I had long thought of Club Med as a mecca for swinging singles and since I missed that boat in my BC (Before Children) days, I figured Club Med was not for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
My husband, 12-year-old daughter and I spent three action-packed days at the Club Med Ixtapa Pacific on the Pacific coast of Mexico and easily could have stayed for a full week, the standard Club Med deal, without running out of interesting things to do.
We swam, played in the churning surf, ate, drank, walked, learned yogalates and got sunburned. We didn’t—but could have if we had the time—learn to swing on a circus trapeze, roller blade, practice archery, sail, kayak, play tennis, beach volleyball, soccer or mini golf, take a cardio class or get toned up. All of that is included in the one price, which starts at $1400 per adult for seven days, not including airfare from Chicago. Kids ages 4-15 are 50 percent of the adult rate and kids ages 2-3 are 30 percent. The only extras were the spa services (which are resort-pricey at $170 for a 75-minute massage), bottles of wine (not necessary since the restaurants offer decent house wines) and excursions (there are 14 choices—we did the evening horseback ride along the ocean and it was fabulous and worth every peso).
Unlike other resorts that offer kids clubs that keep children inside a dark room playing on computers and doing kiddie crafts, Club Med is a sports resort. The kids swim, play games, learn circus tricks and spend them time outside, heading indoors for lunch at their own special restaurant. Babies and toddlers have their own space and parents get a key to a special room stocked with baby food, diapers and other baby needs and accessible 24 hours a day.
Babysitting in the room is available at $20 an hour for little ones or put the kids in the pajama club at $20 per child for the evening and have a quiet adults-only dinner at one of the specialty restaurants, Miramar, the Argentinean steakhouse, or La Luna Azul, the fusion restaurants, both of which offer delicious fare that is lost on kids.
The staff is ceaselessly friendly and helpful, if not always quick. The G.O.s (it translates roughly to “Gracious Organizers” of your vacation) speak at least two languages and spend their on duty and off duty hours taking care of and schmoozing the guests. They all feel like friends by the end of the week, which makes it that much more fun to see them perform in the 80s show on Wednesday night.
The only downside to Club Med Ixtapa is getting there. Unlike the resort areas on the Gulf of Mexico, there are no direct flights from Chicago to Ixtapa, which makes for a long day of traveling when you factor in a layover in Mexico City.