Adult/Couples Only?: No. This resort is not adults only. There are no children's facilities, activities, or baby-sitting services available.
Time of Year/Weather?: This trip was taken in late April of 2001. The temperature was an average of about 80 degrees and sunny each day. The evenings were quite a bit cooler and required a light sweater or jacket for comfort.
Length of Trip?: 8 days/7 nights
Was this an All-Inclusive Resort?: Yes, according to Club Med literature. In reality it is NOT all-inclusive.
Approximate per person cost?: $1500 per person from Detroit, MI purchased through Club Med.
Were there any hidden or extra costs?: Yes. Although Club Med advertises itself as "all-inclusive" this is not completely true. Food is only included three times per day, at mealtimes. Otherwise there is no food available, even for purchase. No alcoholic beverages, besides wine at meals, are included at all. Soft drinks, coffee, and juices are included at mealtimes but must be purchased from the bar any time other than at meals. Even water must be purchased from the bar or gift shop, although there is a small office-type water dispenser available near the front desk.
Describe room accommodations (view, decor, cleanliness, etc.): The rooms are very small and plain, but clean. Most rooms have two twin-sized beds. The layout of the room makes it quite difficult to push the two beds together. There are some rooms with queen-sized beds, but not very many. The bathroom is a decent size and has a shower stall, no bathtub. There is a large mirror over the double sink and also a full-length mirror on the wall. There are two large closets in the bathroom area, each with a combination-lock safe. Each room has two windows with a view of the gardens or a partial view of the ocean. All of the rooms are located quite a distance from the main areas such as the dining room, bar, massage room, excursion desk, and front desk. The grounds are very spread out and require a great deal of walking. There are very limited options for someone who need assistance and can't walk more than a short distance.
Describe food/meals (presentation, quality,etc.): The food was not what I had expected coming from a French-owned resort chain. All meals in the main dining room are served buffet-style. There is a different theme for dinner every night. The presentation was beautiful but the food was lacking in flavor. The view from the main dining room is of the Nassau harbor.
There is also a small restaurant with an ocean view, the Grayleath, which serves a late lunch each day and is reservation-only for dinner. It is closed two nights per week. Reservations must be made at 12:15 PM the day of the reservation, in front of the main restaurant. You can not make advance reservations. Be sure to be early as they book up quite quickly. I did not get to experience the dinner in this restaurant as I never got there in time to get on the reservation list. They only accept around 20 people each night. From what I heard, they serve steak and lobster for every meal.
Describe Staff and Service: The majority of the front desk staff are quite friendly and multi-lingual. The only problem I encountered with the staff is that I could not get a straight answer from anyone. I would ask three different people the same question and get three totally different answers. Club Med provides no written schedule for their organized events and the bulletin board at the front desk is not a reliable source of information. They have a television channel that is devoted to their activities and events but it is not usually up-to-date, often a full day behind, and doesn't have enough information. Many of their activities are never announced such as a weekly fireworks display, that began at 11 PM (well after dark and quite a shock to those who were already asleep), and a weekly snorkeling and picnic trip (on Wednesday afternoon) which requires you to be signed-up in advance. It is hard to sign up for something that you aren't aware is happening.
Activities Onsite: Club Med has tennis courts with ATP Tour advanced tennis and tennis lessons, a golf driving range with golf lessons, and an archery range with lessons. There is also a fitness gym with weight room, a salt-water swimming pool, snorkeling excursions twice daily, basketball courts, windsurfing and sailing (with lessons if needed), table tennis, pool tables, bocce ball, and a nightclub with a midnight bar. If you enjoy Classical music, there is a Classical music garden for your listening enjoyment in the afternoon. Professional massages are also available for an additional fee.
Offsite Activities: There are many trips available at the excursion desk. I chose to go on a snorkeling trip where I was able to snorkel with sharks. This trip was through Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas. For only $35 per person they provide you with round-trip transportation, from your hotel/resort, and take you to three separate snorkeling sites. The last one is where you get to snorkel with the sharks. While you are in the water, one of the employees dives down to the bottom and retrieves a box full of shark bait. Then they have you get out of the water and they feed the sharks while you watch from inside the boat. This was quite interesting and well worth the trip.
If you enjoy gambling, the Atlantis Resort, which is next door to Club Med, has its own casino. Atlantis also has a Predator Lagoon as well as several other lagoons with a variety of sealife. You can view these lagoons, as well as shop in their mini-mall which has many well known stores, free of charge. For more information on Atlantis, please check out my Atlantis Resort review.
Local Points of Interest: Bay Street and the Straw Market in Nassau are well known for shopping. Many people will tell you of the bargains they got purchasing jewelry in Nassau but I did not find the jewelry to be less expensive. I actually found it to be more expensive than local prices in the Toledo, Ohio area.
Just like anywhere in the Caribbean, the vendors will overcharge you if you let them, so you must be willing to haggle for your best price. Everyone sells pretty much the same products so they are very willing to negotiate. If you do not like to bargain, I suggest you stick to the stores on Bay Street where most stores have set prices. You will pay more but you won't have to feel pressured to buy.
Club Med provides an hourly water-taxi service, at a cost of $5 per person round-trip, from their dock to the main dock in Nassau and back to Club Med. This service is provided from 9 AM - 12 PM and 2 PM - 5 PM. It is often not on schedule, leaving Club Med late and Nassau early. If you miss the 5 PM boat you mus take a taxi back to Club Med, which is quite expensive. The 5 PM boat is also very crowded so I suggest taking an earlier boat back to Club Med.
Value for the Cost?: Poor
Overall Rating (10 being best)?: 5
Additional Comments: I was very disappointed with my Club Med experience. There are many other true all-inclusive resorts a person can stay at that cost less and offer more amenities and activities.
Club Med used to have the distinction of being "top of the line", especially since they charge you an "initiation fee" and an additional yearly "membership fee" just to be allowed to stay at one of their resorts. So you can see why I was quite excited to be going to a Club Med resort. After my trip I can see why nobody mentions Club Med anymore when talking about all-inclusive resorts.
Edited 04/2003: Club Med is now completely all-inclusive. All beverages (water, juice, soda, and bar drinks) are included as well as snacks in between meals.
Paradise Island, Bahamas
