Military Travel Mama

Finding the perfect family vacation destination for Spring Break led me to discovering what I would consider one of the best kept secrets when it comes to military travel discounts. Here were my requirements for our trip: I didn’t want to spend too much time traveling to our destination but I wanted to go someplace warm and, because it was also my husband’s R&R from Afghanistan, I didn’t want the vacation to be filled with waiting in lines and organized activities that would wear us all out. Although we have three kids, I still wanted to be able to lounge on the beach and enjoy a few frozen drinks. And I wanted all of that without spending too much money. I didn’t think I would find everything I wanted for our vacation but when I discovered the new Club Med Sandpiper Bay property north of West Palm Beach in Florida, I realized I had found everything I was look for…and more!

Club Med Sandpiper Bay is an all-inclusive family based resort located within an hour of the Palm Beach International Airport. And when they say “all-inclusive” they mean it. Envision tennis, golf, (healthy!) food, entertainment, planned activities, sailing lessons, and (for those families looking for some couple time) childcare that can be compared to summer camp. After finding an awesome rate on flights from JFK to PBI with JetBlue (my absolutely favorite airline for traveling with kids!), I started looking for the best pricing I could get for the actual resort.

Enter Twin Fish Interline Travel. Twin Fish is the travel agency you will want to contact if you are an active duty military family or retiree who wants to stay at Club Med Sandpiper Bay. After giving our information to Judy, our agent, and talking about what we were looking for, she put us on her contact list for when the military rates were released by Club Med. The day they came out, Judy gave us a call and we booked our room. The rates were awesome and (the best part for this family of 5) was that we would have 2 separate bedrooms that connected. Seriously, it must have been about 500 square feet. Plus we had an awesome view of the waterfront. Although this property is in the middle of remodeling and the rooms we had were unrenovated, it was exactly what our family needed…the cleaning staff was awesome, working around my daughter’s nap schedule, and we felt as if we had the entire building to ourselves since we didn’t hear any noise during the night. And Twin Fish travel was a delight to work with…they are very experienced working with the military customer. Diane Fish, CEO of Twin Fish, recommends registering on their web site for their Preferred Customer Program (free) to stay up to date with their current offers, along with contacting them directly if you are interested in booking your Club Med vacation.

Well, the list of pluses is quite long. Although it is not along the ocean, it is located along St. Lucie river. The resort has constructed a beach along the main property where kids can dig in the sand and enjoy playing on the waterfront. In this area, there are Hobie Cat sailboats that you can get instruction on and take out on the river. My husband and our two boys loved their sailing time! There are four pools at Sandpiper Bay. The largest pool is not heated but it is a gradually entry pool that you can manage with young children. There is also a lap pool and wading pool that are heated, and a small pool with children’s equipment for those under the age of five. Our kids also loved playing in the playground.  We all enjoyed the mini-tennis courts and played a few games on the nearby basketball courts.

Since this was my husband’s R&R, we did not take advantage of the Mini-Club as much as we might have if we were traveling after him being home. But if your kids do decide to join in the fun, there is LOTS to do! Sports lessons, circus trapeze, art classes, pool time, and play!  For those over the age of 4, it is all included. Under the age of 4 does require fees that are not included in the package. Mini Club is much like summer camp but kids can be signed in and out as parents wish. If you want, they can go from morning to evening, and dine with the staff. Or, as my kids did, just go to activities they want to participate in. The kids stage evening entertainment including a big singing and talent competition to show their parents during the week.  The club is also a great place for older kids including teenagers. There is the freedom to explore, places to hang-out and sports to participate in throughout their stay.

Club Med also has planned activities families can participate in during the day. My middle guy and I ran a three-legged race!  He got his face painted. We all went to family movie night and watched a recent cartoon on the big screen while they popped popcorn and provided drinks. They also had a theme each night including a Fifties night with motorcycles for everyone to look at outside of the restaurant. And the staff … well, we always enjoyed their great theme costumes right before dinner and upbeat personalities that greeted us around the resort.

But the food is certainly what impressed us the most… While there are only 2 restaurants, you won’t get bored with the selection. There is a great selection of foods in The Market Place where families can dine or couples can sit in a kid-free environment. Or you can sit down for a served meal at Soleil. What we liked the most was the fresh and healthy selection of foods which left us feeling content but not twenty pounds heavier after leaving at the end of the week.

Our family stayed for 6 days at the resort and could have stayed for another week.  Between the good weather, great food and very friendly staff, the experience was exceptional. While the resort is still being renovated and there are a few kinks to work out, I would go back in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, we were already thinking of our next trip back as we drove to the airport. And the military rate…well, that made the experience even sweeter.