Jamaica

Travelling to Jamaica

We flew to Jamaica on the 8th September for a 10 night all-inclusive holiday in Runaway Bay. Staying at Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica. As we used British Airways staff travel we booked the flights separate to the hotel. The hotel cost £650 each for the 10 days which we thought was good value. Because BA didn’t fly to Montego Bay direct we flew from Gatwick into Kingston Airport. Fortunately we managed to get nice business class seats on the plane which was a lovely treat, Especially having a glass of champagne before the plane even takes off. Also we booked a private transfer to our hotel which cost around £100 return. The journey is approximately 1½ hours long from the airport to Runaway Bay.

Hurrican Irma

Unfortunately Hurricane Irma, which at the time was the second costliest hurricane and the most powerful hurricane on record in the open Atlantic region, had hit the Caribbean just 2 days before. Undoubtedly the hurricane caused catastrophic damage to many of the Caribbean islands and also tragically resulted in many deaths. Consequently when we were landing the winds were very strong. Hence we spoke to the cabin crew who informed us that the pilot at one stage had been refused permission to land, but due to some skillful negotiation from the pilots we were finally allowed to land. After our flight had managed to land all of the other flights landing or taking off that day were cancelled or diverted.

Although we had booked a private transfer on meeting the driver we were informed that we would have to wait for two more couples before we could head off. However we had to wait for a long time for another couple who did not show up – we assumed that they were on another flight that had been cancelled. Finally we set-off on the journey to the hotel which did not take too long despite it being a fair distance away.

Accommodation

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We stayed at the Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay in the adults only area of the hotel. It is very big complex with many bars and restaurants. This is classed as a 4 star hotel but we felt it deserved an higher star rating. The rooms have traditionally styled furniture. We were in a junior suit which also had a jacuzzi bath which was relaxing. According to our booking we had booked a garden view room but unfortunately there was no garden to look upon just staff entrance. Also we were on the top floor under the lightning conductor. On one occasion lightning struck and the room lit up like a ball of fire. Consequently we were scared everytime it started lightning and considered asking to be changed rooms.

Food and Drink

There are 4 a la Carte restaurants Steakhouse, Italian, Gourmet and Japanese (You have to book these in advance). Additionally you are able to eat at 3 of the a la Carte’s per week which is good compared to some all inclusive. Shortly after we had arrived we were advised to book the a la Carte Restaurants which we did. Despite some of the negative views we found the food excellent. Especially the jerk chicken which was our favourite dish. We did notice a group of people every lunch time the whole of the group were on their phones constant in the beach restaurant whilst having a meal. We found this quite amusing and did not understand why they had come on holiday to not even talk to one another.

24 hours a day you can find somewhere that will serve food. Occasionally when we had returned from the late bar we would order room service. Although The room service menu isn’t extensive (pizza, sandwiches, nacho’s etc) it is enough.

Throughout the day there are several places around the hotel to serving a variety of food. Unquestionably you will never go hungry at this hotel lol.

Also there are lots of different pools to choose from with several swim up pool bars. Throughout our stay we spent most of the pool time at the adults only pool where it was a party scene everyday. Undeniably this was the place to be to meet people and have some fun during the day.

When you needed to get to one part of the complex to another and it is a distance there are golf buggies to take you around the complex if you need them. Especially if you have any mobility issues this is a good facility to have on a large complex.

Beaches

Because of Hurrican Irma for the first few days of our stay the beaches were out of bounds due to high water levels and some strong winds from the tail-end of the passing hurricane, however these died down and we were able to walk on the lovely white sands and paddle in the little coves where there were many fish.

Though the hurricane had caused a lot of damage it was not evident at this hotel. Surprisingly the beach and the grounds of the hotel were immaculate.

Entertainment

During the evenings there was a wide variety of entertainment ranging from live Jamaican bands to Karoke and a nightclub. There is a large Amphitheatre that hosts shows each night. The cocktails in the piano bar were made from fresh ingredients and they really did taste delightful.

Whenever we went out of an evening we seemed to not come home until the nightclub had finished lol. Therefore we had to get the golf buggy back to our rooms as I think we would have got lost if we hadn’t have.

There are plenty of activities and entertainment during the day and at night to keep everyone happy including a children’s club.

Dunn’s River Falls

The only excursion we went on was to Dunn’s River Falls which is the world famous landmark of Jamaica.  The Falls are 180ft high and 600ft long and you can walk up to the top starting on the beach. Obviously it is a tourist hotspot so they recommend you get there early when it is not too busy. Certainly you will need water shoes If you do have any do take them with you, or you can buy them when you are there – you will need them to be able to climb the Falls.

The white sands of the Caribbean Sea are the first thing you see before climbing up the waterfall. You pay to enter the Falls area and this includes the guided tour navigating the Falls.  The guides help you climb/walk up to the top by getting everyone in the group to form a human chain. Because it is very slippy in parts so you do need to be careful, although you will have no problem with your water shoes on.

Although is high the walk up it is not too steep therefore it isn’t too difficult to climb . There are little pools along the way where the water is lovely and cool to have a quick bathe in. The walk takes about 1½ hours. There are gift shops  and a café / bar at the top of the waterfall and somewhere to get changed and dried off. It is a great experience and we would really recommend that you give it a try if you are visiting Jamaica.

Summary

Having experienced the island we would strongly recommend visiting Jamaica.  The people are friendly, the beaches and hotel were beautiful and the hotel provided a truly fantastic experience. We met lots of people of various nationalities and created some very fond memories of Jamaica. We will definitely be going back to Jamaica at some point as we loved it and there a lot of things we didn’t manage to see or do. Also one of our phones got wet and we lost some of our photo’s therefore it would be nice to go back and get some more photo memories.

Images

Things to do

• Climb Dunn’s River Falls.
• Visit Rick’s Cafe and Dive off cliff if you dare. Many tourists and locals do.
• Try the local cuisine especially the Jerk Chicken it is amazing.Grenada
• Take a boat trip and snorkel
• Do river rafting
• Do river tubing

Top Tips

• Buy water shoes before going to Dunn’s River Falls as they are cheaper elsewhere.
• Book an hotel where you can have a good time without leaving the complex much as some areas are deemed unsafe for tourists.
• Book excursions with hotel or rep if possible.
• Some people went to local bars with a recommended driver. We didn’t do this as we did not find out the was safe until end of our holiday but would have if we had known earlier.
• Check Government website before travelling to Jamaica https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/jamaica .
• Be aware of hurricane season when booking which runs from June to November.
• Check temperature and rainfall on chart below for best time to visit Jamaica.
• Check out other destinations in the Caribbean we have visited. Please click on the following links Cuba , Mexico , Dominica , Antigua , Grenada , St Lucia , St Maarten, Barbados , Martinique

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	28	28	29	29	30	31	33	33	31	30	29	29
Low Temp	21	21	22	22	23	24	24	24	24	24	23	22
Rainfall	70	30	30	60	80	80	60	80	110	130	120	100
Number of days	12	8	9	9	13	11	10	12	14	15	14	12