This is a destination designed for travelers who want to move daily, train with purpose, and still enjoy the freedom of an all-inclusive escape. With more than 25 activities included, guests can build days around movement that challenges the body while restoring the mind. This approach is not a trend for the brand, but a continuation of a philosophy that dates back to the 1950s, when former Olympic water polo champion Gérard Blitz founded Club Med as a nature-based sports community. Early Club Med villages were built around open-air living, shared meals, and instructor-led athletic programming, where guests—known as “Gentils Membres”—trained, played, and connected together. Sport wasn’t an amenity; it was the social glue.
That inclusive, athlete-friendly mindset remains central today. As President and CEO Carolyne Doyon explains, “Sport is at the core of the Club Med identity, and freedom is a Club Med value. This means that people of all abilities can participate in activities as we embrace differences.” Punta Cana, which opened its doors in 1981, has long been one of the brand’s flagship sports destinations. Its recent renovation elevates the main resort entrance and restaurants into a culturally significant and eco-chic space, while preserving the open, movement-driven design that has always defined Club Med resorts.
The resort’s sports offering reads like a well-rounded training plan. Strength and conditioning classes flow into yoga and meditation, while pickleball, tennis, volleyball, and guided running sessions add athletic intensity. On the water, windsurfing, kayaking, and water aerobics deliver cardio of varying intensity with high engagement. The sheer variety allows guests to cross-train naturally-pushing performance one moment, prioritizing mobility and recovery the next, without ever feeling overscheduled.
Training quality matters, and Club Med delivers. Staying true to its legacy of instructor-led sport, the resort partners with top athletic brands to provide professional-grade equipment, and every activity is led by fully certified instructors. According to Land Sports Manager Miguel Sastré Gutierrez, the goal is long-term engagement, not one-off sessions. Instructors actively connect with guests, checking in after lessons, training alongside them, and encouraging progression throughout their stay, mirroring the mentorship model that has existed at Club Med since its earliest days.
Anchoring the experience is Club Med’s wellness fusion program, launched in 2022. More than a wellness add-on, it’s a structured evolution of the brand’s long-standing balance between sport and leisure. The program integrates mindful movement, nutrition, and mental fitness to help guests disconnect from work and digital overload. Designed for consistency rather than extremes, wellness fusion supports sustainable habits that extend beyond the vacation itself. During select seasons, guests can also join immersive wellness retreats led by global experts, gaining access to advanced classes and workshops at no additional cost. The program is meant to “create connection and community between guests and inspire intergenerational participation to elevate the typical family vacation experience,” states Marylene Heintz, the product marketing manager responsible for the program.
When you think about the nutrition options at an all-inclusive resort, the typical choices may not always align with an active traveler’s preferred diet. At Punta Cana and at the newly developed Miches location, wellness is thoughtfully woven into the culinary experience. Restaurants and bars are designed to fuel performance and recovery without sacrificing indulgence. Picture swim-up bars serving green juices alongside ceviche, or a food-club-style restaurant offering global cuisine with vegan dishes and clearly labeled options for every dietary preference. Smoothies and a green coffee program help maintain energy from morning workouts through late-night entertainment. Every menu choice supports the idea that nourishment is an extension of training.
Club Med Punta Cana offers a modern blueprint for active travel—one shaped by decades of sport heritage and refined through thoughtful wellness design. By seamlessly blending expert-led training, recovery-focused programming, and elevated all-inclusive comfort, the resort creates an environment where movement feels natural, sustainable, and genuinely enjoyable. Guests don’t leave with just memories of workouts or amenities, but with renewed energy, healthier habits, and a deeper connection to how they move through the world. In a landscape where wellness travel often feels performative, Club Med Punta Cana stands out by making fitness feel lived-in, inclusive, and effortlessly rewarding.
IMPACT Magazine sent Canadian freelance writer and personal trainer, Meghan Burrows to experience Club Med Punta Cana’s newly renovated spaces and expanded wellness offerings. She has been a personal trainer for 14 years and enjoys programming individual and small group strength and conditioning for a wide variety of fitness and endurance goals in Vancouver, B.C. Meghan also works as a healthcare contracts Negotiator with Doctors of BC.
