Club Med does it again
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from October 1981.
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Located approximately 150 miles north of Acapulco on 37 beachfront acres, the latest of the club's developments in this country boasts 350 spacious, air-conditioned rooms that face the Pacific. Housed in clusters of three-story-high bungalows, staggered about to give everyone an ocean view, the rooms nave large twin beds, a sitting area with a convertible couch and handsome Mexican furniture and accessories. Attractive hand-crafted tiles cover the floors, showers and wash basins. And platoons of uniformed maids keep everything sparkling.
No thatched-roof cottages a la Tahiti here, nor casually dressed locals with homemade brooms as in Morocco. And very little, except an updated version of the club's philosophy, to remind anyone that the immensely successful Club Med began life 31 years ago on the Spanish island of Majorca with a hamlet of tents and members who brought along their sleeping bags. Today, the club runs nearly 90 villages around the world. Painted in the same peach hue of the gently curving sandy cove below, the bungalows offer but a measure of the unique features found here.
The heart of the village, the main activities center, occupies a vast but gracious complex best described as the pleasing result of the work of an architect with a penchant for building mammoth haciendas. The registration office, the bank and an elegant gift shop share the structure with, among others, a large nightclub-dancing pavilion, a high ceilinged main dining room that overlooks the sea and an attractive bar that would be at home at any of Mexico's exclusive resorts. Adjacent to this hub of action, a large free-form swimming pool sits on a terrace that looks over the landscaped grounds and the beach.
An intimate open-air restaurant, which unlike the main facility requires reservations, is nestled amid swaying palms next to a lively air-conditioned disco at the southern tip of the property near the boathouse. The walkway that leads from the pool to this romantic dining spot meanders past 12 tennis courts, four of which are lit for night play. And for the first time in the club's history, members here can play golf free of charge at a nearby 18-hole course designed by Robert Trent Jones. Golf clubs and carts are available for a small charge.
Wedged between fish-rich waters and the Sierra Madre Mountains, the ruggedly beautiful stretch of shore on which the club sits about four miles north of Ixtapa bears a Spanish name that translates into Quiet Beach. Some would find that designation at odds with the casual bustle usually associated with a Club Med locale. But the name fits as the size of the site allows for moments of quiet solitude. Too, the many uncrowded beaches and uninhabited islands around are easy to reach as are some of the area's time-arrested hamlets.
Well-maintained bicycles, which along with sailboats and other sporting equipment are available to members free of charge, offer exerciseminded types the opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside. There's also volleyball, basketball, yoga and calisthenic classes, archery and windsurfing. From November through February, certified divers can pursue their underwater pleasures through a scuba operator outside the village.
As was the case with famous Cancun, government computers picked the site for the development of Ixtapa, a $300 million vacation complex that is Mexico's newest place in the sun. Seven luxurious hotels now stand on a swath of unspoiled shore where six years ago there was nothing but a sleepy coconut plantation. Three other hostelries and a condo are scheduled to open within the next few months.
In marked contrast with Ixtapa's broad streets, large hotels, sophisticated restaurants and other modern accoutrements, the fishing village of Zihuatanejo some five miles to the south ticks at a slower tempo befitting its rank as one of the country's oldest ports. Cobblestone streets, small cafes, little shops and several fine owner-run eateries intrigue visitors with their old-time flavor.
Proximity to these two examples of Mexico's ability to both preserve the best from the past and build for the future, allows Club Med guests to add glimpses of the local culture and lifestyle to their experiences within the village compound. Optional excursions by air or land take in attractions farther away, including Mexico City and Acapulco.
Despite the upscale physical plant, this village adheres to most of the key club precepts followed at all others. Of course, abundant fine meals, unlimited wine at lunch and dinner, most sporting equipment, picnics, boat trips, nightly entertainment and other activities are included in the cost of a stay here. Optional drinks are paid for with plastic beads which, along with boutique purchases and excursions, can be charged and paid for at departure time.
Accommodations for a minumum of seven nights are based on double occupancy, with those arriving alone being matched with another person of the same sex. Rooms can be locked only from the inside. Sitting in the dining room is on a first-come, first-served basis on tables for eight to which couples and singles are assigned while groups of friends usually are seated together.
The 60-odd "GOs" - from the French for "Gentle Organizers" - of various nationalities who run the village with the support of some 300 local men and women partake in most activities right along with the vacationing members.
Other common denominators include the absence of room radios, clocks or telephones, though calls can be placed and received at an office in the village's main building. Minor ailments are looked after by a couple of registered nurses and several doctors are available at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.
Club Med's brew a concept that in essence puts members in a carefree and casual society where most needs and pleasures are prepaid may not be everybody's cup of holiday tea. But indications are that the number of those who want to sample it and those who want more of it keeps growing. It's been only seven years. since Mexican tortillas and club croissants first shared the spotlight with the opening of the Playa Blanca village near Puerto Vallarta.
Popular from the start, it was followed in 1976 by the equally well-patronized facility on Cancun. And their success encouraged the club to build this ritzy compound on Quiet Beach.
Only those with memories of tents and thatched-roof cottages will be disappointed here.
Weekly rates, which vary according to the dates chosen, average from $465 to $725 without transportation. There are packages that include charter flights or scheduled airline service at reduced cost. The charter program from Los Angeles, for instance, runs from $825 to $1,100. Similar plans are available from San Francisco, Denver, Houston and New York. For details contact a travel agent or Club Med Inc., 40 West 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019, or call toll-free (800) 528-3100 during business hours Monday through Friday.
