Part 1 I’ll make a reservation right away - we are from Sochi (weather-nature-sea-mountains, etc. ), the review is subjective, taking into account the place of residence. There will be a lot of BUKAV, there are not many reviews on Jamaica, because Russian tourists have just gone there en masse, it seems that a direct flight has been flying only since January 2013.
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Part 1
I’ll make a reservation right away - we are from Sochi (weather-nature-sea-mountains, etc. ), the review is subjective, taking into account the place of residence. There will be a lot of BUKAV, there are not many reviews on Jamaica, because Russian tourists have just gone there en masse, it seems that a direct flight has been flying only since January 2013. and the Russian tour operator "Biblio Globus" with guides are present there for the same amount, so I want to write in more detail, please do not kick.
Flight: Moscow - Jamaica (Montego Bay) - Moscow on a Transaero flight, 12.5 hours there, 11 hours back. As always, no slippers, no pillows, no drinking, no smoking, 2 times a flight a chicken wing and a spoonful of rice with a leaf of lettuce (who flew, he knows their service). Nothing was paid at the border, neither there nor back. We received luggage, apparently, it is scanned during unloading, as individual passengers were asked to open their suitcases and tell what, how.
There is a bar at the exit to the railway station, local Red Line beer - 6 US dollars (1 US dollar = 95-98 Jamaican dollars, we did not change the currency, they accept US dollars everywhere, they are converted to local currency, you can ask for change in US dollars, and P. S. Further, all prices will be written in US dollars, so as not to be confused). Transfer airport-hotel-airport: met, taken by bus. From Montego Bay, where the airport is located, to
Ocho Rios for an hour and a half, but with arrivals and deliveries of all tourists to hotels, the road took 2.5 hours. Our hotel was extreme.
Hotel: Sunset Jamaica Grande Ocho Rios 3*, Resort View ROOM. Tickets were bought two days before departure, on Friday. Many hotels along the northern coast of the island, which is considered touristic, operate on request. Perhaps because vouchers were bought 2 days in advance or they were afraid that the money would not pass on the weekend, or there were no places, almost all hotels 4.
5 * sent a refusal, so we agreed to what is - at least somewhere already. And they did not regret it ...The town of Ocho Rios, 100 km from Montego Bay, is located in the bay. Hotel: two 10-storey buildings (there is a photo on the network), between them there is a reception, bars, a conference. halls, restaurants, etc. The territory is large, there are many guards and lifeguards, 5 pools with different depths, and a slide chute descends into one from the height of the 4th floor of an impromptu lighthouse, such as a water park, there are bars next to each pool. Two sandy beaches separated by a pier for boats and yachts. One is small, the other is 150 meters (almost 1/3 of the bay) and continues on the territory of another 2-storey hotel (they have one owner), you can probably go there. The swimming area is fenced off from the boat parking and the water area of the bay itself with buoys, the coast is gentle, chest-deep at the level of the buoys, it’s the most for children. A bunch of b / n sun loungers, some under umbrellas and palm trees.
When settling, you must leave a deposit of $ 130 (hereinafter - d.
), which is returned upon departure. They give two cards for the keys to the room and two cards for beach towels (loss of one - a fine of 15d. ). There is Wi-Fi at the reception, 15d. per day or 30d. per week (they give a password, but two users cannot log in at the same time, we chipped in with ours for 15 days and used the Internet in turn). Room: Resort View ROOM - we were given on the 4th floor. The south tower overlooks the reception rooftop, the pools and the sea. On the other side of this building is a view of the city and the neighboring hotel. There is a balcony, bath + toilet, pantry with ironing board, hangers and safe (b / n), 2 beds, TV, air conditioning. True, initially there was no kettle and iron in the room, they asked, they brought it. The floor is tiled, no carpet. The room is clean, not shabby, spacious, you can live, not 5 *, of course. Towels, shampoos, everything is standard. For 110V, flat-prong sockets (American standard), bring adapters. In our hotel, mosquitoes, etc.
there were no living creatures, in others - the tourists seemed to have, you can take a Rapter type with you, although it may not heat up from 110V, or an anti-mosquito spray.
Food: in the restaurant everything is standard and almost daily the same. Breakfast - all kinds of eggs, sausages, cereals, pancakes, fruits (mango, melon, watermelon, pineapple), drinks (no natural juices), etc. Lunch - mashed soups, chicken, potatoes, stewed vegetables. Dinner - chicken, baked meat (cut into pieces), vegetables, you can pour beer, wine. There are no seafood. In general, you won't go hungry. During the day, near one bar on the beach, they make chicken skewers on some fashionable coals, spicy enough + there are sauces, near another bar, next to the pool, mini McDonald's (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, etc. ), respectively, a queue of heaps of pendos (Americans, Canadians and the like, eating fast food; well, I don’t like them, a purely personal opinion, I apologize if I offend someone with this name).
Nearby is an ice cream machine. On the site between the pools, animations are like "Guess the melody", it's funny to watch how a crowd of people is trying to take a chair, you can only answer while sitting on it. Moreover, the music in most of their hit parades is not known to us. In the bars, beer, rum, liqueurs, Kirov vodka (have not tried it), any rum-based cocktails, there are non-alcoholic ones.
In the evening: not a big concert hall on the street: a stage, a row of chairs. In a closed hall there is a disco with a bar. All entertainment is designed for pendos. There is live music on the stage, some skits, the hosts call people on the stage, they introduce those who came out for half an hour, they vote for something for half an hour ... , some contests ...We were not clear and not interested.
As a result: I liked the hotel, solid 4ka - service, beach, the hotel is located 200 meters from the city center, where there are shops, cafes, supermarkets, etc. In many cafes and Internet salons (1d.
per hour) you can use Wi-Fi, however, we found out about this late. Other hotels (Iberostar, Rio, etc. ) are located between Montego Bay and Ocho, along the highway and, if you want to buy something, you have to go to these cities or buy more expensive on the territory of hotels and during excursions, therefore, I think that it is better to choose hotels in these cities. I read somewhere that people did not like the close location of the hotel's beach and the pier for cruise liners of the Carnival Fridom series, about 300m long (after the liner is parked, they enter Ocho Rios for one day, garbage, fuel stains, etc. float) . Three liners arrived in 10 days. There was not even a single bag of chips or a pack of cigarettes in the water, no stains, no smell from fuel and exhaust gases. On the contrary, it is interesting to watch how such a colossus is moored to a small pier, plus on such days all shops, markets, shops for sea tourists open.
Difficulties: at least a minimum knowledge of English is highly desirable, they (Jamaicans) do not know other languages. There are practically no Russians in hotels. Someone will like it, but the American mentality, and especially without knowing the language, we (I personally) do not like. Don't talk, don't drink, don't joke. During the transfer process, 2-4 people were brought to each hotel. from our plane. We were lucky: out of 1500 people. there were 4 more people in the hotel. Russians, they could sit down, share their impressions, discuss plans for tomorrow, excursions, suggest something to each other, help, etc. Almost all the service, food, entertainment, communication style, music is designed for pendos, they have a different way of life. The plane brings 350 tourists from Moscow, the same plane with another crew takes 350 tourists to Moscow in an hour, who arrived 10 days ago, i. e. "new" and "old" do not intersect.
As a result, each new group is a pioneer, you have no one to ask what, where to buy, where to go, where you should not go on excursions. Yes, there are representatives of the "Biblio Globe", as many as 5 people. , there are no complaints about them, the guys try, advise, suggest, but they themselves have only been there for half a year and, probably, they still do not know all the nuances of this country.
Part 2
Excursions: EXPENSIVE. Plus, any excursion is a bus ride in time from one to three. "Biblio Globus", there are simply no other Russian-speaking travel agencies, they offer:
1. Port Antonio (east coast of the island), Russian guide - even from Ocho Rios, drive for 2 hours along a mountain serpentine (note who gets sick). They are brought to a tropical, humid forest, such as a park. You go 100 m along the path along the rivulet through the gorge, on a canoe 30 m along the canyon to the waterfall, under the waterfall there is a grotto, but you didn’t swim there, because.
It rained for 3 days and the waterfall was powerful and full-flowing: in Sochi there are such places on any mountain river of similar places every 100m. Then they are taken to the Blue Lagoon, 65 m deep, where the sea and the river converge, but, since “it rained for 3 days and ... ” is just a muddy lake, they took a boat ride along the coast, where the “supervillas” of rich people are located - our boat garages along the seashore are just palaces in their background. French Bay - a small bay in the sea, so, swim + simple lunch with one drink (cola, beer). All pleasure 130d. We didn't like it.
2. British Jamaica, Russian guide, we did not go, but our tourists seemed to like it. At the rum factory, they bought the same rum. Drive 3.5 hours one way. 200 bucks per person
3. Legends of Jamaica.
Rafting for an hour on a sluggish river, the village and the grave of Bob Marley, an hour on a mountain road one way (a little tiring), the estate of the planter "Rose Hall" with ghosts (during the passage through the 2nd floors of the estate, surprises await, they will be left in secret). 160d. per person Interesting, I recommend, Russian guide.
4. Adrenaline in the cube, did not go. Lift, bobsleigh track, Russian guide. Located 5-7 min. drive from Ocho towards Montego Bay. 235d. per person They say that this monorail bobsleigh track is 30-50 meters. Not recommended, not interested. From Ocho you can go (walk) there yourself.
5. By bus through Jamaica. Russian guide. We didn't go. It's a long, dreary ride across the entire island to the south. Perhaps someone will want to see the capital. 150d.
6. Sea fishing 160d. , catamaran cruise 100d. English guide. From the names it is clear. We didn't go.
7. Swimming with Dolphins 100-230d. English guide.
8. Riding and swimming. 80d. English guide.
A column of 20-30 horses walks for 30-40 minutes under the scorching sun either through a forest or along the shore to a house on the edge of a bay with a diameter of 50-60m. In it, in a circle with a diameter of 20m and a depth of 1.5-1.7m, a group of 4 horses (the rest are waiting) is led by a Jamaican by the bridle, no “swimming”. So two laps and 30-40 min back to the farm. Kindergarten. We rubbed our legs on the saddle out of habit, other people took towels, we were not warned about this. 1 photo costs 8d. , sd disc 40d.
9. Eco adventure. English guide. 80-190d. Ranch, quads, buggies, etc. Didn't go. But, returning from some kind of excursion, we passed a clearing along the road, where, in a paddock the size of a playground, people rode in circles along the hills on buggies and quadrics. If this is Eco adventure, I think it's not interesting.
10. Luminous lagoon, our guides accompany. 150d. In the evening they bring them to the bay, they take them to the middle by boat, while swimming, after any movement on the water, a blue trace remains (from a drop, from fish, etc. ).
), we also have this in the sea in August, but not so pronounced. Then they are taken to a cafe on the central beach of Montego Bay, one b / n drink and a huge dish with crabs (4 pieces) and crayfish (5-6 pieces) for each. Many didn't even eat half of it. Interesting and satisfying, I recommend.
These excursions are listed in the presentation by the Biblio Globus hotel representative. The hotel has a dozen other travel agencies with prices for 30-50d. cheaper, but they are all with English guides and all your fellow tourists will be foreigners.
The country itself: the nature in the north is poor, the feeling that palm trees were planted additionally. In the east, there are humid tropics, because moisture inflates from the ocean, there the vegetation is larger and more diverse.
They said that the people are good-natured, peaceful, their attitude towards whites is loyal, but somehow you can’t say this by their faces and eyes (unlike the Dominicans, who constantly hum, dance, smile), although there were no precedents, everything is smooth, they suggest, tell, trade. Lots of schools, educated people. They brought rum, Blue Mountain coffee, magnets. People bought white T-shirts, they have good discounts. In shops at gas stations, prices are lower than in a supermarket. In duty free on departure, the cost of everything is almost like in a supermarket. In summer they have a rainy season, in the east, indeed, showers. In the Ochi Rios area, there was once a shower of mines. 30-40, on the rest of the days - clouds roll in by lunchtime, there is a warm "blind" rain min. 20, then until the evening the sun, that is, this does not affect the rest in any way.
They know about the existence of Russia, some even know that we will have the Olympics.
As a result: if you have not been to the Dominican Republic, then you can go to Jamaica: warm, sunny, warm and transparent Caribbean Sea, there is something to see. But we liked the Dominican Republic more.
I’ll make a reservation right away - we are from Sochi (weather-nature-sea-mountains, etc. ), the review is subjective, taking into account the place of residence. There will be a lot of BUKAV, there are not many reviews on Jamaica, because Russian tourists have just gone there en masse, it seems that a direct flight has been flying only since January 2013. and the Russian tour operator "Biblio Globus" with guides are present there for the same amount, so I want to write in more detail, please do not kick.
Flight: Moscow - Jamaica (Montego Bay) - Moscow on a Transaero flight, 12.5 hours there, 11 hours back. As always, no slippers, no pillows, no drinking, no smoking, 2 times a flight a chicken wing and a spoonful of rice with a leaf of lettuce (who flew, he knows their service). Nothing was paid at the border, neither there nor back. We received luggage, apparently, it is scanned during unloading, as individual passengers were asked to open their suitcases and tell what, how.
There is a bar at the exit to the railway station, local Red Line beer - 6 US dollars (1 US dollar = 95-98 Jamaican dollars, we did not change the currency, they accept US dollars everywhere, they are converted to local currency, you can ask for change in US dollars, and P. S. Further, all prices will be written in US dollars, so as not to be confused). Transfer airport-hotel-airport: met, taken by bus. From Montego Bay, where the airport is located, to
Ocho Rios for an hour and a half, but with arrivals and deliveries of all tourists to hotels, the road took 2.5 hours. Our hotel was extreme.
Hotel: Sunset Jamaica Grande Ocho Rios 3*, Resort View ROOM. Tickets were bought two days before departure, on Friday. Many hotels along the northern coast of the island, which is considered touristic, operate on request. Perhaps because vouchers were bought 2 days in advance or they were afraid that the money would not pass on the weekend, or there were no places, almost all hotels 4.
5 * sent a refusal, so we agreed to what is - at least somewhere already. And they did not regret it ...The town of Ocho Rios, 100 km from Montego Bay, is located in the bay. Hotel: two 10-storey buildings (there is a photo on the network), between them there is a reception, bars, a conference. halls, restaurants, etc. The territory is large, there are many guards and lifeguards, 5 pools with different depths, and a slide chute descends into one from the height of the 4th floor of an impromptu lighthouse, such as a water park, there are bars next to each pool. Two sandy beaches separated by a pier for boats and yachts. One is small, the other is 150 meters (almost 1/3 of the bay) and continues on the territory of another 2-storey hotel (they have one owner), you can probably go there. The swimming area is fenced off from the boat parking and the water area of the bay itself with buoys, the coast is gentle, chest-deep at the level of the buoys, it’s the most for children. A bunch of b / n sun loungers, some under umbrellas and palm trees.
When settling, you must leave a deposit of $ 130 (hereinafter - d.
), which is returned upon departure. They give two cards for the keys to the room and two cards for beach towels (loss of one - a fine of 15d. ). There is Wi-Fi at the reception, 15d. per day or 30d. per week (they give a password, but two users cannot log in at the same time, we chipped in with ours for 15 days and used the Internet in turn). Room: Resort View ROOM - we were given on the 4th floor. The south tower overlooks the reception rooftop, the pools and the sea. On the other side of this building is a view of the city and the neighboring hotel. There is a balcony, bath + toilet, pantry with ironing board, hangers and safe (b / n), 2 beds, TV, air conditioning. True, initially there was no kettle and iron in the room, they asked, they brought it. The floor is tiled, no carpet. The room is clean, not shabby, spacious, you can live, not 5 *, of course. Towels, shampoos, everything is standard. For 110V, flat-prong sockets (American standard), bring adapters. In our hotel, mosquitoes, etc.
there were no living creatures, in others - the tourists seemed to have, you can take a Rapter type with you, although it may not heat up from 110V, or an anti-mosquito spray.
Food: in the restaurant everything is standard and almost daily the same. Breakfast - all kinds of eggs, sausages, cereals, pancakes, fruits (mango, melon, watermelon, pineapple), drinks (no natural juices), etc. Lunch - mashed soups, chicken, potatoes, stewed vegetables. Dinner - chicken, baked meat (cut into pieces), vegetables, you can pour beer, wine. There are no seafood. In general, you won't go hungry. During the day, near one bar on the beach, they make chicken skewers on some fashionable coals, spicy enough + there are sauces, near another bar, next to the pool, mini McDonald's (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, etc. ), respectively, a queue of heaps of pendos (Americans, Canadians and the like, eating fast food; well, I don’t like them, a purely personal opinion, I apologize if I offend someone with this name).
Nearby is an ice cream machine. On the site between the pools, animations are like "Guess the melody", it's funny to watch how a crowd of people is trying to take a chair, you can only answer while sitting on it. Moreover, the music in most of their hit parades is not known to us. In the bars, beer, rum, liqueurs, Kirov vodka (have not tried it), any rum-based cocktails, there are non-alcoholic ones.
In the evening: not a big concert hall on the street: a stage, a row of chairs. In a closed hall there is a disco with a bar. All entertainment is designed for pendos. There is live music on the stage, some skits, the hosts call people on the stage, they introduce those who came out for half an hour, they vote for something for half an hour ... , some contests ...We were not clear and not interested.
As a result: I liked the hotel, solid 4ka - service, beach, the hotel is located 200 meters from the city center, where there are shops, cafes, supermarkets, etc. In many cafes and Internet salons (1d.
per hour) you can use Wi-Fi, however, we found out about this late. Other hotels (Iberostar, Rio, etc. ) are located between Montego Bay and Ocho, along the highway and, if you want to buy something, you have to go to these cities or buy more expensive on the territory of hotels and during excursions, therefore, I think that it is better to choose hotels in these cities. I read somewhere that people did not like the close location of the hotel's beach and the pier for cruise liners of the Carnival Fridom series, about 300m long (after the liner is parked, they enter Ocho Rios for one day, garbage, fuel stains, etc. float) . Three liners arrived in 10 days. There was not even a single bag of chips or a pack of cigarettes in the water, no stains, no smell from fuel and exhaust gases. On the contrary, it is interesting to watch how such a colossus is moored to a small pier, plus on such days all shops, markets, shops for sea tourists open.
Difficulties: at least a minimum knowledge of English is highly desirable, they (Jamaicans) do not know other languages. There are practically no Russians in hotels. Someone will like it, but the American mentality, and especially without knowing the language, we (I personally) do not like. Don't talk, don't drink, don't joke. During the transfer process, 2-4 people were brought to each hotel. from our plane. We were lucky: out of 1500 people. there were 4 more people in the hotel. Russians, they could sit down, share their impressions, discuss plans for tomorrow, excursions, suggest something to each other, help, etc. Almost all the service, food, entertainment, communication style, music is designed for pendos, they have a different way of life. The plane brings 350 tourists from Moscow, the same plane with another crew takes 350 tourists to Moscow in an hour, who arrived 10 days ago, i. e. "new" and "old" do not intersect.
As a result, each new group is a pioneer, you have no one to ask what, where to buy, where to go, where you should not go on excursions. Yes, there are representatives of the "Biblio Globe", as many as 5 people. , there are no complaints about them, the guys try, advise, suggest, but they themselves have only been there for half a year and, probably, they still do not know all the nuances of this country.
Part 2
Excursions: EXPENSIVE. Plus, any excursion is a bus ride in time from one to three. "Biblio Globus", there are simply no other Russian-speaking travel agencies, they offer:
1. Port Antonio (east coast of the island), Russian guide - even from Ocho Rios, drive for 2 hours along a mountain serpentine (note who gets sick). They are brought to a tropical, humid forest, such as a park. You go 100 m along the path along the rivulet through the gorge, on a canoe 30 m along the canyon to the waterfall, under the waterfall there is a grotto, but you didn’t swim there, because.
It rained for 3 days and the waterfall was powerful and full-flowing: in Sochi there are such places on any mountain river of similar places every 100m. Then they are taken to the Blue Lagoon, 65 m deep, where the sea and the river converge, but, since “it rained for 3 days and ... ” is just a muddy lake, they took a boat ride along the coast, where the “supervillas” of rich people are located - our boat garages along the seashore are just palaces in their background. French Bay - a small bay in the sea, so, swim + simple lunch with one drink (cola, beer). All pleasure 130d. We didn't like it.
2. British Jamaica, Russian guide, we did not go, but our tourists seemed to like it. At the rum factory, they bought the same rum. Drive 3.5 hours one way. 200 bucks per person
3. Legends of Jamaica.
Rafting for an hour on a sluggish river, the village and the grave of Bob Marley, an hour on a mountain road one way (a little tiring), the estate of the planter "Rose Hall" with ghosts (during the passage through the 2nd floors of the estate, surprises await, they will be left in secret). 160d. per person Interesting, I recommend, Russian guide.
4. Adrenaline in the cube, did not go. Lift, bobsleigh track, Russian guide. Located 5-7 min. drive from Ocho towards Montego Bay. 235d. per person They say that this monorail bobsleigh track is 30-50 meters. Not recommended, not interested. From Ocho you can go (walk) there yourself.
5. By bus through Jamaica. Russian guide. We didn't go. It's a long, dreary ride across the entire island to the south. Perhaps someone will want to see the capital. 150d.
6. Sea fishing 160d. , catamaran cruise 100d. English guide. From the names it is clear. We didn't go.
7. Swimming with Dolphins 100-230d. English guide.
8. Riding and swimming. 80d. English guide.
A column of 20-30 horses walks for 30-40 minutes under the scorching sun either through a forest or along the shore to a house on the edge of a bay with a diameter of 50-60m. In it, in a circle with a diameter of 20m and a depth of 1.5-1.7m, a group of 4 horses (the rest are waiting) is led by a Jamaican by the bridle, no “swimming”. So two laps and 30-40 min back to the farm. Kindergarten. We rubbed our legs on the saddle out of habit, other people took towels, we were not warned about this. 1 photo costs 8d. , sd disc 40d.
9. Eco adventure. English guide. 80-190d. Ranch, quads, buggies, etc. Didn't go. But, returning from some kind of excursion, we passed a clearing along the road, where, in a paddock the size of a playground, people rode in circles along the hills on buggies and quadrics. If this is Eco adventure, I think it's not interesting.
10. Luminous lagoon, our guides accompany. 150d. In the evening they bring them to the bay, they take them to the middle by boat, while swimming, after any movement on the water, a blue trace remains (from a drop, from fish, etc. ).
), we also have this in the sea in August, but not so pronounced. Then they are taken to a cafe on the central beach of Montego Bay, one b / n drink and a huge dish with crabs (4 pieces) and crayfish (5-6 pieces) for each. Many didn't even eat half of it. Interesting and satisfying, I recommend.
These excursions are listed in the presentation by the Biblio Globus hotel representative. The hotel has a dozen other travel agencies with prices for 30-50d. cheaper, but they are all with English guides and all your fellow tourists will be foreigners.
The country itself: the nature in the north is poor, the feeling that palm trees were planted additionally. In the east, there are humid tropics, because moisture inflates from the ocean, there the vegetation is larger and more diverse.
They said that the people are good-natured, peaceful, their attitude towards whites is loyal, but somehow you can’t say this by their faces and eyes (unlike the Dominicans, who constantly hum, dance, smile), although there were no precedents, everything is smooth, they suggest, tell, trade. Lots of schools, educated people. They brought rum, Blue Mountain coffee, magnets. People bought white T-shirts, they have good discounts. In shops at gas stations, prices are lower than in a supermarket. In duty free on departure, the cost of everything is almost like in a supermarket. In summer they have a rainy season, in the east, indeed, showers. In the Ochi Rios area, there was once a shower of mines. 30-40, on the rest of the days - clouds roll in by lunchtime, there is a warm "blind" rain min. 20, then until the evening the sun, that is, this does not affect the rest in any way.
They know about the existence of Russia, some even know that we will have the Olympics.
As a result: if you have not been to the Dominican Republic, then you can go to Jamaica: warm, sunny, warm and transparent Caribbean Sea, there is something to see. But we liked the Dominican Republic more.
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