THE Club Med experience brings a whole new meaning to "free and easy" holidays. If perhaps it's traditionally meant doing whatever you want, whenever you want, Club Med adds the "without worrying about your credit card bill" dimension to it.

Its famed all-inclusive concept is very much part of the ethos of the 80-hectares of natural reserve that make up the Hospitality Asia Resort Of The Year Platinum Award-winning Club Med Cherating.

Short of free champagne, excursions and massages, all activities, meals - including non-premium alcoholic beverages, e.g., forementioned bubbles - and in-house entertainment has been bundled into the "cover charge" for this club.

To coin an oxymoron, it's a metroplex of a tropical resort. You enter via a sliproad through some mangroves and you're greeted by startlingly well-assimilated mix of man-made structures and God-made nature.

Move Aside, Singles

Which category the Gentils Organisateurs - Club Med's (in)famous gang of staff whose job is to make your stay the best possible whether it's by serving you drinks, teaching you how to shoot an arrow or dancing with you - belong to is up to debate, but they're part of what greets you and stays (not literally, unless you prefer it that way) with you throughout your stay.

It won't be long before you discover the wide open beach, the (extreme and not-so-extreme) sports setups and the relaxing hike through the rainforest to end up on Pantai, a calmer section of Club Med's private beach whose waters are safe for swimming, kayaking and sailing.

Perhaps the single most telling development since its 2004 renovation is the wider range of appeal that Club Med Cherating now has for potential holidaymakers.

Seen for so long as the symbol of wild and heavy singles getaways, the resort has managed to temper its undoubtedly bubbling energy with a fresher and more wholesome level of fun and games.

The RM30 million it sunk into the renovation works has given the resort a more leisure-based selection of activities and created an upscale ambience. Now there are open time-slots for archery, wall-climbing, roller-blading, trapeze and bungy bouncing along side more traditional ball sports.

Rooms might still be on the compact side but they've been given a classic Malay touch that incorporates into the architecture, a touch that extends to their rather well-rounded Spa Village.

In short, a lot more appeal for families as well as those looking for a sunny day's runaround that's disappearing from the daily routine of the city slicker.

Its 700-odd beds are arranged into 297 rooms that can now accommodate families via adjoining rooms or suites. The various Club Med for kids range from Petit Club Med (starting from ages two) to Passworld (an edgier package with computer games, electric guitars and films) for the teenager of the 21st Century.

This also means that those married with children can promise their kids a great holiday while disentangling them from their already frazzled hairdos. Simply leave your offspring at what might be the most fun daycare centres they'll ever experience and relive your honeymoon days again.

They'll even get a chance to be part of the night's entertainment as Showtime has a slot for children's stage performance that is part of a nightly rotation with traditional performances, themed dance performances and even a circus act before the late-night boogie-down sessions followed by live music or karaoke.

Fine Grub

Those looking for a family bonding experience instead, will be glad to know that it's all-day dining here at Club Med and we all know how important sitting down for a meal together is for Malaysians. The resort is also Hospitality Asia's top choice for all-day dining and offers a variety of restaurants across their property.

It's buffet all day long at Mutiara, the poolside main restaurant, to ensure that no matter what you've got planned for the day, there'll be a window of opportunity to at least grab a snack. Rembulan offers a change of setting if you prefer a quieter dinner at Pantai and also at Pantai is Lautan, which would be the romantic couple's restaurant of choice.

Rates start from RM500 per person per night, but this is never a real sort of indicator for how much you'll end up spending, even with the all-inclusive concept. The average Malaysian adult is said to spend RM1,700 per stay, which also averages between two to three nights.

But there's a promotion available for bookings from now until the end of June for travel in this period and in September and October where an accompanying adult or child gets 50 per cent off the package price.

More info at www.clubmed.com.my or call 03-2161-4599.