Club Med Martinique: A True Caribbean Gem

A new Caribbean destination for many Canadians. But a familiar place to stay.

Club Med opened Buccaneer’s Creek on the wonderful island of Martinique way back in 1969; their first village in the Americas. They’ve just finished renovating their superior rooms, and will have all rooms fully redone by the end of 2024.

It’s always been a top vacation resort for those in the know, and also remains the only all-inclusive property in Martinique. But the only direct flights to Martinique in the past have been from Montreal.

Most Canadians prefer direct flights, and that has kept the island, and its Club Med property, almost hidden away for a large portion of Canada.

Aline Charlec Sinor, Room Division Manager for Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek, said Canadians make up 10-20% of their business in winter. Right now there are daily flights five days a week from YUL to FDF on Air Canada, and three times a week on Air Transat.

Air Canada on 16DEC will launch non-stop flights from YYZ to FDF, with a flight every Saturday until Mar. 31, 2024. That means would-be visitors can leave Toronto in the morning and be on the beach that afternoon, with no changing planes at YUL.

AGENTS INFO

Club Med officials said you can’t find their properties on Air Canada Vacations, but Club Med works closely with Air Canada, and you can book your Air Canada flights with Club Med, including transfers.

A spokesperson said agents can book at clubmed.ca or with the Club Med call centre.

Advisors can earn commissions on Club Med property. The rates are worked out annually with B2B partners.

Club Med also has an e-learning program with product info and webinars. They also offer FAMs to agents at various properties.

Club Med agent site: https://travelagents.clubmed.ca/

CLUB MED CUISINE: TRES BIEN

The main restaurant at Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek is Pays de Meles. It’s a buffet, but there are many cooking stations where they make your food on the spot. So it’s kind of a super-buffet, if you like.

The menu changes every day, and I found a tremendous variety over our four-day stay. Breakfast each day featured a ton of choices, including rotating smoothies and salads, fine, flaky croissants, crusty French bread, sliced meat and cheese, eggs (scrambled or cooked to order), bacon, French sausages, yogurt, tropical fruit crepes, chocolate or raisin bread, cereal, and much more. A jam and jelly lover like me found a lot to like; strawberry, guava, passion fruit, sorrel jelly, lime jam, coconut spread, and more.

There’s an indoor dining area with air-conditioning, but we ate all our meals outside with a view of the ocean. At the beachfront room in the morning we often saw small, dark crabs scuttling about on the black lava rocks, and at sunset the views were magical.

Lunch and dinner items were quite inventive; fresh, sliced ahi tuna, pork and fish Colombo (a not-too-spicy curry sauce that’s a specialty of the island), rotating salads, wok-seared duck on vegetables, pizza, shell-on shrimp, beef short rib, yellow banana gratin, bbq chicken with local spices, scalloped potatoes, daily veggies, and so much more. I rarely saw the same thing twice in one week.

Desserts were consistently excellent; pineapple cakes, panna cotta, chocolate tarts, flan, apricot cake and more. Kudos to the pastry chef.

L.O. is the resort’s gourmet restaurant and bar, where you order off a menu. Reservations are strongly suggested for dinner. We had a set appetizer menu with cod fritters, chicken wraps, a fish mousse and more, as well a few items to choose from for dinner,, including a very good and filling chicken breast sliced with a creamy curry sauce and pineapple, and fresh fish with a beef reduction on the side. There was a nice chocolate bit for dessert, as well as luscious roasted pineapple with tasty coconut ice cream. Wonderful. It’s a nice space by the water, with the twinkling lights of the town of Le Marin in the distance.

The Madou is a nice bar that’s just steps from the ocean and pool. It’s decorated in coral red and forest green and has covered and shady areas with comfy chairs and couches for lounging before or after dinner.

Drinks are part of the all-inclusive experience. Specialty drinks or rare local rhums can cost $15 or more, but the wines they served at no extra charge were quite good, and there were a number of free cocktails, including a fine “Que Pina” with local rum, pineapple and lime. I was told the only whiskies on hand are Lawson’s blended Scotch and Jack Daniels.; no bourbon or Canadian whisky.

There’s no room service, but they often have snacks (croissants, etc…) between breakfast and lunch, and late afternoon snacks are usually available at The Madou bar (charcuterie, cheese, olives, small sandwiches). Adults should be fine, but I’d bring a some extra snacks or grab an extra sandwich at lunch if I was staying with hungry teenagers.

ACTIVITIES

There are far too many activities to keep track of at Buccaneer’s Creek, and almost everything is included. That goes for waterskiing, paddleboard usage, windsurfing and snorkel gear. They also have free snorkel excursions, free introductory scuba lessons and free tennis lessons. The tennis courts are being replaced with padel, a popular racquet sport in Europe.

There’s also yoga and stretching in the morning, free salsa and dance lessons, beach volleyball, and more. Guests do have to pay to rent a personal watercraft/jet ski.

There’s an on-site company that offers everything from catamaran rides to fishing trips and half-day and full-day tours. We had a tremendous full day tour with Marius Edward of Top Tours Antilles, which included a visit to one of the Caribbean’s top gardens, a waterfall (not on all tours), a fine, local lunch, a rum distillery and a visit to the historic town of Saint-Pierre.

A visitor from Montreal said he was at Buccaneer’s Creek with his mother and having a great time.

“I don’t usually go to all-inclusives, but my Mum likes them. I really like that so many things are included here, and that they have great excursions. I did a nice catamaran ride, and I had a great island tour.”

One of the highlights for me was the Rum Road event one night. It started with a colourful band playing in the covered but open to the elements theatre area. The band then marched out towards the beach, with guests following along and singing and dancing. As we got to the beach, there were four rum-tasting booths set up with small samples. We danced and walked along the sand sipping our mini-cups. There was dancing on the beach after the rum.

Another night there was a DJ on the beach, and another time it was a musician with a guitar playing local tunes, French music and English pop-folk standards. There’s usually live music before lunch and before dinner, I was told.

On our last night, we had dinner at the gourmet L.O. restaurant. When we walked back through the lobby, a group of performers were in what looked like 18th century costumes but dancing to modern, French hip hop. Waiters were serving up glasses of Champagne.

THE SETTING

Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek is laid out in a thin strip that runs along a narrow but nice sandy beach between Le Marin, the largest port in the southern Caribbean, and the cute village of Saint-Anne. It's all low-rise, so you can enjoy the sun and sky. Because it’s spread out, you probably can find yourself a quiet spot almost any time of day.

There are three main sections. The northern section, called Creole Village, is where you’ll find L.O. restaurant, the water sports station, and the beach parties. It’s probably best for younger clients or customers.

In the middle is the harbour, which includes rooms in a cool, round tower right on the beach. Those rooms are closest to the lobby, pool, bar and main restaurant, as well as the fitness centre and spa (more later on those).

The south section, Plantation Village, doesn’t have live entertainment so it’s quieter. There’s a large lawn for kids or adults to play on, towering palm trees and another nice stretch of beach. The yoga pavilion also is here.

Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek is 45 minutes or so from FDF airport.

AMENITIES

Buccaneer’s Creek offers a full spa, with Payot bath products from France.

50-minute massages are a reasonable $109 USD. I had a lovely, relaxing massage with mint-scented oil and just the right amount of pressure.

There’s a well-equipped fitness centre but you have to be 18 to use it.

There’s one swimming pool, but it’s a large one (open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and offers fine views of the Caribbean and great sunsets. There’s a lifeguard, but children need to have adult supervision.

On Monday they have a nice artisans market with local vendors selling jewelry, sweet-smelling spices and more.

The on-site boutique sells toiletries and clothing, including popular Club Med “45” gear.

Club Med created shirts with the number 45 on them for its 45th anniversary in 1995, and they were a big hit. They tried a “50” shirt five years later but people complained and wanted to keep the “45” clothing line. The shirts are now worn proudly with the name of the property where they were purchased, and people wear them to show where they’ve been in the Club Med world. “They’re a real conversation starter,” one resort official said.

Note: the boutique sells bug spray, but no “after-bug” itch relief cremes. I’d suggest bringing both.

Other amenities include an on-site photographer who can take special photos, a Europcar automobile rental outlet. There’s also an on-site wine cellar where you can buy high-wines, and also take a fun, educational tasting of Martinique’s famous rhum agricole.

Group bookings are popular, and Charlec Sinor said the Buccaneer’s Creek has meeting space for up to 80 or even 100 people.

THE ROOMS

I was told the resort has 16 types or rooms in all. That includes deluxe (which are being renovated now), superior, interconnecting rooms, and suites. Sizes range from 23 to 42 square meters (248 to 452 square feet). Superior rooms run almost 350 square feet and are painted in vivid yellow. My Superior room (818 or the record) had a striped sofa bed and a wooden chair, as well as tile floors and lots of new outlets and charging station spots.

The room had a good-sized desk (nice for people who have work to do), a big-screen TV. The bathroom had a double sink and a very nice shower that was much easier to use than the complicated gizmos many hotels seem to favour these days

The room had a ton of storage space and a mini-fridge and kettle. There was instant coffee (not bad) but no coffee maker. There is, however, 24-hour coffee machines at the bar and near the restaurant.

I also had a small, covered patio with two chairs and a small table. The patio looked out over a grassy area dotted with palm trees and tropical lowering bushes, with a nice view of the ocean. I would’ve loved a screen door for fresh open air at night, but no such luck.

Charlec Sinor said the resort will have 293 rooms open for booking this winter. They plan to add 52 more in a Zen quadrant that will be built next year as an adults-only area with its own swimming pool.

Some rooms are just steps from the water. None are likely more than a minute or two walk from the beach.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Rooms are pretty much sold out in January, Open Jaw was told.

Charlec Sinor said Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek can and sometimes does do weddings, but it’s not a big part of the resort.

Children are welcome, but there’s no kids club at Buccaneer’s Creek, and they don’t cater to children. I noticed a couple of families with infants, and some with kids in their teens or younger. But not a lot. Charlec Sinor said the Club Med in nearby Guadeloupe is better set up for kids.

You have to join Club Med to stay the night. The yearly fee is $60 CAD for adults and $30 for children.

Bring electronic adapters. My superior room had one North American-style outlet, but most were French outlets with two round prongs.

MARTINIQUE TOURISM SIDEBAR

The top dog at Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek says he’s excited about the Toronto flights coming next month.

“We already have a lot of visitors coming from Canada thanks to the direct flights from Montreal, and we are now looking forward to welcoming more Ontarians thanks to the upcoming direct flight from Toronto,” said Chief of Village Mor Zimbris. “One of the Club Med values is based on multiculturality, which is something we value within our teams and our clients, so we are more than happy to get the opportunity to welcome clients from new areas of the world.”

I asked Zimbris why travel advisors should steer clients to Martinique.

“It is one of the only French islands in the Caribbean and still kind of a hidden gem for North Americans. It has its own culture, food and history, along with a French Heritage. Martiniquais are proud of their island, welcoming and eager to share about their island.

It also has something for everyone, whether you prefer relaxing holidays by the beautiful beaches or active holidays while hiking on Mount Pelée, for example, which, by the way, is the newest UNESCO World Heritage site," Zimbris said.

“It’s a historic moment,” Martinique Tourism Authority CEO Bruno Brival said at a gathering of agents and media in Toronto on 07NOV. “This new route opens doors to new opportunities.”

Brival told Open Jaw that roughly 16,000 Canadians visited the island last year, making Canada the island’s largest international market. He wants to boost that number by 25% over the next few years, hopefully with more flights from Canada’s biggest city.

This was your correspondent’s first visit to a Club Med property. I was struck by the number of guests proudly wearing their “45” shirts, which indicates a strong loyalty.

“Apart from being the pioneer of the all-inclusive back in the 1950s, what sets Club Med apart is its GO’s (Gentle Organizer) and GE’s(Gentle Employees), our Club Med staff). Their goal is to ensure that each of our GM’s (Gentle Members, or clients) will have a unique experience by creating special moments with them while making their stay as easy as possible. We like to call it the Club Med Spirit,” Zimbris said.

“From land sports and relaxation activities to watersports, we have included activities for everyone. Plus, something not to be forgotten is the French heritage of the company, which is particularly noticeable in the quality of our food offering.”