Club Med, Here We Come!

E was moderately manageable on the flight from KL to Singapore. Club Med provided us with a representative who picked us up at the airport and transported us to the Ferry Terminal. We had some 2.5 hours to kill before a boat was scheduled to take us to Bintan Island in Indonesia. Our sleep-deprived "monster" was truly difficult!

Thankfully, once on the boat, he became engrossed in Barney’s adventures yet again



and Eric and I were able to peacefully enjoy the Singaporean propaganda-like television ad “Count on me Singapore...” many times over.

After we disembarked,



we were met with yet another Immigration/Customs/Security pain-in-the-neck routine. My $2.00 toys for E wrapped and taped generated a bit of suspicion and excitement. I was asked to unwrap a couple of them and I think the officers were quite disappointed to find a box of small blocks and a play dough set. I thought they were going to take samples of play dough to ensure it was not an illegal substance. E’s patience with all that bureaucracy ended at that point too. He’d smack or kick or drive his stroller and/or Trunkie into some of the people crowding in the baggage claim area. Eric and I were exhausted! I wanted to scream!

One thing I noticed during our brief visit in Asia is that people do not queue there! Such a culture shock, especially after our stay in NZ.

We finally boarded the bus to our resort. We got there in time to have dinner (great buffet, by the way!) and put E to sleep. When falling asleep myself I was hoping that our next 7 days would be exactly what I had imagined before we left home: Kids’ Club for E and pure relaxation and pampering for Eric and myself.

Club Med resort was very attractive. Our room was comfortable





and our male-maid worked hard to make us feel spoiled.



Too bad this was the not-so-romantic reality:



The resort was tastefully decorated, nicely manicured, and clean.



















The beach was lovely too! Fine white sand combed daily...

















The entertainment (especially Cirque-de-Solei-like performance) was of a very high standard.















And the food was varied and catered to many different taste buds.

The staff (G.Os and G.Es) were extremely welcoming and always ready to help. We found the Circus Team particularly friendly.

The Kid’s Club program as well as daily activity schedule were entertaining and stimulating - again catering to many different preferences. Here is E on his first day of "new school."





And this is Sally, one of E's favorite G.Os.



Playing in the pool was E’s favourite activity – such a difference from his attitude towards water last year in Fiji!











Unfortunately, three days after we arrived (two visits to the doctor and IDR660,000.00 later) E received an antibiotic for what seemed like an infection and we were advised to refrain from swimming for a few days. With the heat and humidity being quite oppressive (and after consulting the Internet regarding cough-related Old Wife Tales), we managed to stay away from water for half a day only. E was fearless in the pool (his swimming “wings” on or not, he’d jump and dive like there was a threat they were about to pump the water out of the pool!).











As a family we also played petanque.









With E at the Petit Club twice a day for 2-3 hours (face painting, beach and pool time, fish feeding, singing and dancing, etc), Eric and I spent a lot of time reading our exciting novels while enjoying the full bar;







kayaking (a pic of Eric after kayaking... spur of the moment thing - we were not quite prepared);



snorkelling;







yoga, and fitness classes; lessons in archery;





and trapeze. I did it only once and apparently (I seriously cannot remember anything) screamed bloody murder (and some profanities) all through the act.





Eric was brave (foolhardy) and persistent enough in his daily practice that he ended up performing a "knee-hang catch"!























E was inspired by his father's courage and insisted he wanted to do the trapeze too!













On one of the afternoons we took a trip to the Elephant Park where we rode on and interacted with a few Sumatran elephants. E loved the experience (and so did we).





















Time flew by quickly. Seven nights after our arrival in Indonesia, we were packing up again and headed for a couple days to Singapore. This was our first Club Med experience and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. If all you want is some decent R&R and you have a kid from whom you need a little break – Club Med is the way to go. I do miss the kind of vacation Eric and I had before E was born, for the next few year though, I think we’ll stick to Club-Med-like vacation options.