Yeah Mon!

Jamaica is known for being the "Island in the Sun" and besides the occasional bout of "liquid sunshine" (a.k.a. rain shower) it really is the Island in the Sun. Jamaica has an atmosphere that sets it apart from all the other Caribbean islands. Not only does Jamaica have beautiful beaches—because, lets face it, beautiful beaches cover most of the Caribbean—but it also offers coral reefs, water sports, horseback riding, sport fishing, golf, bird-watching, working plantations, botanical gardens, markets, bamboo raft river rides, Dunn's River Falls, and a whole lot of reggae. The island is covered with all-inclusive resorts that strive to meet your every need. The most popular travel destinations in Jamaica are Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril, because of their commercial resorts. Yet after you leave the island, you'll leave with a lot more than some great pictures, a couple of souvenirs, and feeling pampered. You'll leave with the memory of the warm and gracious people and their easy-going motto on life. Despite wit and work ethic, many Jamaicans live in poverty. When seeing the living conditions of many citizens, you can't help but appreciate and even feel a little guilty for everything we take for granted on a daily basis.

Quick Tips:

When traveling in Jamaica, an open mind and common sense go a long way. The driving is little tense, you'll probably be asked occasionally to buy drugs (but not in a scary demanding way), it may feel a little hustled in the markets, and theft from baggage in the airport is not all too rare, but it all just adds to the adventure. The food is great and you can't leave without trying the jerk chicken, many items are duty free, coffee and rum are some of the world's finest, and the overall experience is top notch.

In other words, Jamaica is the kind of place you go to to just take it all in. Staying in groups is a good idea. Most of the resorts arrange transportation for you, and as long as you don't go looking for trouble, you'll have "no worries, mon".

Best Way To Get Around:

The island of Jamaica has two international airports. One in Montego Bay and the other Kingston. Most tourist arrive and depart from Montego Bay.

Once we arrived in Montego Bay, we quickly found the "Couples Resort" area in the airport. It was like a bar and we were offered drinks and a comfortable place to relax for a few minutes. A short time later, we were shuttled the 2½ hour ride to our resort. The main roads were OK, but their was lots of construction and some parts of the road were awful. Every time we left our resort, we were shuttled to our destination.

From what I know, driving yourself on the island is a little tricky. Besides the road conditions, the gas stations close at about 7pm and only take cash. Plus, everything was priced in liters (yes, I am American). So, know what you're signing up for before renting a car.

Everything about the Couples Resort in Ocho Rios is top notch. I honestly can’t say enough about how wonderful this all inclusive resort really is. This resort is only for couples (male-female). Everything is included in the cost and tipping is not allowed. Although I’ve never actually stayed at a Sandal’s Resort, I think that Couples is very comparable but a lot less commercial and more personal.

We were picked up at the airport and drove to the resort. The second we stepped out of the van we were given cool clothes to cool off with and rum punch. Being we were honeymooner our room had a bottle of chilled champagne and we received free massages.

The food and drinks were delicious. The resort has five restaurants. Most were causal but one required reservations and has a dress code of semi-formal. The drinks were easily assessable at all times. You could order anything and mean anything (my personal favorite was called a hummingbird). If you ordered a drink and after a sip you didn’t like, the staff will gladly toss it out and make something else that you’d enjoy.

At the resort you can stay as busy or relax as much as you want. My husband and I tend to enjoy being active on vacation. At the resort we took advantage or many of the free activities including; horseback riding the plantation, snorkeling near the sunken ship, bingo in the pool, Dunn River Falls, kayaking, the shopping trip in Ocho Rios, and the Sunset Catamaran Cruise (which is more or less a booze cruise). We only stayed for five nights, and if we were to do it again we would stay longer and do some of the other activities like wind surfing and scuba diving.

Although we have a taken a couple other nice vacations this trip remains to be my husband’s all time favorite and it’s because of how unbelievable the Couples Resort is.

Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville is one of the largest restaurants in Jamaica. The restaurant is able to seat 450 people. Margaritaville has a reputation as a high-energy bar and grill with entertainment continuing late at night, and most people, including me, think that it does live up to its reputation. Attractions include a rooftop whirlpool tub, a 100-foot water slide that goes through the main floor of the restaurant, a pool, along with three bars and a Trading Post. We didn't do any of the water items because we didn't come dressed for that. The decor is a mix of rustic West Indian, African, and Cuban. Everyone has to try one of the world-famous tropical margaritas—they're great!. The menu is based on American food (i.e. cheeseburgers and french fries). The later the hour, the higher the energy level. We didn't eat there because we want to stick to the food at our all-inclusive resort. I know, I'm cheap. At night, there is reggae/disco style dancing. Overall, it's a fun place to spend a night. Many of the all-inclusive resorts provide transportation to and from Margaritaville throughout the night so it's a good way to enjoy an island night.

We had a fun time crawling up Dunn's River Falls. The entire waterfall is 600 feet from top to bottom, but the falls is a collection of cascades and pools. Overall it is very safe, but at the same time the force of water can be powerful. They have you hold hands (boy-girl-boy-girl) the entire way up the falls. If a girl slips the guys that hold her hand can usually stop her from falling, but guys aren't so lucky. We saw a bigger guy take a spill and the two girls holding his hand held on to his hands as his face hit a rock. He had a pretty nasty mark on his face, but he was alright. A first-aid station is available.

Swimsuits are a must. Rubber sandals (a.k.a. water socks) can be rented for $5. We enjoyed the trip and out of the hundreds of people there everyone except the guy mentioned above really enjoyed the falls. If possible, try to avoid the falls the day that cruise ships come to town. Hours are 8:30 to 5:00 and the climb takes about 30 minutes.

Our resort hooked us up with tour. Although our resort was all-inclusive we did have to pay extra for this, but it was well worth it. We were picked up in a van and when we were finished they took us back to our resort so we didn't have to worry about directions or driving in the crazy traffic.

Each couple rides on a 30 foot bamboo raft with their raft captain. Our raft captain, Jamas, was a wonderful man. He made the raft we rode on and everyday he goes to river to take one (or if it's a good day two) couples down the river. Our ride lasted about an hour. Jamas did ask us to buy a gourd that he etched a picture on. It was a nice souvenir and it's hard to say no to people who have so little.

Overall, I would say the raft ride was the highlight of my trip in Jamaica.

Horseback riding was offered as an activity that was included in the resort. If the tour isn't included, the cost is $20-$50 depending on what you do.

The plantation has a number of different plants that the tour guide will tell you a few interesting facts about. Their are views of Ocho Rios that are spectacular. Plus, the tour guides give a couple demonstrations. One of the older men, he said he was in his late 70s, ran right up a palm tree in seconds, dropped down a couple of coconuts, ran back down the tree, cracked the coconuts open, and gave us a sample. Seeing the elderly man run up a tree was shocking. We also tried a lot of other fruits at the plantation.

The old hilltop great house is not open to the public. The estate also includes the Prospect Cadet Training Center, which prepares students for the police force. This same young men are the tour guides.

The horseback riding was fun and safe. You're required to wear helmets and sign away your life. Although at no time did I feel that I was endangering my life. The horses were trained, yet their personality shined through. My horse wouldn't stop eating, and when another horse pushed him along, he bit that horse in the butt. The plantation was one of the most memorable parts of our vacation.