Jamaican Vacation for our Thirties

This year for our 30th summer, my best friends and I decided to take our girls trip international. That’s right, Girls Trip 2022 was in none other than the beautiful country of Jamaica!

As an avid traveler and lover of new experiences, I was thoroughly excited about traveling out of the country and switching up the scene. For the most part, majority of my friends have not traveled out of the country (other than cruises), so it was exciting to share this experience with each other and it was altogether a great trip.

Day 1 was spent traveling. Three of my best friends and I traveled to Atlanta the day before our trip because its airport offered a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay at a decent price (more about that later). So we had a sleepover at our friends’ house and then we were on the road by 5:30am to Atlanta!

The first day before our trip was very relaxing which I can appreciate because it gave us time to make sure that we had everything that we needed and make sure that our outfits were right before our flight! I think that the flight to Jamaica was alright compared to most flights that I had which were way longer, there were definitely some bumps in the road before landing in Montego Bay (for the full story, watch my vlog). I would not recommend flying with Frontier or Spirit airlines. While both offer cheap flights, the company nickels and dimes you for just about everything including checked bags (which now must be below 40lbs to avoid extra cost), carry-ons, and in-flight drinks (which are usually complementary elsewhere).

For our accommodations, we stayed at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort. Their site says that they’re located in Montego Bay, but actually, it’s in Lucea which is about a 45 minute drive from Montego Bay. This wasn’t a surprise to us, we mapped out the location long before our trip (check out my blog on how to prepare for trips) so we knew that it would be a long drive. One of the great things about this hotel is that it is all-inclusive; drinks, food, and shuttle rides to and from were all included. And the drive was not that bad. There’s so much to see along the way that you forget how much time passed.

For our stay, we choose two suites; an ocean view a garden view. The rooms were big and stocked with a mini bar that was filled every day with Coke, Jamaican orange juice, Red Stripe Jamaican Lager beer, and Wata. Room service was also available for an additional charge. My favorite part about our suite was the lobby; there’s a beautiful fountain on the first floor with a garden. Perfect for a photoshoot.

The next day we spent on a full-day excursion. For our excursion, we booked with Chukka Caribbean Adventure which was a lot of fun. Our excursion consisted of horseback riding on land and in the ocean, zip-lining, and river tubing. It cost about $169 per person and also included a jerk chicken lunch with rum punch and access to the Chukka Ocean Outpost during our visit. There was also a stand for fresh coconut water straight from the coconut and plenty of photo opportunities. Rain or shine, the show goes on and you get your money’s worth with these excursions. A couple of dos and don’ts:

  • Do bring a backpack or some sort way to store money or clothing

  • Do bring a change of clothes for the different excursions (zip-lining requires bottoms. Swimsuits are not comfortable enough

  • Do bring your items with you to your next location (horseback riding is in a different location from the others)

  • Do bring sunscreen and bug spray. The bugs in Jamaica are no joke! For my melanin friends, I highly recommend the Black Girl Sunscreen

  • Do take your bags with you to your next location. We’re told we could leave ours at the outpost and at first, we were told that we’re not going back there. And we we arrived, the outpost was closed. Luckily the staff was still there for us to get in and get our stuff.

  • Don’t miss lunch. The coordinators are good about announcing each group’s excursion so make sure that you’re listen for your group and pay attention to the time of lunch.

  • Don’t use the lockers. It may be unnecessary for horseback riding and one of our locks was stuck due to repetitive use and rust from the saltwater.

  • Don’t forget comfortable water shoes that work well on land and in the water.

  • Don’t book your excursion without reading their policies on clothing for each adventure. We almost got caught up twice! Especially with zip-lining.

 

Our last day was spent enjoying the hotel. This is where I wished that we had more time in Jamaica. There were so many restaurants to try and events every night. One night we attended a headphone party, another we spent on the beach at an all-white party. And of course, there are multiple pools and points of access to the beach where we spent a good bit of our day as well.

The dining experience was pretty good too. We ate at Mobay almost every day which offered buffet-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were other restaurants that offered meals a la carte like Poseidon, El Dorado, Bhogali, and Sumptuori to name a few. There’s also Negril that also offers buffet-style food. If you’re looking to expand your taste palette, then I recommend the buffets because so many Jamaican style foods are offered. There’s also a jerk chicken bar near the pools and beach. From my experience, the a la carte is served in smaller portions compared to the various options at the buffet. Altogether, the food may not be as authentic as street food, but you get the general idea. The staff is super suite, so bring cash for tips!

Speaking of money, it is my recommendation to bring cash. If you’re expecting to stay for a short weekend with everything booked including excursions, then you should be fine with at least $200 on hand. My friends brought at least $500 for souvenirs and emergency purposes. Expect to use cash for taxis as well. Taxi costs depend on the distance and the color of the car (there are different cars for different companies). Most of my money was spent on tipping. I used my credit card for souvenir purchases; FYI make sure that your credit card does not charge transaction or international fees. For the best rates on currency exchange, wait until you arrive in Jamaica but US dollars are widely accepted in most places and is more popular (because the Jamaican dollar is less money…)

My recommendation whenever planning a trip out of the country is to get a layout of the land and not venture too far without a trusted guide. We ventured outside of our hotel for a minute to visit the shops in Lucea. We’re told that better bargains can be found outside of the hotel which was true, however, it also depends on where you go. The best bargains can be found in Negril (we’re told) which is about a 55-minute drive from the resort. It would have cost a fortune for us to go there to only spend a couple of hours at the shops. So we went to Lucea instead which is about a 10-minute drive from the resort and cost about $40 plus tip.

Jamaica is definitely a destination that I would return to in the future. The locals say that once you come to the island twice, you’re considered Jamaican-American and I would love to claim it. If you want a full look at our Jamaica adventure, then check out my vlog on my channel.

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