First Time Club Med-er? 10 Things I Wish I Knew

So you’re a first time Club Med-er! Are you thinking about booking, or have already booked a stay at a Club Med All Inclusive Resort? I visited my first Club Med in 2022 and I was not expecting what was in store for us…

We really enjoyed our stay at Club Med Charlevoix but it 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 vacation.

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 essentially an all inclusive resort – but one that’s geared towards sports and families.

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.

Plan the ultimate vacation

My digital travel planner template has everything you need to plan your vacation: research templates, travel planner itinerary, travel budget templates…etc. . You can print it out or use it digitally on your phone, tablet, or computer.

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.

10 Club Med Things To Know Before You Book

1. Club Med Is All About The Activities

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.

It’s for the person that wants to do things on vacation but doesn’t want to plan it. 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.

We stayed at the Club Med Charlevoix and they offered hiking and mountain biking at the Massif Mountain that we could sign up. These were on top of their regular scheduled activities like runs, pilates, volleyball …etc.

petit-riviere-saint-francoise-club-med-village-charlevoix

You might also be interested in reading…

Club Med Québec Charlevoix In The Summer: Is It Worth It?

2. So Expect To Leave More Tired Than When You Came

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

Sure, we had some relaxing days at the resort – when we went to the spa (which does cost extra…), but then we had a jam packed couple of days before we left. We just wanted to try all the best activities the resort had to offer.

We also stayed at the Club Med Québec Charlevoix, which is on the Massif Mountain, so 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, we needed a day at home to recuperate before going back to work.

3. Club Med Is THE All Inclusive For For Families

But! 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!

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

4. But Expect Partners To Not Spend Time Together

Like I said, it’s a vacation from your family. So 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!

Never forget a favourite travel memory

Keep track of your travels every day with my digital and printable travel journal. Use it on the go on your phone or tablet, or print it out!

5. 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.

We 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 For Adults

No really, at this point, when everyone got up to sing and dance along to the song it felt like we 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!

6. 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 the boutique.

Do People Actually Follow The Dress Code?

I didn’t notice too many people following the dress code when we visited in Club Med Québec but that could be because it’s new. The staff would wear the appropriate dress code but it wasn’t as obvious that guests were following.

We packed appropriate clothing and followed it for the first few days and then became lazy… perhaps this is what happens to everyone! But, it can be different based on the Club Med and time of year that you’re visiting.

7. 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!

But, during your stay you’ll also 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…

8. The Shampoo Sucks… Bring Your Own

I’m someone with pretty easy hair. I never love hotel shampoos but they’re useable – and worth while to use instead 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…).

You might also be interested in reading…

Montreal to La Malbaie: The Perfect Weekend Getaway

9. The App Is Useless…For Now Anyway

Everyone loves an app.. except when it’s completely useless! Club Med all inclusive resort does in fact have an app that they encourage you to download… but there isn’t really a point to that though.

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. And that’s pretty much it. Everything else you can see online.

Just a heads up, you cannot book any activities or excursions through the app. Or even talk to the front desk… which would have been useful. Maybe they’ll update it in the future.

10. FYI: Why #45 So Important?

The reality is that it really isn’t! It’s purely a way for them 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.

You might also be interested in…

My digital and printable packing guide on Etsy. Filled with packing planning prompts for your next trip!

P.S. 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.

You’re allowed to eat both breakfast AND lunch on your last day, and sign up for a morning activity. So even though you’re checked out of your room, you can still enjoy lunch and an activity before heading out!

Oh and 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.

Bonus: Activity Sign Up 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 will be a no-show. Plus, where else do you have to be!