Club Med 2: five-trident enjoyment!
Since 2004, Henri Giscard d’Estaing has embarked on a complete reversal in company orientations, taking the strategic decision to upgrade all of his village resorts. Club Med 2 that has been crossing the seas since 1992 was also included in this ambitious program. Recently, within a mere six months and three weeks of dry dock, it too has undergone a complete relifting. The challenge was tremendous : to create a contemporary atmosphere, without altering sea codes and losing an ounce of charm. Mission accomplished thanks to Sophie Jacqmin, the scenographic designer, that instilled a second life into this « five-masted shooner » as Commander Benoît Donne likes to call it, with a Carita Spa, VIP service and additional suites. Today, the Club Med 2 offers hospitality in a friendly and chic fashion, without being too flashy.
A small, 187-meter long gem
187 metres in length, 2500 m² of sails, a low water draw to moor as closely as possible to the shores of exotic paradises, vast teakwood bridges and 186 cabins for a staff of 200. A real gem that rides the seas of the Mediterranean, as well as the Caribbean.
On board, the departure gets off with a fanfare : Christopher Columbus music, by the great Vangelis composer with a glass of champagne in the hand. No sooner have we arrived and already Sophie Jacqmin has immersed us into the universe of the great long-stint navigators and travellers.
And let the cruise get underway !
A scenographyunder the sign of poetry and the sea
A scenography under the sign of poetry, literature and the tales of explorers. Respecting the universe of the sea, Sophie Jacqmin has endeavoured to keep this environment, but to translate it into contemporary symbols, without falling into marine clichés.
Playing on words and poetry, we rediscover world maps, passageway lamps, map furniture in memory of great navigators such as Christopher Columbus, Magellan, La Pérouse or Bougainville or poems from Rimbaud’s Bateau Ivre to prints on bedside rugs or engraved on mirrors adorning staircases...
No surprise that the new bar, the central point of the decor has been christened Moby Dick to pay tribute to this great white sperm whale, the main character of the Melville novel. Moreover, the sketch of the sperm whale’s tail stretches all the way up to the dance floor.
Cabins done up in sea colours
The deco in the 186 cabins shows a poetic interplay of correspondences where envelopes, stamps and seals are under the limelight. The cabins do not disappoint the colours of the sea either, using sharp marine, anis blue and turquoise notes, in a fluid and well ventilated space. Concerning the furniture, it blends in well with the walls and the two large portholes diffusing a luminous halo.
You can relish the view, while comfortably relaxing on a deck chair, as the hullcontinues to plunge into the deep-blue sea.
During the daytime, some are happy diving off into the swimming pool, others go off on their morning jogging spree or jump the waves as they water ski, while modern-day explores go scuba diving.
Other ‘mates’ decide to go ashore to enjoy the stopover and discover the treasures of each port.
At the end of the day, the irresistible call of the vast seas allures those dragging their feet onshore. It is high time to have one’s tanned skin, exposed to a good dose of sun, pampered by the expert hands of beauticians at the new Carita Spa, before having a drink at Moby Dick or in the Pacific lounge. Then time to dine at the Magellan buffet, in a decor of pulleys and cords suavely arranged or why not go for a served meal at the Méditerranée, againstmarine maps, amber and coral designs.
And Club Med tradition obliges, the call of music becomes irresistible and you will finish your evening, in twos, at a devilish tempo, under a romantic moonlight.
