It's that time of the year where the January cold starts to get to you, and you dream of taking off to the Tropics, and hanging at the Beach...Vamos a la Playa....and we're off to the Iberostar Montego Bay.
So nice to be able to ditch the Winter gear and boots, and to be able to wear sandals and beachwear for the next 2 weeks!
Lush tropical vegetation awaits you, as you breathe in that tropical smell, the humidity, the flowers, the grass, and that first sip of the Crazy Coconut drink the bartender just served you. You have a grin from ear to ear as you realize you are on HOLIDAY in JAMAICA!
The Bouganvillea bushes, in shades of pinks and watermelons.
Custard apples from the Market .
Freshly made juices at the Buffet in the mornings, no canned concentrate here.
If you like tropical fruit, there is plenty of it at the Buffets. Papayas, star apples, sapadillas, guavas, many of which I haven not eaten since leaving the Tropics to live in the cold.
The infinity pool we didn't go in, as we spent most of our days on the beach. Yes, there was lots of seaweed, but every morning a team went along and swept most of it up.
After 5, the water vendors come out and you can buy all kinds of things, if you are buying shells to take back home, check to make sure that the shells are not endangered species.
Fruit and Veggies of every type at the local Market..if you are taking a taxi for the day to visit Rose Hall, your cab driver may stop at the local Market.
Mangoes...yum!!
Inside the Lobby of the resort..this is one of 3 resorts which are located beside each other. The decor is typical of British colonial style ( originally the West Indies were colonized by the British, so lots of wood, plantation style shutters, and comfy rattan and wooden furniture). If you want to see modern, contemporary style, you will not find it here.
The grounds are full of tropical vegetation and well kept, and clean.
At the end of the day, you can take the shuttle and visit El Spa...what a way to end the day, heated tiled loungers, pools with various water temperatures, massages are available for an extra charge.
You can walk around the grounds safely. There are chirpy crickets, and I don't think I saw any mosquitoes...of course, all resorts probably fog.
Of course, if you are a late riser, there is the usual scramble to get a lounger. If you needed one, the staff would bring out more. The food at the buffets and at the A la cartes was superb, they served a great mixture of North American food and Caribbean cuisine. Can't say enough about the Entertainment troupe, they were phenomenal.
Tours - there are many options...we opted for Rose Hall Estate which is wonderful if you like history and old buildings, the Luminous Lagoon which is truly something to see, a visit to Rick's Cafe, and a visit to the Hummingbird sanctuary to see the Doctor Bird. Here he is drinking out of a bottle one of us is holding. He will actually sit on your finger, which is the coolest thing ever.
Once you land in Jamaica at the Airport, it seems like you are standing in line forever. Eventually you get through. If you have to make an international phone call using the phone in your room, it's like $85.00 US for a 10 minute call. If you don't have a plan on your phone, you buy minutes at the front desk, and it seems to work sometimes, and other times not. Oh well, you are on holiday, trying to get away from dinging phones. We visited in February and during the 2 weeks we did get some rain and cloudy days, the weather forecast would say cloudy, but it would be mostly sunny. it was hot, but the ocean breezes made it comfortable.
Above all, the staff at the Iberostar Montego Bay were very welcoming and helpful, we can't say enough about them. There was also a Wedding every day on the beach - Valentine's Day being a popular date.
