Snow play after riding the gondola to the top of Sun Mountain

I love travel with my kids, but it can be exhausting.  The Club Med model turns that paradigm on its head by supporting families to experience quality time together as well as giving parents breathing space to rejuvenate alone.   It was my previous experience with Club Med that enticed us to the Club Med resort in Yabuli, Heiliongjiang Province China.

Club Med Yabuli

A little about the Club Med model.  Vacations are all inclusive – food, drinks, snacking, entertainment , childcare (for those over 4) and activities are covered.   As Club Med Yabuli is a ski resort our all inclusive packaged included lift tickets and two ski lessons a day.  Club Med is staffed predominantly by an international team of young adults termed GOs.   In addition to their primary role at the resort the GOs socialise and dine with guests during their stay.

The view of Club Med Yabuli from the top of Sun Mountain

Club Med Yabuli is an substantial resort located at the foot of Sun Mountain with easy access to the slopes via the Sun Mountain gondola.  As we have two children we were automatically allocated interconnecting rooms at no additional cost.  The resort rooms and resort facilities are beautiful however it was really the Club Med model, and the staff interaction with my children that made for a wonderful, wonderful holiday.

The Petite Club Med room Club Med Yabuli

Children aged 4-11 are supervised in the Mini-Club which incorporates ski lessons into the program.  Children under 4 stay for free at Club Med however we chose to pay an additional fee to have my 2 year old supervised in the Petit Club for 2-3 year olds.  The Mini Club and Petit Club staff’s warmth and welcome put us at ease immediately.  The childcare staff at Club Med Yabuli were gorgeous people that obviously loved children and as a result my children enjoyed the time they spent in the Mini and Petit Clubs as much (and possibly more) than the time we spent as a family.  Also too, while there are designated club rooms, the children are not contained to the rooms but are rather supervised in other resort activities, such as trapeze skills (for over 4s) and during meals at the resort restaurant.  My two year old was also taken outside by his carers to enjoy the snow while we spent time on the slopes.

Bub 2 dancing with the Mini Club kids.

There is a communality to the Club Med model that particularly suits families with young children. This meant that unless we were skiing we were still around our children, but just not on “full parental duty”.  For example, in the afternoons the children were entertained by the Mini and Petit Clubs in the bar with games, while the adults could enjoy crepes and a drink.  What a pleasure it was to be able to watch my two year old run around and enjoy himself – but not always have to be the one to chase him.

Cooking noodles at the “Hot Pot” restaurant with grandma.

We benefited from the intimacy of reduced guest numbers on the tail end of the ski season.   In this setting the care that other staff members showed our children was really evident.  For example, I had not noticed that my 2 year old had a runny nose, and the lovely lady that worked in the bar came out to wipe it for him.  On another occasion the a staff member in the restaurant noticed he had not eaten well at dinner, and when we left offered us additional milk and bread to take to our room just in case he woke up hungry in the night.

Bub 1 learning to ski with his Mini Club instructor.

China is not well renowned for its ski slopes however the Yabuli Ski Resort boasts excellent snow fall with slopes for all levels of skier. The ski season runs from December to late March.  The slopes were particularly quiet and as our stay was at the end of the season we also benefited from some private ski lessons as resort numbers were reduced.

Nearly all of the other guests were Chinese and I was grateful that this gave my children the opportunity to socialise and play with children of a different background.  For their part the Chinese children included my own boys in their activities beautifully.

There are three restaurants at the resort and we mainly dined in the international buffet restaurant.  The buffet incorporated both Western and Chinese dishes with the standout feature being amazing breads and pastries.

Dessert at Club Med Yabuli

The inevietable question that readers will have of course relates to cost.  Ski holidays are never a cheap option however skiing in Australia is more expensive than elsewhere.  When I made the booking we benefited from advertised specials at both Club Med Yabuli and China East Airlines. Comparison with the cost of a week long ski holiday in Australia suggested that Club Med Yabuli was a less expensive option, even taking into account the additional cost of flights to Shanghai and then on to Harbin.  We also benefited from the added extras, childcare, food, entertainment and other resort activities which we didn’t factor into the budget.  The difference in cost enabled us to enjoy an extra week in China.

My favorite part of the holiday – enjoying the beautiful mountains with my children, and without them knowing they were being cared for by loving staff members.

Guests of Club Med Yabuli fly into Harbin Airport.  We flew to Harbin from Shanghai however direct flights are also available via Hong Kong.  Guests are transferred to the resort (at extra cost) by mini-bus, a three hours journey from Harbin airport.

If you have the option of bringing your own ski equipment do so as hire is through an external company and was not cheap.

Guests of Club Med Yabuli traveling with children who are not toilet trained should bring their own diapers as they are not available on site.

Remember also to pack some school supplies to donate to the Club Med Foundation as they pass them onto the local school.

This blog provides tips and advice for parents traveling with small children including attraction and accommodation reviews.  You can join us on Facebook to receive updates to your news feed.

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