Over the holidays, my family usually goes down south to celebrate the new year and spend time with each other. This started out mainly because my siblings were living all over the world: New York City, Houston, Sydney, Montreal and Vancouver. Though I 
come from a large family of nine children, we’re all very close and it means a lot to my parents to have us all together, at least a few times a year. With the distance between us, zipping down after Christmas to enjoy some fun in the sun was the best way to catch up on some quality time with each other.
The first and third year we did this trip, which 
included extended family as well (totaling to over 30 people), we vacationed at the Club Med in Punta Cana. The Dominican Republic is such a beautiful island with its white sand beaches and picturesque aqua waters. Club Med was a great choice for our group considering 
the many children that were traveling with us. In addition to the excellent kids programs they run and the numerous activities, the adults were equally entertained. People of all ages could enjoy the sporting events, which included everything from beach volleyball and archery to bocci ball and a trapeze! The staff, food and fruity drinks were also top notch, with great service and two delicious buffet style restaurants. Though with the size of our group I’m sure anywhere would be a party, we had a great time enjoying the two bars and the disco on the beach every night!
Club Med pulls out all the stops for the NYE celebration, and its so fun to be able to get really dressed up on a beach vacation. Its great to spend New Years Eve with family, and even better when you have your toes immersed in beach sand while you ring in another year! Though this year we didn’t go on a family trip since we did a summer trip to Europe instead, spending time away with my family is always the highlight of my year!
My ‘must have’ beach vacation accessories are: stylish sunglasses, a big beach bag, embellished sandals, and a sun hat! There’s also nothing quite as good for your skin as the sea breeze, a little sun (but don’t forget the sunscreen) and salt water. Beach beauty is so easy and fun! If you are lucky enough to have curly hair, let it go wild in the caribbean heat for the ultimate beach bum look!
*meg
