Club Med was a stylish European resort located on some of the most beautiful landscape on Paradise Island. And because it was our first real experience with an all-inclusive resort, there was an immediate controversy over the fact that Bahamians in general could not easily wander through the grounds ogling the tourists and using their facilities at will, as they could in most other hotels. This exclusionism, combined with Club Med’s reputation as a somewhat racy haven for sexually liberated adults, generated much notoriety for the resort in its early years.
To create the village, Club Med combined several charming old Bahamian estates, together with a refuge for millionaires known as the Porcupine Club, which became the main dining room ﾖ a setting for nightly feasts of international cuisine.
But the passage of time, and the changing dynamics of the tourism industry, have had their effect. Today’s savvy travellers want large suites with all modern conveniences thrown in ﾖ including high-speed internet access. It would cost tens of millions of dollars to upgrade Club Med’s 306 tiny rooms to meet these demands, we are told.
On top of that is the sobering reality that vacationers can enjoy the same Club Med experience, with virtually the same tourist product, at many other locations around the world ﾖ including nearby destinations like the Turks & Caicos Islands, Martinique or the Dominican Republic. The high cost of doing business in the Bahamas means that Club Med can earn more from its hotels in other countries.
So by next August, this charming resort and its lush landscaping will become a barracks for hundreds of construction workers building the phase three expansion of Atlantis. Presumably, the old estates will disappear forever (there are reports that an animal theme park is planned for the site), and the Kerzner empire will become the largest business entity the Bahamas has ever known ﾖ surpassing even the Grand Bahama Port Authority in size and influence.
We are assured, however, that the San Salvador Club Med ﾖ which opened in 1992 for the Columbus Quincentennial ﾖ will remain a key vacation destination. It is a well-designed and well-built 282-room resort that respects the natural and historic environment which makes San Salvador the most important island in the Bahamian archipelago.
Editorial, The Nassau Guardian
