Our departure day dawned cold, and damp, and early.
We had mostly packed up yesterday so it’s thankfully just a matter of stuffing away the last of our toiletries, charging cables, and other odds and sundries. This is a driving destination for us, so no need to weigh bags – and indeed, we opt to just carry down our laundry bags rather than packing those inside our duffles. Easy peasy.
But first, breakfast:
Then an extended walk in the rain to get to the outdoor parking. It’s $25 a night extra to park indoors, which is just not worth it in my opinion – particularly not in summer, even when it’s this rainy.
I pull around to the front of the resort just as my wife was on her way with the rest of our luggage. Another round of load ‘mastering’:
Messier than our outbound effort, but I can still see out the rear window
Club Med Charlevoix has electric vehicle chargers, though we decided not to bother this time. They charge a whopping $3 to $4 per hour for a level 2 charger, and I seem to recall only getting roughly 3 kw per hour. Even for a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) that means that we could spend upward of $25 to save the equivalent of $12 worth of gas. (For comparison, the same amount of electricity at home only costs $1.80.)
One hiccup on the way out – it turns out that we only had CAD$160 in resort credit, and not the CAD$320 that we thought we had. (Apparently when the Boutique GO told us we still had plenty of credit left, we actually only had roughly $1.30 remaining.) And when we later asked the Front Desk about the remaining credit, they told us the total credit and not the remaining amount.
But – we got a ridiculously good deal on this stay by rebooking during a sale, knocking off $4,500 or close to 50% of the original price. So we are not going to make a fuss. (Plus, I don’t think my wife would have gone for the facial is she hadn’t thought she still had credit – and she ended up quite enjoying it.)
With the bill paid and the car loaded, we’re on the wet, wet road:
Despite the terrible forecast, the weather was surprisingly decent for most of this trip. (I am currently writing this final post from beneath the oppressive feels-like-45-celsius Heat Dome, so cool-but-rainy sounds like a vast improvement at this stage.)
Traffic is slow and heavy due to the wonderful combination of accidents, construction and rain but we manage to reach the same above-average Subway in Cornwall, and make the return trip in roughly the same work-day worth of driving that it took on the way up.
Thus ends our 7 day sojurn at the Club Med Charlevoix.
And what did we think of it, looking back?
A Tale of Two Resorts
Club Med Charlevoix is a markedly different resort when it is quiet compared to when it’s busy. Quiet Med is calm, and peaceful, and the children are well-behaved – but there are often fewer services on offer, such as Passworld (Teens’ Club) or mountain biking. Busy Med is vibrant but chaotic, and parents seem to default to a view that the kids will be fine on their own. (They will not, as the many toddlers who took a tumble down the central staircase or over the backs of couches can attest.)
There are a few days in between – Saturday to Tuesday, in our case – when the resort offered the best of both worlds. I’m glad we got to experience this, but it made the transition to Busy Med even more jarring. September would likely offer a similar mid-busy vibe – and the benefit of the Autumn colours – but it’s challenging for families to get out there when school is only just underway.
Ultimately there are no easy answers here – you simply have to choose between Quiet Med and Busy Med, and accept the tradeoffs that go along with either option.
Easy Is as Easy Does It
Compared to many of our holidays, Club Med is an easy trip. There are no flights, no intricate transfers, no elaborate packing lists, or anything of the sort. We simply drove out, enjoy ourselves, and drove back.
Despite this, the adventure offerings are solid. While we went hiking, canyoning and mountain biking, there’s also whale watching, horseback riding, bear encounters, horseback riding, stand up paddle boarding, golfing, buggy rides and more – all of which can be booked at the excursions desk. Easy.
However…
The Extras Add Up
One of my biggest pet peeves about luxury travel is when the provider attempts to squeeze as much money as possible from the traveller. Now, sometimes it’s justified – an upscale meal or a premium beverage in a particularly lovely setting, for example.
It’s much harder to justify that mark-up when you’re dealing with laundry or excursions. Unless my soiled garments are being washed in natural spring waters by wood nymphs, there is no reason why laundry should cost $8 per sock. Similarly, the same excursion should cost a similar amount regardless of whether it’s offered by Celebrity or Silversea. (Having booked excursions for our upcoming trip via Celebrity until we switched to a similar Silversea itinerary we can confidently say that Silversea is often charging 50 to 100% more for an identical excursion, down to the same company.)
Unfortunately, Club Med has chosen to essentially double the cost of all outside excursions – which is why we booked canyoning on our own, instead of going through them. There are similar high prices for specialty dining and spa treatments. I understand that people are more inclined to splurge while on holiday, but there’s a fine line between shrewd and exploitive.
A Renewed Emphasis on Wellness
Fortunately, there’s no real need to book these usurous add-ons when there are so many in-house activities included. My wife was particularly impressed by the yoga and meditation line-up. In any given day you might go to a Deep Stretch Class, Beginner Yoga, Pulse Pilates, Meditation, and much more. We never had any issues filling the days.
But Not Without its Kinks
That said, one of the ways we filled the days was lining up ad nauseum for the mountain biking classes. While we were always able to get a lesson, one should not need to wait 40 minutes in line. They are still working on their mountain biking program – and have a strong emphasis on safety – so hopefully this particular wrinkle is soon addressed. (It’s worth noting that it was not an issue during Quiet Med, only at Busy Med.)
Another pinch point is the very limited summer season, which ends sharply on the Canadian Thanksgiving Monday. Unfortunately, our kids’ holidays extend further into that week – so we would gladly head to Club Med for a Thanksgiving break, except that Club Med will be closed. Frustrating.
And the final verdict?
We would absolutely return to Club Med Charlevoix in the summer, but it’s becoming increasingly tough to find a suitable window. The kids are getting older, and summer has become one of the few uninterrupted stretches of potential travel time. This is further complicated by the various sleep-away camps and other summer activities that they have taken on.
Also – while Club Med offers a fun and easy holiday – it has to compete with the likes of Svalbard, Borneo and Machu Picchu. Genuinely tough decisions, but it’s hard to turn down the more adventurous options while we have the chance to visit them. Canadian Thanksgiving offers us one potential window – but Club Med closes just a little bit too early to make that work.
For the time being, we have not booked any more Club Med summer trips – but if we do have some extra vacation time, or if we were looking for a less-expensive / travel-intensive option then this would be top of the list.
But for those families who have enjoyed reading through this trip report and are looking for a comfortable, all-inclusive resort from which to embark on some adventurous hiking, canyoning and mountain biking or relaxing yoga, meditation, and steam room sessions, Club Med Charlevoix remains a solid choice – and excellent value, particularly if booked during one of Club Med’s many sales.
Thank you very much for joining us on our latest adventure. We will be departing for Scotland, Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland on July 16th 2026!