At the entrance of a jungle, Club Med Spa Village is in a beautiful setting
Background French-based Club Méditerranée, which operates 80 resorts under the Club Med brand in 40 countries, opened Club Med Cherating Beach in 1979. Located a four-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur on the east coast of Malaysia, the 80-hectare (193-acre) resort has 297 traditionally-designed wooden bungalows built on stilts and is Club Med’s first and only resort in Malaysia. In 2004, it underwent a major refurbishment, which included the upgrading of its rooms and the building of its spa. With its all-inclusive holiday package, including a children’s club plus sports and activities, the resort attracts mainly couples, families and large corporate groups.
The 3,750sq m (40,365sq ft) Club Med Spa Village, is set at the entrance of a jungle, amid lush green trees and the lulling sound of cicadas. The spa comprises two double spa suites with outdoor showers and baths, one double and three single treatment villas, and two beach cabanas for massages. At the Tranquility Centre, a spa boutique, reception and manicure/pedicure area complete the facilities. Treatments are not part of the resort’s all-inclusive package.
The offer The spa at Club Med Cherating Beach is managed by Mandara and offers around 20 treatments, including massages and facials by Elemis – Mandara’s sister brand – as well as its signature Mandara treatments such as Balinese and hot stone massage. Prices range from MYR140 (US$46, €35, £29) for a one-hour manicure, to MYR815 (US$270, €202, £169) for a two-hour, 20-minute body indulgence package.
Booking Club Med runs a central website, but once you’re on the specific page for your resort it’s not easy to know whether the information refers to Club Med in general or the resort you want. There wasn’t a downloadable spa menu for Cherating Beach nor prices for individual treatments. Nor were there any pictures of the spa online.
Location and access The spa is located right next to the resort’s swimming pool, central to the entire resort, which makes it impossible to miss.
Design Club Med Cherating Beach is set next to the South China Sea with 4km (2.5 miles) of white sandy beaches in the middle of tropical rainforest. The Spa Village is reached via a wooden footbridge flanked by water features, that leads to a traditional Malay Kampong-style teak building that houses the spa reception, shop and mani/pedi rooms. Because it’s surrounded by glass with large open double doors, this area is airy and offset beautifully by the sounds of the jungle – it’s not unusual to see monkeys on the roof.
From the reception, guests are taken through the jungle to the individual spa villas which are also built from teak. Basic and earthy inside, they match the friendly and tranquil tone of the rest of the resort.
Cleanliness The spa, like the resort, is maintained very well and is exceptionally clean.
The staff A quick glance at TripAdvisor will tell you that staff at Club Med are second to none and are one of the reasons people love to go there. While the spa is run as a separate operation, its employees were all equally professional and friendly and spoke excellent English.
The experience Our family chose a Club Med holiday because we wanted to escape the mayhem of living in a polluted city and to enjoy the benefits of an all-inclusive package. The fact that it was family friendly was also a key factor for us and I was delighted the resort offered to look after my three young kids during my treatment. While I was relaxing in the spa, they were treated to a jungle walk, mask making and an ice cream, under the watchful eye of a qualified childminder. For a mum, it doesn’t get any better than that!
Although the spa isn’t a child-free zone, it doesn’t include any kids’ treatments and given the number of families staying at the resort it’s in an ideal position to do this – and on a particularly quiet afternoon my friend was offered a special mother/daughter manicure. While it wouldn’t work in the main spa – most mums I spoke to wanted ‘me time’ – if offered at a set time or in a restricted area, I imagine children or family-focused spa packages could be a big boost to what I thought was a relatively quiet spa for a resort at 75 per cent occupancy.
I suspect one reason why the spa isn’t particularly busy is the lack of marketing. The spa menu on the website is difficult to navigate and there’s no option to pre-book. No emails before our stay included spa collateral and neither was it mentioned in our welcome talk nor cross-sold by members of staff – although I did find a tatty looking menu in our bedroom. That said, booking over the phone or directly at the spa when we arrived was very simple.
The spa menu was quite limited and I was disappointed there were no signature Malaysian treatments. Surely Mandara can come up with a massage using indigenous Malaysian ingredients! In the end, I opted for a two-hour Frangipani Body Glow, which included a salt rub, Balinese massage, wrap and mini facial, for MYR695 (US$231, €173, £144).
At the time of booking, I was with a female friend and we both chose the same treatment. Next morning, we were taken to a couples room, which although wasn’t a problem for either of us, did come as a surprise. In the changing room-cum-bathroom, the pair of us were barely able to squeeze in together and the gap between the wardrobe and the wall was so small it made hanging clothes quite tricky. We were both given a gorgeous sarong to wear (much nicer than a dressing gown) and some ugly disposable underwear (not so nice).
The ambience in the room was perfect for a jungle-inspired spa setting. Not too dark, the windows at the front overlooked the sea and the sounds of the birds and the monkeys were lovely. I always prefer a natural setting for spa treatments than a darkened room with candlelight. Before my treatment commenced, I filled out a questionnaire and noted that my cellulite was a particular concern. Despite this, when my therapist scrubbed me with the ginger and lime salt and body brush, her strokes were very timid and didn’t go towards my heart, which would have had little effect on my circulation (or my thighs!) and even though she did increase her pressure during my massage when I asked her to, it soon dropped off again.
When it came to shower time, I was given the outdoor shower – fantastic – but I felt my friend got the short straw as she had to use the cramped indoor facilities instead. After the treatment was over, we walked back to the reception and at that point, I would have welcomed a cup of tea but nothing was forthcoming.
Summary The spa was really well designed and exclusive without being intimidating. The staff were helpful and happy to make last minute time changes to subsequent bookings.
Although I have no complaints, my only comment is that as an operation, there is so much more Club Med and Mandara could do to attract more guests.
Yet, overall, our aims of leaving stress-free were accomplished, thanks in no small part to the spa and its impressive team.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2013 issue 1
Project update: Floating point
Michel Kreuger, the man behind Amsterdam’s €9m Floating Gardens spa, tells Magali Robathan how the innovative project is shaping up
Everyone's talking about...: Online reviews
Economists have revealed that just half a star difference in online consumer reviews can make or break a business. But are spa operators doing enough to boost their online reputation?
Marketing: Award winning advice
Spa judge Samantha Foster shares her top tips on how to write an award application entry with a winning edge
Interview: Deborah Szekely
The extraordinary Deborah Szekely has spent 73 years in the industry, creating Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door. Her 90th birthday marked the dawn of a new era, with the launch of lobbying organisation Wellness Warrior. She talks to Liz Terry
Research: Recovery begins
Hotel spas in the US are starting to bounce back from the economic downturn. Andrea Foster from PKF Consulting analyses its 2012 Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry report
Trends: Watch this space
The Brazilian middle class, millennials and gamification will have a significant impact on the spa industry moving forwards. Health and wellness experts at global foresights firm The Futures Company tell us why and suggest other trends to keep an eye out for
Promotion: company profile: Thalgo
Spa Business talks to Bernard Sirop, managing director of Thalgo, about the evolution of the company and where it is set to go in the future
Spa science: Entering the telo-age
Jay Williams explains the science behind telomere health – DNA structures linked to cellular ageing – and how it can be used in spas
Top team: Botanique Hotel & Spa
The hottest new spa in Brazil is backed by leading entrepreneurs including The Body Shop’s Gordon Roddick and AOL co-founder David Cole. We find out more
Promotional feature : Concept development
Special experiences are created when spa concepts are expressed through great design. Kate Corney talks to WTS president Gary Henkin and business partner Doug Chambers, principal of Blu Spas, about concept and branding
Product focus: Amenities - part two
Amenities, which are often overlooked by spa suppliers, can bring in 20 per cent of revenue for a product house. Spa Business get the low-down
Research: Fighting fat
A new type of ‘beige fat’ cell has been found to burn energy rather than store excess calories. Scientists say it could be key to tackling obesity
Address: Club Med Cherating Beach, 29 Mile Stone, Kemaman – Kuantan, 26080, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia Times: 10am to 8pm every day Details: +60 9 581 9133 www.clubmed.com
Future plans
Club Méditerranée has just announced plans to open a further five resorts in Asia Pacific under the Club Med brand, as part of its ongoing expansion.
Scheduled to open by 2015, the new resorts will be in China, which already has one Club Med ski resort in Yabuli and a second resort for the Maldives. Sales and marketing manager for Club Med Malaysia, Steven Tan, says the group is also considering other opportunities to open further resorts in south-east Asia.
what’s the score?
Ease of booking:
8
Facilities:
7
Cleanliness/maintenance:
10
Staff:
9
Experience/treatment:
8
Value for money:
8
Overall experience:
8
Right to Reply
Harish KumarSpa director
We do try to attract family members, including children, to our spa and have up to two promotions a week. Most recently, we held a family spa night where adults enjoyed a footbath and massage and kids had a bubble bath and shoulder, hand and foot massage. We limit this to advance bookings after 8pm and restrict it to our suites and villas (rather than the whole spa), but it’s difficult in the rainy season when we cannot use outside areas. Once a week we also have a free fun activity – from a massage lesson to free mini treatment – to raise guest awareness of the spa.
The spa is well placed to offer kids’ treatments in quieter periods – and the manager is looking into this
The resort has high ratings for service and, despite being managed by another firm, so does the spa
Design was perfect for the jungle setting, yet more could be done to promote the spa to guests onsite
Customers are asked to point out any problem areas, but this isn’t always acted on in treatments
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
At the entrance of a jungle, Club Med Spa Village is in a beautiful setting
Background French-based Club Méditerranée, which operates 80 resorts under the Club Med brand in 40 countries, opened Club Med Cherating Beach in 1979. Located a four-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur on the east coast of Malaysia, the 80-hectare (193-acre) resort has 297 traditionally-designed wooden bungalows built on stilts and is Club Med’s first and only resort in Malaysia. In 2004, it underwent a major refurbishment, which included the upgrading of its rooms and the building of its spa. With its all-inclusive holiday package, including a children’s club plus sports and activities, the resort attracts mainly couples, families and large corporate groups.
The 3,750sq m (40,365sq ft) Club Med Spa Village, is set at the entrance of a jungle, amid lush green trees and the lulling sound of cicadas. The spa comprises two double spa suites with outdoor showers and baths, one double and three single treatment villas, and two beach cabanas for massages. At the Tranquility Centre, a spa boutique, reception and manicure/pedicure area complete the facilities. Treatments are not part of the resort’s all-inclusive package.
The offer The spa at Club Med Cherating Beach is managed by Mandara and offers around 20 treatments, including massages and facials by Elemis – Mandara’s sister brand – as well as its signature Mandara treatments such as Balinese and hot stone massage. Prices range from MYR140 (US$46, €35, £29) for a one-hour manicure, to MYR815 (US$270, €202, £169) for a two-hour, 20-minute body indulgence package.
Booking Club Med runs a central website, but once you’re on the specific page for your resort it’s not easy to know whether the information refers to Club Med in general or the resort you want. There wasn’t a downloadable spa menu for Cherating Beach nor prices for individual treatments. Nor were there any pictures of the spa online.
Location and access The spa is located right next to the resort’s swimming pool, central to the entire resort, which makes it impossible to miss.
Design Club Med Cherating Beach is set next to the South China Sea with 4km (2.5 miles) of white sandy beaches in the middle of tropical rainforest. The Spa Village is reached via a wooden footbridge flanked by water features, that leads to a traditional Malay Kampong-style teak building that houses the spa reception, shop and mani/pedi rooms. Because it’s surrounded by glass with large open double doors, this area is airy and offset beautifully by the sounds of the jungle – it’s not unusual to see monkeys on the roof.
From the reception, guests are taken through the jungle to the individual spa villas which are also built from teak. Basic and earthy inside, they match the friendly and tranquil tone of the rest of the resort.
Cleanliness The spa, like the resort, is maintained very well and is exceptionally clean.
The staff A quick glance at TripAdvisor will tell you that staff at Club Med are second to none and are one of the reasons people love to go there. While the spa is run as a separate operation, its employees were all equally professional and friendly and spoke excellent English.
The experience Our family chose a Club Med holiday because we wanted to escape the mayhem of living in a polluted city and to enjoy the benefits of an all-inclusive package. The fact that it was family friendly was also a key factor for us and I was delighted the resort offered to look after my three young kids during my treatment. While I was relaxing in the spa, they were treated to a jungle walk, mask making and an ice cream, under the watchful eye of a qualified childminder. For a mum, it doesn’t get any better than that!
Although the spa isn’t a child-free zone, it doesn’t include any kids’ treatments and given the number of families staying at the resort it’s in an ideal position to do this – and on a particularly quiet afternoon my friend was offered a special mother/daughter manicure. While it wouldn’t work in the main spa – most mums I spoke to wanted ‘me time’ – if offered at a set time or in a restricted area, I imagine children or family-focused spa packages could be a big boost to what I thought was a relatively quiet spa for a resort at 75 per cent occupancy.
I suspect one reason why the spa isn’t particularly busy is the lack of marketing. The spa menu on the website is difficult to navigate and there’s no option to pre-book. No emails before our stay included spa collateral and neither was it mentioned in our welcome talk nor cross-sold by members of staff – although I did find a tatty looking menu in our bedroom. That said, booking over the phone or directly at the spa when we arrived was very simple.
The spa menu was quite limited and I was disappointed there were no signature Malaysian treatments. Surely Mandara can come up with a massage using indigenous Malaysian ingredients! In the end, I opted for a two-hour Frangipani Body Glow, which included a salt rub, Balinese massage, wrap and mini facial, for MYR695 (US$231, €173, £144).
At the time of booking, I was with a female friend and we both chose the same treatment. Next morning, we were taken to a couples room, which although wasn’t a problem for either of us, did come as a surprise. In the changing room-cum-bathroom, the pair of us were barely able to squeeze in together and the gap between the wardrobe and the wall was so small it made hanging clothes quite tricky. We were both given a gorgeous sarong to wear (much nicer than a dressing gown) and some ugly disposable underwear (not so nice).
The ambience in the room was perfect for a jungle-inspired spa setting. Not too dark, the windows at the front overlooked the sea and the sounds of the birds and the monkeys were lovely. I always prefer a natural setting for spa treatments than a darkened room with candlelight. Before my treatment commenced, I filled out a questionnaire and noted that my cellulite was a particular concern. Despite this, when my therapist scrubbed me with the ginger and lime salt and body brush, her strokes were very timid and didn’t go towards my heart, which would have had little effect on my circulation (or my thighs!) and even though she did increase her pressure during my massage when I asked her to, it soon dropped off again.
When it came to shower time, I was given the outdoor shower – fantastic – but I felt my friend got the short straw as she had to use the cramped indoor facilities instead. After the treatment was over, we walked back to the reception and at that point, I would have welcomed a cup of tea but nothing was forthcoming.
Summary The spa was really well designed and exclusive without being intimidating. The staff were helpful and happy to make last minute time changes to subsequent bookings.
Although I have no complaints, my only comment is that as an operation, there is so much more Club Med and Mandara could do to attract more guests.
Yet, overall, our aims of leaving stress-free were accomplished, thanks in no small part to the spa and its impressive team.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2013 issue 1
Project update: Floating point
Michel Kreuger, the man behind Amsterdam’s €9m Floating Gardens spa, tells Magali Robathan how the innovative project is shaping up
Everyone's talking about...: Online reviews
Economists have revealed that just half a star difference in online consumer reviews can make or break a business. But are spa operators doing enough to boost their online reputation?
Marketing: Award winning advice
Spa judge Samantha Foster shares her top tips on how to write an award application entry with a winning edge
Interview: Deborah Szekely
The extraordinary Deborah Szekely has spent 73 years in the industry, creating Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door. Her 90th birthday marked the dawn of a new era, with the launch of lobbying organisation Wellness Warrior. She talks to Liz Terry
Research: Recovery begins
Hotel spas in the US are starting to bounce back from the economic downturn. Andrea Foster from PKF Consulting analyses its 2012 Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry report
Trends: Watch this space
The Brazilian middle class, millennials and gamification will have a significant impact on the spa industry moving forwards. Health and wellness experts at global foresights firm The Futures Company tell us why and suggest other trends to keep an eye out for
Promotion: company profile: Thalgo
Spa Business talks to Bernard Sirop, managing director of Thalgo, about the evolution of the company and where it is set to go in the future
Spa science: Entering the telo-age
Jay Williams explains the science behind telomere health – DNA structures linked to cellular ageing – and how it can be used in spas
Top team: Botanique Hotel & Spa
The hottest new spa in Brazil is backed by leading entrepreneurs including The Body Shop’s Gordon Roddick and AOL co-founder David Cole. We find out more
Promotional feature : Concept development
Special experiences are created when spa concepts are expressed through great design. Kate Corney talks to WTS president Gary Henkin and business partner Doug Chambers, principal of Blu Spas, about concept and branding
Product focus: Amenities - part two
Amenities, which are often overlooked by spa suppliers, can bring in 20 per cent of revenue for a product house. Spa Business get the low-down
Research: Fighting fat
A new type of ‘beige fat’ cell has been found to burn energy rather than store excess calories. Scientists say it could be key to tackling obesity
Address: Club Med Cherating Beach, 29 Mile Stone, Kemaman – Kuantan, 26080, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia Times: 10am to 8pm every day Details: +60 9 581 9133 www.clubmed.com
Future plans
Club Méditerranée has just announced plans to open a further five resorts in Asia Pacific under the Club Med brand, as part of its ongoing expansion.
Scheduled to open by 2015, the new resorts will be in China, which already has one Club Med ski resort in Yabuli and a second resort for the Maldives. Sales and marketing manager for Club Med Malaysia, Steven Tan, says the group is also considering other opportunities to open further resorts in south-east Asia.
what’s the score?
Ease of booking:
8
Facilities:
7
Cleanliness/maintenance:
10
Staff:
9
Experience/treatment:
8
Value for money:
8
Overall experience:
8
Right to Reply
Harish KumarSpa director
We do try to attract family members, including children, to our spa and have up to two promotions a week. Most recently, we held a family spa night where adults enjoyed a footbath and massage and kids had a bubble bath and shoulder, hand and foot massage. We limit this to advance bookings after 8pm and restrict it to our suites and villas (rather than the whole spa), but it’s difficult in the rainy season when we cannot use outside areas. Once a week we also have a free fun activity – from a massage lesson to free mini treatment – to raise guest awareness of the spa.
The spa is well placed to offer kids’ treatments in quieter periods – and the manager is looking into this
The resort has high ratings for service and, despite being managed by another firm, so does the spa
Design was perfect for the jungle setting, yet more could be done to promote the spa to guests onsite
Customers are asked to point out any problem areas, but this isn’t always acted on in treatments
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
