Pittfarm, I have been to both locations but not recently so I'm not sure how much of a help I can be. In the 90s, the Club Med Cancun village was my absolute favorite and I went several times. The location is the best for Cancun and the resort is HUGE! There is a white beach side, a lagoon side and a beuatiful rocky beach side that's nice and private. I always found this CM village to have the best food and I hear now that there are even more dining options including private tables which is nice. We may go there now with our two kids, ages 11 and 7, so I have been watching these reviews closely.

One thing for sure, I don't think we will return to Club Med Punta Cana. We were there in 2001. It is a beuatiful resort with the true international Club Med spirit, but we did not like the food and both our kids got sick (they were 5 and 1 at the time). Of course, they could get sick anywhere, but we travel often out of the country and that has happened since. The nice thing about this resort though is that it is only 5 minutes from the airport. You have teens and I hear their "Ramp section" is great. There are a lot of topless women at this location. That was never a concern for us since I have girls and my husband certainly didn't complain.

Our favorite Club Med village as a family is Ixtapa. The food was great and the kids enjoyed doing all the shows and the circus school. We went in July and it was extremely hot but the air-conditioning in our room worked great. I think they are getting ready to renovate this resort soon which would be a good thing. We've also been curious about Caravelle (Guadeloupe) but many Club Med guests say to stay away if you are not fluent in French. That's not a concern for my husband and me, but I worry if the kids will have enough English speaking friends.

Pittfarm, whatever you decide to do, PLEASE write a review! Thanks!

Payjay,

Thank you SO much! That is just what I needed to hear and I will definitely write a review. Reading these reviews are exactly what is helping me to make my decision!

Wendy

P.S. I don't think my husband would complain about the topless beaches either!!! :)

Wendy, I forgot to mention a big difference between the resorts. Perhaps you are already familiar with the way ClubMed has traditionally done their dining. Usually, you sit with other families at large tables and the food is buffet style. That's the way the two main restaurants are in Punta Cana. I think there is one specialty restaurant that seats a few people but it was never open when we were there. The buffets, although different locations, serve the same stuff. You can also get a continental breakfast at the bar and burgers and such in the afternoon and late evening.

The photos from the Cancun renovation show each restuarant with small tables and there seems to be several different themes for their dining rooms. Of course, this is just speculation on my part. This resort also has one more trident than Punta Cana which means it's more upscale. A good website to look at renovation photos is Berwicktravel.com and click on their agency's photos. Another good site is Clubmedplanet.com were a lot of true-blue CM fans weigh in.

My husband never liked the big-table idea, not because we are not out-going, but because some nights the kids were tired and just not sociable. Sometimes we were the only English speaking family there too (this will especially be the case if you go in August when all Europeans seem to take holiday). This is not a bad thing and part of the whole Club Med charm, but it just may mean a little more effort at dinner than you are hoping for.