Girls’ getaways come in all shapes and sizes, from a simple spa weekend to a whirlwind trip to Paris. Today’s trip report is from an all-inclusive “escape” that was JUST the right fit for three friends in need of some tropical R&R.
Hi Ann!
Thank you, so much, for all your help in planning our Jamaican escape. We really appreciated all your ideas and research beforehand, and we ended up in a great spot!
Here’s some basic info, in case you need it…
– Jamaica was a perfect location for a girls getaway. We wanted tropical, and also wanted to feel like we were going somewhere with its own culture / style… not an Americanized resort community. Jamaica was beautiful, and the people were so kind and fun — really helped to showcase the true feel of the island. Hilton Rose Hall was a great property — clean, beautiful, fun, and great service.
– Montego Bay was a great choice for us because we wanted to be near the airport. However, I think if I went back and had the time, I would go to Negril, mostly for the beaches. The beach at our resort was a rather small, and it was completely within the resort. This is understandable and great for safety, but it is nice to have a bigger beach that you can walk along, which is what I think Negril has to offer. We still had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed the beach!
– Beaches / pools at the hotel:
– Main beach, a bit small and water a bit cloudy, but nice. They do offer kayaking and catamaran rides here for free, which was fun aslo.
– Adult beach – a little alcove next to the golf course that is great for a quiet day. It’s not easy to swim here – too rocky, but the beach is fantastic for just realaxing and so pretty.
– Main pool is a nice place to layout with a view of the ocean.
– Loved, loved the lazy river. There were a ton of families, but it was still really nice for us to just float around and chat in.
Hotel food was good. It was mostly your basic resort food, but on the higher end and all pretty good. There are 3 restaurants, all very nice and very tasty – Italian was our favorite. Great spot. There is an afternoon snack cart that serves great jerk chicken and Jamaican beef patties – yum!
Hotel was clean and enjoyable to be at. Always a lot going on, good energy. Service was fantastic – every single worker we encountered went over and above to make our stay pleasant. There was a lot of entertainment at the hotel. Not so much stuff we were into, but I could see it being a great property for families. There were a lot of families there and they all seemed to really enjoy it.
We only left the property one day. We did a full day tour with the Cool Runnings group. It included a bus to Ocho Rios, nice lunch, hike up Dunn’s Fall Waterfalls, and then snorkeling and an hour and a half or so on a catamaran party boat. Great day — definitely recommend the group. One note though… climbing the waterfalls is not for the faint of heart. There is a staircase next to it, if you just want to walk up along it, but climbing the actual falls was quite intense. A lot of people cut out halfway up. We’re all pretty active, and we had to cut out for part of it and then come back on. I’m only mentioning this in such detail because the Jamaicans really don’t tell you that when you are there. We were shocked at how hard it was, and were also shocked at how many older people and kids were climbing it… many of whom looked absolutely terrified and had to get help getting down. The Jamaican staff there were not so helpful — it was mostly other tourists helping each other down. But, it was a beautiful site and we had a nice time. The boat was great as well. It’s a long bus ride to get there, but personally, I sort of like that as you get to see other parts of the country.
We had a fantastic trip! All 3 of us really just needed to chill out and relax and it was perfect for that. I think the hotel is a little more geared toward families than couples or groups of friends, but that said.. we had a great time and it was just what we needed for this trip. Keep the property in mind though if you are looking for a Jamaican family trip.
Thank you so much for all your help!
Anne Marie
