CLUB MED-TOMAMU

TRAVELIFE REVIEW
JAPAN
GOING
FOR GOLD
ANGELA AYALA dives straight into the
winter wonderland of Club Med Tomamu
PHOTOS BY XXXXXXX.
I
was pensive during the 90-minute
ride on the Club Med shuttle from
New Chitose International Airport
in Hokkaido to the newly-opened
Club Med Tomamu, anxious about
the holiday we had actually signed up
for. We were on a bus with about 20
other guests who had flown in from all
over Asia to spend time in this winter/
summer destination resort, and this was
our very first Club Med experience. I don’t
sing songs around a campfire or enjoy
group lessons, and I prefer room service
to big breakfast buffets; of course I was
wondering if Club Med and I would be
a good fit. But my daughter wanted to
learn how to snowboard and Club Med
Tomamu is currently the best family resort
in Hokkaido, so we decided to officially
join the Club Med family by signing up for
a week of skiing and fun.
Loud pop music was actually playing
when our bus entered the driveway and
happy people stood in the cold to greet
us, clapping their hands enthusiastically
as they sang along. Each of them singled
out a group of guests, and our “welcoming
committee” was a young man from Korea
named Jun who fastened bracelet keys
on our wrists and gave us the low-down
on the mammoth 145-hectare Club Med
Tomamu resort complex — it’s literally a
trek from one end to the other — and how
to understand the Club Med system.
NAVIGATE YOURSELF
There’s a system for everything at Club
Med, you see; including one for signing
up for lessons (you must register for each
lesson during a two-hour window the night
before), another for borrowing equipment,
and still another for eating at Hakku, their
specialty yakiniku restaurant. Booking a
table at Hakku for each evening is on a
first-come, first-served basis, by the way,
via a sign-up paper in the lobby until 10
AM. I honestly thought I would never get
all the times and procedures right. But,
guess what. By the second day, I was a pro
at booking the whole family’s lessons and
equipment, and eventually I even managed
to get us a table at Hakku for our last
evening.
Then, of course, there’s the communal
restaurant with three buffet spreads
everyday. Itara, a large venue with four
dining areas, is your source of nourishment
day in and day out at Club Med Tomamu,
unless you are able to book Hakku on
one evening to break what admittedly
seems like a monotonous set-up. After all,
there’s nothing else around for miles. This
certainly did not seem ideal, especially as
I’m wary of buffet restaurants since most
often the food’s been pre-cooked and it’s
more like one big catering job each time.
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TRAVELIFE REVIEW
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WHAT’S
INCLUDED
IN YOUR STAY
GOURMET
DINING
In the winter, Club Med
Tomamu boasts of some
of the best powder snow
in Asia, so most of the
guests come here for the
scheduled group lessons
and activities which are
already included in the
stay package. The list
of lessons is as long as
a menu, and there’s a
smiling instructor for every
level to cheer you through
the ups and downs.
LIFT PASS
GROUP
LESSONS
KIDS CLUB
GOURMET FOOD
IN THE WILD
For a picky eater, Club Med Tomamu
certainly turned out to be a happy surprise.
The menu varied for each meal, and most
of the stations were manned by chefs who
prepared our orders a la minute to ensure
freshness. In fact, the food was so good we
were often going back for seconds. The
most surprising detail perhaps was the
success of their Japanese food station. I did
not expect an action-oriented resort run
by an international hospitality chain with
a decidedly multi-racial atmosphere in the
middle of the Hokkaido wilderness to serve
delicious Japanese cuisine. But their local
dishes all passed our test — the tonkatsu
was crispy on the outside and moist inside,
while the tendon had perfectly fried
tempura and excellent dashi. There was
even a special rice cooker just for Japanese
rice. Wine and other drinks are included in
the package, too, with an option for guided
whisky and sake tastings.
Meanwhile, the accommodations designed
by French architect and designer Jean
Philippe Nuel reminded me of a luxury
camp. The contemporary interiors are
bright and tasteful, with comfortable
furniture that’s made to withstand rough
and tumble, but also nice accents like
photos of Hokkaido’s nature on its
brightly colored walls. The spacious deluxe
family rooms at Club Med Tomamu,
with a master bedroom and an adjoining
twin bedroom, are among the best
accommodations you’ll find in these parts.
The big bathrooms (by Japanese standards)
are a plus for families.
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TRAVELIFE REVIEW
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Club Med Tomamu
is one big happy
place, and even
if you’re not the
smiling type,
the all-around
enthusiasm of the
team is infectious.
By midweek, we’d
made friends with
a family from Hong
Kong and we were
all up front dancing
to “Can’t Stop the
Feeling” by Justin
Timberlake as
Merryn, the resort’s
amazingly energetic
general manager,
led the frenzy.
LET IT SNOW
The highlight of a stay at Club Med Tomamu is its
outdoor activities. In the winter, Tomamu boasts of some
of the best powder snow in Asia, so most of the guests
come here for the scheduled group lessons and activities
on the slopes. These are already included in the stay
package so you can check out the daily schedule and join
as many as you wish. The list of lessons is as long as a
menu, and there’s a smiling instructor for every level to
cheer you through the ups and downs.
My husband tried his hand at snowboarding, and an
instructor took him and two other guests through the
paces for beginners. Meanwhile, my daughter signed up
for snowboarding for children at the beginner’s level, too,
and she was lucky to be the only student in the scheduled
class for three days running, making it more like private
lessons. Meanwhile, I joined a small group to hike
around the surrounding forests with snow shoes. The
clumsy shoes took some getting used to, but eventually I
was focusing more on the scenery of picturesque birch
tree forests rather than on my feet, and enjoying myself
thoroughly.
The resort also offers a schedule of activities indoors for
those who wish to keep warmer. I went to yoga at the
gym every afternoon, and also tried to join the morning
yoga class whenever I could manage it. Walking between
our room and the restaurant and the ski center was more
than enough to keep the calories off, actually; but if I
wanted to indulge in more serious fitness activities, there
were also cardio classes and body toning classes all day.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Those who can only take in so much snow and gym
activity will take comfort in the fact that Club Med
Tomamu is located next to Mina Mina Beach, the
biggest indoor wave pool in Japan, and Club Med guests
have unlimited access to this facility. It’s -5 degrees on
most winter days in Hokkaido, but this “beach” is about
20 steps away from the lobby at a perpetual 25 degrees,
giving this resort an unbeatable combination of access
to snow and sand. There’s also Kirin-no-yu, an outdoor
hot springs facility on-site that’s perfect for ending a day
spent on skis and boards with serenity.
Club Med Tomamu is one big happy place, and even if
you’re not the smiling type, the all-around enthusiasm
of the team is infectious. Unused to touchy-feely group
dynamics, I stayed glued to my seat during the variety
show on the first night, gawking at the people onstage
who were singing and dancing with gusto and glancing
at my watch every few minutes, conscious of bedtime.
But by midweek, we’d made friends with a family from
Hong Kong and we were all up front dancing to “Can’t
Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake as Merryn, Club
Med Tomamu’s amazingly energetic general manager,
led the frenzy. At the end of that evening, two conga
lines later, it was close to midnight but it wasn’t my watch
I was checking; it was my Fitbit. I’d clocked in 16,000
steps and I wasn’t ready to go to bed yet. In fact, I felt
ever so fine and alive, ready to book my next holiday
with Club Med. •
CLUB MED TOMAMU
www.clubmed.com
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