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5 Best Club Med Summer Holiday Beach Resorts In Europe 2024
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Club Med's all-inclusive summer beach holidays are amongst the best on the market. They get consistently strong reviews and they have a good choice of locations around the world.
This top five guide just includes Club Med's summer holiday resorts in Europe including Turkey, Spain, France, Portugal and Sicily. You can see our detailed comparison to see how we reached this conclusion. We took into account things like value for money, Club Med's own ratings system, reviews from customers, the availability of facilities and activities and how easy they are to reach from the UK.
This top five guide just includes Club Med's summer holiday resorts in Europe including Turkey, Spain, France, Portugal and Sicily. You can see our detailed comparison to see how we reached this conclusion. We took into account things like value for money, Club Med's own ratings system, reviews from customers, the availability of facilities and activities and how easy they are to reach from the UK.
1. Club Med Palmiye, Turkey (best reviews, large resort, best choice of restaurants)
It took a while to get our heads round Club Med Palmiye as it's listed on the Club Med website as both Club Med Palmiye and Club Med Palmiye Hotel. There's also a third resort with a similar name called Club Med Bodrum Palmiye.
I will save you the bother of figuring out the difference and explain that Club Med Palmiye and Club Med Palmiye Hotel are two halves of the same resort. You're welcome.
Meanwhile, Club Med Bodrum Palmiye is a completely different resort (in fact, it's six hours away by car).
We've bundled together Club Med Palmiye and Club Med Palmiye Hotel into one listing as you will have access to the same facilities, regardless of which you choose.
Club Med Palmiye is an excellent choice for a Club Med summer holiday in Europe for several reasons. It is adored by customers and scores a remarkable 4.7/5 on Google Reviews. Trip Advisor reviews aren't far behind on 4.5/5. That's as good as it gets for Club Med and you'll struggle to find a similar holiday with better reviews (Neilson are also very good). In our league table, Club Med Palmiye was the highest rated of all the Club Med summer resorts in Europe.
Club Med Palmiye also stands out for its range of restaurants and bars. There are 11 in total, which is the most amongst Club Med's European summer resorts. In fact, it's double what you get at a lot of similar resorts such as Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique in France. This is particularly appealing if you are staying for a couple of weeks and want a bigger range of places to take advantage of the all-inclusive food and drinks.
The choice of activities included with your holiday is also very good. In all, you can choose from 28 included activities which is only beaten by Club Med Gregolimano. It's worth saying that some resorts have a better range of pay-as-you-go activities but most people make the most of what they've already paid for. There are kids' clubs for various age groups and Club Med considers Club Med Palmiye as one of five family-friendly summer resorts.
Club Med Palmiye's location is terrific with mountains behind it and a beach on the Mediterranean in front.
When visiting, you will need to choose between the 'Villagio' - which is a series of apartments - or the Hotel. We found that the best prices were available in the Club Med Palmiye Hotel.
There are a few points about Club Med Palmiye which you might see as downsides. Club Med Palmiye is a very large resort compared to most other Club Med sites. It has roughly twice as many rooms as Club Med Gregolimano in Greece. You may see this as a negative or you may prefer big resorts.
It's also one of the furthest European Club Med resorts from the UK. The flight will take you about four hours and then there's an hour's transfer. The closest Club Med summer resort in Europe is Club Med Opio en Provence, which requires five hours less travelling over two legs.
Club Med considers Palmiye to be a 'Four Trident' resort which puts it at a standard level of poshness for Club Med summer resorts (I'll offer more waffle on the Trident rating system later).
Price: £10,177 for a family of four staying in the Club Med Palmiye Hotel for a week in August 2024. We looked for the all-inclusive price, which includes food and drink, activities and flights from a London airport. The Villagio apartments at Club Med Palmiye were about £200 less for the same week.
I will save you the bother of figuring out the difference and explain that Club Med Palmiye and Club Med Palmiye Hotel are two halves of the same resort. You're welcome.
Meanwhile, Club Med Bodrum Palmiye is a completely different resort (in fact, it's six hours away by car).
We've bundled together Club Med Palmiye and Club Med Palmiye Hotel into one listing as you will have access to the same facilities, regardless of which you choose.
Club Med Palmiye is an excellent choice for a Club Med summer holiday in Europe for several reasons. It is adored by customers and scores a remarkable 4.7/5 on Google Reviews. Trip Advisor reviews aren't far behind on 4.5/5. That's as good as it gets for Club Med and you'll struggle to find a similar holiday with better reviews (Neilson are also very good). In our league table, Club Med Palmiye was the highest rated of all the Club Med summer resorts in Europe.
Club Med Palmiye also stands out for its range of restaurants and bars. There are 11 in total, which is the most amongst Club Med's European summer resorts. In fact, it's double what you get at a lot of similar resorts such as Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique in France. This is particularly appealing if you are staying for a couple of weeks and want a bigger range of places to take advantage of the all-inclusive food and drinks.
The choice of activities included with your holiday is also very good. In all, you can choose from 28 included activities which is only beaten by Club Med Gregolimano. It's worth saying that some resorts have a better range of pay-as-you-go activities but most people make the most of what they've already paid for. There are kids' clubs for various age groups and Club Med considers Club Med Palmiye as one of five family-friendly summer resorts.
Club Med Palmiye's location is terrific with mountains behind it and a beach on the Mediterranean in front.
When visiting, you will need to choose between the 'Villagio' - which is a series of apartments - or the Hotel. We found that the best prices were available in the Club Med Palmiye Hotel.
There are a few points about Club Med Palmiye which you might see as downsides. Club Med Palmiye is a very large resort compared to most other Club Med sites. It has roughly twice as many rooms as Club Med Gregolimano in Greece. You may see this as a negative or you may prefer big resorts.
It's also one of the furthest European Club Med resorts from the UK. The flight will take you about four hours and then there's an hour's transfer. The closest Club Med summer resort in Europe is Club Med Opio en Provence, which requires five hours less travelling over two legs.
Club Med considers Palmiye to be a 'Four Trident' resort which puts it at a standard level of poshness for Club Med summer resorts (I'll offer more waffle on the Trident rating system later).
Price: £10,177 for a family of four staying in the Club Med Palmiye Hotel for a week in August 2024. We looked for the all-inclusive price, which includes food and drink, activities and flights from a London airport. The Villagio apartments at Club Med Palmiye were about £200 less for the same week.
Highly rated Club Med Palmiye has a swimming pool and easy beach access...
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...as well as the biggest choice of bars and restaurants amongst Club Med's summer resorts in Europe
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2. Club Med Cefalù, Sicily (most luxurious, suitable for older children or couples, expensive)
Club Med Cefalù is unique amongst Club Med's summer resorts in Europe, as it is within the 'Exclusive Collection'.
Let me give a bit of explanation for the uninitiated.
Club Med used to rate all its resorts with 'Tridents' which are the spiky things on the Club Med logo. Resorts were either given Three Tridents, Four Tridents or - occasionally - Five Tridents. It's similar to a star rating.
Most resorts still receive a Four Trident rating but Club Med has now replaced its Five Trident rating with something called the 'Exclusive Collection'. You will still see mentions of 'Five Trident resorts' but most official information just refers to the Exclusive Collection instead.
In short - Club Med Cefalù - is a little bit posher than all the other Club Med summer holiday resorts in Europe.
It is one of the smaller resorts in this guide, with just over 300 rooms, but Club Med Cefalù punches above its weight on a number of factors. For starters, it boasts the joint-highest number of included activities. Once we include the extra activities you pay for, it comes in third place in our activity league table of all the resorts.
Club Med Cefalù also performs well in its choice of bars and restaurants. There are six in total, which is third best amongst rival Club Med resorts. That includes three restaurants, which I would consider to be a good choice for a week long holiday.
The climate in Sicily is very pleasant, so you can get away with holidays from May to October. Meanwhile, most Club Med resorts have a shorter season.
There are downsides though.
Club Med Cefalù is expensive compared to the other Club Med summer resorts. It ranked as the most expensive in our comparison.
It also doesn't have kids' clubs so you can't just leave your children with someone else for some quality time with your spouse. Children under eight aren't allowed at the resort at all, but older children are welcome and can join in with activities. As a result, Club Med doesn't include Club Med Cefalù in its collection of five European summer resorts which are particularly suited for children.
Of course, if you aren't travelling with children or your children are older then you may consider this a plus point. Hopefully there won't be young children in high chairs throwing watermelon at your table at breakfast time...
Price: £12,024 for a family of four staying for a week in August 2024. That includes two adults and two children, most activities, food and drink as well as flights from a UK airport. It was the most expensive in our comparison, but you may find it is cheaper for some dates.
Let me give a bit of explanation for the uninitiated.
Club Med used to rate all its resorts with 'Tridents' which are the spiky things on the Club Med logo. Resorts were either given Three Tridents, Four Tridents or - occasionally - Five Tridents. It's similar to a star rating.
Most resorts still receive a Four Trident rating but Club Med has now replaced its Five Trident rating with something called the 'Exclusive Collection'. You will still see mentions of 'Five Trident resorts' but most official information just refers to the Exclusive Collection instead.
In short - Club Med Cefalù - is a little bit posher than all the other Club Med summer holiday resorts in Europe.
It is one of the smaller resorts in this guide, with just over 300 rooms, but Club Med Cefalù punches above its weight on a number of factors. For starters, it boasts the joint-highest number of included activities. Once we include the extra activities you pay for, it comes in third place in our activity league table of all the resorts.
Club Med Cefalù also performs well in its choice of bars and restaurants. There are six in total, which is third best amongst rival Club Med resorts. That includes three restaurants, which I would consider to be a good choice for a week long holiday.
The climate in Sicily is very pleasant, so you can get away with holidays from May to October. Meanwhile, most Club Med resorts have a shorter season.
There are downsides though.
Club Med Cefalù is expensive compared to the other Club Med summer resorts. It ranked as the most expensive in our comparison.
It also doesn't have kids' clubs so you can't just leave your children with someone else for some quality time with your spouse. Children under eight aren't allowed at the resort at all, but older children are welcome and can join in with activities. As a result, Club Med doesn't include Club Med Cefalù in its collection of five European summer resorts which are particularly suited for children.
Of course, if you aren't travelling with children or your children are older then you may consider this a plus point. Hopefully there won't be young children in high chairs throwing watermelon at your table at breakfast time...
Price: £12,024 for a family of four staying for a week in August 2024. That includes two adults and two children, most activities, food and drink as well as flights from a UK airport. It was the most expensive in our comparison, but you may find it is cheaper for some dates.
​​Club Med Cefalù is the only European summer resort within Club Med's prestigious 'Exclusive Collection'
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It's a luxurious holiday resort - but it's also expensive and not suitable for young children
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3. Club Med Da Balaia, Portugal (easier to reach, lots of activities, family friendly)
Club Med Da Balaia in Portugal is an excellent all-round resort for an all-inclusive summer holiday in Europe. It has a couple of advantages over Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye, as well as some disadvantages.
One major plus point for a holiday with young children is that it's a flight of less than three hours followed by a short transfer of about 45 minutes. That means that you'll have to endure about 90 minutes less travelling each way compared to Club Med Palmiye.
Club Med Da Balaia is also a good choice for families, as it has kids' clubs which you don't get at Club Med Cefalù in Sicily. Club Med rates its Portuguese resort as one of its five most family friendly summer resorts in Europe. It overlooks a lovely stretch of beach.
In terms of activities, Club Med Da Balaia tops our league table with more than 60 different things on offer. Admittedly, this includes a large number which you pay for but there are also plenty of activities included in the price of your holiday.
The weather is warm and the season is long, with most visitors arriving from May to September. July and August are the hottest months (average of 23 Celsius), whilst September isn't far behind. May and October are a fair bit cooler.
On other factors Club Med Da Balaia is marginally behind Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye but perhaps not enough to put you off. It only has two restaurants compared to Club Med Palmiye's four restaurants and ClubMed Cefalù's three restaurants. However, Club Med Da Balaia has an excellent choice of bars.
Customer reviews average 9/10 at Club Med Da Balaia whilst Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye score 9.1/10 and 9.2/10 respectively. Honestly, these are such tiny differences and it's fair to say that all of the Club Med resorts in Europe get excellent reviews.
One thing worth mentioning is that Club Med Da Balaia isn't in Club Med's list of suggested resorts for couples. That's not to say that you won't be welcome, just that other resorts are more popular with couples (including Club Med Cefalù in Siciliy, Club Med Palmiye in Turkey, Club Med Gregolimano in Greece and Club Med Opio en Provence in France.
Price: £9911 for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2024. That puts Club Med Da Balaia cheaper than Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye Hotel but not as cheap as Club Med La Palymre Atlantique or Club Med Magna Marbella.
One major plus point for a holiday with young children is that it's a flight of less than three hours followed by a short transfer of about 45 minutes. That means that you'll have to endure about 90 minutes less travelling each way compared to Club Med Palmiye.
Club Med Da Balaia is also a good choice for families, as it has kids' clubs which you don't get at Club Med Cefalù in Sicily. Club Med rates its Portuguese resort as one of its five most family friendly summer resorts in Europe. It overlooks a lovely stretch of beach.
In terms of activities, Club Med Da Balaia tops our league table with more than 60 different things on offer. Admittedly, this includes a large number which you pay for but there are also plenty of activities included in the price of your holiday.
The weather is warm and the season is long, with most visitors arriving from May to September. July and August are the hottest months (average of 23 Celsius), whilst September isn't far behind. May and October are a fair bit cooler.
On other factors Club Med Da Balaia is marginally behind Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye but perhaps not enough to put you off. It only has two restaurants compared to Club Med Palmiye's four restaurants and ClubMed Cefalù's three restaurants. However, Club Med Da Balaia has an excellent choice of bars.
Customer reviews average 9/10 at Club Med Da Balaia whilst Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye score 9.1/10 and 9.2/10 respectively. Honestly, these are such tiny differences and it's fair to say that all of the Club Med resorts in Europe get excellent reviews.
One thing worth mentioning is that Club Med Da Balaia isn't in Club Med's list of suggested resorts for couples. That's not to say that you won't be welcome, just that other resorts are more popular with couples (including Club Med Cefalù in Siciliy, Club Med Palmiye in Turkey, Club Med Gregolimano in Greece and Club Med Opio en Provence in France.
Price: £9911 for a week's holiday for a family of four in August 2024. That puts Club Med Da Balaia cheaper than Club Med Cefalù and Club Med Palmiye Hotel but not as cheap as Club Med La Palymre Atlantique or Club Med Magna Marbella.
Club Med de Balaia in Portugal has more activities than other similar resorts and it's quite close to the UK
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The beachside location is part of the reason for the excellent customer reviews
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4. Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique, France (close to the UK, good for watersports)
Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique is one of two Club Med summer resorts which are recommended for watersports (Club Med Gregolimano in Greece is the other). It doesn't come top of the league on any of our comparisons, but it is a good mid-table performer and has plenty of positives. The location is gorgeous, with a sandy beach on the doorstep.
One of its other positive features is its proximity to the UK. You'll find it on France's western coast - far enough south to get slightly better weather than the UK but not so far that you'll have to endure a long journey with children. Club Med suggest that the weather is ideal for holidays from May to September (if you want an October holiday with watersports then Club Med Gregolimano is a better choice).
The flight time from London to Club Med La Palymre Atlantique is about 1 hour 40 minutes and the transfer time is about 1 hour 15 minutes. That makes it the second quickest Club Med summer resort to visit from the UK.
The choice of activities at Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique is mid table, when compared to the company's competing resorts. By my count, there are 24 activities included and another 32 which you can pay extra for. The coastal location gives a choice of watersports include sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing and wingsurfing (similar to windsurfing).
It's also a mid-table performer when we look at the number of bars and restaurants. There are five in total, including two places to eat onsite.
Families will get on well with Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique. It is one of five Club Med summer resorts which are considered to be particularly family friendly and there is a good range of kids' clubs.
The resort has a '4 Trident' rating, putting it on a par with most other Club Med summer resorts. The only exception is the slightly posher Club Med Cefalù, as discussed earlier.
On reviews, Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique is towards the bottom of the Club Med league table - but that's not to say it gets bad reviews as the standard is very high. On TripAdvisor, it scores 4.5/5 which is not to be sneezed at.
Price: £9049 for a week's holiday for four people, including two adults and two children in August 2023 (prices not available for August 2024 at the time of writing). That price includes flights from London and most activities, food and drink - so you won't spend a lot more once you arrive.
One of its other positive features is its proximity to the UK. You'll find it on France's western coast - far enough south to get slightly better weather than the UK but not so far that you'll have to endure a long journey with children. Club Med suggest that the weather is ideal for holidays from May to September (if you want an October holiday with watersports then Club Med Gregolimano is a better choice).
The flight time from London to Club Med La Palymre Atlantique is about 1 hour 40 minutes and the transfer time is about 1 hour 15 minutes. That makes it the second quickest Club Med summer resort to visit from the UK.
The choice of activities at Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique is mid table, when compared to the company's competing resorts. By my count, there are 24 activities included and another 32 which you can pay extra for. The coastal location gives a choice of watersports include sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing and wingsurfing (similar to windsurfing).
It's also a mid-table performer when we look at the number of bars and restaurants. There are five in total, including two places to eat onsite.
Families will get on well with Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique. It is one of five Club Med summer resorts which are considered to be particularly family friendly and there is a good range of kids' clubs.
The resort has a '4 Trident' rating, putting it on a par with most other Club Med summer resorts. The only exception is the slightly posher Club Med Cefalù, as discussed earlier.
On reviews, Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique is towards the bottom of the Club Med league table - but that's not to say it gets bad reviews as the standard is very high. On TripAdvisor, it scores 4.5/5 which is not to be sneezed at.
Price: £9049 for a week's holiday for four people, including two adults and two children in August 2023 (prices not available for August 2024 at the time of writing). That price includes flights from London and most activities, food and drink - so you won't spend a lot more once you arrive.
Club Med Palmyre Atlantique in France is near to the beach and is renowned for watersports
5. Club Med Magna Marbella, Spain (lots of activities, reasonable distance from the UK, spa treatments, kids clubs)
Family-friendly Club Med Magna Marbella in Spain is another mid-table performer in most of our comparisons. That may sound negative, but I see it as a good all rounder. It is one of Club Med's picks for families and it as kids' clubs from zero to 17 years.
Reviewers give it a score of 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, which is on a par with the other Club Med all-inclusive summer resorts in Europe. On Google reviews, it scores 4.4/5 which is mid-table compared to rivals.
Where Club Med Magna Marbella stands out is in the range of activities which was the second highest we found amongst the Club Med summer resorts. Highlights include circus skills and trapeze, golf, tennis, minigolf and archery. There's also a spa where you can pay extra for treatments.
Club Med Magna Marbella is relatively quick to reach once you add together the flight time from London and the transfer time. We reckon those two times add up to 3 hours 35 minutes for Club Med Magna Marbella which is the same as Club Med Da Balaia in Portugal. That's an hour more than Club Med Opio en Provence in France but nearly four hours less than Club Med Gregolimano in Greece.
The range of restaurants and bars is the same as Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique - which has two restaurants and three bars.
Club Med suggests that Club Med Magna Marbella in October is a good choice if you prefer quieter beaches. The weather is still reasonably good but most people are back at work or school!
The main downside is that the resort is about 10 minutes' drive from the beach.
Price: £8946 for our comparison week, which was a family holiday in August 2024. Our search included flights from a UK airport. That puts it as cheapest in our comparison.
Reviewers give it a score of 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, which is on a par with the other Club Med all-inclusive summer resorts in Europe. On Google reviews, it scores 4.4/5 which is mid-table compared to rivals.
Where Club Med Magna Marbella stands out is in the range of activities which was the second highest we found amongst the Club Med summer resorts. Highlights include circus skills and trapeze, golf, tennis, minigolf and archery. There's also a spa where you can pay extra for treatments.
Club Med Magna Marbella is relatively quick to reach once you add together the flight time from London and the transfer time. We reckon those two times add up to 3 hours 35 minutes for Club Med Magna Marbella which is the same as Club Med Da Balaia in Portugal. That's an hour more than Club Med Opio en Provence in France but nearly four hours less than Club Med Gregolimano in Greece.
The range of restaurants and bars is the same as Club Med La Palmyre Atlantique - which has two restaurants and three bars.
Club Med suggests that Club Med Magna Marbella in October is a good choice if you prefer quieter beaches. The weather is still reasonably good but most people are back at work or school!
The main downside is that the resort is about 10 minutes' drive from the beach.
Price: £8946 for our comparison week, which was a family holiday in August 2024. Our search included flights from a UK airport. That puts it as cheapest in our comparison.
The range of activities at Club Med Magna Marbella is excellent
Images are from Club Med.
