Amy

My new husband and I just returned from Jamaica on December 23. We stayed at "Club Ambiance" in Runaway Bay. We had a great time - despite the resort not being all that I hoped it would! It had good points and bad ones as well. For the good - the staff was great and so nice, the food was good (great buffets and fresh fruit), the rooms were large and clean,pretty water in all shades of blue, there were many tours offered and help for tours around Jamaica at the tour desk. Bad - small beach that is roped off, what looks like a man-made beach and sand, unattractive outside (the wall on the entrance was hot pink in peeling paint!), tacky things around (stickers of women in swimsuits on all the glass doors!), a stip club across the street, pretty small pool,decorated kind of like Panama City (bright tacky colors)! Anyway - we were on a budget and this smaller all inclusive worked for us. We really werent there a lot anyway, so the fact that it wasnt as nice as their website made it out to be was ok. We did the Dunns River Falls - and loved it! REally neat and we got some great pictures. We did the "Blue Mountain Bike Tour" which was wonderful! It was an all day tour and we picked up about 20 other people at different resorts on the way up (My husband and I were thankful we were the first and last drop off so none of the people at the "pretty" resorts would laugh at ours!!!). Got to see many of the other resorts in Ocho Rios. Sandals Dunns River was beautiful, Beaches Grand sport was also nice, Sandcastles looked very cute and clean, the Enchanted Gardens looked older and run down grounds. Anyway - the bike tour was great! They drive you all the way to the top and then you bike down and cook out, then continue to a waterfall. Lots of fun and beautiful! It is colder up there and rains about every half hour becuase its basically a rain forest (bring a anorak and sweatshirt - we all rode in ponchos they provide and were cold!). We also did the beach ride at Chukka Cove (horseback riding). It was about 3 or so hours on trails, along the beach, then in your swimsuits in the water galloping through. Lots of fun and I doubt you can do this many places! We only had 3 people that day in the group, so we got to swim around with the horses and guides. Very fun if you like horses at all!! The water was warm, but we only had one sunny day. The rest of our trip was overcast with a little sun every now and then, and some rain just about every day. The tours absolutely made our trip though - made up for the not so fabulous resort! People were nice and you get a lot of history and cultural lessons from the guides (especially the bike tour). Very neat experience! Wish we had gotten a chance to go to Negril, but didnt. The resorts around Montego Bay were also nice (we passed them after coming from the airport). Ritz is beautfull and even holiday inn sunspree looked nice too. Please let me know if you have any questions or need info on the tours. We also wish we had gotten to go the the grotto? caves - didnt get a chance , but heard from several people they are worth the trip. I will be happy to answer any questions!

ohliz

Sounds like a great trip! When you're out riding horses and mountain biking and whatnot, the hotel becomes far less important doesn't it?

Just FYi the north and east coasts get more rain and clouds than the west and south which have mountains

Would you say the Blue Mountain biking trip is do-able for people who don't have experience mountain biking?
Liz

ohliz

Sounds like a great trip! When you're out riding horses and mountain biking and whatnot, the hotel becomes far less important doesn't it?

Just FYI the north and east coasts get more rain and clouds than the west and south which have mountains that block most of the rain. The best beaches, if you like palm trees and clear water and no waves are in Negril (in a good busy way), or Bluefields (in an all alone way), in my opinion.

Would you say the Blue Mountain biking trip is do-able for people who don't have experience mountain biking?
Liz

amy

Liz,
Yes - the biking would be for anyone. You ride in a tour bus and they drive you almost to the top (5000 or so feet up), so the bike ride is all downhill with the exception of a few places. There were all ages the day we went - a couple of kids to a seventy something year old man. We were sore the next day because you have to "ride the break" the whole way down becuase it is pretty steep and there are cliffs off the road! It is advertised as a downhill ride and the tour bus follows closely behind in case anyone wants to quit or just ride. They also provide brunch and a cook out lunch - really good. I would recommend it to any age (Blue Mountain Bike Tours LTD.)! Thanks for the note about the side of the island - we didnt know we would be so near a mountain range and that makes since to have more rain there!

ohliz

Thanks for the info. That is something I have always wanted to do but I don't mountain bike (so far), just regular bike.

I think the rain thing is not so much to do with the mountains but that on the northeast coasts you are in the path of the storms and rain that blow across the Caribbean - the mountains stop it before it passes over the island to the other side. Of course, the northeast is as lush and beautiful and full of waterfalls as it is because of that rain

Liz