Would you travel to the middle of nowhere to get the perfect Instagram photo?

Luxury travel group, Club Med, is banking on tourists wanting to do exactly that with its latest opening, a $149 million eco-conscious resort located in an “untouched” – and extremely remote – part of the Dominican Republic.

Miches Playa Esmeralda began welcoming travellers back in November, but the club officially opened its doors earlier this month.

Club Med’s president Henri Giscard d’Estain described the 335 room, all-inclusive destination as a “jewel” of the Carribbean — but is the lure of likes enough after the rough year the exotic island had back in 2019 where six US tourists mysteriously died while staying at luxury resorts?

Club Med has built a $150m Instagram hotspot in middle of nowhere. Picture: Instagram / ananewyorkSource:Instagram

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While you can step into any one of the French travel company’s 60 plus resorts and expect the same offerings, you won’t find another with this social media focused feature, Sabrina Cendral, Senior Marketing Vice President of Club Med North America and USA, told news.com.au.

“Highlighting the top must-see spots in the resort encourages guests to adventure through the grounds, and definitely appeals to some of our younger clientele too,” Ms Cendral said.

There are four of these dedicated spots dotted throughout the resorts 93 acres, and in real-life they’re so ordinary-looking they’re easy to miss.

The resort has four locations specifically designed to give travellers the best shots. Picture: Instagram / outside.audreylombardSource:Instagram

The resort is surrounded by forest and takes up to three hours to get to once you land in the country. Picture: Google MapsSource:Supplied

One is a pink wall on the entry to one of the four restaurants, adorned with tropical leaves and a coconut. Another is a unassuming hammock beside the resort’s chemical free pool, which is the colour of algae green and truly a sight to behold.

The other two include a swing on the beach overlooking the ocean and a boat beside a palm tree.

However with a clever filter and a pretty outfit, these dedicated Insta spots are transformed into stunning photographs, and become Club Med’s ticket to getting somewhat weary tourists back in town.

“The ever-present power of social media provides outsiders a look at the genuine experience they will receive once at the resort or on the island more broadly, which we hope will inspire more visitors to our little slice of paradise,” Ms Cendral said.

You could easily walk past this wall without giving it a second glance, but to an expert influencer eye it can become a stunning backdrop. Picture: Instagram / maximeeeSource:Instagram

“Social media is a wonderful tool to inspire travellers to visit destinations across the globe, especially for markets such as Australia where the Dominican Republic may seem far-off.”

The clever and inexpensive marketing campaign is working an absolute treat with a quick scroll on Instagram revealing hundreds of stunning snaps of the resort.

If you’re wanting to recreate one of the pictures, you may want to brace yourselves as it’s a bloody long way away — I should know, I did it recently and somehow lived to tell the story.

From Sydney, getting to the remote location of Miches will take you around 35 hours, involving three flights, the longest of which is getting to LA, approximately 14hrs.

Even once you’ve landed in the country there’s a drive out to the resort, which dependent on which airport you arrive into can take up to three hours. So getting there is no walk in the park.

The green pool is not only a perfect backdrop for a photo – it’s also completely chemical free. Picture: Instagram / maximeeeSource:Instagram

Miches Playa Esmeralda’s other major draw point is its eco-status, with everything on the property “built from the ground up” with all-local tradesman to standards that meet eco-certification processes, Ms Cendral explained, calling Miches its “flagship” eco-resort.

Almost everything at the destination has reached eco-status, from natural chemical-free pools, to its solar power and elimination of single-use plastics — even the employee uniforms are sustainable, being made from recycled plastic bottles.

“The resort will serve as a benchmark for future Club Med resorts and others within the industry to follow suit and ensure we act responsibly while offering amazing holiday experiences,” she said.

“It’s a long road and we’re far from perfect, but we’re proud to be committed to it.”

The journalist travelled as a guest of Club Med and Delta Airlines

Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | [email protected]

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