Trish and I went to the Club Med Columbus Isle the middle of July this year. We flew to Fort Lauderdale on a Friday night where we spent the night. Spirit has a weekly charter for Club Med that leaves only on Saturday morning. There is no way to make a same day connection. That said, they are very organized. Checking bags (we brought all our own gear) and boarding went very smoothly. San Salvador International is basically a single building, two room affair at the side of the runway. Club Med is the only resort on the island. The van ride from the airport takes about 5 minutes. Accommodations are basic but comfortable. The food at the main restaurant is good but not gourmet. It is served family style which is allows you to meet lots of people. The divers tend to hang out together.

The dive operation is at the resort and leaves from the dock. A two tank dive is about $120.00 US. We did not rent any gear. The owners do a good job and are very friendly. This was Trish’s first ocean dive so she was a bit nervous getting into the water. However, all it took was one good shove and now I can’t get her out (see Cayman Island review). For the newly certified, there is a lot of hand holding. My impression was that the diving was good. The first big fish we saw was a hammerhead. There were some turtles as well. The dive master was good at pointing out the smaller critters. Visibility was good and the water was warm. While not spectacular, we had a good time.

The main reason I like Club Med is because of the dive boats. Both Turks and Caicos and Columbus Isle have good sized catamarans. They are rarely crowded and give a very smooth ride. In addition, there always lots to do on the beach in the afternoon: snorkeling, sailing, wind surfing, and water skiing all included.