It's been almost 15 years since I last visited a Club Med...and a lot has changed!  Ok, I mean a lot has changed with me.  While all my other Club Med trips took place when I was single and went to the Caribbean, this trip was with my husband (JK) and 13 year old grand daughter (BK) to the Sandpiper location in Port St. Lucie, Florida which makes for a very different Club Med experience.  As far as Club Med goes, some things have changed and some things haven't.  Once you hear the familiar strains of "Hands up, baby hands up, give me your heart..." it all comes back to you in a way that is both wonderful and scary at the same time.

FOOD
Club Med still has the best bread in the world.  Even better than I (or my hips) would care to remember!  In addition to the fantastic croissants, they now have white chocolate bread...YIKES! It can do real damage to your willpower. It is sinfully good. Actually, there is a whole table spread out with probably 15 different kinds of bread. Like most 13 year old girls, BK doesn't want to get fat so she usually just picks at her food ...but she sure did like that bread.  So did JK.

There was a pasta station, a soup station (also yummy not ordinary), carving station, and several special stations for each meal. Overall, the food was very good...better than on our recent cruises...but being in Florida means they can get things as they need them as opposed to loading enough food for 7 - 11 days. I am not a buffet lover but I can always find something I want to eat at Club Med.  Also this Club Med only has about 330 rooms as opposed to some of the large cruise ships which need to serve 2,000 people at once. (This is not cruise bashing...I love cruising...this is just a different experience.)  This is a family Club Med, so there are children around, but the hosts and hostesses do try to sit families with like-age children in the same areas of the restaurant and there is an adult only room with dimmer lighting if you are looking for something a little more romantic.  There is a specialty restaurant but it was not open at all during our 3 day visit during the off season.  I understand if you go at peak season you need to make reservations in advance.


Accommodations
The rooms were very nice and well laid out.  The deluxe room had a large walk in closet, a separate dressing area, and a separate toilet and shower area making it easy for two people to get ready at the same time and plenty of room for all of BK's stuff.  Our balcony had a terrific sunset view over the Port St. Lucie River.  Granted, this Club Med is not on the ocean, but they have crafted a small beach front which has tremendous sunset views.  Another change since the last time I visited Club Med was the addition of a television and a phone in the room.  But just like in the 80's, we did not spend very much time in the room.  There was simply too much to do.

TENNIS
The free* tennis lessons at this Club Med are top notch.  Be sure you are honest with yourself about your ability level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) because you will get your you know what kicked!  This is a division of a serious tennis academy and the teachers here are not here to get a suntan or flirt ...they are here to teach tennis!  Your game will improve even if you are only here for a day or two.  If you are staying longer, consider signing up for the Tennis intensive.  There is an extra charge, but it would sure be an experience.  People often hang around after class for pick up games on one of the 19 hard-surface courts, including 9 with lighting for nighttime matches. I loved my lessons and definitely improved even with only 3 classes.

GOLF
The free* golf lessons are amazing.  I am a beginner even though I have played for years since I just don't play enough.  I drive my husband crazy...I hit it straight but no farther than 60 - 75 yards.  JK kills it, but it goes left or right every time.  Anyway, he is a great golfer but decided he would walk over with me for the beginner lesson.  JK had made up his mind before hand that the classes here would have nothing to offer him.  Well, he ended up taking the lesson, too.  And he was amazed at what he learned.  There is a Par 72 course on site as well as a putting green, training bunker, and 9-hole pitch and putt.  In addition, there is a golf intensive program with video taping and individualized instruction that focuses on both your long game and short game. The pro will gladly arrange for you to golf on any of the other nearby courses.

ACTIVITIES
The other usual Club Med activities are also present...archery, soccer, rock climbing wall, and trapeze.  What was I thinking...I am 21 years older than the last time I flew on a trapeze and 70 pounds heavier...but I wanted to show BK and JK that I could still do it...really I just wanted to convince BK to give it a try.  Well, I couldn't do any flips or catches anymore but they tell me my form was still good and my toes were pointed and I lived to write this blog!  Awhile later as JK and I came back from a golf lesson we did indeed see BK up on the Trapeze!  

There are five pools at Sandpiper but it was too cold to use any of them since it was January.  The main pool was beautiful.  The other pools were tucked away in various areas of the complex allowing adults who wanted some quiet time a place to relax.   

I am not a Yoga person, however, if you are, this is the place to come.  Yoga is very popular and the Yoga teacher walks around the dining room in the morning trying to get people to come to his class.  This guy is about 80 and way more flexible than I will ever be or ever was (and I was a gymnast and professional dancer in my youth).  As I sit there stuffing yet another piece of that wonderful white chocolate bread in my fat face, the yoga teacher is stuffing his leg behind his head!  I even overheard people checking in in the lobby who asked if he still worked there because they loved him so much. Every one in the class sure seemed to enjoy it.

The G.O.s (the people who work there for those uninitiated to Club Med lingo) were young like I once was...but they were open to talking to us old folk.  This is an improvement from the past...or maybe it is just because this is a family oriented, not singles oriented, Club.  I remember back in the 80's some of the Clubs were rather "meat markety" for lack of a better term.  And if a G.O. didn't think you were cute you were kind of ignored.  Not here.  Everyone was very friendly.  The G.O.s both male and female went out of their way to keep BK entertained.  There were no other kids her age at the Club when we were there.  She thought it was great to be able to have as many mocktails as she wanted.  The kids program is quite impressive with separate areas for infants, toddlers, and young kids.  BK was too old for the kids program and without any other kids her age she thought she'd be bored.  But the G.O.s were so nice to her that she cried when we left. 

SHOWS
We went to the circus show and were quite impressed with it...so long as you don't compare it to Cirque d' Soleil.  You need to keep in mind that the person hanging upside down probably was practicing at 3:00 AM before going to work in the kitchen and making that bread!  For the most part these are not professional performers...but they are your friends and it is fun to watch them perform.

THE TEST
Would we go back?  Absolutely!  JK wants to take his adult sons back for the Golf intensive.  I want to lose a ton of weight and go fly on the trapeze again.  BK just wants to go back for everything!  JK and BK have been known to play the Club Med CD on the way to school in the morning...Club Med Sandpiper won their heart!

NOTES
Club Med Sandpiper is located in a very nice residential area.  The Club Med restaurants are open to the public if they are willing to make reservations in advance and pay.  The price for an individual meal is quite expensive so you won't exactly be overrun with locals.  However, you will occasionally see locals using the meeting and convention center or other locals (mind you these are local Florida residents...so a little bit on the older side) who get day passes to come in.  I believe Sandpiper also offers a "country club" membership for locals including kids.  But again it is priced so that the level of participation will not detract from the overall ambience.

Interested in learning more?  We would love to talk to you about a Club Med experience that might be right for you.  Please visit our Web site . . .
* Included in the cost of your Club Med vacation for you sticklers out there... it is just so much easier to say "free" when blogging.