Jamaica
Hiiii girlies, welcome back to my blog! 💕
Yes, I know, I know… I have been away for a little longer than we all wanted but I am back now! I took a quick sisters trip to Jamaica and it was marvelous! Yes, I finally went to Jamaica and everyone is shocked that it took my 25th country to go to the best island in the Caribbean!
We originally had our trip due for September but ended up moving up the trip because of the new job that I was going to start. So, we had plenty of travel credit and decided to go in July. Everyone in my life has visited Jamaica but it was finally my time! So, we jumped on Spirit Airlines from Philadelphia to Montego Bay, Jamaica. With a stop on the way, our flight was only about 5 hours in total. We booked an Airbnb this time to save some money because Montego Bay in July was way more expensive for accommodation than in September. We arrived safely at Sangster Aiport and wanted for our driver that we set up with our Airbnb. We waited and waited… he was late! Not a great start. That is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to airport travel. Booking a company in advance, paying for them and them being extremely late. Not, 5-10 minutes late, but more like 20-45 late. Sitting there while other people not only leave but there are taxi drivers right at your disposal to take you right there with no wait.
Finally, our company driver got us but told us our room wasn’t ready yet and there was no point in going to the grocery store, so he would come back and we could get food and drinks then. My sister and I were so sweaty and honestly just wanted to get to our room. He said we could drop us off anywhere, but we just wanted to go to our location because at least there was a restaurant and a pool at the location we could enjoy. We arrived and ate at Queen G's restaurant! The food was AMAZING but I do remember sweating a lot haha!
The temperature was almost already in the 90’s before noon and I was so ready to get out of our travel clothes. We rushed into our bathing suits and headed straight to the pool.
Our faces changed once we saw the pool. It looked so old and run down! We were shocked because Airbnb made it look decent! But, it was clean and we were hot and jumped right in! Music was playing because the bar was open and we just swam. There were no chairs and we just decided to try to walk down to the beach. Well, the beach for some reason was not open that day and they closed the gate at the entrance. So, we just swam and sat until our room was ready. Finally, it was and our apartment was one of the very last apartments down the way, and had to walk down. Okay fine, but the 3 levels of stairs with our suitcase is what killed us haha! The owners didn’t tell us we had those many stairs. Strike 2!!
We finally got in our room and met the housekeeper and she was finishing up, which was no issue for us! We both took a shower and honestly, we were exhausted and just had plans to start tomorrow fresh since it was already close to 5 pm. Strike 3 started to develop and we realized we had a major issue… BUGS! Now, I know it’s the islands, this was my first time in Jamaica, but not my first time down in the Caribbean. This was extensive! We called the host right away and their helpers came right away. I was IRKED! They were quick during this entire time with our stay down to the drivers after the first issue, but I really wouldn’t recommend anyone to stay there. Anyway, the next day we decided to start over.
The next day, we were up and ready to start the day with Chukka Adventures! We were picked up and driven to their main location in Montego Bay. I recently became a PAL member with them and I was invited to do some activities with them even though we only had time for one activity which was BAMBOO RAFTING!
Their location was beautiful and relaxing before we were driven about 20 minutes away to Good Hope. Good Hope River is located in Jamaica's Cockpit Country, on the Martha Brae River, and is part of the Good Hope Estate. We had tons of fun and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Later on in the trip, we went to The Luminous Lagoon Glistening! Now, we were so excited for this part of the trip!
“At night, the lagoon sparkles and glistens when disturbed, as these microscopic organisms produce an eerie glow, reflecting the outlines of fish and other objects in the water. The Luminous Lagoon is said to be the largest and most brilliant of four in the world, a fact that continually attracts and awes visitors and scientists from around the world.”
Later that night, we visited the LEGENDARY KFC! Yes, you heard me right, the same fast-food restaurant back home. But, this KFC chicken is on another level! So, we tried it and we were NOT disappointed! Delicious!!!
For the final full day, we decided to make it a beach day and took a ride to Doctor’s Cave Beach. It was pricier than we wanted but honestly, the beach was beautiful and we relaxed as much as we could. It was somewhat crowded and overall a very touristy spot. To be honest, I am shocked myself that I decided to go there, but when I am with my baby sister, I am a little more protective. So, I decided to do more touristy spots than a hidden gem compared to going by myself. I am getting better with this since she is becoming a traveler in her own right. We bought some alcohol bottles and ate on the beach truly enjoying the views. A car ride later and we were back in our Airbnb drinking, watching BTS, and watching the sunrise. Honestly, the perfect ending to our sisters’ trip!
Overall, I will visit Jamaica again but definitely in a different part of the island. Next time, I will go to Negril! I have a friend who visits yearly and highly recommends it! I mean Jamaica is just one of those places you just don’t go once in your lifetime!
