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Club Med Itaparica (Brazil)
by dfjordan
I had always imagined this location of Club Med to be exotic and it was. Bahia is very different from other parts of the country; itīs food, people, music are so very different as was this Club. The accomodation is adequate without being luxurious, in 2 storey buildings over the lagoon. The atmoshpere is typically tropical, laid back, ... but at the same time, within the Club at least, everything works efficiently. As with Rio das Pedras, the vast majority of the GOīs are Brazilian residents which I think makes for better attitudes than say the English speaking Clubs within close proximity to the USA that seem to hire mainly recently graduated youngsters, who are out for 6 months fun rather than trying to do a good job.
The facilities are excellent, and for those with small children, the reef a few hundred meters out, keeps the water at beach level very calm and shallow. It may not look too clean, but it is; itīs just the type of sand/mud that makes it a little unclear at times. The grounds are beautiful, with space for everyone, and hammocks strung out for those who want their siesta under a palm tree. The food like normal in Brazil is excellent. Fruits that arenīt found elsewhere in the world, and the unusual but (I think) tasty Bahian cooking thatīs offered each night as an alternative can be really recommended, along with the ever popular giant shrimps etc.
I would recommend this Club to most people, but there is one drawback which has to come from such a loevly location, and thatīs the transfer time from airport to the Club- itīs around 3 hours! Itīs not that itīs such a long way away, itīs that it takes about an hour from the airport to the port, from which you need to take a one hour ferry ride ( not exactly clean and comfortable, but it works), then another half hour bus ride the other side, plus the waiting around for the next ferry. Club Med has the whole transport thing well organised, but it seems to take forever to get there especially after a l
omg flight.
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Club Med Rio Das Pedras (Brazil)
by dfjordan
I went with my wife and 12 yr old son for Xmas 2001. As far as Club Meds go, the accomodation was better than average; and there was TV for a change, but we think we know why-the weather is very very unpredictable!! Talking with the GOīs there, it seems that during most months of the year there is a lot of rain, and as the temperatures ... are not always high, this can make it cold and miserable, as it was for 4 out of the 7 days we were there. We had decided to pack up and go home if we woke up to yet another rainy day after 4 days of basically non stop drizzle. The sun came out so we stayed, and the rest of the week was not so bad, but it wasnīt good either.
On the good side, the food and variety served was just exquisite. There is no way anyone could find fault in the food offered. Apart from the variety of fruit that is standard in Brazil, the lobsters, giant shrimps, smoked salmon etc were wonderful.
The GOīs as always in Brazil were very pleasant, and were not the ususal 6 month stint people ; they were residents of Brazil who did the job on a permanent basis, and did it because they liked it.
As is becoming mnore common in the Clubs, there just werenīt enough facilities available to avoid those terrible long waiting periods which drives nayone mad. For children from say 11-15 years, there really is nothing suitable to keep them occupied, and the beach albeit long curved white sand, is really too steep combined with the generally rough sea to make swimming from the beach an alternative.
The general opinion that seems to be given by people after their stay at this Club is that whilst itīs not the fault of the staff or of Club Med as an organisation, they wont go back, just because of the unpredictable climate. I suggest Itaparica instead.
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Hotels in Argentina in general
by richardford
Living in a hotel in Argentina carries high status, it proves something. For this reason it can be cheaper to rent a house for a month than it would be to live in a hotel for a week. Nevertheless you will be directed to hotels by well meaning people who assume that this is the last word in glamour. We see a similar attitude towards ... satilite dishes which are viewed as styleish status symbols rather than the naff but usefull things they are here.
The most important thing to consider (in the heat) is the air conditioning. Sometimes this can appear to break down but in reality the reception has turned it off.
An amusing touch in this Roman Catholic country, if your surnames do not match then you may be given seperate beds unless you ask for a double bed. This seems to be more a case of charming innocence than moral self rightiousness.
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