Missing your old Club Med? Where to find a little of its spirit today
Part 1 · the top 10
By Marc VM · Expeditioner Travel · October 2026
In Amis du Club Med, a French-speaking Facebook group for Club Med fans, I asked which village members missed most. Eighty-two people took part, in 101 comments and replies (not counting mine), and 44 villages were named by at least two different people. Kamarina (Italy) came top with 15 people, ahead of Kemer (Turkey, 13), then El Gouna (Egypt), Les Almadies (Senegal) and Pompadour (France), with 8 each.
Below is the top 10 as of 13 October 2026, ranked by number of people: what became of each village, and the open village that comes closest today. Seven villages tie for 8th place with five people each. To keep this to ten, I’ve kept three here, and Al Hoceima (Morocco), Beldi (Turkey), Djerba la Fidèle (Tunisia) and Sestriere (Italy) move to part 2. I counted by hand, so tell me if I’ve missed you.
I’ve been to 74 Club Med villages since 2005 and stayed overnight in 71. My suggestions weigh the setting, the atmosphere, the activities, the size and the price, and each card says whether I stayed in the old village or only visited the site. Members’ memories are summarised in English, never quoted by name.
Kamarina (Italy) → Palmiye (Turkey) or Punta Cana (Dominican Republic)
1st · named by 15 people
Stayed: 2007, 2014 and 2018.
The equivalent today
Club Med Palmiye, Turkey · the village today
What you missa big, simple Sicilian village among dunes and oleanders, with room for everyone.
What it becameClub Med left in 2022. The site is reopening as Mangia’s Costa Ragusa Borgo (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
the size and the space. Kamarina never felt crowded, and both Palmiye (Turkey) and Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) have the same sense of scale.
✗ What you won’t
decent Italian food, although towards the end Kamarina’s own was very basic: it was a three-trident village, and Club Med had to save money somewhere.
And Cefalù (Italy)? Same island. Today’s Cefalù is an Exclusive Collection village, rebuilt on the site of the old one (Club Med). I only know the new one, which is more intimate and more upmarket: a completely different proposition from Kamarina’s big, simple, spacious village.
Kemer (Turkey) → Palmiye (Turkey)
2nd · named by 13 people
Stayed: 2017.
The equivalent today
Club Med Palmiye, Turkey · the village today
What you missthe party village, its bungalows, its nights.
What it becameclosed in 2020, abandoned, sold in 2023 (the-twenty-one). Don’t mix them up: Palmiye, right next door, is still open.
✓ What you’ll find
the same bay and the same mountains. Some private groups of former Kemer regulars now hold their parties at Palmiye.
✗ What you won’t
Kemer’s nightlife. Palmiye is a family village. For adults-only nights, the nearest thing is Turkoise, in the Turks and Caicos (over-18s only, Club Med), which is long-haul and much more expensive.
El Gouna (Egypt) → Bodrum Palmiye (Turkey)
joint 3rd · named by 8 people
Stayed: 2011.
The equivalent today
Bodrum Palmiye, Turkey · the village today
What you missthe lagoon, the Red Sea, the watersports.
What it becameclosed in 2014, now the Club Paradisio El Gouna. Club Med has left Egypt (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
days on the water: sailing, windsurfing, wing surfing and wing foiling are taught in group lessons, and scuba diving costs extra. The village is open from May to October.
✗ What you won’t
the lagoon, the reefs and kitesurfing, which Bodrum Palmiye doesn’t offer.
Les Almadies (Senegal) → Cap Skirring (Senegal)
joint 3rd · named by 8 people
Visited: the abandoned site, in 2025.
The equivalent today
Cap Skirring, Senegal · the village today
What you missWest Africa, the atmosphere, the westernmost tip of the continent.
What it becameClub Med sold the site in 2006, and it ran as the Hôtel des Almadies until 2017. Today it’s abandoned, and an international hotel project has been announced there (financesao).
✓ What you’ll find
the same country, the same tropical Atlantic and Senegal’s easy-going pace.
✗ What you won’t
Dakar (Senegal) on the doorstep, and the Almadies headland itself.
I went to see what was left: the village is completely derelict. The arches, the brick towers and the large mosaic are still standing, among tall weeds and rubble. A container and a construction vehicle were parked by the buildings, a sign that work may have started, or that it has stalled. I couldn’t tell you which. It’s an incredible site.
Pompadour (France) → Vittel Ermitage (France) or Marrakech La Palmeraie (Morocco)
joint 3rd · named by 8 people
I never knew it myself: I’m relying on members’ memories, and on what I know of the open village.
The equivalent today
Vittel, France · the village today
What you missthe Corrèze countryside, the horses, the tennis.
What it becameclosed at the end of 2014 after 42 years (France 3). The site became the Domaine de l’Étoile de Pompadour, opened in 2016 (Le Figaro).
✓ What you’ll find
horses and tennis: both villages offer riding and have plenty of tennis courts.
✗ What you won’t
Pompadour’s own equestrian estate. At Vittel, riding costs extra (Club Med).
Agadir (Morocco) → Cap Skirring (Senegal)
joint 6th · named by 7 people
Stayed: 2019.
The equivalent today
Cap Skirring, Senegal · the village today
What you missthe historic 1966 village, the one that invented year-round Club Med, and its Atlantic beach.
What it becameclosed in 2021. It’s no longer a Club Med: the site is being rebuilt as a TUI Magic Life, announced for summer 2027 (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
a huge beach, fairly simple rooms, and golf: Cap Skirring has a 9-hole course on site (Senegal Golf Federation).
✗ What you won’t
Morocco. Marrakech is the obvious Moroccan alternative, but it’s inland, with no beach.
Cargèse (France) → Gregolimano (Greece) or Cap Skirring (Senegal)
joint 6th · named by 7 people
Stayed: 2018.
The equivalent today
Cap Skirring, Senegal · the village today
What you missa magnificent setting and a perfect atmosphere, even if the comfort was basic. Some members went back every year for years.
What it becameclosed in 2019 and abandoned. Club Med has left Corsica (France) (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
the Mediterranean, at Gregolimano (Greece): a beach on the island of Evia, backed by pine forest (Club Med). I stayed there twice, two weeks in all, most recently in 2010. Everything is in one central area, which makes it livelier but busier. At Cap Skirring (Senegal), a lovely beach and a relaxed atmosphere.
✗ What you won’t
Corsica itself, with its rocky coast and its maquis. And Cap Skirring is on the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean.
Belek (Turkey) → Bintan Island (Indonesia)
joint 8th · named by 5 people
Stayed: 2013.
The equivalent today
Bintan Island, Indonesia · the village today
What you missgolf by the sea, and the food: one member says no other village’s buffets ever matched Belek’s.
What it becameClub Med left after a single season: the village opened in April 2013 and closed that November, at first temporarily (TourMaG). The closure became final in 2015 (TourMaG), and today the site is LykiaWorld Antalya (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
golf by the sea: Bintan Island (Indonesia) has fine coastal golf, with lessons at the village and the Ria Bintan Golf Club nearby (Club Med). I stayed there twice, most recently in 2017, largely because it’s so easy to reach: an hour by ferry from Singapore.
✗ What you won’t
Turkey, and Belek’s size. Bintan is a smaller village, and a long-haul flight from Europe.
Porto Petro (Spain) → Djerba la Douce (Tunisia)
joint 8th · named by 5 people
Visited: I never knew the Club Med, but I stayed at the Ikos, on the same site.
What you missthe Mallorcan cove, the little harbour, the sea.
What it becameClub Med left at the end of October 2001 (Mallorca Magazin). The site was later demolished and rebuilt, and today it’s the Ikos Porto Petro (Bernard Smith; The Independent). I stayed there, and compared it with Club Med in this article.
✓ What you’ll find
a village in two parts. Porto Petro’s site is split into a west side and an east side, and Djerba la Douce (Tunisia) is split in two as well: a hotel side (Aziza and Calypso) and a bungalow side (La Douce, with its menzels along flower-lined paths) (Club Med; Club Med factsheet). You choose your side and move freely between them.
✗ What you won’t
the coves and the little harbour: Djerba la Douce has a long beach instead. There’s no real equivalent to Porto Petro, and Djerba la Douce is simply the closest in layout. If it’s the place itself you miss, the Ikos isn’t a Club Med, but the coves are still there.
Sinai Bay (Egypt) → Michès Playa Esmeralda (Dominican Republic)
joint 8th · named by 5 people
I never knew it myself: I’m relying on members’ memories, and on what I know of the open village.
The equivalent today
Michès Playa Esmeralda, Dominican Republic · the village today
What you missthe Red Sea, the diving.
What it becameclosed in 2014, at first temporarily (Le Parisien). Club Med has since left Egypt (the-twenty-one).
✓ What you’ll find
a recent village of a similar size, with similar accommodation (Club Med).
✗ What you won’t
the Red Sea, the desert and the reef. There’s no real equivalent to Sinai Bay; Michès is simply the closest in format.
Tell me if I’ve got it wrong
If you knew one of these villages and would suggest a different open village, say so in the comments or send me a message. I’ll update the article and, with your permission, credit the best ideas.
And if you’re looking for the open village that suits you, I can help you choose.
Al Hoceima (Morocco), Beldi (Turkey), Djerba la Fidèle (Tunisia), Assinie (Ivory Coast), Foça (Turkey), Moorea (French Polynesia), Otranto (Italy), Sestriere (Italy) and the others will follow in part 2.
Statuses checked in October 2026. Sources: links in the text, and our article the-twenty-one.
Expeditioner Travel, a Fora Travel advisor. Not affiliated with Club Med. · Version française
