Milestone Journeys | Our Stories A travel club for those on the best side of 50!

Capturing the Magic by Lindy Rothenburger

There’s an increasing trend today toward multi-generational travel. Grandparents are taking their grown children and their grandchildren on vacation with them. We also see more family reunions with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents vacationing together. The challenge is to find that magical place where every member of the family will be happy. After all, creating cherished memories is what these family vacations are all about. Club Med has intentionally risen to that challenge. All 80 villages in 40 countries around the world have recently been, or are presently being, renovated and updated. The new focus of Club Med is families and they’re doing a great job! They don’t just baby sit the kids with video games and crafts while the parents relax and have fun. Here you’ll experience a memorable vacation for family members of every age. Imagine how often Grandma and little David will reminisce about attending circus school and flying the trapeze together! Visualize Grandpa and little Susie, heads together, pouring over a book of tropical fish and fauna long after returning home. They’re recapturing the fun they shared snorkeling together on vacation. Or perhaps at a family reunion in years to come, everyone will still be laughing at Dad capsizing the catamaran during sailing lessons. This is what Club Med is all about! You may be thinking, “Forget Club Med! I’m not interested in being dragged from my lounger and forced to participate in some silly game around the pool.” That was my reaction before I experienced the new face of Club Med. They do offer a diverse selection of sports and activities for the active traveler. But if you prefer to do absolutely nothing, you can also nap in a padded lounge chair on an expansive, white sand beach; while away the hours gently swaying in a hammock stretched between palm trees; or daydream, with your book neglected in your lap, on a quiet, shady verandah at the ocean’s edge where you can watch the waves break upon the reef. Club Med Cancun Yucatan reopened in November 2006 after completing a $20 million transformation. Situated on 22 acres with the ocean and a lagoon lapping its shores, it offers 366 rooms and 18 suites in nine 3-storey bungalows. Built in the shape of a U around the lagoon, it has a swimming beach on one side, a snorkeling beach with its own reef on another side, and a sailing and windsurfing beach on a third side – all on the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. It was 95% occupied when I was there but it never felt crowded and there were always beach and poolside loungers available. In keeping with the Mexican culture, the village is decorated in bright, cheery colors. Each bungalow is named after a gemstone with the hallways painted the color of that gem. As you pass between the bungalows you’re greeted by a kaleidoscope of colors like soft jade, bright topaz, vibrant amethyst, and more. The air-conditioned rooms are simple, yet comfortable with a king bed that can be separated into two twins. You can forget everything you’ve heard about the hard beds in Mexico! These feature pillow top mattresses, down duvets and pillows, and white linens. It’s like sleeping on a cloud. The bathroom has a large shower with a rainfall showerhead in the ceiling as well as a hand-held wand. There is a basket of toiletries and thick, fluffy towels. Every room has a balcony, flat screen TV, sofa bed, mini fridge, hair dryer, and make-up mirror. The suites are more spacious with a deep, soaker tub as well as a shower. Club Med has come a long way since its tent village beginnings. One thing you get at Club Med that you can’t get elsewhere is connecting rooms for your children, guaranteed at the time of booking. Their commitment to families is also reflected in their pricing. They have a rate for adults and a discounted rate for children up to 15 years. You will never pay the adult rate for your kids, even if you want them in a separate room. Nor will single parents ever pay the adult rate for a child to share their room, making it more affordable for families. The staff at Club Med are called GO’s – short for Gracious Organizers. You won’t find them wearing many hats and working wherever they’re needed around the village, like you see on cruise ships or in other resorts. Each GO is professionally trained in a specific area of expertise, and that’s the only job he/she does. Whether you take lessons in snorkeling, tennis, waterskiing, wakeboarding, sailing, windsurfing, or circus trapeze, you are being taught by a fully qualified pro. The sports equipment is new and always well maintained. They keep up with the latest trends in sports gear and update their equipment regularly. All sizes are available to fit the smallest child and up. All these lessons and the equipment are included in your initial vacation price. There are no extra charges to limit your participation. If sports aren’t your thing, there is an ever changing menu of daily activities to capture your interest, from salsa dance lessons, to bartending lessons, to learning local arts and crafts, and much, much more. For an additional fee you can arrange local excursions to play golf, scuba dive, go horseback riding, explore the Mayan culture, or go shopping. And while you’re gone, Club Med will keep your children occupied, if they want to stay behind. The Mini Club is divided into age appropriate groups from 4 to 17 years and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. A parent or guardian must complete a registration form for each child and specify the time they signed them in and when they will be picked up. The kids choose which activity they want and then move about the village in groups taking lessons in their chosen sports. After an hour, they return to the Mini Club area for a rest break, a drink, and to apply more sunscreen before choosing a new activity. In addition to sports, there are educational components in the daily program. There were 300 kids in the village when I was there but they were enjoying their own activities so much I hardly knew they were around. The 14 to 17 year olds have their own dedicated area where no parents are allowed. While they have screened internet access, music, and video games, their program also encourages getting out into the sunshine and participating in the sports. Their educational component is film editing where they get to make their own music videos. In the evening they have their own disco. The kids are in good hands while in the Mini Club. The GO’s who work there have degrees in Early Childhood Education, certificates in CPR and First Aid, and have undergone an extensive criminal record check. They watch to make sure the kids don’t get overheated, and they keep a log of everything each child eats throughout the day, in case of illness. Special needs children are welcome to participate if they have a personal care aide to accompany them through the program. For an additional fee, some Club Med villages provide a Baby Club for 0 to 23 months and a Petit Club for ages 2 to 3 years. Many villages also provide a Baby Welcome Kit free of charge. It contains a baby bed, baby bathtub, bottle warmer, changing table, high chair and/or booster seat, and some strollers, to eliminate the need for families to drag all that equipment with them. The buffet restaurant has a baby station equipped with formula, bottled baby food, and a blender if you prefer to puree your own fresh food. Speaking of food, Club Med has the best buffet restaurant I have ever seen. They have 5 distinctly decorated dining rooms situated around a central buffet area with 12 serving stations. The food is always fresh and attractively arranged. Some of it is cooked before your eyes. If you aren’t really hungry when you enter the restaurant, the mouth-watering aromas, the sizzling of the sauté pans, and the appetizing variety soon get your saliva flowing! With a different theme each night, they offer Beef Wellington, quail, rack of lamb, fresh seafood, and far more than I can list here. They have a huge selection of freshly baked desserts and breads. I counted 12 different breads one evening, including their specialty – white chocolate bread. Every morsel I put in my mouth was tender, cooked to perfection, and delicious. If you’re like my mother and hate buffet dining, Club Med is perfect for you. Unlike most all-inclusive resorts, here you may dine in the a-la-carte Mexican restaurant every night if you prefer. There is no additional cost to do so, but be sure to make your reservations as soon as you arrive. A third restaurant prepares snacks throughout the day. For kids who are not adventurous enough to try some of the international dishes, there are the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and ice cream. A variety of appetizers are served by the pool every evening before dinner. It takes great willpower to refrain from overeating while staying at Club Med! Local entertainers perform on the stage by the pool before and after dinner each evening. You may also take in a movie under the stars or attend the nightly shows in the show lounge. For the diehards, there’s a disco every night that runs until 2:00 a.m. Club Med has something for everyone. Club Med Ixtapa Pacific gives you a second choice in Mexico and Club Med Punta Cana provides a third choice with non-stop charter flights from Vancouver. Has your family done the Disney vacation several times? Or maybe you think cruising is a great family venue. But if you haven’t yet tried it, I guarantee Club Med will fill your family’s treasure chest of memories. And best of all, not one member of the family will ever say those dreaded words, “I’m bored!”