Club Med Cherating

Mr A and i have been planning a beach retreat since May and our favourite destination is of course the east coast of Malaysia. We were in the midst of deciding which hotel/ resort to stay when he 'bbm'ed me one May afternoon to inform that he had juz got out from a staff meeting and his MD announced that they're going to organise a 3D2N company trip to Cherating in July. The best part is that we'll be staying in Club Med! Since that day onwards i started to count the days to our all expense paid vacation. Weeeee!

30th July finally came. The agenda was for everyone to meet at the first check point which was McDonalds Genting Sempah and once everyone was there, drive and meet at the next check point which is after the Jabor toll and convoy to Club Med Cherating. We reached Club Med around 2pm and were greeted by their G.O team. I forgot what G.O stands for but they're like the events co-ordinators. We were then led to the reception area where we were served welcome drinks and were briefed on the resort's facilities and activities. After that, we went to our respective rooms and were required to gather at the theatre by 3.30pm where there will be a tele-match cum ice breaking session.

It took us about 5mins walk from the reception area to our room bcoz it was quite a distance and we reached our room around 2.45pm so we had some time to unpack. The room was not as i expected as it was so simple and the bathroom was rather small. I think it was the cheapest room in the resort as it was all paid by Mr A's company. As the saying says "beggars can't be choosers". Juz be grateful with what you have. But overall the room was juz fine bcoz we were spending most of our time outdoor. There was a king sized bed, a single bed and a baby cot ready. Although Mr A said he did not request for a baby cot but i guess when the company made the bookings, Club Med will automatically provide a baby cot in your room if you have a child under 2yo, which i find very proactive.

I guess Luq and Leia were also very happy to be away from home once in a while.

Once we've settled unpacking, we went to meet the others at the theatre. That was when Leia said she wanted to poopoo so i had to wait for her while Mr A and Luq went first. As Leia and i were walking towards the theatre, we bumped into the group who were walking towards the field near the archery area. Before the tele-match started, we got to know each other (all the other staff's wives and children). The tele-match took about 1 hour and after that we were brought to the snacks area. One of the many things that i loved about Club Med is that you will NEVER be hungry bcoz the package includes accomodation and food throughout the day and evening. There's breakfast, lunch, te-time snacks and dinner. Not to forget the open bar drinks where you can request any drinks (juices & soft drinks) u like at anytime.

After having some snacks (sandwiches & french fries), we headed back to our room. While most of the other families decided to go to the beach or swimming pool, we opted to stay in so that the kids can rest. We went to dinner after maghrib and i was really thrilled to see the variety of food which were served. I had mini lobsters (take note on the plural), sushi, grilled lamb and not to forget the yummy desserts. I didn't even capture any photos bcoz i was too busy eating. Hehehe.
After dinner, we wanted to see the magic show at the theatre but we were a bit late so it was already full. Every night, there will be a variety of performances in the theatre. Since we were still tired from the travelling, we went back to our room and planned to explore the whole place the next day.

Once back in the room, we fooled around in front of the camera for a while and watched tv.

Luq and Leia getting ready to sleep.

The next morning, we went for breakfast around 8am. Eventhough it was a company trip but everyone were allowed to have their own activities. The only time the whole group were together was during the tele-match. So, after breakfast Mr A and i brought Luq and Leia to the Ohana Cabana. One of the many Club Med's attractions is the Mini Kids Club where you can leave your children (aged 4yo & above) at the mini club and they will be taken care by the G.Os with a day full of fun activities so that the parents could spend more time together and join the all day activities organised by Club Med. Eventhough Luq is almost 4yo but he's not the type who listens to instructions yet, so we didn't register him for the mini club. Since there was no one at the Ohana Cabana when we reached there, Luq and Leia got to enjoy the place all to themselves.

After about an hour at the Ohana Cabana, we decided to go back to the room and change to our swimming attire and hit the pool. By the time we reached the swimming pool, it was already 11+am and the sun was smiling right above our heads. Luq and Leia were more than happy to jump into the pool and play.

The above photo was a pool game where a G.O stands on a surf board and whoever can knock him down will win a prize but no one managed to do so. He was real calm when people knocked him a few times as though his feet were glued to the surf board. It was really entertaining bcoz the people who knocked him are the ones who fell into the water. Hehehe.

As it was getting too hot, we went back to our room to bathe and went for lunch. Around 3pm after lunch, a few of Mr A's colleagues invited him to try out archery. So off we went to the archery area.

While waiting for the others to come, Mr A decided that we take the train to the beach juz to check it out. We could also walk to the beach but riding the train seems to be more fun. So off we went on the choo choo train. Luq and Leia were so excited.

The beach did not have milky white sand but it was very clean and the water was clear too. Since it was an unplanned trip to the beach, we didn't have our swimming gears on so we juz walked on the beach and let Luq and Leia play with the sand. We planned to come back later in the evening when it's not too hot.

When we reached our room, Luq and Leia were already exhausted from waking up early and playing at the Ohana Cabana and swimming pool that they slept after drinking their milk. By 6pm they were still asleep and i knew that we'll not be able to go to the beach again and it rained that evening.

We went for our last dinner at Club Med that night and i was hoping to have some more of the mini lobsters but they served different foods which nevertheless were still delicious. I had scallops, prawns, steamboat and more desserts. Remembering all those food makes me hugry. Another thing that makes Club Med special is that they're G.Os eat together with the patrons so that there is a special bond between the resort and the patrons. I can't imagine how the G.Os looked slim and fit when they actually get to eat delicious food everyday. I guess they must go to the gym everyday too.

Since it was our last nite at Club Med, Mr A and i decided that we spend time a little longer at the bar area and take photos bcoz we don't know when we'll get the chance to come back. It was already almost 11pm and the kids were getting restless so we decided to retreat to our room. Check-out time the next day was at noon so we have to leave the room by 12pm but can still stay until after lunch. Lunch was also provided on the departure day, which was why i said earlier that you will never be hungry.

The next morning, the plan was to have a quick breakfast, spend a while at the beach, the swimming pool, pack our things and get ready to leave the room before noon. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the train station, we waited until 9.15am but the train did not come to take us to the beach and we didn't know how far we had to walk to the beach. We didn't want to waste time waiting for the train so we juz went to the pool instead. Luq and Leia really enjoyed the pool that they didn't want to leave.

Once we reached our room, it was already 10.30am and we had about less than two hours to pack and get ready to leave. Luckily, Mr A and i have packed everything the night before and only left the clothes that we were going to wear the next day. We left our room around 11.45am and headed to the reception area. Lunch was only ready at 12.30am so after returning our room key, we sat at the open bar area and took more photos.

After lunch, we finally said goodbye to Club Med Cherating.

The above is a photo of me and Soey, the G.O who was in charge of our group.

Mr A stopped outside the guard post to take photos. One of the many things i learned when you're travelling with kids, EVERYTHING is about them. Eventhough Mr A and i had some tough times during our holiday when both kids wanted to poopoo during dinner and nap when we were supposed to be trying out as many activities as we can, we will cherish every moment that we spent with them bcoz one day they will not want to follow us anywhere. We hope to come again when the kids are older so that Mr A and i could enjoy more. InsyaAllah.