Beijing Yanqing Club Med Joyview Resort – If They Offered a Lifetime Membership, I’d Get One
Club Med, the top winter resort choice in the Beijing suburbs, has always been on our annual must-visit list, and that hasn’t changed. From our first stay in Yabuli when Yanyan was three, to Sanya, Beidaihe, and last week’s trip to Yanqing, we’ve now checked in at four Club Med resorts in China. Beijing Club Med Joyview is the closest to us. The Club Med Joyview brand is designed for city dwellers in top-tier cities, reachable within a two-hour drive. We absolutely love the all-inclusive format. Beijing residents can head to Yanqing, while Shanghai residents have Anji. No need to worry about travel fatigue—you just immerse yourself in the joyful atmosphere of Club Med. It’s perfect for us now, when we can’t leave Beijing due to the pandemic.
Some people around me still don’t understand Club Med. Why do I choose it among so many hotels? It’s definitely not just a hotel—it’s a resort that covers dining, entertainment, and accommodation. Originating in France in 1950, Club Med is currently the world’s largest resort chain, with nearly 70 resorts across five continents and 26 countries. Every resort is set in the most breathtaking locations on earth, dedicated to a brand spirit of joy, sharing, freedom, passion, and discovery. It’s actually a new travel philosophy—it wants to be the creator of happiness.
All Club Med resorts offer an all-inclusive French-style luxury holiday. They provide comfortable rooms of all types, global cuisine, children’s clubs, colourful adventure activities, and a friendly international G.O team that organises a range of cultural events, entertainment shows, and family games for every visiting family. Moreover, Club Med is a resort destination with authoritative Green Globe certification, promoting healthy eating and reducing unnecessary waste. At the same time, the resort offers a rich variety of eco-themed activities you can join, helping to nurture children’s environmental awareness.
In popular cities, costs can sometimes be higher than overseas, and you still have to plan what to eat and do yourself—especially with kids. The upfront cost might be low, but during the trip, it’s tiring and you still end up spending a lot. Now that our consumption standards and demands have upgraded, enjoyment trumps everything. Club Med addresses this need with an all-inclusive package. Before the trip, it may seem like a lot of money, but once you enter the resort, you don’t even need to carry a wallet. You get the same—if not more—experiences, a higher level of service, and both kids and adults have a fantastic time. You’ll feel it’s worth every penny.
When thinking of a winter getaway from Beijing, the first things that come to mind are definitely hot springs and skiing. Club Med covers both. The skiing links up with the Shijinglong Ski Resort. The ski instructors from Club Med’s Ski Academy teach in person, and the little ones learn super fast—Yanyan could ski beginner slopes straight away. There are hot spring pools and a splash pool inside the resort, satisfying children’s desire to play in the water even in winter.
The happiest part is the stage given to the kids to show themselves. Here, they are the little masters of Club Med, free to play however they want and get as excited as they like. Yanyan has been in love with Club Med since she was three, and this time it grew even stronger.
Cosy Rooms
Around 70% of visitors to Club Med are families, so Club Med’s rooms are designed for family stays. They can sleep a family of three without needing an extra bed. We always choose the king-size bed room. The rooms have warm tones and Club Med’s signature colour scheme—a very familiar feeling. Seasonal fruit was also prepared for us.
Children’s Club
Apart from the all-inclusive package, another major selling point—and Club Med’s biggest highlight—is the Mini Club. You can leave your children in the care of the professional, caring G.Os inside the resort for the whole day. Kids play with kids, and adults can enjoy their holiday in a relaxed way—all free of charge, with everyone having a great time separately.
G.O: Abbreviation of the French "GENTIL ORGANISATEUR" ("kind organiser" or "gracious host"). G.O. is a registered trademark of Club Med. The international G.O team members each have their own special skills. They teach you the resort’s various activities, look after your children, dine with you, and are also the superstars of the evening shows. They are your friends and playmates, creating a joyful and warm atmosphere for your holiday. Club Med’s G.Os come from over 100 countries. Each one is fluent in at least two languages and has a talent, known for their enthusiasm and high-quality service. Visitors from any country can get help in their own language at Club Med.
From the main building, a long sky corridor leads to the Entertainment Centre. All the leisure activities are here, and of course the children’s club is here too. The indoor water park "Mediterranean Coast" and the pool bar draw inspiration from the architectural style of Nice on the French southern coast. Meanwhile, the family fun space and children’s club resemble mysterious castles set amidst grass and mountains, full of French charm. The children’s play area is wonderfully colourful and diverse, immaculately clean, and brand new. Kids can have endless fun. After 8:30 each morning, you can drop your children off at the children’s club, and the true "separate holiday" begins.
We "bumped into" the kids during their G.O-led fitness training—burpees, forward rolls. They were exercising and enjoying it at the same time. Watching their happy smiling faces and hearing their cheerful laughter made us so happy for them. And without their parents around, the children became braver one by one. At Yanqing Club Med Joyview Resort, there is an indoor flying trapeze. Friends who have been to Club Med Sanya have probably tried it, and now you can experience it without leaving Beijing. When challenging this thrilling trapeze, the children were impressively brave one after another. They climbed up the tall ladder to the top, obediently followed the G.O’s instructions, and became little flying figures, soaring out. They could even perform lots of moves—walking in the air, ballet-like poses. Some even did backflips on the way down—amazing!
Throughout the day, the G.O led them in fitness training, flying trapeze, crafts, swimming, and rehearsing a show. The schedule was packed and varied. When we went to pick up Yanyan at 4:45, she was still reluctant to leave. Right after the day’s club session finished, the G.O was organising a game with parents and children on the mini football pitch nearby. It was highly engaging, and both kids and parents thoroughly enjoyed it.
The ground floor of the Entertainment Centre is the main stage area, where the evening performances take place. When night falls, it’s party time at Club Med. Every G.O seems to be recharged with energy in the evening, taking to the stage to showcase a dazzling array of talents that left us, the audience, gasping in amazement time after time. The multi-skilled G.Os at every resort can always surprise us. Their dynamic dance moves, impressive kung fu, and enthusiastic interaction with the audience set the rhythm of the whole evening, instantly heating up the atmosphere, and we cheered for them.
The highlight of that evening was the children’s performance. In the children’s club, the G.Os first grouped the kids by age: 2–3, 4–6, and 7–11. Each age group performed different routines. As soon as the children got on stage, the parents in the audience went wild, holding up cameras to film their little ones. The G.Os were also very thoughtful, laying out crawling mats in front of the stage so parents could sit on them and take photos of their kids without getting tired and without blocking the view behind them.
Yanyan was in the girls’ group, performing two dance numbers. She had a blast—so full of energy. At the end, all the children came up on stage together for the curtain call as colourful streamers floated down from above. The atmosphere was incredibly high-spirited. After the show, it wasn’t over—there was an even more exciting challenge. Kids had to complete some G.O games at various spots in the Entertainment Centre, collect stamps, and exchange them for a gift. It was hugely engaging. In the end, we got a colourful Club Med wristband as a gift. Yanyan couldn’t bear to put it down and treasures it like a treasure tucked away in the little drawer of her desk. That day was so fulfilling and joyful.
Entertainment Centre
We were already familiar with the "separate holiday" concept from our previous three Club Med visits, so after dropping Yanyan off at the children’s club, we were super relaxed and began exploring Yanqing Club Med Joyview’s facilities one by one. First thing in the morning, before the kids arrived for the flying trapeze, we squeezed in a session ourselves. We warmed up with the G.O, then practised on the ground before going up. It didn’t look high, but when climbing the ladder, I felt a bit like backing out. You really need to be mentally prepared at the jump-off point, haha. But once you jump, you just jump. It was so much fun swooping through the air. Bravely, Yanyan’s dad even managed to hang upside down—impressive.
Since we were going skiing the next day and hadn’t skied this year, there was a ski simulator in the sports area with professional equipment. Here, you could only practise parallel skis, with each session lasting half an hour—it laid a good foundation for our skiing the next day. The VR experience had dozens of games, giving you an immersive gaming world. We tried out many activities: archery, rock climbing, basketball, football, table tennis, badminton—all free to use, all included in the all-inclusive package. We even did the flying trapeze several times. The day was so fulfilling.
When we got tired from playing, we headed to the KTV area on the third floor to sing. That’s also included in the all-inclusive—come and have a singing battle together. By the main stage is the bar, open all day for a casual drink whenever you like. The all-inclusive package includes all drinks and alcohol, unlimited. The bartenders are excellent, whipping up cocktails that are both beautiful and tasty, and the atmosphere is great. The bartender made me a rainbow non-alcoholic cocktail—crisp and refreshing, very delicious. The fruit juice that kids love is also free-flow here.
After the evening revelry, dominoes were set up here—very beautiful. And the children could also have colourful drinks.
Dining at the Resort
The worry-free all-inclusive means all three meals a day are buffet style, with delicious Chinese and Western dishes in a wide variety, very much to our taste. The Chinese food is impressively authentic: pagoda-style pork belly, spicy stir-fry pot, grilled fish, and all sorts of noodles suitable for children. Western options include barbecue, pasta, pizza, burgers, and seafood—everything you could want. Desserts and ice cream are the most tempting for kids, and they’ll want to stay forever. In the buffet restaurant, G.Os also put on cheerful performances, dancing right in front of us with lively music, making even mealtime feel so special.
Hot Springs & Splash Pool
After a full day of fun, in the evening the family relaxed in the hot spring pool and splash pool. We frolicked together in the indoor water park “Mediterranean Coast,” feeling as if we were on the azure southern coast of France, among coconut groves—refreshing and pleasant. The water was very clean and warm—no need to worry about the kids getting cold. The indoor temperature must be above 26°C, and the hot spring pool is even warmer. Yanyan put on her arm floats and started swimming right away. The water isn’t deep. Besides the swimming pool, there’s a play pool that’s very shallow, so even very young babies can have fun. Next door are the hot spring bathing pools and the steam room—one of the essential winter activities. Adults can soak and unwind here.
Ski Academy
Yanyan first went to Club Med Yabuli when she was four. Beijing Club Med Joyview continues the courses from the French ESF Ski School, which extends to Shijinglong Ski Resort as part of the all-inclusive ski package. This includes a four-hour ski experience with resort-to-slope shuttle, full ski equipment, and two hours of instructor-led coaching. The instructors are very professional, responsible, and super nice, guiding us all the way. Although Yanyan had skied before, after a year she was a bit rusty. The coach patiently guided her through the movements—warming up, then onto the magic carpet. Yanyan was scared at first, but with the coach beside her, her courage grew noticeably. Step by step—walking, going uphill, braking—she learned methodically. Yanyan picked it up quickly, and soon she was riding the magic carpet and skiing the beginner slope. At first, the coach skied backwards in front of her to catch her, making Yanyan feel very safe. Later, when she gained more confidence, the coach stayed close to protect her, and Yanyan quickly mastered it, skiing quite long beginner runs. She felt a real sense of achievement.
We spent a three-day, two-night mini weekend at Yanqing Club Med Joyview, and it was absolutely joyful. So many activities packed in—a perfect winter experience. I hope more people get to know the Club Med culture. I believe every visitor who comes here will turn into an ambassador, telling every friend around them just how amazing it is. Looking forward to our next encounter.
