NetNude - Jamaica, Jamaica Report

Jamaica, Jamaica Report

This report is brought to you by Fred B.

The opinions expressed are those of the person(s) who submitted the report and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NetNude.

Jamaica Jamaica, in Jamaica

July, 1993

Note: Clicking on the images will not display larger photos. Photos are actual size.

My wife and I went to Jamaica Jamaica this past July/93. We had a great time. Ja Ja is in Runaway Bay, east of Mo Bay but not as far as Ocho Rios. It took about 1 hour by the free hotel bus.

We left on a Sunday, departing Toronto at 1:15pm and stopping at Turks & Caicos to pick up Club Med vacationers. We finally arrived at Montego Bay at 6pm, clearing customs at 7:15pm. Don't try to rush through the lineups. All the buses wait for the last person before departing to the hotels -- and there is no way of speeding up the customs officials. They are on "Jamaican Time". No Problem.

We arrived the hotel after 9pm (stopping at a few hotels along the way for other passengers). We finally found the dining room at 9:30. Even though they had started to clean up for the evening, we were welcomed a served a delicious meal. After our long trip, we decided to walk around the grounds and see what was happening.

There was a mix of singles and couples both young and old. The grounds are very big so there was room for both quiet times and active games. Mostly couples were a little older than the singles.

The pool during the day, and the piano bar and disco at night were the most active spots. They have entertainment (excellent) every night including a beach party and local entertainers. You might want to practice for talent night with both staff and guests. Monday's entertainment was the best of the week. The "Crab Man" who could limbo under about 6 inches, Jamaican dancers, and a fire eater were the highlights.

Tuesday morning, we rode horseback up the mountain and saw some new homes under construction. One was enclosed in a compound, and the house surrounded an in-ground pool! These were owned by both foreigners as well as local Jamaicans.

Hot Tub

The day turned hot quickly so we looked for the pool. It is huge. There are lots of floaters and a portion of the pool is used for volleyball. On the grounds there are hammocks, croquet, and other slower things to do. The games room has ping pong and billiards. There are also 3 whirlpools; 1 near buildings 1 & 2, another in the main building, and one at the nude beach. We found the temperatures to vary -- too cold or too hot. After an exhausting search (requiring another drink), we found the heater. They are about 50 ft away from the whirlpool in a little white picket enclosure. You might want to adjust it to your liking.

You can play tennis (4 courts) on the grounds and it's just across the road to the SuperClubs golf course. The driving range is free but you must rent a cart or use a caddie to play golf (extra charge). By the way, proper dress is requested - no swimsuits.

The meals are terrific. You have the choice of buffet or 5 course dinner each night. They don't serve large portions -- but we found them just right and not too filling. Breakfast is buffet and so is lunch. There is a wide selection so you won't go hungry. There is also a beach BBQ for hamburgers, hot dogs and jerk chicken.

After lunch on Tuesday, we went on the catamaran sail. One hour out and one hour back in about 5 ft. swells. Very relaxing though -- take a hat and sunscreen. A hot sail deserves a drink!

There are several bars. The beach bar opens about 10am to 7pm. The lobby bar is from about 3pm to late, the lounge bar is open when there is entertainment, and the disco is open until everyone leaves. There is also a self serve bar on the nude beach.

Nude Beach

Wednesday I went diving while Paula relaxed in the pool and planned some more activities. We are in our early 40's and tended to opt for the quieter activities and the trips to Ocho Rios, horseback riding and the buggy ride. That afternoon we went on a horse & buggy ride through the neighborhood. This is a great way to relax after a full day and we especially enjoyed the complimentary wine on the trip.

Thursday after my dive we went river rafting on the Martha Brae. It as great - about 1 and 1/2 hours slowly drifting down the river with a Red Stripe and a guide. You can stop at several craft and beer stands along the river and the guides make and sell crafts.

I am a certified diver and only dive in the Caribbean -- too cold in Ontario and now I'm spoiled. Although the water around Jamaica is a little more cloudy than other places, probably the current on the Atlantic side, I enjoyed it.

The staff are _very_ cautious. You will have to fill out a waiver, health form and list your diving experience. Since it was a few years since I was last out, I was invited to the beginners session in the pool, and then on the shallow dive.

After that I was allowed on all the dives. All diving is FREE at Jamaica Jamaica. If you have been to other resorts you know how much that saves.

The equipment is good. I took my own reg, fins & mask. They have up to date BC's and regs if you need them. My reg free-flowed a bit and the dive master fixed it for a small fee. No problems with it after that.

Their dives are not deep (most 80') nor far away (about 10 minutes by boat). Unlike the Jamaican gov't, they are concerned about the coral in the area and are very protective of it. Don't look for souvenirs.

The only complaint I would have is that they try to keep the group too close together. With about 12 people that means you are bumping into each other. If you are an experienced diver, you could/should talk to them about pairing with someone to explore a bit.

In any case, I really enjoyed it.

We found all equipment to be in great shape. This was especially important when scuba diving - don't want anything to break down there. I dove in Cuba once with (rusty) steel weight belts and baby jars of air. Didn't give me a lot of confidence in the resort.

There seemed to be lots of equipment for everyone. We were there in July and the resort was almost full. My wife said you could golf almost anytime, and the tennis courts were empty most of the time. There were enough windsurfers and sailboats for all.

By the way, take a walk up to Runaway Bay along the beach. There are T-shirts and craft stands up there. Nice walk about 20 minutes.

Friday Paula went to the driving range while I dove. The beach is protected by a reef, so you had to go around it to get to the open water. That means its more windy too. We just snorkeled off the nude beach most of the time. Then we went shopping in Ocho Rios.

By the way, you have to look hard to find any activity to pay for. Most of it is all free.

Cost of tours varied:

River Rafting on Martha Brae (1.5 hours) $37.50
Bus tour of mountains and towns $ 22.00
Prospect Plantation Tour (1.5 hours) $ 27.00
Shaw Park Gardens $ 15.00
Negril Day Tour (Negril Tree House) $ 42.00
Dunn's River Falls $ 5.00

Free Stuff:
snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing, glass bottom boat, catamaran cruise, scuba, volleyball (pool & beach), tennis, golf (carts extra), horseback, horse & buggy (with wine), bike tours, arts & crafts, reggae classes, aerobics, nautilus gym, backgammon, bingo, entertainment, games room, tv room, gym, etc....

Saturday, our last full day we relaxed. We had another great dinner in the dining room and enjoyed the Amateur Hour (guest and staff) entertainment that evening. Special note of the Pointer Sisters (one with a mustache?!) who were great.

Prude Beach (clothed beach)

On Sunday, our last day, we hit the beach early. We said good-byes to our new friends and exchanged addresses.

After lunch it turned cloudy and rained. We didn't care and stayed out anyway. Nothing was going to spoil our last day. We departed the resort about 4pm and left Jamaica on our 7pm flight.

A week went by VERY quickly.

Submitted by Fred & Paula B/Toronto