Royal Reef Hotel Montego Bay

... sun, you can do that as well. If you want a little romantic quiet time alone you can have that too. There is something for everyone here.



Food and Restaurants

Another of my favorite things to do while on vacation, EAT! Did you ever go to a restaurant and wish you could try everything on the menu? Well guess what, you can here, after all you've already paid for it. Don't be afraid to ask for ...

... also throws you around so you need some heavy duty safety equipment which I don't always carry in my pack. Also there's usually the problem of gaining access to a runway, especially difficult in these days of flight terrorism. But if the flight comes in over water... and I'm content to stay in the water instead of actually flying around... what's to stop me from a little bit of experimentation in turbulence? Of course there is the possibility of ...

... traveling, to actually put down roots in a place for a while. For me traveling is not merely an end in itself; it's the background against which my life happens. It would've been nice to tour the island, but taxis in Jamaica are not cheap, with prices that would make a New York cabbie blush. How about $10 for the five-minute ride from the airport into town? Or $100 for the one hour ride to Negril? Prices might be negotiable as long as ...

... rend**ed helpless. Ditto for ent**tainment, Trinidad is on top with a lively street scene and many bars and clubs that seem attractive and inviting, not to mention a world-class Carnaval. Paramaribo has potential with its attractive historic district, but it's largely untapped. The lead-up to New Year was great fun, though, lively and rambunctious. I haven't been to the Sh**iff Street party district in Georgetown, but it doesn't sound too ...

... Strip here where all the hotels, bars and Margaritaville are. That's enough to keep most of the riff-raff out and keep the restaurant prices up. A mile the other way and you're at the airport. That'll teach them to overcharge on airport taxis; I'll just walk. A five minute taxi ride here costs the same as a thirty minute ride at BKK. So MoBay's not Kingston, but once again, that's good. At least it's more of a city than Negril, which I ...

We were supposed to go to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica on the 24th but as we approached, the authorities closed the harbor due to severe weather and mudslides so we left the area. Later that day Capt. Thor told us that we were headed to Montego Bay. I'd been there before in the 1980s and swore I'd never go back (at that time there was a Marxist Michael Manley in charge and the US was not looked on with favor). Anyway we had to go back and once there, again I swore I'd never go back ...

... was with our son...are you kidding me! It cost us about $70.00 per person for the horseback riding in the first place. Chukka advertises horseback riding in the water but don't be fooled. Most of the riding is in the woods on trails, you can take some great pictures here and you pass through a little village. But the horseback riding in the water was not impressive. First you have to put a bathing suit on, you need to change in a small dirty ...

... out on the beach to relax in nice lounge chairs right by the ocean. Food and drinks were included in the package - all you could eat and drink but I only managed to have one pina colada because the Jamaican rum was really strong. Lunch was a wonderful buffet. I spent the afternoon relaxing, listening to music and reading a book. Can't beat that!

... promoters had arrived days before us. In the waiting area an attractive Jamaican lady in a suit approached us on a chance and asked if we were Kristi and Debbie. As soon as she found it was us, she had someone whisk our luggage onto a cart and lead us to a car already waiting to deliver us to our hotel. We didn't know yet where we were going to be staying, and the driver started driving towards Rose Hall, a place I'd never been before. I'd never spent ...

... and live musicians created the atmosphere just the way you'd have wanted it to be. All in all, it was a far cry from skiing down a mountain, but then again, winter sun never goes amiss, and as I left the place armed with a souvenir T-shirt, a whole bunch of photos and terrific memories, it comes as no surprise as to why I began to consider a healthy travel schedule to be something as worryingly vital as breathing in air.