Ahhhh, Club Med.  Wait, what IS Club Med, you may be asking.  Well if you don’t know Club Med, you’re missing out.  As the original ‘all inclusive’ resort dating way back to 1950, Club Med(s) have been providing exciting adventures, great entertainment, and amazing food for over 65 years!  But only in recent years has there been a location in the US.  You’ll find Club Med Sandpiper Bay tucked in beside the St Lucie River in Florida, about 2 hours north of Miami.  While transportation can be provided or purchased on your own, I recommend renting a car.  It’s a simple drive via the Florida Turnpike and the cost of a small rental car is likely significantly less than any other transportation options.  

I had the opportunity to visit Club Med Sandpiper Bay in May of 2017.  And I have to say, they won me over.  Upon arrival we were welcomed with cool water infused with lime and mint.  The GE’s and GO’s (if you go to Club Med, you’ll learn the lingo; for now, just think ‘helpful staff’) were so friendly and had us checked in and ready for our adventure in just a few minutes.  Then it was off to check out our room and the grounds.

There are various levels of rooms available at this location.  For our stay, my friend and I shared a club room.  They were kind enough to separate the bed into 2 twin beds so we each had our own comfy bed.  Our view was amazing!  The rooms have been recently remodeled, so there is definitely a fresh, new feel to this resort.

The grounds are fantastic.  Our first stop was the adult pool.  With amazing views of the St Lucie (and maybe even a dolphin or manatee spotting, too) and a pool bar just across the sidewalk, this was awesome.  There were small ‘cabanas’ as well as traditional beach chairs and cozy loungers.  Plus a hot tub to relax those muscles after a long day of playing.

Speaking of playing, there are so many things to do here that you will play away your day without even realizing it.  With water fun like kayaking, paddle boarding, and sailing, plus motorized water sports (may be an additional fee depending on the time of the year), you’ll enjoy the sand and surf to it’s fullest.  But don’t worry if water sports aren’t your thing.  There is also tennis, golf, mini golf, soccer, and more.  But I’m saving the coolest thing (in my humble opinion) for last:  there is a flying trapeze that you can actually try!  That’s right!  For those like me who always dreamed of trying one of those babies out, it’s there waiting for you.  And trust me, it’s an experience you’ll never forget!

If you have kidlets (of all ages) with you, there are special activities just for them.  The kids clubs are seriously awesome.  Trust me when I say that my friend and I were kinda sad that we couldn’t join the kids on their adventures.  I had to laugh at how many kids were actually upset when the time came to leave for the day!

At the main pool you’ll find all the fun stuff you’d expect, plus some fun things added in throughout the day like games and such.  This is a great place for the entire family to cool off and have fun together.

Oh, and then there is the food.  Ohhhhh, the food……  I still dream about that chocolate bread……  The Marketplace is a great buffet style location.  And the food there is truly out of this world.  Each day we found different themed offerings.  One day was somewhat Mexican themed, another was Mediterranean themed, and on and on.  But even if you don’t care for the theme of the day, no worries because there are always traditional staples there to keep everyone happy.  And don’t worry if you’re on a special diet, either.  There are tons of sugar free, gluten free, etc options.  And multiple locations throughout the buffet make to order.  Even the hamburger/hot dog station has loads of varieties of burgers and such.  There is a beverage station as well and servers bring around pitchers of water for you.

The other dining location, Riverside, is a traditional table service restaurant.  Reservations are highly recommended.  The service and food there are both awesome and it’s definitely worth checking out at least once or twice.

Then there’s the bar.  Slice is the main bar and welcomes families as well as just adults.  There is a dance party every evening that’s fun for the entire family.  Or you can hang out at the sports bar and just enjoy a drink.  Or grab a drink and head out to the deck to watch the sun set on another perfect day.

For evening fun, there are nightly shows put on for your entertainment.  Some are inside, some are outside.  And you’ll see the same faces that you’ve seen throughout the resort performing in the shows.

In the title I also mentioned friends.  I think this is what struck me the most.  Throughout our stay, we made friends with lots of folks.  Some were guests like us, some were GO’s (Gracious Organizers- those who live and work on site) and GE’s (Gracious Employees – those who live off site but work at the resort).  It was awesome how the GO’s would ask to sit with you at meals (yes, you could decline, but we were excited to welcome them to our table).  We learned about them and for the rest of our stay, we were greeted like old friends.  For me, that was truly the icing on the cake.

Now I’ll bet you’re excited to start planning your own Club Med adventure.  You can choose Sandpiper Bay if you want to stay in the states, or one of the many exotic locations world wide.  Just contact myself (OLP Travel Pixie Jodi) or with OLP Travel Pixie Tammy.  We’ve both experienced the resort, met with representatives of Club Med, and taken our courses in all the Club Med entails.  And we would LOVE to help you to plan your Club Med adventure!