23 years ago I was young, single and living in Manhattan. Club Med Cancun was the perfect resort for a 30 year-old in search of fun. It began with an alcohol fueled charter flight, continued with sports, games, meals, a blur of wine and cocktails and very little sleep. The highlight was the booze cruise on a faux pirate ship to a tiny reef where clothes were optional…
We’ll end that story there, and fast-forward 23 years. My life has certainly changed, as have my priorities. Since that trip, I’ve gotten married, had two kids, bought and remodeled a home, started several businesses and “grown up” … in a good way. In returning to Club Med Cancun, I was pleased to discover that Club Med has “grown up” too. Gone is the hedonistic shrine to debauchery (maybe an overstatement...or maybe not), and in it’s place I found a family vacation paradise.
According to Kevin Armstrong of Club Med, our host on the press trip Maddie and I attended, 10 years ago Club Med made a conscious decision to change just about all of their properties to be decidedly family friendly. To start, there is a large kids club with a private mini-water park as well as a dedicated tween/teen club called the Car Wash. Maddie spent a morning at the Car Wash and snorkeled, practiced circus tricks, had lunch and chased iguanas. They do keep the kids moving (which also helped as she slept like a log!).
Speaking of sleeping, we stayed in a family suite with a kids room, and a ocean-view room for parents. This was a major (MAJOR) upgrade from my first stay when I was paired with a random “roomie” for the week in a minimalist room. From the flat screen TVs in each room to the rainfall shower in the master bath, everything was what you'd expect from an upscale resort.
Two decades ago, it was the activities, as much as the partying, that drew me to Club Med Cancun. The water skiing and trapeze were two of my favorites then, and lived up to my expectations on this trip. The trapeze is a signature activity at most Club Meds and is extremely popular. This trip I took even more pleasure in sharing it with my daughter and watching her bravely climb to the platform and complete the skills on her first try.
Our shared experiences continued into the water when we went snorkeling over a beautiful coral reef right off the beach. This is by design – Kevin explained how 40 years ago Club Med was the first resort in Cancun and they chose the best spot. I had to agree with him as the Club is located just 10 minutes from the airport, has both the ocean and lagoon (where the water skiing takes place on glassy calm water) frontage. And the reef right off the beach where Maddie and I snorkeled is just 100 yards away from where tour operators take tourists paying $100 each for the same underwater view we enjoyed just steps from our room.
One of Maddie’s favorite activities is sailing, and we took the resort Hobie Cats out a few times. I used to teach sailing and passing along that knowledge to my daughter was a treat. We tacked and jibed over the reef and just enjoyed being on the water. When we were done, we sailed up to the buoy, clipped the line and walked back to our room, so easy.
While you can easily spend the week entirely within the resort, they do offer a number of off-site activities (for an additional charge), ranging from swimming with giant whale sharks, to golf, to exploring the Mayan ruins of Tulum and more. We were taken on the tour of Tulum, which was a wonderful and awe-inspiring experience. Viewing the Mayan ruins up close and learning about the culture was an excellent extension of our trip, and part of what makes international travel as a family so special. Our tour company provided a wonderful guide, Adriana, who shared the history and even taught us the Mayan mathematical system based on 5 and 20 vs our decimal system.
We returned to the Club around 2:00 and hit the buffet at La Hacienda for lunch. Cancun, like all Club Meds is all-inclusive. Meals, drinks and activities are included at no charge. In the roughly 60 hours were were there, Maddie had 9 pina coladas (virgin) and we ate to our hearts (stomachs?) content. We also sampled La Estancia and Las Cazuelas for sit-down meals. I was a bit skeptical when my grouper showed up looking not how I expected it, but was pleasantly surprised, as it was delicious.
23 years ago is a long time … and honestly, I have no idea if there was a spa at the time – I doubt it. But there is now, and I received one of the best resort massages ever. I’m a bit of a massage snob and like to be worked on and “healed”. My therapist was excellent and did a bit of stretching as well as deep tissue to take the kinks out from a few days of my weekend warrior ways.
For more than two decades I’ve had fond memories of my wild week at Club Med. Now I have a whole new set of memories, and I certainly hope it won’t be decades until I return. But if it is, I hope it’s with my grandkids where I can share a completely different experience that I’m sure will live up to my memories.
