Club Med Phuket

I plan to go to Phuket in early Dec with my friends.

Club Med Hong Kong office promotes a new BSI service in Cherating, Bintan, Phuket and Bali.

BSI service is Bar & Snack Inclusive service. Pay additional Hong Kong dollar 140 (1 USD = 7.8 HKD) each day and get free drinks and snacks in the bar.

Rule 1 - pay for the whole duration of the stay, not in daily basis
Rule 2 - all persons in a same booking must pay for BSI

Anyone has experience of this new service ?
I have two questions about this.

Question One
In "All Inclusive" village eg La Pointe aux Cannoniers, all GMs get free drinks in the bar and it is quite common for GM to get free drinks for the GOs. With BSI in Asian villages, can I get free drinks to GOs ?

Question Two
The snacks include late breakfast and late lunch. Does this mean that the late breakfast and late lunch is only for GM with BSI, not for all GM ?
From now on, ordinary GMs have no more late breakfast and late lunch in Asian village ?

Hi Ric

To your 1st question, the practise differs from village to village it seems. In Cherating, we could get free drinks for our GO friends. But in other villages, it wasn't allowed.

As to the 2nd question, no change to late breakfast in April this year. I'm not sure if anything has changed since.

It's only really worth it if you drink alcohol I think. The daily price is about the price of 3 alcoholic cocktails. So if you have 3 drinks then it would be worth the price of the bracelet already. Otherwise, it's maybe 8 coffees?!?! Haha!



Yrs truly
Maukitten

Hi Maukitten,

Thanks for your information and tips.
I am sorry, I forget to explain the special offer by Hong Kong Club Med office. From now to 31 Jan 2007, GM who pays for BSI service gets one free night stay for every 4 nights stay.

Ric,

I believe you will have to do the maths! A 4-nights stay vs. the supplement BSI! I'd say it depends a whole lot on how much you consume at the bar, for yourself and the GOs.

Personally, I believe the late breakfast and lunch may be included already. How would they otherwise make the difference between GMs. From Europe, we do have everything included, late meals as well as bar and snacking.

As for offering drinks to the GOs, I'd say it depends on the CDV. But personally, if one doesn't overdo, it's pretty much ok. Ask, once you're in the village.

Whatever, I am sure you're gonna have a great stay in Phuket. You'll see Oliver (golf La Pointe aux Canonniers) again and then, there should also be Jenny (tennis La Pointe, but she may be at the miniclub now).

Please let me know, if Righetto, ASM (animation and sports manager) is still there. Thanks.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your stay.

Ric, you'll have Keren (Bodrum summer 2006) in Phuket as a choregrapher, she's beautiful and very nice and a great dancer!!!

Hello Ric

Just want to say hi ! , me and my friend will go to Phuket next week , sorry that we didn't go to Phuket at the same time .

Thanks for your kind answer.

It is best to check if the late breakfast / late lunch is for GMs with the BSI since this appears to be a new rule.

When i was in Phuket & Cherating this year, late breakfasts & lunches were open to all GMs

For phuket & cherating, you can buy the BSI when you arrive at the village
so you can find out more when you arrive at the village

The BSI also entitles you to bottles of mineral water and isotonic drinks, which, believe me, is a must have if you spend a lot of time in the sun. It also beats the inconvenience of carrying your CM "credit card" around all the time since BSI GMs are identified by the CM bracelet.



Aita Pea Pea

wait, would that mean that you'd have to have 2 bracelets then - to identify you as a GM and BSI eligible or is that a whole other coloured bracelet? multicoloured bracelets perhaps?

IN cherating, BSI GMs wear a white bracelet. Non BSI GMs dont wear any bracelets.

In Phuket, BSI GMS wear blue bracelets, non BSI GMs wear purple bracelets.

Aita Pea Pea

Friends,
Thanks for all your reply. I will work out the rules and restrictions of BSI.

Hi Kiki de M,
Yes, I will meet Golf GO Oliver in Phuket. I am sorry, I do not know Jenny. When I was in Mauritius, the tennis GO was Max from Italy.

Hi frangipani,
Have a nice stay.

Ric,
Yes, I know you don't know Jenny. She was the tennis GO in Mauritius before Max (and then, there was even another Italian in-between). But she was on holiday and visited La Pointe to see her GO friends.

i thought all the asian villages were all inclusive now ( except bintan i think) and just included as part of the package? i just booked another cm holiday and it was .... ?

As Ric pointed out already, it seems to be a special offer from CM Hongkong for Cherating, Ria Bintan, Bali and Phuket!

Check the HK webpage where more information can be found regarding that BSI offer:
http://www.clubmed.com.hk/special_offers/special_offer_details_view.php?id=1155

It is possible that different groups get different treatment---and different pricing for that matter. When I was in Columbus Isle about 4 years ago the Americans had all inclusive but the Europeans did not. I presume that the Europeans paid less. However, it was a very confusing arrangement. The Americans couldn't figure out why the Europeans paid and the Europeans thought the Americans were getting special treatment. This was when they were starting the all inclusive and I wasn't told that I was part of the program until I arrived at the Columbus Isle airport, which made it even more confusing. There ended up being a lot of resentment, which is the one thing that you don't want at a club. It should be the same for everyone.

John

quote:

---

Originally posted by John-Chicago

It should be the same for everyone.
John

---

Couldn't agree more with you, John.

when i was in cherating in summer GMs could choose whether they wanted to pay for the BSI service or just use the ez-card, but the BSI could only be bought by guests staying longer than 2days1night.

i wonder if all GMs now only have the BSI option? it would make things heaps easier imo.

Friends,

For GM from Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Club Med office gives us two choices.

Choice one - ordinary package price
Choice two - ordinary package price + HKD 140 (1 USD = 7.8 HKD) per day for BSI

There are some rules on the BSI. Also, Hong Kong Club Med office provides special offer to GMs from Hong Kong from now to 31 Jan 2007.

Thanks guys.

I have noticed CM Hong Kong overcharges on certain things (e.g. membership fees) in comparision to other CMs (e.g. in the UK) but the package price (i.e. basic room + flight + transfer) is much lower (I guess that's their pricing strategy) - thus they strip out All Inclusive in order to make sure the price attracts enough people to go.

CM is very expensive in Hong Kong in comparison to booking a flight + hotel package in other travel agencies - so I guess this is why they are trying to lower their package price.

So just wonder whether anyone who's been to Chearating lately knows how much it costs to get BSI there for a night? I just have a strong suspicion that it might be cheaper to buy BSI at the club rather than paying upfront (even with the offer that Ric's been talking about)....

Thanks

You can refer to the earlier thread on BSI

http://www.clubmedplanet.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5468

The BSI is about US$18 per day if you buy it at CMCherating.

I reckoned that I saved about US$1.90 per day when I paid at Cherating insetad of from the CM sales office- taking into account the foreign currency exchange rate and all.

Aita Pea Pea

Ric,

Just curious.
Will you be going to Phuket now and for what formula did you decide

Whatever, should you go, have a great time there.
BTW, not sure, Oliver is already there. For the time being, he's still at La Pointe.
Here, it's getting sort of Xmas-y, although temperatures are still too high and snow in the mountains is rare. No problem for me, I definitely prefer the beach.

Hi Kiki de M,

Thanks.

Two friends and I booked Phuket from 16 Dec 2006 to 20 Dec 2006. I could not book Phuket holiday from 16 Dec 2006 to 22 Dec 2006 because Phuket village was fully booked (except deluxe room). For some reasons, we all cancel the booking.

I will go alone to Phuket from 10 Dec 2006 to 16 Dec 2006.
BSI was included.

fun! hope u get to meet nur, vicky, wana, lady, georgie, and chisato! i miss them all :)

Hi Gingerb75,
Thanks.

Friends,
The reception manager Ling Fang (Cherokee) from Taiwan will be transferred from Phuket to Kani.
I will go to Phuket on 10 Dec 2006.
Anyone knows whether I have chance to meet her in Phuket ? Or already moved to Kani ?

Ric,

For some reason, I totally missed your departure date.

I hope you are having a great time in Phuket right now!

Hum I am not sure whether or not she will leave in december? I would think that she would wait til the next switchover....but I"m not sure. Make sure you meet the reception team and Nur from the bar!! As well as Wana from Mini club. :)

Hi Kiki de M,
Thanks. I just come back from Phuket. I had great time there.

Hi Gingerbr75,
The reception manager Ling Fang already left Phuket. Thanks.