I Took My 5yo To Club Med Phuket… And Ended Up Getting Ditched

👇 Stay tuned till the end of this article for a giveaway to win a 4D3N stay at Club Med Phuket! (Psst, the answer to one of the questions can be found in this article.)👇

It wasn’t very promising when we walked out of Phuket International Airport to sheets of non-stop rain, on our way to Club Med Phuket.

“Oh,” said R, my five-year old. I thought she might get grumpy, given that her goal in life is to swim every day. But then she shrugged it off. “I guess we will have to find other things to do, mummy.”

I agreed, impressed that she was being the rational one, and we settled into our one-hour drive to the resort. 

This is the second time I’ve brought R on a solo trip. The first time, we headed to Bali for four days before the rest of the family joined us. During this time, R developed a strong appreciation for buggy rides and villas – which I realise could be a problem (even I only developed high-SES preferences in my 30s).

Not my usual holiday

I had never been to a Club Med before, and wasn’t very familiar with its all-inclusive concept. But what had caught my attention was all the activities they provided for kids (included in the price, no less). It was only after speaking to other parents did I learn more about the culture – one where everyone was entertained from morning to night, with sports and free-flow alcohol for the adults, and non-stop activities and shows for the kids.

I tried to prepare ahead of my Club Med Phuket trip. I downloaded the app and studied the schedule, trying to see if there was anything R would be super keen to try. At just five, she hadn’t really taken to being dropped off at kids’ clubs yet but I thought the long list of activities might entice her. 

And if not, we would have “mummy-and-R time”. With my youngest child in the throes of “threenager-hood”, and what has generally been a jam-packed year, it has been hard for me and my firstborn to spend quality time together.

Between class drop-offs and pickups, building school projects, and attending birthday parties, sometimes it felt like we were just rushing from one thing to another. I had some great memories from our last trip together, from swimming in empty pools to trying new foods. 

Some things are just easier as a duo versus a family of four. At five, R is definitely more independent than her younger sister, willing to carry her own bag and can be trusted to not bolt for no reason.

A room with our very own water park

We arrived in Phuket on a very rainy Sunday afternoon and took the transfer to Club Med Phuket. We stayed at their new Family Oasis, where rooms have been designed and kitted out with families in mind.

Our room, which featured a super comfortable king-sized bed and two long couches that could be turned into single beds, would have easily slept a family of four.

The best part of all? Our ground-floor room gave us direct access to the resort’s new Splash Park, an enticing water park for kids (and some adults) featuring two water slides, a (gentle) splash bucket and lots of other “obstacles”.

The park is great for imaginative play. During our stay, R spent two hours playing by herself while I sipped a coffee from the next-door cafe (all included in the price, of course).

Thankfully, the sun was bright and shining on Monday. We decided to find out more about the kids’ activities.

The stars of Club Med

Club Med Phuket’s G.Os (G.O stands for Gentil Organisateur, French for “gentle organiser”) – staff who are tasked to make sure everyone has a great time – were very attentive.

I love the way they speak directly to the children and include them in conversations. R, who can be shy around strangers, warmed up to them pretty much right away, and joined them for a morning at the outdoor trampoline. The G.Os graciously assured me that I could drop by and spy or pick her up whenever I wanted to. 

After that, we spent the day at the pool, stopping only for lunch and dinner. The main pool, a focal point for activities, is smartly divided into a shallow and covered area for little ones, and a deeper one for everyone else.

While there, we watched activities such as water aerobics and even a foam party take place. At one point, the staff even released a bunch of big flamingo floats into the pool. Club Med sure knows how to dazzle.

Since R loves swimming, she enjoyed this pool as much as the Splash Park. The only issue: it was a buggy away from our room and is not as easy (or fast) to access.

My 5yo had no issues adjusting. I had.

Unfortunately, Tuesday – our day three at Club Med Phuket – was rainy again. But that did little to stop the fun. It was an opportunity for R to spend more time in the kids’ club. So we filled her backpack with a hat, sunscreen and swimsuit, and she joined the other kids in the Mini Club (for kids aged four to 10) while I hit the gym.

Afterwards, I checked in on her at the kids club, where they were just coming out from a quick swim – she promptly told me to “come back later”. I should have booked more activities for myself!

When I checked in again at lunch, R was sitting with two other girls at a table, all of them looking like mini-ladies who lunch. It was adorable and even a little heartwarming. There I was, thinking we would be largely glued together during the trip!

That’s when I realised that while I continue to be the most important person to her (and hope to be for a bit longer!), R is learning that she can have fun without me, and that being on her own (in a safe environment, of course) can be liberating and enjoyable.

She has an innate confidence about making friends (which I completely lack), and it was nice to watch her do so outside of our usual environment.

I was so proud of my baby for growing up, even if I was a little bit sad that it was already happening. After all, she is only five!

Late nights every night – and it turned out fine

That said, we spent a fair amount of time together. While I used to be paranoid about bedtime and how sleeping too late might ruin her mood (or even her sleep), I figured that at five years old, R could do some late nights – which ended up turning into all late nights – during our trip.

It was hard to say no when the shows put on by the G.Os were so entertaining. 

On our last night, we stayed up extra late to watch the acrobatic performance as well as take part in the “neon party” where I inadvertently introduced R to her first (and last) clubbing experience. While the party seemed ready to go late into the night, R decided it was time to go back to our room to sleep. It had been a long day.

Before our flight, we went for one more short play at Splash Park. I knew R would miss this the most because it was so accessible – not just in terms of the proximity to our room – but also how age-appropriate the slides and water play zones were for her.

Even on our way out, we managed to squeeze in one last activity as the friendly G.O let her try a little rock climbing, after which it was time to board our transfer and head back to the airport. We certainly maxed out our stay!

Farewell thoughts

I thought we were going on this trip to bond and have some “mummy-and-R” time, but what I found instead was that a little independence could do so much more. While I stood around and regretted not signing up for that yoga class, R was learning to thrive with other kids of different nationalities and ages.

Watching her grow in such a way was something I didn’t think I would get to do on this trip. Note to self: the next time we go to Club Med, I will be better prepared – to plan some activities for myself.