SAN SALVADOR, BAHAMAS – One visit to Club Med’s “Columbus Isle” and you would think that heaven was really on earth. The all-inclusive 284-room resort, with its lush green landscape, unwinding pristine beach and tastefully decorated rooms, is simply breathtaking!
Once arriving at the San Salvador International airport, the tour bus immediately whisks you away to the resort and it is here, where total pampering and relaxation begins, not to mention excessive eating, drinking, snorkeling, dancing, sports, kayaking, tennis, windsurfing, and did I mention eating? Yes, the finest French cuisine and pastries in the world can be sampled at Club Med Columbus Isle.
This year, Club Med “Columbus Isle” celebrated its 10th anniversary with its reopening on Saturday December 7. The resort came alive as employees, as they normally do, catered to each whim of their guests, ensuring that they were comfortable and at ease from the time that they checked into the resort with a hand-clapping welcome, up until they were escorted to their rooms.
Upon entering the rooms or villas in the “village,” it was then hard to decipher if one should remain in the cozy atmosphere indoors, or venture outside to experience every amenity there was to offer, including a refreshing swim in the transparent waters of the beach.
As all rooms were booked to capacity with guests from Paris and the United States over the weekend, the stunning opening night on Saturday at the resort was one that serviced guests as well as local residents of the community. The most intriguing event was the re-enactment of Christopher Columbus’ arrival on the island, near the poolside, where he welcomed the guests to Columbus Isle and continuously poured wine over a tower of glasses for all to sample . There was also live cultural entertainment from the various employees of Club Med throughout the world; but to top off the excitement of opening night, was almost an hour of spectacular and colourful fireworks that ignited the cloudless sky of San Salvador. It was then off to either relax or dance the night away with D.J. Zon Zon at the resort’s nightclub.
Club Med, Columbus Isle is known for its world-class scuba diving programmes and innovative sports and leisure activities. A special logo was created for Club Med Columbus Isle when it was built in 1992. It incorporated the sun, the moon and the stars, the three essential elements believed to have brought Christopher Columbus to San Salvador in 1492, making it his first stop in the New World.
The beautiful surroundings at Columbus Isle, incorporate a variety of eclectic styles and elements. Attention to detail is evident everywhere. Fragile, handmade, light fixtures designed by a young Frenchman, made by the Xingu tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. Others have framed gold-leaf pages taken from Burmese Bibles. A replica of an antique Chinese chest carved in Peru from old wood is in every room.
Scattered throughout the village are intricately hand-carved antique windows and arches collected from various sites in India.
Individual villas with bright white gingerbread trim are painted in vibrant hues of blue, yellow, red and green, mirroring the colours of the sea, the sky and the tropical flowers found in the gardens. All of the accommodations reflect the same blue-green palette of the sea.
Environmentally sensitive, the gardens use tap, while solar heat is used for warming.
Philippe Bourguignon has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Club Med since April 1997. Since joining the company it was said that he has endeavoured to give a new dimension to the resort, in connection with a recovery plan based on brand remodeling, refocusing of supply and a return to competitiveness.
Under his leadership, Club Med is also said to have increased its international activities and established itself as the foremost French tourism group, a world leader and the inventor of “all-inclusive” vacation packages.
In early 2001, Mr. Bourguignon launched a broad-based programme, aimed at transforming Club Med by leaning on its three strategic assets, its members (the GMs), the employees (the GOs) and its brand name. The objective was a large-scale expansion of leisure activities, relaxation and sports, not only during the traditional vacation season, but also all-year round.
Club Med is known as the expert in all-inclusive vacations, with more than 100 villages in exotic locations in more than 40 countries worldwide, spanning the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
