Club Med 2 Is Back With New Elevated Amenities And Exciting Destinations

What's better than sitting outside a French café and enjoying the breeze with a brie-topped baguette while sipping on a glass of fine champagne? Doing it all while sitting on the world's largest sailing ship powered by the wind and your own sense of wanderlust.

Just board Club Med's newly refurbished Club Med 2 sailing yacht and experience it for yourself. Following a recent $10 million upgrade, guests can now enjoy an intimate small ship sailing experience with premium service, stopping at some of the world's most luxurious ports. The yacht's small size—at just 187 meters—and its shallow draft allow it to access ports and historic city centers that large ships are unable to visit, like Virgin Gorda and Venice. 

Sailing since 1992, Club Med 2's latest update starts with a refinishing of its 2,700-square meters of Burmese teak decking. The five masts support the impressive 185-square meters of sails that can reduce the ship's power usage by up to 30 percent when the wind cooperates. Sails are computerized and, on the last night, they're raised to the grandiose sounds of Vangelis' "1492: Conquest of Paradise," as guests cheer along. 

The ship features just 184 passenger cabins, including 10 suites and one owner's suite (240 square meters of pure luxury), that add to the intimacy of guests' experience onboard. There are no indoor cabins so all passengers can wake up to a view of the ocean. The level of service is at a premium on the ship with roughly 215 crew members or Gentile Organisers (GOs), an impressive crew-to-guest ratio.

You won't find lines at buffets, guests congregating to get aboard a tender for an excursion— the boats are called Beachers because of their capability to land on the beach—or the hustle to secure a poolside lounger on the Club Med 2. The ship's ambience, open spaces, and plentiful amenities encourage guests to sit back and relax.  

The service and décor on the Club Med 2 are impeccable. As a France-based brand, the majority of guests are French, but the company is aiming to entice more Americans to experience this unique sailing opportunity.  

The cabins are surprisingly spacious for such a small ship and have more storage than I find on most large vessels. There are two closets with plenty of drawers in the bureau and in the bathroom for storing clothing and personal items. I especially appreciated the Lavazza Nespresso for my morning jolt of caffeine. In-room dining is also available with a select, but delightful, menu.

The food on board the Club Med 2 is the best I've yet to experience on any ship. Through an exclusive partnership, chefs are trained at Paris's exclusive Ferrandi culinary school, which also created new menus for one of the yacht's two restaurants, Monte Carlo. One hundred percent of cuisine served is made on the ship down to the stocks and bread. Recipes were created to take advantage of fresh fish and produce available in local ports so guests on Caribbean cruises will experience French-tropical fusion while those in the Mediterranean enjoy European-inspired classics. But best of all, there's always a full supply of French breads, cheeses, and wines available.

The reservations-only Monte Carlo restaurant has enjoyed a complete makeover with nautical antiquities and open spaces that let guests take advantage of panoramic ocean views. The Le Saint Barth and Le Cannes bars are perfect gathering spaces for an afternoon cocktail or the ship's famous high tea. Guests happily partake in the ship's theme nights with festive attire, decor, and entertainment. Every night is a party, albeit civilized, on this ship.

Finally, the Sothys spa is small yet intimate and offers a range of treatments and products for a little added self-indulgence.

Club Med 2 sails in the Caribbean in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer months. The sailings for the Caribbean often depart from the Dominican Republic's La Romana port with destinations that include the British Virgin Islands, Colombia, and Panama with stops at many popular beach ports. European destinations include the Canary Islands, Iberian coast, Italy, Turkey, and many other great cities. 

Club Med is known for its all-inclusive experiences but whether you enjoy mega-ship sailing or small, intimate luxury resorts, the Club Med 2 offers a unique opportunity to sail aboard one of the world's largest and most exclusive yachts.