Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow
Official Website: Club Med Cherating Beach Resort

Club Med Cherating Beach is a highly rated all-inclusive resort in Kuantan. It is located 3 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, just 30 mins from Kuantan Port. There are around 70 Club Med resorts in the world, with about 15 in Asia Pacific and Malaysia is the first country in Asia to welcome a Club Med Resort.

Nestled in a lush green forests, the resorts sits on 80 hectares of land overlooking South China Sea. It is popular with tourists during peak season, as well as monsoon season as it offers an array of outdoor and indoor activities for all ages.


Being all-inclusive means that the price you paid covers everything from accommodation, food and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), games, shows to activities. With Club med, You can enjoy a completely hassle free and fuss free holiday.

We enjoyed a 3D2N stay with Club Med Cherating Beach Resort last month. It was my company trip, but I asked my husband to join. And luckily I did because he enjoyed the stay very much too.

Arrival

We were warmly welcomed by Club Med staffs, who are better known as "GO" (Gentil Organisateurs) upon arrival. As our bus entered the driveway, we could see a group of GOs' waiting, smiling and waving enthusiastically at us at the entrance. Cold towels and welcome drink were served before we were ushered to the theatre for a short briefing conducted by the GOs'.

The GOs'

The GOs' are an important feature of Club Med. They are like your friends who will play, dine, drink and dance together with you every day and night. Most of them are very friendly, energetic and cheerful and would do everything to help us get into the unique Club Med inclusive experience. This is exactly what makes Club Med different from other resorts.


The GOs' will play games and sports and dine with you in the day time. At 9 pm every night, the GOs' will put on a special themed show for the guests, followed by a dance party, which will take place at the Main Bar. The shows were amazing, which comprises of dance and aerobatics performance and live bands.




Every GOs' are required to perform at the daily evening shows, including the general manager and back-end staffs. The shows will usually last for 30 to 45 minutes and then, they will dance the night away with you. With the GOs', your experience with Club Med will not be a dull and boring one.

Accommodation

After the briefing, we were personally accompanied by a GO to our room. The resort has a total of 297 rooms, spread out over 15 traditional Kampung houses on slits. The houses are linked by a dimly lit wooden walkway, which can get pretty dark at night. Or you can also walk down the paved paths winding across the gardens. The distance is shorter but we prefer using the wooden walkway instead.

Our superior room was located on the second floor of the three storey house, right in front of the main beach, far from the main restaurant and pool area. There are no lifts/elevators at this resort, so you might want to book one of the Mobility Accessible rooms if you have some mobility issues.


The room was surprisingly smaller than what we expected and a little outdated. But the size does not matter much since we did not stay in our room most of the time as there are simply too much activities for us to participate in. The most important thing is it was very clean and comfortable. But if you are expecting a 5-star room, then you will be disappointed. The room only offer all the basic and nothing more. We were just using this room to sleep and shower and I guess it served its purpose.

Fitted with wooden flooring, it comes with a large comfortable king sized bed, a large built in closet, a sofa bed and an attached bathroom. We love the bed because it was very firm and we slept really well at night.


The room opens out to a small balcony, but we kept the door locked at all time. Being surrounded by 80 hectares of forests, Club Med is home to monkeys, gibbons, monitors lizards, rare birds and butterflies. The mischievous monkeys might visit your room and steal your belongings if you leave the balcony door open. And they can get pretty aggressive if they think you have something to eat.


Other in-room amenities include a LCD TV, a safe box, hair dryer and a mini fridge. Free wifi is also available throughout the resort but the connection can be a little slow and inconsistent. But you probably would not spend much time on your phone as the activities will keep you busy.


The room also comes with a small makeup table with mirror for you to do your makeup, as well as a complimentary 1 litre bottle of water.


Near the entrance, you will find basic coffee and tea making facilities that you probably would not need. The room comes with separate toilet and bathroom. Bathroom was decently sized and has shower and sink in one room, but does not have a bath tub.


Some of the basic toiletries provided include body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, shower cap, cotton pads, disposable toothbrush and toothpaste.

Activities 

Club Med provides guests with an endless array of fun-filled activities, from treetops adventures, turtle viewing adventures, rock climbing, land and water sports to jungle walks. You will never get bored at Club Med because the activities and entertaining programmes will filled every single time you have!

But remember to put on sunscreen and insect repellent as there are a lot of mosquitoes around the resort. There is a shuttle/tram service that comes every half an hour to get you around the vast complex. Alternatively, you can also hike through the trees to the other side of the resort.

Beach

The resort boasts three private beaches, with the main beach being the closest to the resort.  The main beach stretches for 1 km and is usually deserted as no swimming is allowed due to strong undertow. Well, it is still a lovely beach and you can enjoy romantic stroll along the shore.




If you want to swim, you will need to take a 10 minutes tram ride to Pantai beach. Or you choose to take a jungle walk, which takes about 20 minutes. The golden sand beach is 200 yards long and is reserved for water sports. There are a wide range of water sports activities including kayaking, sailing and stand up paddling to choose from here. However, please note that all activities are subject to weather conditions.


So unfortunately, most of the water sports activities are unavailable due to bad weather. The only activity available during our visit was kayaking.  But with limited slots too. You can also take part in beach sports such beach volley ball and and beach soccer if you are not a fan of water sports.




There are has plenty of deck chairs, umbrellas and shower facilities at the beach. The great thing about this beach is that it is very clean and rarely crowded with people. We almost had the entire beach to ourselves!



At the beach,  you will also find a bar where you can order some cold drinks and relax on one of deck chairs. It is a great place for taking some instagram worthy photo too!








Walk to the other side of the beach, passing the Zen pool, you will find is another golden sand beach. The beach is 400 yards long and is surrounded by rocks. This beach is emptier than the other one since it does not offer any water sports activities. But there are plenty of deck chairs where you can sit, relax and watch the sea.

Swimming Pools
The resort has two swimming pools - the family friendly Main pool and adult only Zen pool. The Main pool is located near main restaurant, Mutiara. It is separated into kids' pool and splash zone. You will usually find this pool crowded with both adults and kids either swimming or playing some water games, so it can get pretty noisy here. There is an aqua fitness class conducted at this pool daily too.



The Zen Pool is located a 10 minutes tram away, near the Rambulan Restaurant.  It is designed for adults only, so no children below 18 is allowed at this pool. The Zen pool is a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the sea. It offers a peaceful place for relaxation, thus it is ideal for adult guests searching for a quiet oasis.


There is also a bar next to the pool where you can order some drinks and snacks. Enjoy sipping cocktails as you laze around the shaded cushioned cabanas by the pool. But please make sure that you keep your noise level down as this is a quiet place meant for relaxation.

Rock Climbing

One of the must do for me is rock climbing. I have never done rock climbing before but I always wanted to try out. Well, it certainly does look intimidating but exciting at the same time. I was worried that the activity will be cancelled because it was raining all morning. But luckily, it stopped in the afternoon.

After registering our name, the GO helped us to put on a climbing harness and helmet. Make sure you wear clothes that are not restrictive and do not wear any accessories. Sport shoes are also required.

The GO's were very well-trained and will teach you everything you will need to know before the climb. He asked whether we were first timers. Most of us who were attempting the climb that day were, but he ensured us that the rocks that we were climbing here are not too difficult for beginners.


It was a challenging climb because I have short arms and legs. I fear that my feet would slip and I would fall hard on the rocks. But I am glad that I did not give up halfway and made it to top. The GO who was belaying me was very supportive as well. He was constantly guiding me and encouraging me whenever I am stuck and feel like giving up.

I got a lot of scratches and bruises from the climb.  But I am proud of it. It was difficult but a great achievement for me. For those who would like to join this activity, please come early before the scheduled time. This is surprisingly quite a popular activity with very limited slots.

Archery 
We also tried our hands on archery for the first time. It was fun but harder than I thought. But the GOs' were very helpful and will assist us in any way required.

Flying Trapeze


Flying Trapeze is like a circus style activity where you get up high and swing through the air. This activity is done over a net, so I guess it is still pretty safe even if you fall. But unfortunately, there was not enough time for us to try this out. But it does look exciting.

Gym

Near the theatre, there is a gym that overlooks the sea. The gym is equipped with free weights and cardio machines. It is a great place to work out while on holiday. Next to the gym, you will also find a Batik painting studio where you can design and paint your own t-shirts, scarves and sarong.

There are also yoga, pilates and cardio classes throughout the day for you to stretch your muscles if you prefer something more laidback.

Team sports

Club Med offers various team sports including badminton, table tennis, soccer, tennis, basketball and squash.


There are also two pool tables near the main bar. But unfortunately, this is not included in the all-inclusive package. It costs RM 15 a game.

Leisure 

For leisure, there are a game room where you can play rounds of mahjong with your mahjong mates and two Karaoke room which you can book for 2 hours at a time.

Mandara Spa

Treat yourself to a pampering session at the reputable Mandara Spa. Located next to the main pool, Mandara Spa offers a wide range of facial, massages, foot treatments and scrubs. But prices are not cheap at all.

Excursions

There are various excursions that you can join at an extra cost. Excursions include Mangrove River Cruise, Firefly Watching, Turtle Sanctuary, Elephant Sanctuary and many more. Initially, we wanted to join their Turtle Sanctuary excursion but decided to drop it because we feel that the price is too high.

Even though there are tons of activities to do at Club Med, it was challenging to join all them. There are limited time slots for each of them, and most of the time are overlapping, so you have to choose your activities carefully. We find it really hard to plan and manage our time at Club Med.

Kids
Club Med offers childcare services from ages 4 months up to 17 years. The kids will be separated in different age groups under the care of individual GO's. The GOs' will take care of your children and keep them occupied with various activities throughout the day. You can simply drop off and pick up your kids anytime you want during their operating time.

There is nothing you need to worry much about since the GO's are very well-trained and highly experienced. You can make use of this time to take a break and spend some quality time with your other half.

For more information, please read Club Med Childcare

Baby Club Med

For 4 to 23 months old at an extra charge.

Petit Club Med

For 2 to 3 years old at an extra charge.

Mini Club Med

For 4 to 10 years old. Free of charge

Junior Club Med

For 11 to 17 years old. Free of charge

Restaurants



Club Med has three restaurants - the Mutiara, Enak and the Rembulan. All meals in all restaurants are included in the package except for some premium meals at the Rembulan.

Located next to the Main pool, the Mutiara serves international buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had all our meals at this restaurants during our 3D2N stay. The restaurant offers a wide range of cuisines, including Japanese, Korean, Indian, Malay, Western and Chinese.  The menu changes throughout the day, so you would not get bored easily.

Food were generally okay but do not expect it to be high quality. We enjoyed the variety of food, as well as desserts! But one thing I hate is that breakfast ends at 9.30 am every day, which is a little too early. It was hard to get up that early in the morning, especially when we partied till wee hours of the morning.


Enak is a noodle bar that serves a selection of noodles from 9.45pm to 10.45pm, 2.30pm to 6.00 pm and 9.30pm to 11.30 pm daily. The chef will prepare your food right in front of you from living cooking stations. This is great for those who wish to have late breakfast, late lunch or supper.


Located near the Zen Pool, the Rembulan is a semi fine dining restaurant with table service. The restaurant serves delicious Asian A la carte meals for lunch and dinner. Please note that reservation is required for dinner.

Bar

There are three open bars at Club Med - a main bar near the main pool, a beach bar at Pantai beach and a pool bar at the Zen pool. All three bars serve an unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from day to night. There is a selection of soft drinks, cocktails, mocktails, juice, beer, wine (red, white and rose) and whiskery to choose from. Snacks will be offered in the afternoon as well. Please note that premium liquor and wine are chargeable.



The main bar operates till midnight ad you will have to pay if you order drinks after 12 am. The cocktails are very weak in alcohol. They are probably 99% juice and 1% alcohol. It was kind of annoying but they are mostly likely trying to prevent the guests from getting drunk. If you prefer something stronger, you might want to stick to beer, wine or whiskery.

La Boutique
If you want to get some souvenirs, you can check out La Boutique located next to the Main Pool. But beware because everything is a tad overpriced here.

Final Thoughts

After a short 3D2N stay, we totally fell in love for all inclusive holidays at Club Med. Prior to this trip, we have never been to any Club Med resorts before, and while we have heard of them, we only knew them by name. We did not know that there will be so much to do and see at the resort.

It was an incredible experience. We enjoyed the unlimited access to international buffets, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), snacks and activities, nightly entertainment and shows. My husband told me that he wanted to visit all the Club Med resorts in the world right after we came back home. That is just how much he love the experience there.

Overall, Club Med is perfect for families. There are so much family activities to do together. Simply book all inclusive holiday with Club Med and everything will be sorted out for you to just relax and enjoy. We are certainly looking forward to the next Club Med all inclusive holidays!