What To Expect At The Updated Club Med Bintan

Club Med Bintan’s latest transformation brings together wellness, adventure and family time on one very easy island escape.

Just a short ferry ride from Singapore, Bintan feels surprisingly removed from the everyday. The sea is a lot bluer than I thought it would be, the sand remarkably soft and, within minutes of arriving, the pace of the trip begins to shift. Following an extensive transformation throughout 2026, Club Med Bintan has introduced refreshed rooms, new family spaces, updated dining concepts and a broader approach to wellness, while keeping the easygoing spirit that has always defined the property.

“We want them to feel an immediate sense of effortless tranquility, warm connection and vibrant energy, completely unburdened by everyday logistics,” says Rachael Harding, CEO of Club Med Southeast Asia & Pacific, of the experience guests should have from the moment they arrive.

And that is more or less how the stay begins. We arrived and headed straight to The Terrace, which would become one of my home bases for meals throughout the trip. For whatever reason, I could not get enough of the beef burger. There was nothing particularly complicated about it, but it was executed so perfectly that I ended up having it three times during the stay. The refreshed Terrace Gourmet Club is designed to follow the natural rhythm of a holiday, moving from relaxed daytime dining into a more intimate evening setting by the sea.

There is, however, always something happening if you want it. One of the things I noticed almost immediately was how each day seemed to come with its own little theme. There were dress codes, dinners, shows and parties, from flowers to all white, but nothing ever felt like an obligation. You could join in as much or as little as you wanted, which is perhaps where the Club Med formula starts to make sense. “Modern multi-generational families no longer just want a pool and a beach,” Harding tells us. “They look for purposeful, shared experiences ranging from immersive sports and nature conservation to holistic wellness activities that cater equally to kids, teens and grandparents.”

Trust Club Med to have activities that span from wonderfully kid-friendly to genuinely adventurous. There is football, basketball, beach tennis, archery, volleyball, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and indoor wall climbing, among plenty of others. Then there is the flying trapeze, perhaps the most recognisable of all Club Med activities. Set directly in front of the beach, with the white sand and blue water behind it, it has to be one of the more scenic places to attempt it. Even if, like me, you are more interested in watching than swinging from a trapeze, there is something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing it happen.

The newer sporting facilities add another dimension. The pickleball courts are a natural addition for a sport that has become increasingly popular, while the padel courts give guests another reason to spend an afternoon outside. There is something particularly nice about having so many options within the resort itself. You can start the morning with a workout, spend the afternoon in the water and still have plenty left to do before dinner.

That active approach extends into the resort’s wellness offering, which was one of the areas that caught our attention most. Float Fit takes the workout into the pool, while yoga and aerial yoga offer something a little more restorative. The latter takes place in an open-air setting, with the ocean and surrounding greenery becoming part of the experience. Harding describes the resort’s wellness approach as a 360-degree lifestyle experience, bringing together movement, mind-body rejuvenation and a connection with nature rather than confining wellness to traditional spa treatments.

And then there is the ocean itself. Snorkelling is included as part of the stay, so we took a short boat trip out to explore one of the nearby reefs. Beneath the surface, there was plenty to see, from colourful fish to coral formations. We were told dolphins and turtles can also make an appearance if you are lucky, although unfortunately neither decided to make an appearance for us.

Still, it was one of those experiences that makes the all-inclusive concept particularly appealing. There is no need to spend time figuring out where to go or how to arrange it. You simply show up, get on the boat and spend an hour exploring the waters around the island. That sense of convenience is something Harding sees as increasingly important for travellers across the region. “Asian and Malaysian travellers are becoming increasingly discerning, with a clear pivot toward premium, experiential and hassle-free travel,” she says, pointing to the growing popularity of multi-generational trips where different members of a family may want very different things from the same holiday.

That is perhaps where Club Med Bintan feels particularly considered. One person can be playing padel while another is doing yoga. Children can head into an activity while parents have some time to themselves. You can spend the morning being active, the afternoon doing absolutely nothing and the evening dressed in white for dinner. There is no pressure for everyone to experience the resort in exactly the same way.

For all the activity, however, one of the places we spent the most time towards the end of the trip was the Club Med Spa by Sothys. Getting there is an experience in itself. The spa is tucked into the greenery, and the walk towards the treatment rooms takes you through what feels like a little jungle passage before opening out towards the sea. Our treatment room faced the ocean, making for a particularly beautiful setting. Throughout the treatment, we could hear the waves gently lapping against the shore, creating a natural soundtrack that made it very easy to switch off. Even the post-treatment ritual had its own little surprise. After winding down over a hot herbal tea, a short set of steps led us towards a private beach enclave, giving us another quiet corner of the resort to explore before heading back. It felt like the perfect counterpoint to everything that had come before. And perhaps that balance is exactly what Club Med is trying to create with the refresh. The resort does not ask you to choose between adventure and relaxation. It simply makes space for both.

But perhaps the biggest thing you notice after a few days at Club Med Bintan is not any particular facility. It is the people. The G.O.s are everywhere, but never in a way that feels intrusive. Someone is always ready to point you in the right direction, join an activity, start a conversation or simply make the whole thing feel more fun than it might otherwise have been. There is an infectious energy to them that is difficult to manufacture, and it becomes one of the defining parts of the stay.

That warmth is also something Harding sees as integral to the future of Club Med. The brand’s transformation may be bringing in new rooms, dining concepts and family spaces, but the ambition is to retain the warmth of its G.O. culture alongside the more elevated surroundings.

“The future of travel is no longer just about where you go, but how a place makes you feel,” Harding says. “As traveller priorities pivot toward wellness and meaningful connection, Club Med is continuously reinventing the resort experience.” After a few days in Bintan, that feels like a fitting way to describe the experience. There is the blue sea, the soft sand and the seemingly endless list of things to do, at one of the most scenic destinations in the world.