Club Med Columbus Isle

Folks, at long last my trip report.
Let me know if you have any questions!

Arrival and Departure
I flew from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale on Delta and then changed terminals (not difficult) to Spirit Airlines. The Club Med reps were there and got us checked in very quickly. The good news is that there are no weight limits or extra bag fees from FLL to Columbus with the Club Med deal. The bad news is that you’ve still got to get the bags to FLL, so you may have to pay overweight luggage (with all my scuba gear, I almost did). On arrival at San Sal, the GO team was there and we quickly transferred to the village (10 mins away), had a greeting from the CDV and then we taken to our rooms. All very well managed.

My departure was a bit hairy because I went to the Beacon Bar (near the Sea Centre) for one last drink with friends and then walked over to the airport. I thought I would miss the plane, but things move at a slow pace there and I ended up waiting with everybody else.

Scuba
As I’m a diver, this was of course, the most important issue for me. Fortunately, the Scuba Chief, Jean-Paul and his assistant Fred are excellent, as is the rest of the team: Beth, Miranda, Loudyn, Dae, Stephane, Hannah, Kirby, Chris and the fabulous Yannick from Belgium, who unfortunately left on the 10th. Boat captains Tony, Pedro and Clive were also fantastic. There’s nothing like coming up in a rough current and seeing Tony’s reassuring face – you know he’s going to get you safely back in that boat. (My apologies for anybody I missed.) Although I bring my own gear, I could see that the Club equipment was of good quality and well-maintained and many experienced divers were using it. The big excitement was during my second week, when we had regular sightings of a giant manta ray! These animals are quite rare and to get to see one in action was unforgettable!

My visit was also great fun because I was diving for the first time with the Reef Police. Its organizer Adria and I met on Club Med Planet about 2 years ago and so it was wonderful to finally get together! (Thanks CMP! )

Snorkeling
I didn’t snorkel, but the reports were quite good. It’s managed by Thomas, who is doing his dive courses (he’s a fish in the water) and will make a great future instructor.

Reception
Reception is managed by the fantastic Kate from Montreal and she and her team do a great job. This was a VAST improvement from my previous visits to Columbus, where I was scared to even approach the Reception people because they were so unpleasant. Kate and her team handled all sorts of issues with grace, charm and humor – just super! Re the internet: the Club’s ISP has been giving them trouble for several months, so sometimes it was down for several hours. You should not assume you will have full-time internet access when you go there (and hey, you shouldn’t spend your vacation on the internet anyway). Having said that, one of my issues was not the internet connection itself, but the fact that there are only 3 computers to use. This should not be a problem, but more than once, while I was trying to concentrate on my emails and deal with a crisis at the office, it was almost impossible to focus because there was a crowd of rowdy teenagers using the other 2 computers. Why anybody has to go on Facebook while they’re on vacation with such a lovely beach is beyond me, but yep, they were doing it – ugh!

Rooms
I was in one of the formerly shared bungalows, not the main rooms. It suited my purposes very well because unlike the past, where I shared it with someone, this time it was all mine. I used one room as a sleeping area and the other room as a dressing/dive gear area (and I mean my stuff was spread EVERYWHERE). My housekeeper, the very kind Maureen, took it all in with good humor.

Other Sports
I didn’t sail or windsurf, but the people who did seemed fairly pleased. I'm told there was also pretty good waterskiing and “wake-boarding” (whatever that is!).

Food and Drink
The food at Columbus is far superior to that of Turks, for example. Although I hated the Asian night, other people loved it. And the Tex-Mex night was a big hit. Of course, the mint chocolate chip ice cream brought smiles to everyone. As I was diving, I usually went to the Annex restaurant for lunch (except Wednesdays, when it’s closed). I noted that the selection of salads and “cold things” was much bigger and better at the Annex. So I would recommend it even to those who don’t dive. And the view from the terrace cannot be beaten! But no matter where you eat, look out for the seagulls! They are really good at waiting until you leave your plate on the table to go get one thing – and then they SWOOP and snatch away your stuff! My last morning, this really nasty man watched them steal part of my pancakes. All he had to do was wave his arm and they would have gone away, but no, he wanted to see “the fun”. Agh! Well, one jerk in 2 weeks isn’t so bad.

The Bar team is also quite good: Aby, Luc, Arnie, Allan and Babacar all come immediately to mind, even 3 weeks later. If you meet Babacar, be sure to tell him you heard he’s really Michael Jackson and he didn’t die, just snuck off to CM to avoid the press! Arnie started this joke one day at the bar and Babacar has not been able to live it down!

Massage and Sauna
I didn’t have any massages this trip, but a friend had several and said they were great. She was usually with a woman called Rihanna or Rebecca and really enjoyed it.

Now I know you may be thinking, “What? They have sauna at Columbus Isle?” Of course they do, except it’s called the Theatre and 15 minutes into the show, you’ve sweated off several pounds! I’m told that in mid-July they would be setting up big fans, but they should have done it MUCH earlier.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs
The only real negative about going to CI in the summer is the bugs. I had brought some dramatic bug spray called “DEEP WOOD OFF!!! WITH DEET!!!” and I still got bitten like you cannot imagine. The weird thing was the bug bites really bothered me when I went to bed. Luc, the barman, told me that I was probably getting bitten by “no see ‘ums” during the day and those bites take hours to develop. So I guess the rule is that if you are tasty like me, you have to apply bug spray ALL the time, not just in the evenings.

A really special trip
This was a special trip for two reasons. First, as noted above, I got the chance to meet Adria and dive with the Reef Police. Second, I was able to attend the wedding of Vinny Dudenhoeffer, former GO scuba instructor and a dear friend. It was a lovely wedding – and you’d be amazed how beautifully the little massage hut overlooking the beach can be turned into a wedding chapel!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Trish

Your review revived good memories. I visited the internet room after all the activities and the bars were closed, 2 AM or later; I was able to choose my terminal, I had faster connection. This may not be compatible with a diver's schedule.

Thanks Trish. Your review makes me want even harder to go to Columbus... one day!

But as things look as per today, it will most likely be Albion (for a change) this coming fall!

Trish,
A complete report, as usual. When I was at Columbus, we had some people who were food for the mosquitos, and some weren't. I wasn't, but a lady from France was dessert for them. Umm, maybe it is something about ladies from France. For those of you reading this, DEET is probably the best repellent, but less than 25% DEET is worthless. When I was in the Amazon this Spring, I used 99% DEET, and it worked most of the time.

Our guide there showed us another natural repellent. He stuck his hand into a termite nest and, of course, they covered his hand. He then crushed the termites and spread that over his arms and face. I'm sure that grossed out everybody who's reading this!

Trish, you probably should explain something to the readers who haven't been to CI. You said you walked to the airport for your departure. I know they are thinking, Wow, is she tough! How many miles did she have to walk? Well, I'm sure sure Trish is tough , however, you can almost fall out of bed and be in the airport.

All in all it sounds like you had a good time, except for the theater sauna. Thanks for the great report.

John

Remembering that 2+ hour bus ride to the village at Playa Blanca back in 1988... Yes, the airport at Columbus is MUCH closer!!

Actually, I waited until I saw the Spirit Airlines plane coming in for a landing, then started over from the bar. By the time I got there, they had gotten all the new arrivals and luggage unloaded. So I ended up at the back of the line of people departing.. which was nice because if you're at the front of the line, you go through security and go sit in that hot, outdoor waiting area - without a nice breeze or water!!

So I just hung out and smoked outside and kept drinking my water until the very last minute. Then I breezed through security and went directly onto the plane. I was not the only one who did this, either!!

Trish

p.s. Just reading your post made me start scratching my legs again...

Dive now; work later!

Trish,
Reading your report jogged my memory. One evening at CI I was standing looking at the photos of the day. That evening they were going to have the GM show (remember those! This was in 2003). The photographer asked me if I was going to be in it, and I said no.

He then mentioned that a few months before he was talking to a GM, and asked him the same thing. The GM said no as well. He then asked him if he had any special talents. The GM said, Well, I sing a little. The photographer said, You look familiar, what's your name. The GM answered, Peter Cetera. For those of you who are too young to remember 1970's rock, Peter was the lead singer for the group, Chicago. The group sold millions and millions of records, and I still think their music is stunning. My favorite is Hard to Say I'm Sorry. It's not a simple rock song.

John

But did Peter sing in the GM show? That would have been pretty funny to see!

Trish

Dive now; work later!

Trish writes-

But did Peter sing in the GM show? That would have been pretty funny to see!

No, he didn't but could you imagine the jaws dropping if he were introduced as an amateur GM from Chicago who would like to try to sing a song for you? If you leave me now....

I remember once when I was at a club when a couple was introduced at the GM show and began to sing this incredible operatic aria. Yes, they were professional opera singers. The GO MC kept saying, This isn't a recording! They really are singing! Of course, we all insisted they do an encore.

John

Trish, the pleasure (of diving with you) was all ours!
So happy we finally managed to be there at the same time; hope to see you back again diving with The Reef Police next summer...
More update, for those who've been to Columbus Isle before, the a/c in the main restaurant & the Verve Lounge (main bar) is finally working properly again (last couple of summers it was not). A/C in the rooms works so well (usually) that you can freeze if you don't turn it down at night....not that we're complaining.
Diving as fabulous as always; great scuba team ably run by Jean-Paul Morales, whom old-timers will remember from many Clubs past (and who also did a stint running scuba at Rocking Rock on San Sal). Columbus Isle will be closing end of August until sometime in October, as they've been doing in recent years for maintenance and (mostly) to avoid the hassle of having to evacuate during peak huricane season (as they used to have to do from time to time).
But before the end of the season, there will be a great NYC rock band playing as "Club Med Artists" August 7 - 14: http://www.OttoTheBand.com
(P.S. in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that a long-time GM,& member of the Reef Police, plays rhythm guitar in OTTO!
That's how they managed to get this great gig.)

Adria

Trish

A similar thing happened to me at Martinique. After being with a group of friends I met there, who you only knew by first name, one of the GMs was in the GM show. Her voice sounded a little better than most. The next day she was leaving and we changed names and addresses. A lot different than only emails today. It was Betty Buckley and she was going back to her role in Pippin and was heading off after to do the film Carrie. I have met many celebrities there, but sometimes they look like normal people without costumes and makeup.

Did anyone meet a reception GO named Veronique from Montreal? I dont know if she is still there or not.

Jim

How many gold bar beads?

Jim, not sure if Veronique is still there. Even if she is, though, she'll be leaving (at least temporarily) when the Village closes at the end of August (reopens in late October).
Right now Kate from Montreal is Chief of Planning (Trish mentioned Kate as being responsible for Reception; but actually Kate manages Planning, not Reception.)
You could e-mail directly to Reception to ask about Veronique, though. The e-mail for Reception at Columbus Isle is: [email protected]

Adria