First Time Club Med-er? 15 Things I Wish I Knew

I visited my first Club Med in 2022 and I was not expecting what was in store for us. Even on my second visit I learned even more things that shocked me that I wished I’d known before I booked.

A vacation at Club Med isn’t your typical all inclusive vacation – but it just might be better! Here are some things I wish I knew before my Club Med vacations so you can be better prepared than I was.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

First, What Is Club Med?

Club Med is an all inclusive resort that’s geared towards sports and families. So like other all inclusive resorts, Club Med provides everything you need at the resort so you never have to leave. For example, food and drinks are included with your stay and they organize activities throughout the day for you and your family!

But, what sets Club Med all inclusive vacations a part is that the resorts are typically centered around one main attraction – either the beach or a mountain for skiing. And they offer great options for families with young kids.

15 Club Med Things To Know Before You Book

Although you don’t have to think or plan all that much when heading to a Club Med Resort, there are a few things that I’d wish I’d known before…

a vibrant blue pool that's huge. It leads all the way to a moroccan archway. Palm trees and lounge chairs line the outside of the pool. There are a few groups in the pool, other people are lounging outside on the chairs

1. Club Med Is All About The Activities At The Resort

Club Med is an all inclusive resort for the person who wants to be active on their vacation. It’s not about sitting on the beach and drinking bottomless cocktails, at least not all day anyway.

It’s for someone who wants to do a mix of activities with relaxing. And for someone who doesn’t want to plan anything! They offer activities all day, everyday! You can wake up and go on an organized run. Or if yoga is more your style, maybe opt for yoga on the beach or mountain. In the afternoon why not play volleyball or basketball… Every resort will have slightly different activities based on where they are located.

I’ve stayed at the Club Med Charlevoix and Club Med La Palmerie in Marrakech Morocco and each one offered daily walks (or hikes), and biking, along with running groups, pilates, volleyball… etc. Each activity is based on your surroundings at the resort. So in Charlevoix, it was mountain biking vs. in Morocco is was desert biking.

Pro Tip: If an activity you’re interested in is full at the sign up time, go back at the time of departure. Sometimes you can get lucky and someone might not show up.

2. But You Can’t Expect the Excursions to Happen

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that the excursions are not always guaranteed. They are holiday dependant and have minimum guest sign ups required. I pre-booked four excursions throughout my stay at La Palmerie in Morocco. Unfortunately, I only pre-paid for the excursion not pre-booked.

This meant that nobody at the resort confirmed my reservation for the excursion. If they had perhaps someone would have contacted me in advance to tell me that the excursion wasn’t happening the week I was there because it was a holiday in Morocco. This was frustration because I could have easily moved my vacation by a week if I had known in advance.

On top of that, none of the excursions are guaranteed because they have a minimum group size requirement (which they do tell you before what the minimum is). This is not in anyones control. The only thing you can prepare for is to pay for a private tour if no one else ends up signing up. This was the case for me once again in Morocco, the minimum requirement for a tour was four people and we were only two. My partner and I decided it was worth it to splurge for a private tour, and I’m so happy we did (read about my excursion to the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco)!

I was shocked that guests did not sign up for the excursions but just stayed at the resort for the included resort activities. There were two primary excursion offered that were fully booked. But I hadn’t realized that the other excursions I signed up for were not that popular.

a screenshot of the high atlas mountain excursion from Club Med in Morocco. They give you all the information, what the day will look like, the minimum age, group size, transportation, and services included, along with the price, and when it happens. There are two arrows with added comments:
the first arrow points out from the group size: Minimum and maximum group size: if they don’t reach the minimum, the trip will not happen, or you can opt to pay for a private tour.
The second arrow points out from when the tour happens: This tour happens every Wednesday, unless there is a holiday. The resort will not confirm until you arrive.

3. Expect To Leave More Tired Than When You Came

As I mentioned, it’s all about the activities at Club Med, so with this in mind, don’t expect a relaxing vacation. I came back more tired than when we left.

Sure, we had some relaxing days at the resort – when I went to the spa (which does cost extra…), and relaxing by the pool in the afternoons. But then I had jam packed couple of days before I left. I just wanted to try all the best activities the resort had to offer.

This was at least my experience at the Club Med Québec Charlevoix and Club Med La Palmerie in Morocco, both of which aren’t on the beach. Perhaps it’s a different experience when you stay at one of their beach resorts. But then again, they probably just offer different types of activities to keep you busy.

Let’s just say, I needed a day at home to recuperate before going back to work.

4. It Can Be Hard To Plan You Trip in Advance

It can be hard to plan your trip in advance, especially if you’re interested in certain activities and excursions.

As I mentioned, they already don’t confirm your excursion booking until you arrive at the hotel. But on top of that, they also don’t give you dates and times for any of the activities at the resort.

On the website for each resort location, they give you a list of all the available activities but no additional information for when it takes place. You can only see the daily schedule of activities after you book your trip. This can unfortunately lead to missing some activities if you had planned an excursion or there’s an overlapping activity at the same time. Keep in mind, most activities don’t happen daily, but can be as little as once or twice a week.

This also doesn’t include any last minute changes the resort can make based on staff and national holidays.

5. The App Is Useless… For Now Anyway

Club Med all inclusive resort does in fact have an app that they encourage you to download after you book your trip. It’s useful before you leave to know your exact dress code for your holiday. It’s also useful while you’re there if you want to know the schedule for that day. But that’s pretty much it. Everything else you can see online.

Unfortunately, the app isn’t always up to date if there was a change in the usual schedule. For some reason it isn’t habit to update the new schedule on the app.

Also, you can’t book any activities or excursions through the app, or even talk to the front desk… which would have been useful. Maybe they’ll update this in the future.

6. Club Med Is THE All Inclusive For Families

If you’re a parent, Club Med All Inclusive vacations do give you a break from your kids. No seriously, Club Med is not your regular all inclusive resort. If you have kids, you have to come to Club Med for your next family vacation.

They have daily and nightly planned activities for adults AND separate activities for kids. They offer different packages from 4 months to 17 years old including Baby Club Med, Petit Club Med, Mini Club Med, and finally Junior Club Med and Passworld spaces for teens. Essentially though, if you wanted to, you’re free to roam kid free ALL DAY LONG!

Don’t think you’re left to fend for yourself after 5:00 P.M. either. Club Med puts on evening shows. They start with a family friendly show and then go into the late night show for adults! And there’s even a babysitting service for an additional cost that you can sign up for.

club-med-camp-activities-at-night-with-drinks

7. Expect Partners To Not Spend Time Together

Like I said, it’s a vacation from your family. So I noticed it wasn’t uncommon for partners to separate from each other during the day. Not because they didn’t like each other, but because they could! This is just one of the benefits of Club Med all inclusive vacations – there’s something for everyone! You can have your own vacation based on your interests, and it’s all safe with a guide.

Let’s say you want to go mountain biking but hiking is more your partners speed? Don’t worry – split up for 2 hours, each doing the activity you want, and then meet back for lunch! It’s that easy!

You might be interested in: Journal every moment of your Club Med vacation in my printable travel journal!

8. Learn The Club Med Song

I think this was the biggest shock while staying at the Club Med all inclusive resort- everyone got together at the end of the show and took part in singing at dancing to Hands up Give me your heart by Ottawan.

I didn’t know how everyone knew the song and moves and it turns out they play this song every night and it is the official Club Med song (as official as can be!). I think it started out as Club Med using it for commercials back in the late 80s.

So, if you don’t want to look like a first time Club Med-er, do some homework and learn the song and dance moves before you leave!

Club Med is like camp but for adults… No really, at this point, when everyone got up to sing and dance along to the song it felt like I were 17 again at sleep away camp! But think about it, you have food, drinks, and day and night activities planned for you! It’s camp for adults!

9. Pack The Themed Dress Codes To Fit In

After you book your stay at a Club Med all inclusive resort, you might notice there’s a section for dress code. To my surprise, this was not a recommendation on what to pack for your stay.

Club Med actually has a dress code for every day of the week! Yes! If you want to fit in with staff and other Club Med-ers, you’ll want to follow the dress code. I mean, they tell you well enough in advance to be able to pack appropriately.

It can be anything from monochrome, to neon, or elegant…my favourite though is Club 45…which is just there to make you buy from their Club Med boutique. These are some pretty unique clothes you have to bring sometimes, make sure to stay organized and write it all down in my printable packing guide.

Do people actually follow the dress code? It depends. I didn’t notice too many people following the dress code when we visited in Club Med Québec but that could be because it was new when I visited. The staff would wear the appropriate dress code but it wasn’t as obvious that guests were following. But when I visited in Morocco, a much more established Club Med, it was religiously followed by staff and guests. On top of that, they change the location for dinner and what was served based on the dress code. It was more of a themed party in Morocco.

10. Your Bracelet Is Everything!

Upon check-in you’ll receive you Club Med bracelet. Based on certain factors you will receive a specific coloured bracelet. This bracelet is everything at the Club Med all inclusive resort. It gives you access to your room and alcoholic beverages (if you’re of legal drinking age). It’s perfect because this means you don’t have to walk around with a wallet…ever!

During your stay you may notice that there are different colours – and this can differ between resorts. The obvious colour difference is between people who can drink and those who are under age. But then once you see other adults with a different colour bracelet than your own, you start to wonder why…

Pretty much, the other colours are just a class difference. Apparently sometimes they signify first time Club Med-ers. But it can also differentiate between Gold and Silver Club Members. So there’s definitely a class divide situation going on here…

11. Pack A Phone Rope

I recommend packing a phone rope for your stay at the Club Med. Because you don’t need a bag when walking around the resort, this way, you at least always have your phone with you (if you don’t have pockets, which is usually the case!).

12. The Shampoo & Toilet Paper Are Terrible… Bring Your Own

I’m someone with pretty easy hair and will never pack my own. Even though I never love hotel shampoo, they’re useable – and it’s never worth the hassle of bringing my own (and risking it exploding in my bag).

The Club Med brand of shampoo is worth the risk of bringing my own – it’s THAT bad! My hair has never felt worse. It was better after I stopped using the conditioner, but it still wasn’t great. I couldn’t wait to get back home just so my hair could feel normal again.

If you do forget to pack shampoo, they did have some small travel size bottles in the boutique (I low key think they make the shampoo this bad on purpose just so you can buy the overpriced tiny boutique shampoo…).

Unfortunately, despite how much you’re paying, the toilet paper is also terrible. It’s thin, it’s sand paper, and it’s frankly also unusable. I would say to bring your own if you have the space. Alternatively, I bring flushable wipes now for some soothing after.

13. Pack Containers & Bags For Food

I am someone who gets nervous about where my next meal is coming from. ClubMed has buffet times for breakfast lunch and dinner. They will usually have some snacks served throughout the day, and sometimes and all day restaurant ( as was the case in Morocco… but NOT Quebec).

Of course each Club Med will be different, but each of these had some down time where there was no food served. I found it was less stressful to pack up some food from the buffets after breakfast and lunch for a little mid day snack. I recommend bringing some bags and containers. I like these containers because I can discard them after each use, and these bags.

Pro Tip: I also recommend packing a reusable water bottle, especially if you plan on going on excursions. They do provide water but not nearly enough! And bring some snacks for the day out as well, because again, they don’t provide nearly enough.

14. Stay A Week To Experience It ALL

If you want to experience the full Club Med resort, I recommend staying at least a week. As I mentioned, some activities (and especially the excursions) only happen once a week. On top of that, every night is a different theme with a new show that was put on by the staff.

15. Fully Enjoy Your Last Day On Club Med All Inclusive Vacations!

Check out from your room is typically around 10:00 at Club Med all inclusive resorts. You can pay for late checkout but there’s a maximum of two hours. But keep in mind, you’re allowed to eat both breakfast AND lunch on your last day, and even sign up fir activities.

So even though you’re checked out of your room, you can still enjoy lunch and an activity before heading out!

Pro tip: if you don’t have time to eat lunch, ask for a take out box so you can pack some food for the road home.

Interesting Club Med Fun Fact… How It All Began

The first Club Med opened in 1950 and it looked COMPLETELY different from what they are today! The nice – somewhat upscale – resort that you see today was not always the model for the Club.

The first ever Club Med was on the Spanish island Majorca where guests stayed in tents – without electricity, and shared facilities. It was an affordable vacation for families, singles, and young couples.

Fun Fact: Why #45 So Important?

The reality is that it really isn’t – it’s purely a way for the resort to make more money. Club Med wanted to celebrate their 45 year anniversary (back in 1995). So they created this commemorative T-shirt to sell. According to them, members loved it so much that it became the ‘unifying symbol of Club Med’… their words, not mine.

Now, to make vacationers purchase their T-shirt, they have a Club 45 themed dress day. But you can also buy it as a souvenir if you aren’t there on that dress code day.

P.S. Stay organized when packing for your trip with my packing guide. Filled with complete packing lists, fillable pages with prompts for what to pack for plane or road travel and more! Check out my packing guide on Etsy!

Quick Links – My Amazon Travel Favourites

My travel packing essentials, I always pack in my Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carryon (I prefer the 2-wheeled for more packing space!). To stay organized in my suitcase, I use MEC packing cubes. To save space on medication, I like using these pill organizers. And to make sure I don’t lose any loose belongings, I always have a Go Travel Cary Clip.

To take my best family photos, I use this Joby Gorillapod with remote shutter. This way, no one is left out from travel photos. And I always travel with a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated – I like my Thermoflask because it’s easy to carry and keeps my water cold!