Holidays: Mad for Club Med!

Malaysia is blessed with so much natural beauty and attractions. So this year, we wanted to do more Cuti-cuti Malaysia holidays instead of going for overseas family vacation — with four kiddos and the weak ringgit, the exchange rates and airfares wouldn't make travelling very fun.

The East Coast has always been a favourite, and I really wanted the kids to see turtles nesting (more about this in another post). One day, hubby saw an ad for Club Med Cherating, and it seemed perfect for us. So we booked online and went for a 5-day get-away in mid-July.

We did a 3-hour road trip from Kuala Lumpur to Cherating, Pahang. Smooth highway drive for most parts, and the kids slept through a good portion of it. We started at 11am and reached at 2pm. Check-in time was 3pm, and we weren't sure if they would let us in early.

But after the guard at the guard house verified our reservation and asked us to wait for a while, we were allowed to enter and were greeted enthusiastically at the lobby by the waiting GOs (or Guest Officers).

The guardhouse: Entry is only for guests with bookings

After a briefing, the GOs led us to our rooms while giving us a tour of the resort and its facilities. The resort is a little old and rustic, not too luxurious, but perfect for a back-to-nature retreat. We had read reviews that the rooms were quite basic, so our expectations were quite low, but it wasn't too bad — clean and practical. It helped that we had connecting rooms, so it gave us a bit more space. Perhaps the air-conditioning could have been colder.

The pathways to the rooms

Basic but clean and functional rooms

After a very tiring past few months with work and school, we really thank God for a fun yet restful time away with the family. I felt absolutely unproductive (didn't even touch the 3 books I brought), and what a heavenly feeling that was! Some of the main draws or highlights of the trip for me are:

A "Bao Kar Liao" stay
This trip cost about RM1.8k per adult (including the RM100 Club Med membership fee and RM100 extra for connecting rooms) and RM1k per kid (excluding Baby Girl) for a 4-night stay. It seems high, but compared with what we would have spent abroad, it was relatively cheap.

Besides, all the food and drinks and activities were included in it, so it was stress free because you didn't have to worry about meal times or carrying your wallet around to pay for stuff. The flip side is that you get lots of snacks and drinks available round-the-clock, and we had to limit the kids to 2 sweet drinks a day.

That includes you, young lady!

The noodle house is good for a mid-afternoon meal, but I personally found it a bit bland. The finger food and afternoon crepe party at the bar area is pretty good! The international buffet spread is wide but after a while, it may get a bit repetitive. That's when you would want to head over to Rembulan restaurant by the beach for a change of scenery (and it's quite a scenery!). We didn't manage to get dinner bookings (they get booked out by 8.30am every morning), but we had lunch there twice.

Smaller buffet at the Rembulan

But the ambience is worth it

Baby food. There are facilities to do your blending and stuff in the baby room. But you can also place orders with GOs for specially prepared porridge during meal times. Baby Girl also enjoyed the blended vegetables and chicken nuggets from the buffet line.

There are ample activities for everyone to choose from.

A typical day's events

Hubby took part in the ping-pong competition. Got medal some more!

Upping the challenge: Mini tables ftw!

You do have to pay extra for the spa, photographs (from RM30 to RM80 per pix!), boutique purchases and excursions (read my next post to find out how to do it cheaper). But otherwise, you can still enjoy a full holiday without forking out extra.



The grounds & the beach!
Initially, one of my concerns was that Club Med would be like Disneyland (and it can get quite wearisome living in Disneyland). But despite all the activity and excitement, the sprawling green grounds of the Cherating resort beside the vast blue sea made it a  real haven to get away from it all.

We didn't really take part in many organised activities, but there were grounds to explore, trails to hike and places to get lost in. If travelling with young tods, bring a stroller as it can be quite a walk. The accommodations are all linked by wooden walkways so it's stroller friendly (don't choose the rooms on the upper floors though).

The wooden walkways linking each accommodation block

The tram makes its rounds every half hour between the main area and the beach

Being in a jungle setting also meant you get to meet some of the natural inhabitants, such as monitor lizards and monkeys (Don't feed the monkeys, as we're repeatedly reminded).

The resident monitor lizard

We.loved.the.beach! Especially Baby Girl. It was her first time with sea and sand, and she took to it like fish to water. The boys enjoyed catching crabs, building sand castles and splashing in the sea. We spent a lot of the time there just chilling — there are loungers and a little bar serving drinks, as well as kayaks and sailboats you can hop on.

Far as the eye could see!

Walking on sand

Put on your sailing shoes

Just a word of caution: At low tide, there's a little lagoon of water where kayaking takes place; it's a steep dip from the bank, so it's not really suitable for young children to play there as they could plunge head down into the water. It's much safer to go to where the waves rush to shore as the sand slope is very gradual.

The lagoon of water: Where waters are still but run deep

The shoreline was more suitable for younger kids to play on

Kids Clubs
Travelling with kiddos can be real sapping affairs, but the Club Med kids' clubs made this trip worth every cent. To be honest, I don't know how we're going to go on regular holidays any more after this.

There are clubs for every age range, from 4 months up to 17.

Their own space to chill ...

run ...

& play!

Extra payment is required for babies and toddlers as their stay is otherwise free. However, we didn't make use of that service, so Baby Girl was with us the whole time. You can still enjoy the Baby and Petit Club Med facilities, such as the water play area and family room.

The water play area at the Baby Club Med compound

Wet sprinkling fun

Family room

Child safety locks at each entrance/exit

Every morning, the older kids get up and go to their respective clubs and have their fun-filled day until dinner time. They get to try all the different activities under close supervision of the Kids Club GOs were super enthusiastic and full of energy. The boys were initially reticent, but they soon made friends and didn't want to leave after that. They got to play with kids from all over the world, picked up quasi-American accents and acted as translators for those from Taiwan and China.

Older kids are allowed to sign in and out on their own with parental permission

How high can you jump?

Club Med Cherating's main draw: the Trapeze!

For the pool activities, there are trained life guards on duty, spare swimming suits in case you forgot to pack one, and compulsory arm bands for those under 6 (except if the parents are there to monitor their kid).

Younger kids at the wading pool area

Splish splash I am taking a bath!

Water polo for the older kids

The highlight is the weekly Kids Show, where the kids get to put on make-up and costumes and perform for their parents to watch. Considering the short practice time they get, the show is quite impressive. Kudos to the GOs!

GOs from all over the world

Little ones joining the fun

Pretty costumes

Gangnam style!

A particularly touching performance by fathers and kids

Good job cast & crew!

Post performance celebration for the kiddos (All non-alcoholic!)

Another fun event was the Mini Club picnic. There was food, balloon sculpting, face painting and all sorts of other activities on the green grass, overlooking the sea. The kids' mini spa and t-shirt tie-dying were chargeable.

Getting ready for the party!

We all came back blessed with so many good memories from an unforgettable trip. It's definitely a good place for annual vacations, although we are tempted to try out a Club Med-styled snow holiday next. Thank you Jesus for your provision and blessings!