Operators Offering Childcare

Specialist Reports Just For Families With Specialist Childcare Operators Offering Childcare Club Med 

	Club Med
Kennedy House, 115 Hammersmith Road, London W14 0QH			MAP
tel: (0845) 367 67 67

The original holiday village concept with currently more than 100 villages of which 44 operate children's clubs in the summer and 51 in winter. Twenty-one welcome children (19 in summer) but have no special facilities. At Club Meds outside Europe English is generally the primary language. Within Europe, although the company reports that there are English speakers in all villages, French is the main language. Some properties are large. The family mountain Village at Serre-Chevalier for example has 350 rooms and the Baby Club Med takes up to 70 children between 4 and 5 years alone.

Where

There are Club Med properties in more than 36 countries including France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Croatia, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey as well as in the Americas and the Caribbean, including Brazil and Mexico plus Sandpiper in Florida; and Asia Indian Ocean and Pacific including Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Style

Accommodation ranges in standard from the original hut style with communal washing facilities, through ‘60s multi-storeys, to more elegant properties. 2-Trident Villages offer basic bungalow or hotel accommodation, all rooms equipped with a shower room/wc. 3-Trident Villages focus on sports and tuition for all levels, along with comfortable accommodation. 4-Trident Villages offer more comfort, and d?cor reflecting the host country.
Generally there is a wide range of sports with qualified instruction available six days a week for beginners upwards. These include golf, tennis and water sports including scuba diving. Straw huts, two, three and four trident Villages offer a sports team offering tuition and sometimes specialist courses events like Rock 'n' Roll, Oriental, and Latin American dance, music, magic and drama workshops (at extra cost). 51 summer and 55 winter villages offer spa/health and beauty centres. All villages offer entertainment including an evening cabaret, musical style show or theme evening.

Care Offered

Babies from newborn are welcome except in mountain villages where there is a lower limit of four months.
Baby Club Med is for 4-23 months, offered in six villages and open six days a week 9am to 5.30pm. The programme is specifically low key and gentle to cater for the rhythm of babies and toddlers. The day divides into gentle wake up games, meal times, rest periods and lots of cuddles.
Petit Club Med is for 2-3 years in 28 villages six days a week 9am 5.30pm and 7.30 to 9.30pm. At some villages parents are invited to join their children one afternoon a week for a sand castle building competition. Following breakfast with the family, Petit Club Med children are offered gentle wake up and group activities, walks and outdoor games. After a balanced lunch, which parents are welcome to join, children enjoy 'quiet time' before outdoor and creative activities. At Club Med Pompadour in France, for example, there is a small farm where children can meet the animals. Elsewhere they can tire themselves out at the Happy Gym, designed to aid mobility and coordination. At 5.30pm children are collected by their parents for dinner before returning to Petit Club Med where they finish their day with a low-key evening programme such as story telling and songs.
Mini Club Med for 4-10 years is offered in 51 villages 9am to 5.30pm and from 7pm to 9pm. Depending on age and Village, the activities vary around different themes: creative workshops, sport and open-air games, shows and events. In addition, the children choose which activities they wish to participate in (depending on age) including baby judo (from 4 years), circus school (from 4 years), roller blading (from 6 years), BMX (from 8 years) and climbing (from 6 years).
Juniors' Club Med is for 11-13 years, throughout the season and from 14 to 17 years during French school holidays in 51 Villages. Designed to offer more independence, activities depend on age but include pony club, horse riding, introduction to football and rugby, wall climbing, flying trapeze, catamaran, bivouac, parties and theme nights.


Note that ‘Parents are strongly advised to procure a ‘certificate of health' for their child prior to departure. This can simply be a letter issued by your GP stating that your child is in good health and should be issued no more than 48 hours before arrival at a village.' This is compulsory for villages in France.

Cost of Care

Baby Club Med and Petit Club Med are charged at £128 per week per child. Clubs for older children are included in the price of the holiday.

Other Features for Families

Cots are provided and high chairs in the restaurant. Nappies and some toiletries are sold in Club Med boutiques.
At villages with a Baby Club Med and Petit Club Med a number of pushchairs are available for use against a deposit.
At villages with a Baby Club Med or Petit Club Med the baby restaurant is open from 6.30pm for the use of families. Equipment like plastic bibs, cups etc is provided, along with children's food such as vegetables and fish - no chicken nuggets, and the staff will blend any of the foods for babies. At some Baby Club Villages (Serre-Chevalier, Flaine, Vittel le Parc, Ibiza...) there are food mixers, sterilisers, microwaves, fridge, bottle warming facilities and products like mineral water, fruit, milk (no powdered milk) for use 24 hours a day.Where there are no Baby Club Med facilities, during operating hours, parents can ask the restaurant staff to warm baby food.
In the mountains walks are arranged suitable for families with children from eight years except Tignes and Meribel from 12 years.
Babysitting is not offered.
Villages with a Mini Club Med will stage a children's show at the end of each week for the children to perform in.

Sample Price

In August a week at the three trident Metaponto in Italy would be from £634 per adult, £431 for 4-11 years, £363 for 2-3 years, and £99 for an infant under one year. This includes flights, transfers, board, accommodation and most activities but for example bar drinks, excursions, green fees for golf, horse riding, massage, and laundry charged extra.

Reader Reports

Nathalie Reiss visited the three trident Don Miguel in Andalucia and felt that though the building itself was uninspiring, there are plenty of attractions for parents, and the facilities for children were ideal. They could be left from 9.30am to 5.30pm. At 6pm there is a meal with equipment like plastic bibs, cups etc, good children's food with vegetables and fish - no chicken nuggets - and they will blend any of the foods for babies.

She felt the child facilities in the mini club were good with pleasant carers. There is also a baby watch service, going in to your room to check the baby every 10 minutes or you can employ a private sitter. A paediatrician is on site daily for any health queries.

However she reported that only around half the carers speak English and that not always very well. She is French so this is not a problem for her but she noticed it was not so good for non-French speaking parents or children.

Sarah Layton does not recommend the Don Miguel in March/April as the water in both indoor and outdoor pools is cold. She also feels that the French language can be a problem. There is supposed to be English service at some tables for the evening meal but this did not occur when they were there. Their three-year-old was not willing to be left with non-English speaking carers but friends reported that they insisted that an English speaker be provided and this was done. She reports that the accommodation is basic but OK.

ItalyA phoning subscriber offered grave doubts about childcare in Italian Club Meds where she felt a lot of parents were indifferent to the requirements of their children. It was a parental holiday and if the children didn't like it they would just have to get on with it.
She was particularly concerned that parents were not allowed into the creche and when after 40 minutes she finally did get in she found her 8-month-old asleep but red-eyed from crying.