Columbus Isle Bahamas

We've been to this club med 5 times and love it. The beach is the best I've ever been to around the world and the location is so easy to access for anyone from the US or Canada. Since this Club Med doesn't have a Kids Club, it's quiet and almost all adults. As in every beach, there could be a few more umbrellas, but in general, we were always able to find chairs and an umbrella. They used to have these great thatched structures on the beach but they must have been blown away in the last hurricane. The umbrellas all seem new and the chairs are all in good shape.

For someone who likes to swim in the ocean, this place is a dream. The water is crystal clear, calm and has hardly any seaweed or other junk. You feel very safe.

The rooms aren't super fancy but attactive, good sized, and comfortable. We are literally never in our room except to sleep. The showers could use some attention but otherwise, things were freshly painted and in good working order with the exception of the TV which wasn't working because the cable was out on the island.

The offerings at Christophers (the main restaurant) are varied and for the most part quite good. Victor, the pizza guy, is fabulous and his pizzas are the best I've had in years. They do a great job with ceviche and always have at least 5 or 6 main course offerings in addition to the standard burgers, fries etc for the unadventurous.

Sailing is great and easy on the Hobie Cats. It's fun to fly across the cove and then work your way back to the sailing area of the beach. All of the water sports are terrific and they have a very well run Scuba and snorkeling center.

The current chef de village, Maelle, brought a wonderful energy and kindness to the club and it was interesting to see the difference when she was gone for a few days.

THE GOOD
:
1. The cuisine at Christopher’s was, as usual, exceptional.
2. The GOs were, as usual, outstanding.
3. The Bahamians were, with one exception, great.
4. Diving was good and all members of the team were amazing.

THE NOT SO GOOD:

1. Scuba refused to roll over a 4-dive credit for next year. These dives had been paid for last year but not taken because of a bad cold; this credit would have been worth ~$400.

2. Gold (and platinum) members were invited to show up at the bar just before departure to the airport for a drink and some tasty treats. No GMs could find the promised drinks and tasty treats nor could the GOs explain what had happened.

3. One day, while relaxing on my balcony, I was dumbfounded to overhear a dialogue in which one member of the grounds crew clearly threatened to embed his machete into another guy’s chest. Stunning!

4. While the Paris charter continues to check in for their flight at the theater, the Miami bound folks have been relegated to checking in at the airport. Miami bound folks used to have this benefit but no longer. Checking in at the theater is far more convenient. Presumably this saves Club Med money; Americans believe the Paris bound GMs would absolutely not tolerate being relegated to an airport check-in while Americans are much less likely to complain and far more accommodating.

5. We noticed a fair amount of rotten wood in places it should not be. Many of the posts supporting the stairs had significant rot (decay) visible at their base. Some posts no longer made contact with the concrete pads on which they were supposed to be anchored to. A number of posts appeared to have rocks forced into the resulting gaps to provide the necessary contact between posts and concrete pad - a highly questionable engineering practice. There appeared to be efforts to conceal the decay by painting over it. Nails protruding out of the boards on the second story walkways were clearly visible. One extended nearly 5mm above the board.

I’d like to recognize some GOs and GMs for their excellent guest services.
Lee (house keeping) and Joan (from Chicago) helped me with my handicap issue. Anna (front desk) very helpful with my issue, Tristan (sound Tech) so considerate and guest service oriented, Leroy and Jean exceptional service in the dining room! These people made my stay (recovering from a broken leg) so much more comfortable. Big Thank you!
I suggest, however, some improvements
More chairs and umbrellas on the beach.
Almost impossible to get unless you reserve before 6am. Very much needed is a railing to enter the pool!! The nice lifeguard Annabel had to walk over and help me to get into the pool without fear of falling. Anais (sports) is fantastic and very kind. The boutique has a very good selection and very good service.
I recommend this Club. Thank you all!!

The place is beautiful and new Chief of Village Maëlle ! Super nice. Did great last night with the Terrible storm we had.
Victor making pizzas and pasta like crazy ! Delicious ! Poor chef he is overworked . Ariel making sure we could get drinks and Fernando from the boutique helping us cleaning our plates. The team of GO’s making sure we were comfortable and happy .
Angela keeps my room super clean and massage done by Anya. Leroy best waiter and Joana , Carlos , Maria trying to help the mess the storm did!
Thanks to all !
Love this place . Was here in May and came back in June .

Isle was beautiful as i have always remembered. I was last here in 2016 and they have really updated the bar and restaurant above the dive center. Fish tacos were amazing. Dive team was so great as well