Club Med Sandpiper Bay
Tucked away behind a golf community in beautiful Port St. Lucie, Florida, you will find America’s only true all-inclusive resort.
Often, when one thinks of all-inclusive resorts, your mind will wander to the Caribbean or Mexico. You wouldn’t be wrong… The majority of this style of resort can indeed be found there though that is not where the original all-inclusive idea was born.
In 1950, Club Med opened their first resort in a tiny fishing village in Spain. The original design was for select European families to have a place to go on holiday and enjoy time with friends and family. This was the beginning of the all-inclusive vacation idea. Fast forward to today… Club Med now boasts over 70 resorts across 26 countries world wide. But let’s bring in our focus to their one and only American resort, Club Med Sandpiper Bay.
Sandpiper Bay is tucked behind a Florida retirement neighborhood in Port St Lucie, Florida. You’ll find the resort at the end of a community road slightly off the beaten path. While not a beach front property, it does boast plenty of water front shoreline along an intracoastal waterway. This allows the resort to offer several water activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, and sailing.
Despite it’s US location, Sandpiper Bay draws many Europeans and Americans of European descent. Since Club Med started in Europe, it is still a household name there. The mixture of languages and cultures is part of what makes the Club Med experience so unique. Many GOs (Gentils Organisateurs/Gracious Organizers) that live and work full-time at the property speak more than one language - usually French and English.
From the welcome to the departure, Club Med’s staff always has a smile and kind word to offer. Through out your stay, you will notice GOs walking around the property and encouraging guests to participate in upcoming activities throughout the day. You can stay on top of the latest happenings, nightly themes and plan your activities accordingly with the My Club Med app.
The resort is best known for their sports academies. Young tennis and golf hopefuls spend hours living, learning and practicing their craft at Sandpiper Bay to be one of the next Serena Williams or Tiger Woods. You and your travel companions can experience a taste of the talent teaching these youth by attending one of the group lessons offered each day throughout the week (except for Sundays). Again refer to the app for times, locations and experience levels.
If you feel the need to run away from your worries and join the circus, they can get you suited up and prepared to take on the trapeze. That’s right! You heard me correctly. Sandpiper Bay, along with many other Club Med resorts, offer trapeze lessons. These lessons are for circus wannabes as young as 4 years old and up. Club Med’s circus team trains many hours to offer this experience to their guests and a bit of entertainment in the evenings after dinner.
The resort offers four pools - a large pool open to everyone of all ages at resort center, a lap pool located just behind the Slice Bar, an adults only Zen pool along the water front, and, of course, for the little ones, a splash pad style pool tucked away in the Mini Club area.
What’s my favorite part about visiting Club Med? Glad you asked. The gourmet buffet! This is not your ordinary buffet - the village chef is French. Club Med has high standards for their food and I promise you it does not disappoint. From customized omelets and fresh fruit smoothies at breakfast to beef wellington with honey glazed fried brussels for dinner, the menu is ever changing; filled with foods to satisfy your taste buds. They mean it when they say ‘gourmet’.
During off hours when the main dining, The Marketplace, is closed, you can enjoy snack style foods (burgers, fries, pizza, etc) at the Soliel terrace.
Looking for a romantic dinner to take your special someone out? The Riverside Restaurant is open select evenings throughout the week. Seating is by reservation only so be sure to drop by or call reception the morning before you wish to dine there.
Activities, relaxation, good food and more await you and your family at Club Med Sandpiper Bay. Come see the brand that not only created but perfected the all-inclusive vacation.
**On a scale of 1 to 5 Tridents (or stars), Club Med ranks this resort at a 3. Not luxury but suited to fit all your vacation needs and a little bit more. I share this because I believe clear expectations can create an enjoyable getaway.**
