Club Med Sandpiper |
Where is Club Med Sandpiper?
Club Med Sandpiper is in Florida, and is a rare all-inclusive resort in the US.
Club Med Sandpiper is not on the coast but rather on the St. Lucie River, though it does have a beach area with white sand. Location is in the residential community of Port St. Lucie, a 2-hour drive from Orlando or Miami, 45 minutes from Palm Beach.
What's special about Club Med Sandpiper?
Grounds are attractive; rooms are giant; food has some great moments; guests can water-ski, roller-blade, and learn trapeze; family suites offer special treatment. But the real pluses about Club Med Sandpiper are:
- a Caribbean-style all-inclusive in the US
- amazing kids programs
- unique friendly ambiance
- great for golfers
Amazing. Separate rooms and programs for 1 year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year olds, etc.; and for older kids, the kids programs were more like camps, very active, and great chances to learn new trapeze, inline-skating, waterskiing...
Click for details and pictures about Baby Club Med, Petit Club Med (2 to 3 year olds), Mini Club Med, and Junior Club Med for teens. (Note: there's a charge for Baby and Petit Club Med.)
Club Med also has a Siesta Club, from 8 pm until 1 am.
Club Med Sandpiper: Activities
Many sports activities are scheduled daily for adults and ages 13 and up: inline skating (rollerblading), sailing lessons, tennis, water ski lessons, trampoline, trapeze, golf lessons, and some creative ideas such as Disco Yoga. Adults have their own swimming pool.
As for golf: the putting green, training bunker, 9-hole pitch and putt, and group lessons (for all levels) are free; the 18 hole golf course, individual lessons, and golf academy packages cost extra.
Club Med Sandpiper: Entertainment
Daily entertainment includes a mid-day event, such as a water ski show. Early evening brings the excitement of the Sandpiper 500: little kids race pedal-cars to tumultuous applause. The nightly show follows in the 700-person theatre, and is a point of pride with Club Med staff, who sing, dance, and otherwise participate in well-executed shows always designed to be kid-pleasers.
And speaking of those Club Med staff...
Club Med Sandpiper: Ambiance
Club Med (Club Mediterranee), based in France, started after WWII with a tent village on a beach, and from the start guests and staff were meant to socialize. This tradition continues, and works very well at a family resort: kids get to know staff (called GO's -- Gracious Organizers) through the kids' clubs, and then enjoy greeting these new grown-up friends in the evenings too. The night we visited, many families piled into the bar for a kid's karaoke show: The GO's were cheering on the kids; the ambiance couldn't have been friendlier.
This friendliness is perfect for single parents; and the way Club Med organizes meals suits single parents too. Guests eat at round tables that seat eight, which makes it easy for a single parent to make new acquaintances.
Speaking of Food...
The French heritage of Club Med provides some bright spots: a wonderful cheese selection; delicious baguettes; chocolate bread.
Club Med Sandpiper: Rooms
-- are gigantic, with plenty of space for a sitting area with couch and several chairs. Nice touches include: giant walk-in closet; mini-fridge; heat-lamp in the bathroom; and easy access to laundry machines and ironing board.
Also at Club Med Sandpiper: Family Suites connect two rooms and offer extra amenities such as a baby bath tub, turn down service with fresh baked cookies delivered for the kids, stocked mini fridge with snacks and drinks, DVD player with family friendly movies.
Things to keep in mind about Club Med Sandpiper:
- sign up early for activities! Especially watersports.
- you can buy a land-only stay and drive to the resort.
- outings to the Kennedy Space Center and to Walt Disney World are available
- for beach, the "Treasure Coast" (popular with divers) is a 20-minute drive away
continue to:
• Club Med Sandpiper - activities
• kids' programs
• Kids clubs- photos
Find out more about Club Med Sandpiper:
- read more about Club Med all-inclusives
- check the Club Med web site
- Check prices
- check Tripadvisor.com for opinions from other travelers. (Just enter "Club Med Sandpiper" in the searchbox)
* photos (c) Teresa Plowright
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
