Next stop : Jamaica!






I headed down to the island of Jamaica compliments of the Jamaican Tourism Board last week and discovered even MORE reasons why  a fellow lover of travel should go to Jamaica. The tagline for the Jamaican Tourism Board is, "Once you go, you know" and that couldn't be more accurate. This has been the third time since last July that I have been to Jamaica and every single time I go, I marvel at all this island has to offer.

Upon landing, we were greeted by and escorted through immigration lines, bypassing all of the eager travelers and feeling a bit like royalty. Travelers going to Jamaica need to take advantage of the Club Mobay benefits both coming to and leaving Jamaica. It's the perfect way to create the best, most relaxed vacation ever. Club Mobay offers travelers the option of being greeted at the end of the gateway and escorted through immigration. Upon departure, travelers check their bags, head to the Club Mobay desk, check in and again, get a lovely escort through immigration ~ otherwise known as the fast track. Passing by the travelers standing in line with crying babies and crabby travelers not wanting to leave the island leaves you feeling quite fortunate and extremely happy you bought the service. Within the airport, lies the VIP departure lounge, Club Mobay. You will check into this lounge, have a seat in the beautiful lounge, grab a drink, something to eat , all of which is of no extra charge to you ( think all inclusive) and relax until your flight is called. If you happened to skip showering before you left because you couldn't pull yourself off of the beach, feel free to take a shower here and if you really want to make your departure more relaxed, get a massage. For a fee, you can get a massage and ease your way  back into reality.

Our first stop was in Negril, specifically the Riu Tropical Bay resort on Negril's infamous 7 mile beach. It's not exactly 7 miles, more like 5 miles of beach a break then 2 more miles of white sand beach. The Riu Tropical Bay resort is one of many Riu's in Jamaica situated on Bloody Bay. Don't let the name Bloody Bay get to you, it was named Bloody Bay because of the whale fishing back in the day. Riu offers many types of room categories suited for any traveler. This is a perfect resort for couples, families and last but not least, weddings. They offer weddings 3 times a day, tailored to your every wish.  There are several restaurants on site that provide you with just about anything you are cravign. Check out Krystal Fusion, but be sure to make reservations for this cozy little spot because it fills up. Other restaurants do not need reservations so stop in whenever you are ready to eat or belly up to the buffet in the event you want to try a variety of foods for dinner.
Riu Tropical Bay,
Bloody Bay
Negril, Jamaica

Negril Sunset at Bloody Bay
Negril, Jamaica

Next stop was Couples Negril and Couples Swept away. What can I possibly say about these properties to help you understand just how dream-like the property and the people are here. Well, here goes. Couples Negril, located smack dab next to Riu Tropical Bay,  is a smaller resort , offering 234 rooms. Every room in a Couples resort offers free wi-fi in the event you have a hard time unplugging. There are 4 restaurants and 5 bars. The food is beautifully prepared and is a real delight to the palate. Everything here is wonderful.

Couples Negril dining done right.
Kemar ~ Sales representative at Couples Negril
Look for him on your next visit!

Wedding gazebo at Couples Negril
Is there anything better than getting a massage on the beach?




















Spa at Swept Away.
Can you ZEN moment?
Swept Away lap pool makes it easy to stay cool and fit!
All righty, let's move on to Couples Swept Away in Negril. This is larger than Couples Negril with 312 rooms. Swept Away really is geared towards the fitness oriented travelers offering a sport size lap pool, squash and racquetball courts, fitness rooms with state of the art work out machines. The spa is divine offering full salon services, massages and an environment so soothing you may never want to leave. Trust me on this one. There is a casino on property here so if you have the need to drop some change in a slot machine, go for it. Who knows, you could win big and come back down to Jamaica again! Swept Away offers the ultimate opportunity to unplug by offering guests a bungalow. Nestled in the trees, these bungalows do NOT have a television allowing you to really relax. If you want ocean front rooms, you'll find them here. The atrium room offers a hammock right on the patio and the premium beach front rooms have an amazing front porch with great furniture and plenty of room to lounge, do some yoga or even dance. Whatever you like, you can do it on this porch! There are only 8 of these rooms here and they are a prized location. Swept Away will surely sweep you away. Trust me.

Simple. Elegant. Couples.
Premiere Beach Front room porch. 



A trip to Negril must include a trip to Rick's Cafe. The infamous cliff side restaurant/bar that boasts a crazy tall cliff that only the strongest of heart take the plunge off of into the azure waters below. Local men who do death defying dives for tips provide amazing entertainment as do the non-locals who jump off of the cliff. I wasn't brave enough to jump from that height so I chose the alternative jump, only about 15 feet up from the water. Upon jumping in, I was greeted by the male versions of a siren who wooed myself and my friend into a sea cave. I'm not much of a rock climber much less a wet rock climber but I did it. Into the dark I went with a couple of fellas who knew the cave like the back of their hands. I scaled the sea cave walls and sat upon a rock that was claimed to have been a rock that Bob Marley composed one of his songs on. I sat a bit, absorbed the good vibes then by the command of my Jamaican siren, I jumped into the pool of water at the end of the cave. I sat back a minute to let my eyes adjust to the darkness and before I knew it, I was diving under the water and swimming through a narrow crevice where my other siren awaited me, pulling me through the water. It was amazing and I'm glad I did it. The Sirens as I'll call them do this for a living so if you're so inclined to jump into the waters and get approached to check out the sea cave, be prepared to pay a little bit for the adventure. I didn't bawk at all at paying because honestly, it's an honest way to make a buck and it really is a great experience. 











My inspiration for jumping into the water. 
Rick's Cafe
Local diver wowing the crowd.



My Jamaican Sirens. 


I officially call this "lady rock cave" because of the sillouhette of a lady within the rock.





After we left the beautiful beaches and resorts of Negril, we moved on to Montego Bay where we visited the Grand Palladium Lady Hamiliton. This resort is no joke, folks! It has a total of 1056 rooms on property. For those of you loving large scale resorts with grand entrances, pillars and that feeling of walking amongst a palace, this place is for you. There is no real beach to walk and stroll along however, Grand Palladium makes up for it with there gigantic swimming pool. It's a small ocean in and of itself allowing plenty of room for everyone.  This resort is good for families and couples as well offering a private beach  (Coral Beach) for adults only. There are three room categories here : Jr. suite with a balcony, a suite that offers one bedroom and 2 balconies and bungalows (adults only) that have the largest jacuzzi tub I've seen in a long time.

The sea-size pool at Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton


Private beach at Lady Hamilton, Grand Palladium
Montego Bay, Jamaica


Sit down, relax or if you're so inclined, get married here. 
How about a room with a view?
Moving on we head off to the Sunset Beach Resort. This little nugget of a resort had peaked my interest as I'd seen it offered various times but since I didn't know much about it, I was hesitant to recommend the property. Let me tell you that I was very pleasantly surprised by Sunset Beach Resort. We were greeted by these cute old guys playing music, a woman with the best smile I've seen in a long time, a tray full of fresh pineapples filled with a rum delight and if that wasn't enough of a greeting, cool towels to wipe our sweaty selves off so that we could greet the extremely charismatic sales representative who would show us his resort. I was impressed immediately. This resort has 5 restaurants and 7 bars. The one bedroom suites have been recently upgraded and they are fantastic and the price is more than right. Like a lot of resorts, this property is a no tipping resort so keep your change in your room. There are visiting aerobics instructors who come and teach classes, there is a fitness center on site as well as a spa.  If you are a scuba diver, plan your dive at the local dive desk on property and know that you'll be headed  to one of the best dive sites in Jamaica. Diving is not included in the all inclusive benefit but it is definitely worth the price. Every year, Sunset Beach Resorts offers a soccer tournament open to any adult soccer teams. The next tournament is this week but if you're a soccer player and want to play other teams in Jamaica, look no further. This is a gem of a place that offers a great water park and lazy river for kids and adults alike. Family rooms are simple but have bunk beds to accommodate a family of 4 with no problems. Also, if you are traveling with your children ages 2-12 and need some adult time, feel free to drop them off in the children's center. Parents can drop their children off for up to 10 hours during a day and you can request a sitter for the evening time. I'm not sure of many people who would drop their child off for 10 hours at a time while on vacation but if you need to , you sure can here!
A welcoming smile greets us at Sunset Beach Resort

Fellas playing the original type of roots reggae

This is me enjoying my cool towel and fruity rum drink! 

One bedroom suite living space

A room with a view at Sunset Beach.

Clean, concise and everything you need in a room.

The waterpark at Sunset Beach Resort.

The family room at Sunset Beach Resort. Perfect for families!









































The next stop on our tour of resorts was the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Montego Bay. If you are looking for a great resort at a great price that has a great beach, pool, simple and straight forward rooms and delicious food, this is the place for you. I was impressed with this property. This resort seemed to be a favorite of locals so if you really want to get your Jamaican on, this is a good spot to do that. This resort is situated on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach and it offers a " Tek it easy" private island just steps from the beach. There are 518 rooms here and they are all being renovated within the next year. There is a fitness center, four tennis courts, spa, children's activity centers, casino and non motorized water sports available including snorkeling, pedal boats, kayaks and Sunfish Sailing. There really is something here for everyone. 
The family room at Holiday Inn Sunspree offers a private area for the kids with their own t.v

Holiday Inn Sunspree room.

Beach area 
Tek it easy private island!! How fun is this?

Hmm, these chairs need YOU!
One bedroom suite at Holiday Inn Sunspree.
 It's a great space for families, friends or couples.



Escovitch and fish, jerk chicken, rice and beans and veggies ~ delicious!

The early morning sunshine from our room
Our next stay in Montego Bay was at the Iberostar Beach Resort. This is part of a 3 property resort; Beach Resort, Suites and Grand. Iberostar Grand is the mack daddy of them all offering butler suites. Iberostar properties, like all of the others, is all inclusive. It had many restaurants on site that were available to all guests staying on property. There  is a disco that is pretty darn fun playing hip hop, reggae and a host of other songs. There are activities and shows here as well. The entertainers are very skilled at what they do and they do everything they can to make sure you have a GREAT time. The swimming pools and beach are all very nice offering a great place to cool off or chill out. The only issue I had with this property is the wi-fi. If you are  a person that needs your wi-fi, you'll pay for it here. For 1/2 hour it was $4 and so on. The wi-fi service was slow and not worth it ~ I packed it in and did a forced unplug from technology for two days which at the end of the stay, was a great thing to do. Iberostar offers space for all sorts ~ families, couples, family reunions, and weddings. Located right in Montego Bay, you're a hop skip and a small jump to the airport!
Care for a swim and a drink?

Our room at Iberostar Beach Resort

The entertainers extraordinaire at Iberostar

Lobby at Iberstar Grand
Butler suite at Iberstar Grand 

Iberostar Grand stairwell ~seriously grand!







No trip is ever complete without truly experiencing the food of Jamaica and a great place to do just that is at Scotchies road side restaurant. Scotchies serves up some seriously delicious Jerk chicken and pork, rice and beans, yams, salad and of course Red Stripe beer. Jerk is cooked over wood for a couple of hours until it's just perfect to be served and gobbled up. Check out our jerk chef at Scotchies. If you want to know the history of jerk, check out this link. 

This how the Jerk cooks to perfection!
 
Jerk pork anyone?
  
The Jerk chef who spent his day making peoples mouths happy.
My last stop in Jamaica was a dream-like 24 hours at Secrets St. James Resort in Montego Bay. I knew as soon as I stepped foot into the lobby that I would love it there.  As you get out of your taxi, you are greeted with, "Welcome home." A gentlemen takes whatever happens to be in your hands and guides  you through the front doors that slide open exposing you to an intimate lobby scented with incense. Our room wasn't ready right away but that did not stop us from enjoying the property. We placed our belongings in a safe room and proceeded to the pool to enjoy the sun, grab a snack and a drink. We enjoyed ourselves so much by the pool that we going to our room had left our mind. Upon checking into our room, I was stunned at it all. Every room is pool/ ocean view. EVERY SINGLE room! There's not a bad view in the resort.  Our room had a jacuzzi tub ( as do all of the other rooms), separate shower, private toilet, a "magic box" for room service in the event you don't want to open your room door to the staff, they'll just stick your food in a box connected to your room where you'll open your end,grab your goods and eat up. A Flat screen t.v, stocked refrigerator with soda, water, beer and juice, and two of the most comfortable beds I have experienced graced this room. I kid you not, people, the bed had magical qualities in it that pushed you deep into a slumber that you'll never forget  ~ and no, it that magical slumber wasn't due to too much rum but that would certainly create another experience worth noting! We had a little living room  with a table and chairs perfect for lounging and beyond that, our patio that faced the pool and sea. I can't say enough about the room. From the lobby to the room and everything in between, Secrets St. James and the connected resort, Secrets Wild Orchid are a slice of heaven. The beach has a walk way that has jerk stands, fruit stands available to you as you wish. Ice water bins situated throughout the property hold bottled water for you whenever you need it. Swim up bars, crazy fun entertainment staff keeps the crowd of guests happy and smiling and most definitely content. As you lolly gag through the resort, you'll find a host of things to do ~ basketball, spa services, tennis, catamaran cruises, snorkeling, and a terrific courtyard of shops and restaurants at the heart of it all. Mexican food, Jamaican food, Italian and much more gives you everything you could possibly want  to eat. Feel like an ice cream cone and a game of pool?  The arcade area is a classy area with ping pong, pool, and other games for you to pass your time away after you've had too much fun in the sun. On the outskirts of the Secrets Wild Orchid is the back drop of the Jamaican Blue Mountains. It's a perfect place to sit at night, staring at the sea with the lights in the mountains glistening throughout the trees. Stop by the star fish walk at night and see the illuminated shoreline where starfish come to hang out. It's really quite amazing. There are more than enough places at Secrets to enjoy one anothers' company or to find a cozy spot to enjoy a moment for yourself. I can't say enough about Secrets St. James and Wild Orchid. If you happen to go there, be sure to check out the entertainment staff there named "Sky", "Fresh Prince" and "Francois". You'll love them, trust me. I didn't take many pictures of Secrets because I was far to busy enjoying the property. Go for yourself ~ you'll see what I mean.


This lonely palm tree needs a guest.
Graced with palms, flowers and night blooming Jasmine,
the walkway at beach is the place to be!
I discovered how dred locks /can/ be made in this tub.
If you duck under water while the jets are going good and strong, it does a real number on your hair.
In the event you want instant dred locks, I suggest you try this method in achieving them!
The magic box where your room service is delivered to your room.
The Blue Mountains of Jamaica
Secrets Wild Orchid

As you can see, there's a lot of great places to stay while in Jamaica ~ none of which are just like the other. Jamaica is more than beaches and mountains. It's an island filled with national pride in it's peoples and it's accomplishments. It's a nation of  people from a variety of backgrounds that come together to make Jamaica what it really is all about : One love. Go to Jamaica with an open mind, a happy heart, and come home a newer version of you ~ a better version of you. Trust me on this one.

Irie, simply irie.
                                           


                                             










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Playa del Carmen vs. Cancun ~ What's the big difference?

La Limpia

Finding peace in Huatulco