July 21, 2021
By M.Swint
You can feel the Adrenaline of excitement as you fly into Sangster International airport located in Montego Bay, Jamaica (mon) The RUSH of the landing, putting a smile on your face as you glance out the window of the airplane, seeing the turquoise blueish waters and white sand beaches.
You’ve made it, finally….Vacation (yes) a long awaited Vacation! After a year of shutdowns and uncertainty, can you believe it? your here in Jamaica (mon)!!
Jamaica….. the island of the late Great Reggae Crooner Bob Marley, with plenty of All Inclusive Resorts to choose from. You can taste the sweet Jamaican Appleton Rum and the mouth watering Jerk Chicken, and if you like Lobster? you can eat Lobster after Lobster and more Lobster 🦞
As Editor-in-chief of Swinttravelblog.com, I had the privilege of taking along with me my team, my wife and a few of my closest friends to Montego Bay Jamaica (mon) with the purpose of Exploring, Relaxing, and getting the Vibe!…. on a short 8 day Vacation.
In these sketchy traveling times, many regular travelers have been very reluctant to fly the blue skies, and with just cause. Covid has without a doubt crippled the travel industry 🤪 putting a stop to Domestic and International travel alike.
As Covid numbers drop, those with the travel bug are at it again 🤪 but still with much caution ⚠️ yes caution indeed, just as I started writing this article Covid numbers are rising once again 😬
So…. If you decide to travel to Jamaica, here’s what you need to consider before traveling as regards to Covid:
- Jamaica requires a travel authorization form to be executed before you travel. visitjamaica.com
- A negative Covid test is required 3 days prior to departure. So if your trip is scheduled to fly out on Saturday, then you should get tested on Wednesday. It is a good idea to always print out these important documents, not relying on your cell phone.
- Travel Tip: Always register with the State Department in order to get the latest travel updates of the country that you are visiting. The State Department will give you the crime updates in all areas as well as Covid updates and the address to the U.S. Embassy. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html
WHEN PLANNING MONTEGO BAY JAMAICA, EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS!
If you are planning to come to Montego Bay Jamaica, fixate your mind on getting the Vibe of the island. How so? First of all, you should plan to see the island, plan to see the people, and plan to taste the island foods. Another major part of planning will be selecting a resort that will fulfill all of your expectations. Plan carefully and keep in mind that your choice of resort can make or break your vacation.
Travel Tip: When searching for a resort consult with these websites tripadvisor.com or oyster.com
Viator.com
I’m urging all new travelers to leave the resort, plan to go on an adventure! Plan to take a tour or go on an excursion, don’t cheat yourself out of seeing some of the fine Gems that Jamaica has to offer, open your mind and expand your horizons!
With that said, I don’t want to restrict this article to the Montego Bay area only, lets look at some other areas and some other things we can explore or discover in Jamaica.
Things to do in Jamaica
Dunn’s River Falls (Ocho Rios)
One of the best excursions you can go on in Jamaica is Dunn’s River Falls. Many visitors vibe this tour! Dunn’s River Falls will not break the bank nor will you come up short of adventure. You can find many modest priced tours on Viator.com Dunns River Falls
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The Killians -
Dunns -
The Stokes -
The Aikens & The Swints Dunns
Ricks Cafe (Negril)
Ricks Cafe is probably one of the most popular tours on the island. If you are adventurous, this is the tour for you! As you walk into the Cafe/ Restaurant you will see that it’s located on the cliffs in Negril Jamaica. At the bottom of the cliffs there lies the ocean, you can no doubt see what I’m getting at 😬 yes cliff jumping. On this trip to Jamaica, we did not get a chance to go to Negril, but I plan to in the near future. Rick’s Cafe
Martha Brae river bamboo rafting (Falmouth)
Another popular tour, is the Martha Brae river bamboo rafting. On this tour you will be guided by a raft captain through the quiet MB river on a 30 foot bamboo raft made for two. The tour caters to couples and girl getaway groups, you will discover the calm river area with its lush scenery, this is no doubt a photographers dream, I will put this tour down as a must do! Martha Brae
PLEASE NOTE: WHEN BOOKING EXCURSIONS, MAKE SURE YOU FIND OUT IF YOUR ENTRY FEE IS INCLUDED!
Other Excursions to take note of:
Going Off the beating path
There’s more to get into….
Yes! there’s so many other things to do in Montego Bay Jamaica and in surrounding areas. You can expand your exploring options farther than the typical excursions…..
If you are like myself, one who is willing to go off the beating path, Montego Bay Jamaica will offer you that as well.
Hire a private driver to take you off the radar, please note: driving is not recommended for visitors on the island of Jamaica (mon)😬😊
Try visiting:
(1) Accompong Village – A village where Jamaica’s Maroons were African slaves who escaped into the island’s rugged, mountainous outback to win their freedom.
(2) YS Falls – Tumbling down limestone cliffs, YS Falls is one of Jamaica’s most beautiful sites yet visited by just a fraction of island visitors,
(3) Good Hope Plantation: Located close to the town of Falmouth, the Good Hope Plantation is an adrenaline-lover’s paradise — a historic estate home surrounded by soft adventure activities like ziplines, ATV tours, tubing and kayaking. Operated by Chukka, outings to Good Hope Plantation include tours of the great house, fishing, swimming, and you can visit the Appleton Rum tasting experience.
Good Hope Plantation
But…There’s More….. what about the Beaches?
For all my Beach Lovers, Did you know that there are over 50 public beaches in Jamaica, of course some will charge you a fee to enter, but this is definitely something worth considering when visiting the Island. Here are some of the top beaches:
- Cornwall Beach. Montego Bay area.
- Hellshire Beach. Kingston area. …
- Puerto Seco Beach. Discovery Bay area. …
- Fort Clarence Beach. Kingston area. …
- Aqua Sol Beach. Montego Bay area. …
- Mammee Bay Beach. Ocho Rios area. …
- Low Cay Beach. Ocho Rios area. …
- Pellew Island Beach. Port Antonio area. …
Where’s my Foodie’s
Montego Jamaica as well as other areas of the island has some of the best food in the world! Venture out to local Restaurants.
[1] Scotchies : When you come to Montego Bay you must visit Scotchies Restaurant, they have the best Jerk chicken I’ve ever tasted! Walking into the open outdoorsy restaurant you’ll smell the smoke of the barbecued chicken with the grill master standing over a flaming wood burning slab, a very unique process for smoking the chicken to perfection 👌🏾
[2] Lobster Dave seafood Restaurant : Some of the freshest seafood you will ever encounter! Located at Fisherman’s Beach in Ocho Rios off the side of the highway, parking is limited, let your driver worry about that 😁
[3] Jangalees seafood : Dine at the restaurant/ bar on the beach in Ocho Rios. Fresh lobster, red snapper, shrimp , you name it and Jangalees seafood has it!
[4] Murray’s fish and jerk hut : This restaurant has to be the king of Jerk on the island with: Jerk Chicken; Jerk Rabbit; Jerk pork; Jerk Sausage; Jerk Fish and so on, you will also find dishes like Curry Goat and much much more.
it was the best KFC he’d ever tasted ….
– Don Aiken Jr
[5] Kentucky Fried Chicken: Of course we can get KFC anywhere, but after some careful research, my best friend Donald Aiken Jr was insisting on going to KFC 🤷🏽♂️ (why) with thousands of restaurants on the island? Obviously there was a buzz going around Montego Bay about how good the food was there, I have to admit, I refused to go, but my buddy went and he said it was the best KFC he’d ever tasted, it was great! It did not disappoint. 😂😂
Where to Stay?
When planning most of my adventures, the Resort is one of the biggest attractions to me. I’m very big on where I will lay my head at the end of the day, what will I eat in the morning and so on……With that said I’d like to conclude this article with highlighting the resort that I had the pleasure of staying at :
Featured Resort :
The Iberostar Grand Rose Hall located in Montego Bay Jamaica
This resort will go down as one of the best All Inclusive resorts that I had the pleasure of staying at. With its Grand entrance into a Grand lobby which is elevated above sea level, looking down into the pool area on Level 5.
Once you have arrived, you will be warmly welcomed and then met by the Concierge for further instructions. After checked in and receiving your room assignment you will be amazed at the room size. Most of the rooms at the Iberostar Grand are suite rooms with two large (his) and (hers) closets, a super large bathroom area with (his) and (hers) sinks and a shower area with a separate jacuzzi tub area.
My wife and I had the Superior Suite designed with a Large living room area including couch, chairs and table and then you’ll walk onto a large patio balcony area and find a large swing seat and another couch, definitely designed for couples and adults. This rooms at the Grand also comes with, guess what? Bonus… bonus….your very own Butler, yes you will have a private butler who will run your bath water, iron your clothing and so much more, definitely a bonus for an all inclusive resort.
The Iberostar Grand is an adult only resort which is connected to it’s (2) sister resorts , (The Iberostar Selection) and (The Iberostar Beach suites), three resorts rolled into one. The Iberostar Grand being the top resort and only resort out of the three that has access to all three resorts.
The grounds are superb! Manicured landscapes with a variety of bushes and flowers and palm trees. You will have at least 5 swimming pools to choose from, including the pools from the other resorts. You can also take a nap on the many daybeds around the pool area at no extra charge. As I took a personal tour of the other two resorts, they do not compare, nor offer what the Grand will give you, therefore I did not spend any time away from the Iberostar Grand.
Dinning
There are several restaurants right on the campus of the Iberostar Grand. Most All Inclusive resorts will require you to make reservations for these restaurants at no additional cost, they are categorized as Specialty restaurants. The Grand also have a buffet style restaurant as well to give you more dinning options.
I must say the food at this resort was Superb!
If you are one to go to the buffet for a variety, you will not come up short! Grilled Lobster is abundant and Prime Rib is so tenderly cut! In the morning fresh roasted ham is served, I’m not a fan of ham, but the way they prepared this ham at the buffet is some of the best I have ever ate!
Specialty Restaurants
The restaurants are designed to have something for everyone no matter what your taste buds require.
Covid protocols are in effect when entering restaurants and in all buffet style areas 🤗
Restaurants onsite:
- GALLEON – Surf and Turf
- PORT MARIA – Jamaican
- LA TOSCANA – Italian
- BEACH GRILL – Snack Bar
- KINIRO TEPP – Japanese
- CORNWALL – Buffet
- ES PALAU – Gourmet
Let’s break down a few of these specialty restaurants:
Port Maria – If you like to dine off the beach, this is the restaurant for you! Open to the air in the evening, the food theme is Jamaican. You will find on the menu a nice variety, for example: Oxtails so tender, some of the best I ever ate.
Kiniro – One of the more popular restaurants was the Kiniro Japanese restaurant. The food was great, cooked hibachi grill style. There was no Su chef’s there, but the cooks did a fine job.
The Iberostar Grand did not fall short of this most requested food on the Island (Jerk Chicken) located right off of the beach near the pool bar there sits a Jerk Hut, serving Jerk Chicken, Burgers, and so on…. Nice area to get a snack from.
If you are up late at night, and you want a snack, there is a little snack shop located in the Iberostar Selection area, as you pass the security guard who makes sure no one from the Selection come over to the Suites🤭 anyway 😂😂 you will find in this snack bar sandwiches, cookies and drinks.
But if you are really hungry at night, no worries (mon) you can order room service, order yourself a full meal as you whine down to leave the club or show.
Entertainment
Speaking of entertainment, The Iberostar Grand did not come up short. Choosing between two clubs and a lobby DJ we always had a choice of nightly entertainment, me personally I really enjoyed the vibe of the lobby DJ with the lobby bar next to the dance floor.
There was also live Entertainment, of course most resorts have the Michael Jackson show, the Iberostar Grand had one as well. Very entertaining!
The Iberostar Grand also hosted a Beach Party with a live dancer, and a Reggae Beach party with a live band. Another source of entertainment was the synchronized swim show at the pool and a fire show.
As I conclude this article, there is so much more to Montego Bay and the surrounding areas in Jamaica, I did not even mention a fraction of what this beautiful island is all about. The purpose of this article is to wet your appetite and start planning! I can assure you that the Vibe in Montego Bay Jamaica (mon) was definitely Lit! I Strongly urge you to visit this beautiful Island and enjoy all that it has to offer, the people, the fine foods, the hospitality and the relaxed atmosphere is contagious! The only problem I had in Montego Bay……😩 I wasn’t there long enough! If you decide to catch the Mobay Vibe, you will not be disappointed by no means! So Come get the Vibe in Montego Bay Jamaica (mon) !
Highlight Photos
Welcome to Swint Travel Blog! My name is Mark A Swint and I enjoy Traveling or you can say that I have the travel bug. The purpose of this website is to share travel ideas and travel tips that will invite inexperienced travelers as well as those who are well traveled get away and try something new. My family and I have traveled to many places around the United States as well as the Caribbean, Central America, and Europe. My goal is to get viewers and bloggers excited about going to see places you have never been. (Switching Careers) Living in beautiful Michigan all my life, I currently work in the Auto Industry, however it is my goal to switch to the hospitality/travel industry in the near future. There are so many places on my bucket list for travel, please feel free to share your travel experience with me so that we can have an exchange of ideas.
Thank you for visiting my website and I hope that the pictures and the travel tips get you motivated to try some place new!
Happy Travels!
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