Jamaica Travel News

Jamaica Inn Offers Girlfriends Retreat Package

Girlfriend getaways are becoming more and more popular as mother-daughter getaways, bachelorette bashes, or just a chance to get away with the girls. Now we've received word that Jamaica Inn is offering a girls-only escape with the Girlfriends’ Retreat package.

The Package: This offer includes:

• four nights’ accommodation in a deluxe veranda suite
• private roundtrip transfer from the Montego Bay airport
• complimentary breakfast daily
• a special one- hour forty-five minute spa session with deep stress relief massage, hydrating aroma facial, and mint body cleanser

Price: Prices start at US$1,608 for single occupancy and US$2,276 for double occupancy for travel through October 31.

For More Information:
• visit www.jamaicainn.com

Labels: Ocho Rios

posted by Paris & John @ 2:59 PM

SuperClubs Offers $600 Air Credit at Three Properties

With air prices on the rise, here's a good deal that's come across our desk: SuperClubs' "Fare is Fare" Deal. This offer is for three of the brand's Jamaica properties, Grand Lido Braco, Grand Lido Negril, and Breezes Runaway Bay.

Grand Lido Resorts & Spas: $600 Air Credit + $150 Spa Credit

The Package: You'll receive a bonus air credit of $600 per room (deducted from the total booking cost) for every paid six-night minimum booking through June 21, for travel between June 1 and July 31. Also, both properties offer a $150 spa credit per room, which can be used at the on-site full-service Blue Mahoe Spa for treatments ranging from the Caribbean Peppermint Scrub using island mints and sea salts to the Sun Aloe Wrap, to calm and re-moisturize tan skin.

Price: Land packages star at $261 per person, per night, for a Royal Beachfront room at Grand Lido Braco, and $299 per person, per night, for a Jr. Suite Beachfront room at Grand Lido Negril.

Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club: $600 Air Credit

The Package: You'll receive a bonus air credit of $600 per room (deducted from the total booking cost) for every paid six-night minimum booking through June 21, for travel between June 1 and July 31.

Price: A Plunge Pool Verandah Suite begins at $239 per person, per night; land-only.

For more information:
• visit www.superclubs.com
• call 1-800-GO-SUPER (800-467-8737)

Labels: Negril, Runaway Bay

posted by Paris & John @ 4:01 PM

Holiday Inn Sunspree Offers Father's Day Package

In Montego Bay, the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort (the first Jamaican resort we visited and, even after all these years, still great fun) is offering a special Father's Day package. The three-night all-inclusive package with airfare at Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort includes savings up to 50 percent.

Price: The package, which include air and a standard room, starts at $525 per person from Miami and Fort Lauderdale; $545 per person from Orlando; $589 per person from Atlanta; $709 per person from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York (JFK); $719 per person from Chicago; and $655 per person from Los Angeles.

For More Information:
• visit Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort Montego Bay

Labels: Montego Bay

posted by Paris & John @ 8:45 PM

Photos of Grand Palladium Under Construction

We just returned on Friday from Negril and along the drive back to Montego Bay we passed the construction site for Grand Palladium Resort and the smaller, adjacent Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort (located just east of Lucea). Set to open in the coming summer months, this mega resort has gotten a lot of interest so we wanted to pass along photos of the property underway. These were shot Friday, May 16. You can also do a virtual walkthrough of the resort .

Labels: Montego Bay

posted by Paris & John @ 3:27 PM

Couples Resorts Offers 35 Percent Off

Can't decide which of the four Couples Resorts in Jamaica to book? Here's a fun way to make the choice: the "Secret Rendezvous" package.

Here's the deal: you'll book the dates of your trip but you won't find out which of the four Couples resorts you've booked until a week before departure. You might be at Couples Ocho Rios, Couples Sans Souci, Couples Swept Away or Couples Negril!

Price: The rates for this package are $390 per room, per night (or $195 per person) from June 1 – 30, 2008. A three-night minimum stay is required. This offers a savings of 35 percent; the lowest published rack rate for the time period is $606 per room/per night.

For more information:
• visit www.couples.com

Labels: Negril, Ocho Rios

posted by Paris & John @ 9:00 AM

Chukka Prepares Father's Day Program

Chukka Caribbean Adventures has prepared a two-part package for Dads on Father's Day. First he'll soar through the trees on the Chukka Canopy Tour, a zip-line experience.

When Dad comes back down to earth, Chukka will put him on an ATV and send him for a rugged adventure ride through Jamaica’s hills.

Dad’s special gift from Chukka Caribbean Adventures is a commemorative Father’s Day t-shirt.

Price: The Chukka Canopy Tour is US$88, and is appropriate for kids 10 years and older. The ATV Safari is US$75 for ages 16 and older. The offer is valid for bookings made on the Chukka Caribbean Adventures website.

For More Information:
• visit www.chukkacaribbean.com

Photo courtesy Jamaica Tourist Board

Labels: Montego Bay

posted by Paris & John @ 2:14 PM

Ritz-Carlton Offers Father's Day Program

Sure Mother's Day is this weekend but that means it's time to start thinking ahead to Father's Day. Here's an interesting package we've received: The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort has created the His Retreat program just for Dad. The package is valid on Father’s Day and includes a round of golf at The White Witch Golf Course, followed by an 80-minute Deep Tissue massage.

Price: His Retreat is offered at US$295, and is based on availability.

For More Information:
• visit www.ritzcarlton.com

Labels: Montego Bay

posted by Paris & John @ 2:04 PM

JAPEX 2008

We told you that last weekend we returned from Kingston and the annual JAPEX conference, the travel trade show for Jamaica. This was the first time the conference had been held in Kingston in five years (last year we attended in Ocho Rios), and the conference had grown. For the first time, we noticed more participation from buyers from the Russian Federation as well as South America and Europe.

The event started with a poolside welcome reception, Out of Many, One People, at the Hilton Kingston. The next day was spent on the trade show floor (and, for us, in morning press conferences) followed by the Many Moods of Kingston night at the Bank of Jamaica auditorium.

We've compiled a video of scenes we shot during this year's JAPEX including a speech by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett about plans for Jamaica tourism and performances at the special evening functions:

Labels: Kingston, tourism

posted by Paris & John @ 3:46 PM

Trip Report: Hilton Kingston

Last week we spent three nights at the Hilton Kingston for the annual JAPEX conference, a travel trade show. The hotel is located in New Kingston.

Our room was in one of the two-story poolside buildings (most rooms are in the high-rise tower). The room was motel-basic: a plain bathroom with barely functioning shower and toilet and a basic bedroom with a broken TV remote, redeemed only by a nice, private balcony.

The hotel grounds are lush but unkempt. Public areas are tired and badly in need of a renovation.

We dined at the poolside buffet which was enjoyable. During our stay, we also had lunch at the poolside grill which was far too slow (especially for a business hotel) and at the breakfast cafe, which was overpriced and also badly in need of a renovation.

In short, we would recommend a look at the neighboring Courtleigh or the Jamaica Pegasus (on the other side of the Courtleigh), both in easy walking distance to the Hilton's meeting facilities.

Labels: Kingston

posted by Paris & John @ 5:08 PM

Jamaica Makes Plans for Casinos

We just returned from Kingston and the annual JAPEX travel trade show; there was a lot of talk at the show about the very strong possibility of casinos in Jamaica's near future. Right now, many properties have slots-only game rooms but this change will allow for full casinos with table games. Presently the proposal is before the parliament (and has a lot of opposition from local religious groups) but it sounds like this will soon become reality.

"We are looking at casino gaming as a value-added attraction," said Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, at the press luncheon last Friday. "Jamaica will never be a casino destination. You will never see stand-alone [casinos] dotting the landscape. We are being very careful and very limited. Casino is not the basis of the product but an addition."

Labels: tourism

posted by Paris & John @ 3:38 PM