Club Med is bringing its all-inclusive model to a new frontier, with the brand's first surf-and-safari concept debuting in South Africa this July.
The Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari Resort is the brand's first South Africa resort, but it's also the first to combine a beach resort and a safari lodge in one all-inclusive vacation experience, said Eileen Kett, Club Med's general counsel and senior vice president of development for the Americas.
The option is made up of two separate locations. The beach component, on the east coast in KwaZulu-Natal province, will offer about 400 rooms, including upscale accommodations that fall under Club Med's 4-Trident and Exclusive Collection categories, and will be home to Club Med's first surf school.
The Vikela Safari Lodge, meanwhile, will be situated within a private game reserve. The lodge, welcoming guests ages 4 and up, will offer 75 to 80 bungalow accommodations and access to daily game drives. To get from one place to the other, guests can take a four-and-a-half-hour drive or short flight.
Guests can book the surf-and-safari combo or opt just to book a beach stay.
Kett said she expects the properties to attract families who might not have previously considered a safari.
"What we focus on is how we can help make things more convenient, more accessible and [provide] a great experience by taking the hassle out of all of the booking and arrangements," said Kett. "And that's something that Club Med does well, whether it's in mountain or safari or beach destinations.
"By making it more accessible, we think we're going to bring more people to South Africa."
A key part of that accessibility will be meeting families' needs and wants at both resorts.
At the beach, Club Med said children's programming will be for kids as young as 4 months. Guests up to 23 months old can attend Baby Club Med. Petit Club Med is for toddlers ages 2 and 3, and Mini Club Med is for kids ages 4 to 10. Teens will be split into two groups: Club Med Teens for ages 11 to 13 and the Chill Pass program for ages 14 to 17.
The beach resort will also offer a family pool area with a family pool, a baby paddling pool and a splash park as well as access to activities like archery, trapeze and tennis. Adults-only sections will cater to those seeking a quieter, more secluded experience.
The Vikela Safari Lodge will have a Mini Lodge program for children ages 4 to 10 as well as a Teens Lodge for kids ages 11 to 17.
Safari Family tent accommodations will be located near the children's facilities within the resort's family area, while Safari Deluxe tents will be available in a separate adults area.
Similar beach-safari products
Club Med won't be the only operator in the region marketing a mix of coastal and safari experiences.
Also in KwaZulu-Natal, AndBeyond's Phinda Private Game Reserve offers family-oriented programming at its Phinda Mountain Lodge, with coastal add-ons like snorkeling and scuba diving available for an additional cost.
Thanda Safari, another KwaZulu-Natal-based operator, markets family safaris at its South Africa game reserve and separately operates Thanda Island, a marine reserve off the coast of Tanzania.
Tour operators like Scott Dunn also advertise bespoke itineraries that stitch together the two experiences.
A single family-focused, all-inclusive package that combines both elements, however, remains rare.