Montego Bay: Beautiful, but Be Careful

Best Things Nearby:
The beach is small but wonderful and full of activities. It's close to town, but far enough out that you don't have to worry about noise. If you plan on going to Montego Bay, this is the place to stay. Sandals is at the end of the airport runway, and Beaches is right downtown. Trust me, Sunset Beach is the resort in Montego Bay.

Best Things About the Resort:
The resort is great. As soon as you arrive from the airport, the staff welcomes you with "Welcome Home, Mon". They will not allow you to touch or carry your own luggage, and they will not accept tips from you no matter how hard you try.

Resort Experience:
The resort was self-contained and wonderful; it has a great beach that's narrow but nice. On one end, there is a rock jetty hiding a secluded clothing-optional beach. The food is good most of the time, but I could not bring myself to eat the curry goat on Jamaica night. The open-air lobby has tons of chairs and couches to lounge around in by day, and they tend to have activities there at night. Elvis made an appearance for one night. The activities offered are many, and the water sports are free.

Shopping is an experience you should only have with a guided tour, and stay with your group, as this is a second-world country, and you may disappear if you wander off. We went snorkleing and had a great time--see review of that activity later. All in all, the vacation was an experience that I am glad I took, but I will not go back, as I prefer Mexico.

• Unit Type: Studio
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Excellent

You get on a bus at your resort and go to Sandals to board the catamaran for the trip out into Montego Bay. You immediately get alcohol served to you, including shots right out of the bottle. You drink all the way to the snorkeling spot and jump in for a hour or so of pure fun. When you have had all the snorkeling you want, you get back on board and drink your way over to the dock at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville bar and store. Overall, this was a great trip. See my review of the Great Jimmy Buffet Bar later on in my journal.

Have fun, Mon.

Well I should start this off with saying I am a Parrot Head (extream Jimmy Buffet fan) So a trip to Margaritaville in Jamaica was a must do. I arrived Jimmy Buffet-style drunk and on a sailboat (snorkeling trip). We tied up to the dock and stumbled into the temple of the laid-back. The place is amazing, with a 200-foot water slide from the top deck into the bay. Just past the slide are some water trampolines, and that is a blast. Inside is a full-blown bar, complete with Sharkhead DJ booth. We were here during the day, but I hear it gets pretty wild at night. Of course, you can buy your Jimmy Buffet shirts, glasses, towels, and underwear in the shop, at the back of the bar. If you like cool bars or if you are a parrothead, this is a must-see.

We went on a shopping trip downtown, and this included a tour of the area. This was a pretty safe trip, and they took you up on the hillside overlooking the bay. This is a must-do if you are in MoBay.

When you are on final approach to MoBay, you feel like you're going to land in the bay. The runway is right on the beach, and you can't see land until you just touch down. The airport looks like it came out of a 1950s movie, complete with going down stairs outside on the tarmac when you get off your plane. Overall, it was stress-free but very strange and exciting, arriving and realizing you had just stepped into a diffrent world.