Malaysian Adventure

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

Journey into the wild, where nature is your playground and adventure is around every corner at Club Med Cherating Beach Resort. Mike Clarke and his team are simply the best hosts in the world. ORM was invited to enjoy the experience first-hand…

 

Club Med in is an eco-friendly beach resort perched on the edge of the Malaysian jungle with treetop adventures, and endless wildlife discoveries. It certainly sounds like the perfect retreat for the family so the Ocean Road travel team was quick to visit this must-see destination.

Of course we travelled in style with our friends from Scoot airlines in the comfort of their 787 Dreamliner, which leaves daily from Gold Coast Airport. We took an effortless flight through Singapore and were soon boarding our shuttle out of Kuantan Airport (only a short 30-minute drive from the resort).

We were all very excited as we approached the gates of the stunning manicured surrounds within the resort, looking out over the South China Sea.

Welcome to a new refined and exotic Eden. It sure was living up to expectations already – and of course the Club Med team were all waiting to greet us with open arms, which always makes it that little extra special for the kids.

After a quick briefing on the resort facilities from the staff as we sipped ice lemon tea, each of us soon had our own agenda. There are so many options we didn’t know where to start. Would it be the adults-only Zen pool? The spa? Soccer? Archery? Trapez? Lunch? Beach? Yes, we were all on holidays and overloaded with options! Welcome to the next seven days of heaven… 

All-inclusive food and drinks makes it effortless with a large family!

Actually, the choice was easy for us – the adults-only Zen pool overlooking unforgettable 360-degree ocean views was the obvious choice for both Amber and I.

We took a short train from the resort which runs every half hour through to the secluded beach only mins away. We were greeted by postcard scenery and a Zen pool with bar staff was the ultimate start to our first activity in the resort. Not entirely sure if drinking cocktails is an activity on their list but it certainly was on top of ours for the next few hours!

Leaving the kids to explore the many activities on their own felt very safe with all of the Club Med staff, who are so very friendly, taking the kids under their wings.

Trapeze is always the favourite with our kids and became second-nature to them after mastering it a few years back in Bintan Island – another famous Club Med retreat where they learnt these skills originally.

The restaurants within the resort were amazing. There are so many food options to choose from each night. There would have to have been over 50 different styles of food to choose every night at the Mutiara including traditional Asian dishes and international flavours. Even the gluten free pains like myself were personally catered for which was rather special. Fresh fish, duck, pizza, pasta, salads, and steaks were only a small selection to name a few of the choices available each night. Personalised dishes within the restaurants were amazing with freshly cooked omelettes, pizza and some dishes cooked to order making the dishes just so fresh each and every time served. I felt like we were eating triple our normal share of meals because it was so readily available. And that’s not to mention the soft drinks, beer and many flavours of juices available at the buffet. It’s a real credit to the resort and the food and beverage teams. They really do an amazing job for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, all with a smile for people like us on holidays simply enjoying the hospitality.

The Rembulan – 
exclusive beachside restaurant

We were lucky enough to experience this amazing restaurant a couple of times throughout our stay – for both lunch and dinner. The Rembulan is only a short three-minute train ride away. It’s raw beauty of nature and stunning vistas of the sea and beach on the Pantaï side of the resort. The relaxed atmosphere welcomes you to dine indoors or out on the breezy terrace from late lunch to an à la carte dinner.

Savour delicious Asian dishes, a beach or pool barbecue, and healthful options as part of the all-inclusive Cherating experience.

Activities

 

 

Here at Cherating, you’ll find exceptional sports and group lessons for all skill levels. They encourage you to indulge in the extreme and discover new limits. There are many choices of activities on hand including:

• Badminton           • Basketball

• Beach volleyball  • Rock climbing

• Football                 • Squash

• Volleyball              • Yoga

• Aqua fitness          • Tennis

• Jungle walk           • Kayaking

• Cardio and weights room

There are so many options to choose
 each day! We were kept busy trying to achieve them all within our week-long stay. Next for us was an activity that certainly pushed us all to the limits.

Climbing challenging rocky cliffs on the beach was a game-changer, as we were put through our paces by the very highly trained and skilled GOs within the resort. Climbing near-vertical cliff faces was new to most of us, however, as a family we conquered the challenge as it pushed each of us to new limits both physically and mentally.

Again the resort GOs were amazing keeping us all safe and well.

Treetop challenge

This was another activity that was pushing each of us to new levels, to try and achieve greater results. Any experience level is okay. You’ll find yourself zip-lining through trees, and climbing through the many ropes that are all part of the amazing treetop challenge. It’s perfect for beginners and also those who choose to go as hard as they can and be timed by the staff. This course is guided by trained GOs who will outfit you with the right equipment and always put safety first. There’s no better way to experience the raw beauty of nature than to zipline from top to bottom. We all enjoyed this challenge; however, it seems Marli certainly enjoyed this activity and also did very well at it. Every time we lost Marli we only had to check the treetop challenge to find his location. Again, a must-do activity!