Weekend in Jamaica

We stayed at this hotel when we were forced to move to Ocho Rios after the rain cancelled the cricket match in Kingston. This was the only place where we found accommodation since all other Ocho Rios hotels were filled with other Indians in similar situations.

Our initial mistake upon entering Ocho Rios on a wet day was not taking up the Sandals offer of $215/night, all inclusive. Not knowing the rates for the all-inclusive option, we declined it and instead stayed at Turtle beach towers at $66/night. The room was very, very basic and the bathroom was not to my liking at all. Since it continued to rain for the reminder of our stay (except the last day), I positively hated the place, but to be fair, it is probably the weather that prejudiced me.

Also, we had left a half eaten cake on the table, and when we returned, half of the other half was gone. I don't really mind sharing the cake with the room service, but I think ethically and professionally, it is wrong. It might be just a piece of cake, but that made me hesitate to leave anything valuable in the room, and I was always walking around with everything in my bag.

It’s very close to the beach and the one good day we had, we had good fun bathing in the beach (it had some seaweed). The hotel is in front of Margaritaville, which is a HUGE advantage for those wanting a night life. But the hotel itself is more like an apartment complex and does not have any activities or entertainment that the next door hotel, Sandcastles, seemed to have. Seeing the large number of locals in the complex, I suspect it doubles as a residential property for locals.

If you not purse pinched, would recommend staying in a better hotel. Jamaica is a beautiful country, and you would enjoy it better at a better hotel. Unfortunately, the bad weather combined with the bad choice of hotels we made in Kingston and Ocho Rios made Jamaica our only vacation that I've actually looked forward to returning home from.

We started our meal by ordering their tropical drinks and became quite hooked on their Pina Colada. For appetizers, we chose vegetable samosas. Their samosa (a deep-fried appetizer) is the best I've had to date outside India. Their breads were soft and the main course dishes were delicious. We had pulav rice to go with the bread and gravy. The gravy had the authentic taste of Indian food - not the American Indian version found in most Indian restaurants in U.S. or curry-style versions in Indian restaurants in England/Australia. They had a wide range of desserts too, which we did not taste since we were completely full.

This has to be some of the best Indian food I've tasted!

Though the Dunn River Falls is a very small waterfall, the climb up is fun. One does not have to be very adventurous or have a high fitness level to be able to climb the falls. The guide supplied us with water shoes and led us up the falls in a human chain. It is a little slippery in places where the water flows with some force, but it's nothing you cannot manage. We had people in our group who made the climb carrying infants on their backs/shoulders!

There were little niches from where we could get off the track if we wanted to. At the end of the climb, there is a little natural water slide where you can slide down the rock into a natural little pool. There's also an pit-like area where you can sit down and where the water hits you in all directions, like a Jacuzzi.

If you are in Ocho Rios, this is one activity not to be missed.