Relax and unwind at Club Med. Cancun's executive collection space offers a separate pool and bar for those looking to escape the main resort area. Photo / Supplied
Relax and unwind at Club Med. Cancun's executive collection space offers a separate pool and bar for those looking to escape the main resort area. Photo / Supplied
What’s it really like to stay at a Club Med resort? Stacey Hunt finds five reasons to choose an all-inclusive package deal for your next holiday.
Those old enough to remember Club Med from the 80s and 90s will know of its party-hearty reputation. Over the years, however, the global all-inclusive resorts have done much to shift that image and are now firmly aimed at families.
The food
Club Med Cancun's fresh ceviche bar is a hit with seafood lovers. Photo / Stacey Hunt
Club Med loves a buffet. I know that word conjures up images of giant trays of food wilting away under heat lamps, but that’s not the case here. Club Med buffets are more of a made-to-order experience with chefs only putting out as many dishes as required.
Different theme nights mean it feels like you’re dining in a different restaurant each night and with the vast array of options guarantee you won’t eat the same thing twice. The dessert bar is also the stuff of childhood dreams. As a French-owned company, the kitchens are staffed by incredible pastry chefs which is evident in the sweet treats.
Whatever part of the world you’re in, Club Med puts a focus on providing local cuisine with produce sourced from local providers. As I’m a seafood lover, Cancun’s fresh ceviche bar was a highlight.
A lot of the resorts also offer an a la carte restaurant which usually requires a booking. Cancun’s Estancia, an Argentinian steak house, was so incredible it was hard to believe it was part of the all-inclusive offering.
Breakfast generally stays the same but after a week I still hadn’t sampled everything on offer. Fresh fruit, juice, an amazing array of baked goods, eggs cooked to order, more avocado on toast than any one millennial can eat, and the list goes on. There’s even an adorable little section for baby food.
If for some reason you’re hungry between meals, there are snack stations all over the resorts. From crepes to popcorn or a cheeky little plate of paella or tacos, there’s always a little poolside snack available.
All-inclusive means drinks are also on tap morning, noon and night and the options available seem to be limitless. Adults can be kept happy indulging in cocktails, wine or beer, while the little travellers in your group can take their pick of smoothies, fresh juices and soft drinks.
The incredible staff
Read any Club Med reviews and you’ll see the main thing mentioned by everyone is the staff, and it was easy to see why.
Club Med’s G.Os (Gentle Organisers – don’t worry, you pick up the lingo) fast become your favourite people. They know your name and drink preference by the end of your first day and go out of their way to ensure you have the best experience possible.
From greeting you with a friendly poolside “hola” in the morning, to dancing the night away with you in the evenings, they go well above and beyond normal hotel staff. As Jose Luis Martinez, Chef de Village of Club Med Cancun says, “Our GOs are always going to be the little cherry on the cake.”
Special mention to Sascha who was the cherry on top for our little Kiwi crew’s Cancun holiday.
The staff do everything from setting up daytime activities and sports tournaments to keeping kids entertained and starting up the traditional “crazy signs” group dancing. There’s no forced participation in any of these things, you can be as involved as little or as much as you like.
If group activities aren’t your vibe that’s fine. Some of the resorts have exclusive collection areas, or separate family spaces that have private pool and bar areas away from all the action.
The non-stop activities
From tennis and pickleball to sailing and snorkelling - the activity options are endless at Club Med's Cancun resort. Photo / Supplied
With more activities than you have time to try, there’s something for every member of the family here – and it’s (almost) all included!
In Cancun, I chose a range of activities including pickleball, stand-up paddleboarding, cooking lessons and scuba diving. The options are endless: with beach volleyball, fitness classes, snorkelling, salsa dancing lessons – the list goes on. Activities are often location-dependent, if you’re heading to a Club Med in Japan, for example, you’ll be swapping the beach for the snow and hitting the slopes skiing or snowboarding.
Childcare and kids’ club options are offered from 0 to 17. Cancun’s foam party was the hit of the week with the young travellers.
One of the most popular activities with guests of all ages, and a signature of Club Meds around the globe, is the flying trapeze. Strapped into a safety harness, you can live out your circus fantasies, swinging high above the ground, flipping upside down and hanging by your legs before dropping to the safety net below.
Excursions to cultural sites outside the resort and various other activities such as scuba diving or spa treatments do incur extra expense.
For those just looking to relax, it’s pretty hard to go past a day spent lounging by the pool while your G.O. helps your work your way through the cocktail list.
Club Med also offers evening shows to keep the entertainment rolling into the night.
The perfect space to relax
Club Med knows how to choose the best sites. Often one of the first resorts in each area, they sit in prime locations. Ensuring they only build on a certain percentage of the land means the resorts find the perfect balance between accommodation and amenities and outdoor space.
This is evident in Cancun where the resort’s unique location between the lagoon and the azure water of the Caribbean Sea offers three pristine white-sand beaches to swim at, as well as the world’s second-largest coral reef just off the doorstep.
The rooms are spacious and vibrant and with a separate family zone and another exclusive collection space, those wanting space can escape from the main resort area with their own pools and bar areas.
There’s something for everyone
Kick back and relax. There's something for everyone at Club Med. Photo / Stacey Hunt
Whether you’re travelling as a single person, with friends or as a family, there’s something for everyone at Club Med. How much you choose to immerse yourself in the experience is entirely up to you, but from the food to the activities to the relaxing spaces available within the resort, you can shape your Club Med holiday to be exactly what you want it to be.
