and we were not disappointed. The new Chef is v. approachable and all the GO's were friendly and helpful. I think the number of GO's is down a bit this year but on the upside, the quality of golf instruction was very much better than last year. The gym does need attention (there is no treadmill and the door does not shut, which means the aircon is useless). The food if anything seems to have improved and we thought that it seemed to be fresher and more locally sourced.
I think Club Med has to be appreciated as a concept, bearing in mind it is a french organisation. However it is still streets ahead of the british "all inclusive"

Overall a great time was had by all. Age of the family ranged between 1yr and71yrs and there was something for everyone. Food excellent, staff great (especially Anton from archery and julien from tennis). Only downsides were some of the reception staff and the rooms in the hotel golf. Rooms very dated and the corridors and one room smelt, although the rooms appeared clean. We complained 4 times about the room smelling and it wasn't really resolved. The shows in the evening were a great standard and all the sporting activities were superb.

Irish couple early 30s, 6 month old baby at time

Club med isn't cheap but it is all in. and caters for babies so there is a lot to be said for this.
Hotel was a bit dated looking and not luxurious but it was clean and had everything (apart from kettle!) which we needed (Inc bottle warmer, cot).
We got adjoining rooms for space this worked out well. Lovely views over the sea however music fairly loud until midnight so might not suit families with very young kids.

Food and restaurant very good, nice outdoor area. Kid's section with fresh vegetables, pasta, rice, yogurts, fruit.

Spa was lovely, did the job for massage and R&R.

The baby club was good, was very nervous leaving 6 month old there. Girls were confident and competent and we could check on baby whenever we wanted. We put him in an hour or two in the morning then again in afternoon. Was very clean and organises. Very safe and a very high standard of safety from locks, flooring etc. The girls were approachable and understanding (there are prob new staff at this stage).

If you don't want reps sitting beside you when you are eating try and get a small table. Was fine sometimes but others we just wanted some alone time.

Got taxi into town during the day, nice to get out, although plenty to do on sight.
Lovely beach and pool area. Tennis, archery, pitch and put.

All in all was a bit Heidi Hi but was so child friendly and that was our main concern for this holiday.
We have since gone to the club med in Dominican Republic and blew this resort out of the water, HOWEVER I would NEVER do a long haul flight to Caribbean with a baby again, not worth it. Too far away!

If you live in Europe and want a child friendly holiday this place is perfect. Great food and facilities, just might look a little dated. Would go again

We just got back from Da Balaia as two families with 4 kids, ages 4-6. This was absolutely the worst Club med experience ever in all of our Club Med travels. This property is extremely old and worn out; a big chunk of concrete blocks dating from the 70's. The whole place smells of mould. This is a hotel that Club Med took over and simply stuck its brand logo on the door.

We stayed in room T541-542, connecting rooms. One room reeked of vomit. We called the reception, housekeeping to get it cleaned but it only got worse. this was serious smell that burned your throat. The other room smelled equally bad, although we could not identify the source for the entire week! the housekeepins sucked, they just made the bed and changed a few towels. no cleaning of the room, no sweeping, no cleaning of bathrooms.

The club is filthy overall. The ping pong tables, rackets are broken to pieces. The area is so dirty, nobody took care of it for a week. the fitness room is a little better than a prison, the equipment is poor, the place reeks of mould, sweat, humidity, body odor. No one cares. No soap in the bathrooms. The pool is a joke.

there is a dirt road leading to the public beach. the beach is nice with beautiful sand and sea. During the entire week, we saw the guard only 2 times at the entrance of the beach. Anyone could just walk into this club, there is no security whatsoever. for a family club, this poses a serious problem.

The one and only nice thing was food. The food quality was really good.

The amphitheater is also a joke. It is a meeting room with leather chairs lined up next to eachother. Not an open air theather like everywhere else. there is no ambience, no feeling that this is a summer village. it is really depressing. the shows were awful, no choreography. They just picked anyone from the boutique, front office etc and stuck them in a so-called show.

basically, this was a deception beyond any words. It was a waste of money and very precious vacation time. Never ever going back and wpuld never recommend to anyone. Please to go a real Club Med and get a full experience. This club should not carry the Club Med logo. ıt is a shame.

forgoto to mention the GO team. Only 2 guys worked a lot and tried to make a difference. the chef de village was useless like the rest of the team. I guess they were equally depressed about being stuck in this decrepit village.