine put together by their G.O. that they learned and performed while there.

I've never gotten so many kisses from my kids thanking me for the time of their lives. Disney ain't got nothing on CMPC! I actually read an entire book laying by the pool (which is huge! It should have a bridge to cross it 'cause walking around is a hike!) There were always available lounge chairs by the pool and the beach. If you like a shady spot, get there a little early. I was perfectly content to be in the sun.

I came home and already started thinking about booking Club Med Cancun Yucatan which has a similar list of activities.

We have just returned from a fabulous vacation, the weather, beach, pool, drinks etc. were fabulous. If you have small children, you will feel at home! I pretty much agree with all the pros that people have mentioned so I won't elaborate further on the cleanliness/non-renovated rooms/village size/beach/pool etc. We travelled with our 15 month and 3 year olds.

Additional comments that I haven't seen addressed follow: They tend to be the things we didn't like or would have liked to know in advance but I tried to also include the highlights. (WE DID HAVE A GREAT VACATION!)

I would highly recommend the yoga at 9:30-10:15 in the palappa by the beach. This was the only fitness class I had time to participate in (see below re: my "kid issues") but I went every day. It wasn't the kind of Power Yoga I'm used to in Canada, but they did all the basic moves including some more challenging shoulder stands etc. and you really couldn't beat the beachside atmosphere with tranquil aqua water before you and the wind from the sea in your hair.

There were a number of other fitness classes throughout the day including step/cardio and kick-boxing type as well as a "Body Pump"-like class. I wasn't able to fully maximize these, but they looked like good exercise!

They have interent access. I saw plenty of people plugging in their laptops in the reception area but I don't know if they had to pay for their internet or not. I just paid for a 30 minute session (forget the price as it was in Dominican currency) and used their computers. I was jealous of people on their blackberrys!

The $30USD/person snorkeling excursion that they promote near the restaurant in the morning and from which you embark from the club Med beach is a rip-off and not worth it. They only drive you a short way out into the sea, there is alot of current, the coral is all dead and there aren't many fish. If you go, you need to be a strong swimmer. There were some people in our group who needed rescue almost immediately and it was unpleasant having to move out of the way to let the boat go by as they drove out to save them. I'm a strong swimmer and I found the experience to be a let-down. The off-site snorkelling excursion is $150USD (to the Marinarium) but I don't know if it's worth it. I have heard that global warming has done in the Carribean corals but I'm not sure if that's true.

You do not need to bring your own sandtoys! I did not know this and ended up lugging my own along. They have a hut on the beach for the kids to play in the sand with tons of toys. The toys managed to migrate throughout the beach during the day and there was lots of surplus for everyone.

There were some communal tubes/air mattresses at the pool, but if you like having your own (as our daughter did) you might be best off bringing your own from home. The gift shop ones were not the greatest quality and expensive.

Both were pre-registered for the Baby (6-23 mo.) and Petit (2-3 yrs.) Clubs, respectively. Both the Baby and Petit clubs had excellent facilities and staff, but for some reason, our kids didn't really take to the experience. So unless your kids are extremely extroverted and into new experiences, you might not find it worth it to pay extra for these services - since you might not end up taking full advantage. The babies had playtime, walks, etc. The petit club had colouring, park time, tennis, pool party, walks, beach, treasure hunt (you name it, basically).

I have some more detailed comments about the shows referred to in other reviews. The only major "con" was the 8:15pm show geared for the kids. (There is another show later on at 9:30 which is probably for the older crowd since our little ones can't stay up that late, we didn't attend and I won't comment). Anyways, the 8:15 show was pretty marginal. I give an A for effort, but the content was absolute garbage. If you think it's appropriate to show your 3 year old 2-3 adults assaulting (hitting) each other with a pool noodle or a large mallet for 45 minutes continuously - then you will be fine. I however, thought it was unnecessarily violent and stupid. I found it hard to believe they couldn't come up with anything better than that. My husband (native french speaker from Quebec) voiced his concerns to the mini-club and they mentioned that this kind of humour is acceptable in France. They acknowledged our suggestion as they expressed interest in pleasing all cultures and age groups. I doubt anything will change, but I found that aspect disappointing. they could have done a circus type show or some clowns blowing up balloons or a mime - anything really, would have been better.

Yes, the buffet gets tiresome after a few days but try mixing up the restaurant you go to. La Hispaniola is breathtaking at lunch! The Dominican night was the most disappointing for us, but that was probably because they other nights were so great! If you want to avoid getting seated by the staff at the door, just go look at the food first and then seat yourself. We tended to prefer to eat at our own table of four since our kids were so distracting it was distressing to us if we felt our kids were ruining someone else's meal.

Can't wait to go back, but will wait until our kids are a little older!