Destinations

Club Med Ixtapa, on the southwest coast of Mexico - 60 miles north of Acapulco - is the perfect relaxed-busy resort for families, couples or friends to enjoy.

Club Med has matured from its original incarnation as a pop-bead drinks-as-you-go resort to an all-inclusive holiday destination.  It features a variety of excellent room types ranging from the more moderate large double rooms to family suites accommodating up to 4 persons and has very fine spacious beachfront suites with living room, separate bedroom, expansive bathroom with freestanding tub and double walk-in shower, large balcony overlooking a spectacular long beach.  The suites are concierge level service with complimentary laundry services, room service if wished, and a full-time concierge who can arrange tours in the area, make reservations at the two speciality restaurants on property (book by 1200 Noon the day prior) or arrange a private car and driver for a day trip.

The Club has both a Baby Club and a Kids Club for those families coming to the resort who wish some time for the kids to enjoy staffed activities while the parents and/or grandparents have some time separately.  The resort is spread out along one of the best beaches in the area with watersport activities such as sea kayaking, snorkeling, and catamaran sailing.  The Club also has many wide-ranging activities — circus school with trapeeze training, rock wall climbing, archery, tennis, snooker-billiards, fussball machines, soccer practice, in-line skating, mini-golf, and many exercise classes - yoga, stretch & tone, abbs class, and more.   All of these activities are included in the price of the stay as are all meals, snacks, drinks -alcoholic and non-alcoholic.  In the evening the Club presents a variety of entertainments and shows put on by the G.O. staff who are, during the day, the helpful folks who assist in your daytme activities.

Club Med is dedicated to your enjoyment — all the staff at the resort are willing, able and happy to let you enjoy all they have to offer.   Meal quality is excellent with a wide variety of choices at all meals.  There is one main restaurant which is self-serve buffet style but has table service for drinks, wines or other beverages.  During our stay the local Mexican staff could have not been more attentive and gracious.  By breakfast time on day 2, they already knew I liked caffe latté and it appeared at my table before I had returned with my plate of fresh fruit and a glass of juice.  The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but there is a poolside and beachside restaurant to go to during the day for luncheon.  Two reservations-only speciality restaurants are available at dinnertime in addition to the main dining room.This resort is wonderful for a quick holiday of a few days or for a full week’s respite.  Here you do not have to think about what you want to do — it is on property with helpful staff to offer suggestions and a daily “menu of activities” is delivered to your room.   You could be busy all day if you wished but the pleasure of this resort is that you can ‘mix and match’ in whatever way you wish.

Club Med does the airport arrival and departure transfers for you.  These arrangements are smooth and easy .  On arrival at the Club you get a special bracelet which lets the staff know you are a Club Member wherever you are on the resort.    Before departure, you get a departure kit with information on the check out process, an 1100am check out time and luggage storage, but if the resort is not full, they are flexible and let you stay in room a bit longer.

The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa is a wonderful hotel for families and young couples, with a very cool multi-level pool area and enough restaurants to please everyone.

We had a very nice dinner in their Tidepools restaurant which is in a very unique setting. It’s an open air thatched hut with waterfalls and koi-filled lagoons, which create a quiet and romantic atmosphere. There were so many wonderful fish dishes offered, I had a difficult time choosing! We enjoyed the Stevenson Library each evening, sitting in their living room like seating arrangements and enjoying fresh sushi and sashimi made to order.

The service at the Grand Hyatt Kauai was very good, from the check in, to the wait staff, to the valet people. The pool service was almost non-existent, however, since this area covers so much ground, I can see why they can not service everyone. The rooms were recently renovated and looked very fresh. There was a bit of a motel feel in the bathrooms due to the rubber shower mat and plastic shower curtain, but overall, I would recommend this resort for families and for people not spoiled by properties like the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton. For older people or those who have difficulty walking, you should request a room in the main building as the walking path is uneven and can be wet walking from one building to the other.

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