Why family holidays in the Caribbean are worth the long-haul flight

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Say the word ‘flight’ to a parent of young children and you’ll see a shudder. Now try ‘long-haul flight’. “Never!” they’ll inevitably laugh, envisaging eight hours of tantrums and glares from other passengers.

I can still feel the scowls from fellow flyers burned into my retinas from a memorably awful flight to France with two children under two.

Yet a long-haul flight is exactly what I’m determined to do with my youngsters. Desperate for some winter sun in the shoulder season, I decide that entertaining two rowdy kids aged three and five mid-air will be worth it in exchange for glorious weather, Caribbean beaches and an abundance of activities in a stunning tropical setting.

Club Med Punta Cana

By the time we land at Punta Cana airport and take the 10-minute drive to Club Med Punta Cana, on the eastern shore of the Dominican Republic, I know we’ve made the right decision. As we sit in the open-air reception, sipping fresh fruit juices and shedding our wintry layers to feel the heat on our skin, the tantrums from the plane seem like a distant memory.

This sunny outpost, fringed by tropical palm trees and overlooking the Caribbean Sea, is the latest of Club Med’s resorts to enjoy a comprehensive refurb. The renovation includes a gorgeous alfresco reception, an upgrade of 144 of the resort’s 566 rooms, and a new restaurant, shop, bar and cafe.

The upgrades bring a fresh feel to the much-loved family resort, which first opened in 1978. Every new space is vast, light-filled and characterfully designed with fun but classy furnishings and design details: think hanging rattan lamps, scalloped parasols and geometric tiles. But of course, the raft of activities for which the all-inclusive specialist is best known hasn’t changed.