Our family just returned from a week's stay at Club Med Sandpiper. We ran into friends and their extended family at the airport, (not knowing beforehand we were all headed to Sandpiper) and it was the ideal place to have a mini-reunion. While the kids were enjoying the camp, some of us relaxed by the pool, others sailed, water skiied and did trapeze. We had so much fun.

Some of our Favorites:

Sandbar: Normally we drink wine/beer with dinner, but we took advantage of the Sandbar by the pool area and ordered several drinks daily. Beta, Eric & Liz were some of our favorite bartenders, always willing to mix a Bloody Mary from scratch or a bunch of perfectly prepared Mojitos. The frozen Pina Coladas, Daquiris and Mudslides were great too, but I was afraid I wouldn't fit into my clothes after a few days so I switched to the less heavy drinks. Yum.

Trapeze: I am TERRIFIED of heights but shortly after arrival we decided to check out the trapeze. I went for it and cried all the way as I climbed up the ladder, but felt such a sense of freedom and calm on the trapeze I did it several more times during our stay, as did my husband and our daughters, ages 6, 10 & 12. Paulito, Kim, Robin, Spence, Billy & the rest of the trapeze crew each have a different approach, but all were supportive and so helpful. We had the pleasure of interacting with Paulito, Kim & Robin at meals and other areas outside the circus. They all added such a special element to our trip.

Watersports: We sailed and waterskiied for the first time in many years (or ever!). There was always a sailboat available and my husband and I enjoyed some sailing with and without our kids. Waterskiing was so much fun. Silvio and Ryan who ran the boats were so helpful and the GO's on the docks were always pretty gracious, even with the crowds at waterskiing. Special thanks to Katie, Cedric, Nathan and Dusty for being around to answer our questions. The only negative was that we always had to wait for waterskiing but if you were able to get there by 9am you could get out fairly early. At 9:15 though, after we dropped our kids off at camp we ended up having to wait awhile, even with putting our names on the list. I still had a blast.

Food: Normally I am not a huge fan of buffets but we all ate well. Too well! I do not eat meat and I was concerned I would have limited options, but there were always many different kinds of seafood and lots of salads available. My kids mostly ate the child friendly pizza, pasta and fries, but always had fresh fruit and would often try something different. I loved that meals were casual and we could go at any time. It made the vacation so much more relaxed than the cruises we've been on with the kids, and honestly, the food was better. Wine and beer were either on the tables or right nearby, and I was perfectly happy with the options. Also, they have a machine that made really good cappuccinos, espressos and mochas and we drank these several times daily. Normally I think the coffee on vacation stinks but this was like having our own coffee bar.

Kid's club, Sharks, Juniors (Camps): We barely ever saw our older daughter (12) because she was off with the Juniors from 9:30am until evening. They did some hanging out but we also encouraged her to take part in the activities. The GO's in charge of this group were friendly and not overbearing. Our middle daughter (10) was reluctant at first but loved all the activities and had fun meeting new friends and trying new things. Our youngest (6) gave us a hard time every morning but went off (sometimes teary-eyed) and loved archery and the pool. Some of the GO's were especially helpful and made her feel at ease. Thanks to Gary (whom we all adored!), Jason, Jake, Veronica, Ana, etc. my husband and I did get to spend a few hours having fun without the kids each day. Generally, we did eat meals with our younger two and spent time with them each afternoon unless there was an activity they especially wanted to do with their group. For us it was a good compromise. There is also the option to have them eat dinner with their group and have pajama time, but we enjoyed eating dinner together (even if it wasn't relaxing!) and spending some time after dinner together, whether enjoying a show, karaoke, night swimming or dancing in the bar.

In the "doesn't really matter" category:
The large rooms (we had adjoining rooms) were slightly dated, but the bed was comfortable (we had the hugest king size bed ever). The big walk-in closet/dressing area was great, though it was humid and slightly damp. Our girls' room had two double beds, a twin size daybed and still plenty of space. We literally left the room by 8:30am and returned only to shower before dinner, then crashed for the night and did it all over. We were in bldg. A and had no great view, but it was so convenient to the pool, bar and the restaurant (and many activities) it was a great choice for us.
The lack of a large beach or a spectacular view didn't bother us in the last bit. We rented a car (as opposed to just taking the transfers) to go to the real beach but never even looked into it because we had plenty to do right there. The grounds are not gorgeous like some Caribbean/Mexican/tropical locales, but we felt totally comfortable and appreciated the fact that we were in the US. It just made travel simpler with children. (And we've been to Mexico/the Caribbean with them several times.)

What could be improved:
Improved communication regarding meal times, various activities available and more (better) printed materials would be helpful. The activity/sports/circus schedules do not change from day to day and it would be better if it rotated throughout the week so, for instance, the kids didn't get rained out from tubing each afternoon. Also, more activity options during rain/thunder/lightning would be helpful. In early summer it seems to rain every afternoon and it would be great if more activities were planned for the ballroom as opposed to the kids staying in their small camp group rooms. Maybe an afternoon movie, or karaoke? I noticed a small game room on our last day and had no idea it even existed. It would have been helpful if all this was on a concise printed brochure. The map given at check-in was a bad photocopy and barely legible.

Overall though, we loved it and felt the price was fair for the amount of activities we were able to participate in and the quality of the food and beverages. We will probably try to visit Sandpiper for a family vacation in the future and may try other Villages too. It was our family's favorite vacation ever, for the combination of fun, relaxation and ease of travel.

We visited Club Med Ixtapa in April and found it to be amazing so we wanted to try another location in the Club Med family. We decided to try Sandpiper in June because we love Florida. We had read the reviews here and knew ahead of time that the accommodations would not be as nice as Ixtapa's. Also, the price was so much cheaper that we knew we needed to lower our expectations.

In general, nothing about this location could compare to Ixtapa, yet we still had a really good time. The food and dining hall were good, the GOs were okay but tired and less enthusiastic, the entertainment was sub-par, the rooms were large but dated, the bar was messy but drinks were alright, and the front desk was less professional. This sounds very negative, but it's all just a comparison to their other property which sets a very high standard.

And I must say, we will visit this property again once it goes through a major renovation. Parents cannot go wrong with a week of super fun child care, readily available drinks, no cooking and no cleaning. The Club Med concept is phenomenal and we are total groupies now! We can't wait to try the Cancun and Dominican Republic locations.

We were looking for a last-minute vacation package within driving distance to take our 4 kids, ages 9,7,4 and 21 months. I had stayed in one other club med about 12 years ago (pre-marriage, pre-children) and had a great experience but it was geared to adults so I was not sure how the whole family thing was going to go. Having read great reviews on Trip Advisor I decided to take a gamble and booked 3 nights through 1-800-CLUB MED. I got a great package, that included the baby care for the 21 month old and "Pajama Party" every night so we took a chance and booked it. Let me say, we were not disappointed at all!

I had read that the property was older, so I was expecting very rustic surroundings. I think having such low expectations helped because I was really pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is showing its age and yes it does need the $40 million renovation it is planning to undergo in the next year but overall I thought it was quite nice. The rooms were huge--we had a 2 bedroom suite which in reality was 2 adjoining rooms but there was plenty of room for all 6 of us. The closet was big enough that we put the crib in there for the baby. The floors are Spanish tile, the bathrooms are small but have marble counters and the linens and furniture was all very fresh and new looking. The only negative for the room was the water in the shower never really got hot.

The main selling point for me came down to 2 things--the food and the kids club--both of which were excellent. The food was wonderful. My husband could not get enough of the baguettes and croissants in the morning. Lunch and dinner had a lot of variety (different ethnic cuisine) but enough basics to satisfy the picky eaters in the bunch. We were very, very pleased with the food.

The kids club was just outstanding. I loved that my 21 month old had a cool place to play out of the sun. The room was clean and the toys were in great shape. They also had a covered area with "riding toys". He went every day and was greeted by the friendly G.O.'s who called him by name after the first day. He actually liked to go. They had a little schedule of planned activities that included a daily "themed" walk in a buggy that holds 6 babies. It was so cute to see them cruising around the property. He had lunch in the "baby dining room" and took his nap there as well. This was huge for me. Usually on vacation we are trying to manage activites for the other kids around the baby's schedule. This just made it so easy for us and he honestly enjoyed it.

My 4 yr old and 7 year old enjoyed the "mini club med"--they were more in and out of the club based on the activities. They really liked the circus time so they never missed that.

The 9 year old had a ball. He is always looking for more to do and they lived up to his expectations completely. He loved the skate park and the sailing.

The G.O's were friendly, helpful and very talented (we loved the "Award show" they put on one night). I can not think of one negative thing to say about them. I give special credit to the Circus staff. All of us, except the baby, climbed the ladder and swung from the flying trapeze. How cool is that?!

Overall this was a great experience. We are looking forward to our next trip already--and next time we'll go for a week.

Our family of 4 spent a week at Club Med and did not want to leave. We had a fantastic time. The kids enjoyed themselves in Kids Club. My daughter was in Sharks- Gary was great with her! My son was in Kids Club- all the GO's were fun and helpful. Our favorite activities- Circus School (what a thrill!) with an amazing fun, patient staff, sailing, waterskiing, skateboard park (the guy who runs that is a total slacker). We also enjoyed the evening performances, and the kids loved participating in both shows. The Circus was our favorite.

The food was absolutely spectacular and you can not go hungry. If you are so inclined, you can have a beverage of your choice in hand literally all day. It is an impressive feat to prepare and feed all these people effectively around the clock.

The GO's are have the ability to work hard in the heat and still have fun. They put in long days and have great energy.

The place is definitely in need of a renovation. The rooms are enormous however. It takes a good day to get a lay of the land and figure out how to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities. That could probably be done a little better. Maybe the resort could send out schedules once the trip is booked.

I hope to go back again soon!