PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Club Med Punta Cana
inaugurated a new adults-only wing Monday in a ceremony attended by Dominican
Republic President Danilo Medina.
“For the Dominican Republic this is an extremely special
moment,” said Francisco Garcia, the country’s ministry of tourism, moments
before joining Medina and Club Med CEO Henri Giscard d’Estaing in the ribbon
cutting for the resort’s Zen Oasis wing.
Containing 78 rooms spread over 26 villas, Zen Oasis features
a 312-foot-long pool, the poolside Hibiscus Bar and a spacious hot tub. The
area was designed as a retreat where adults can get away from more active
portions of the sprawling 75-acre property.
A garden lined with royal palms separates the pool from
the Zen Oasis villas. Each room has its owns terrace, complete with day bed, as
well as a rainfall shower. In-water lounge chairs dot the pool. Hibiscus Bar
has the usual selection of rum drinks and other alcoholic beverages, but also
has a wellness menu, featuring smoothies and teas.
Club Med plans to debut three other Zen Oasis wings over
the next two years at resorts in Algarve, Portugal; the Antalaya region of
Turkey; and La Palmyre in France.
Monday’s official opening of the new wing came after nine
months of construction and was only part of a $15 million expansion and upgrade
at Club Med Punta Cana. This past weekend also saw the opening the Indigo Beach
Lounge Restaurant, which replaced the property’s Celeste Bar. Indigo offers the
first table service on the property, setting it apart from the all-inclusive’s
typical buffet fare. Guests can order items that come with their all-inclusive
rate, or upgrade their meals for a cost.
In the early summer, Club Med Punta Cana also opened a
new fitness center, designed with CrossFit training in mind. And June saw the
opening of the Creactive by Cirque du Soleil Playscape, a
37,400-square-foot-park featuring 30 artistic and acrobatic activities,
including a tightrope, acrobatic bungee and a Club Med staple, the trapeze.
Speaking at the ribbon cutting Monday, Garcia touted the
role Club Med has played in the history of Dominican Republic tourism. At the
time of its opening in 1981, the company’s Punta Cana property was the first
major resort in the eastern Dominican Republic town. That year, Garcia said,
tourism brought just $173 million to the country’s economy. This year the
sector will contribute more than $6 billion.
“The Dominican Republic is not heaven,” Garcia said. “But
it is the place on Earth that looks the most like heaven.”