That literally happened, I kid you not! It hasn’t been a good year so far for me; work-wise, life-wise, and wedding-wise. rif and I couldn’t afford to go for the holidays we wanted, as our finances were tied down to our wedding expenses. So when I received an invitation to an all-inclusive vacation at Club Med Cherating, I almost did cartwheels. Perfect timing, as I had some leave days to clear at work.

Day 1 was pretty relaxed. We reached the resort at 1.30pm, and Laurent (the Village Chief/Head) together with a team of G.Os welcomed us. After a short briefing, we were taken to our rooms to freshen up for lunch.

*Room rates are as followed (per adult). Note that this is all-inclusive package, which takes care of every detail — accommodation, bar drinks and snacking, a good selection of cuisines from all over the world, children’s facilities and outdoor adventures.

Club Med also helps guests arrange for flights to Kuantan, if required. Of course, airfares will be added onto the all-inclusive package.

Since it was a late lunch, we ate at Rembulan Restaurant down by the beach. Food was alright; this isn’t a place to stuff your face (you do that at Mutiara Restaurant) but I did enjoy the free-flow of wine.

The train takes guests back to the main area every 30 minutes — eg: 9.15am, 9.45am, 10.15am and 10.45am. For train rides from the main area to Rembulan Restaurant/Cherating Beach, it’s the same 30 minutes interval — eg: 9am, 9.30am, 10am and 10.30am. If you miss the train, you can opt to wait for 30 minutes, or walk to the beach/restaurant. The walk takes only 10-15 minutes, depending on how fast you walk. There’s plenty of things to see along the way, and I’ll mention them all in the next blog post.

The hotel tour wasn’t until 5pm, so I chilled by the pool with a glass of Monkey Juice. This was one of my favourite cocktails throughout my stay. Our tour around the resort took about an hour; because the place was huge and also because Eiling and I stopped to take plenty of pictures.

If you opt for the suite, you get a welcome bottle of champagne, a fruit basket and a patio area. For my deluxe room, I had a fridge filled with soft drinks and juices. Also, they gave me two cups of maggi noodles and some peanuts, which was not necessary as there was more than enough to eat!

 

 

 

 

 

 
Each night, there is a special theme and the resort will be decorated accordingly. The theme on our first night was “Pirates”. I know what I wore wasn’t exactly pirate-y, but that’s the only stripe dress I own. Dinner was at Mutiara Restaurant, and the food selection was mind-boggling. It’s impossible to try every single thing, and the menu changes every day.

I’m amazed at the dedication of Club Med’s G.Os. They took the trouble to plan and choreograph plays and dances to keep us entertained throughout the night. After the “pirate show” and lion dance, we all took a dip in the pool and ‘parked’ our cocktails by the poolside.

That night, I slept well. Actually, I slept well on all nights. My bed was super comfy and the pillow was fluffy. Do stay tuned for Day 2 at Club Med Cherating — tree top challenge rope course, jungle trekking, archery, more food (lobster, giant prawns, crabs and rib-eye steaks) and unlimited booze!