Day Two of the Virgin Atlantic Fam…
Sean-Pierre Webster from Visit Jamaica alongside Joanne Peters from the Palladium Hotel Group with Celene Duffy of Virgin Atlantic are leading the group across the sandy island framed by picturesque rainforests and calm sea views.
ITTN’s Katie joins Travel Counsellor Claire Maher, Kaytlyn Fitzharris of Barter’s Travel Net, Alison Clark from Club Travel, Kat Tryjankowska from Tropical Sky, Louise Kenna of Cassidy Travel’s Dundrum branch, Edel Ward from Best4Travel and Joanne Gomez from Travel Focus on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
The day began at 8.45 sharp, for those that have travelled with Mr. Sean Pierre- you’ll know that there are no prisoners taken when it comes to lateness! The group departed the glorious Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton (more on this fantastic hotel tomorrow) where they have been enjoying the Signature Level for the first half of their Jamaican stay. Then, it was off to Negril- the area of Jamaica known for its stretching sandy beaches on shallow bays with calm, turquoise waters. The Seven Mile Beach was the first spot, overlooking Long Bay, it’s where most of the international, all-inclusive brands are located alongside its thriving bar and restaurant culture.
The first hotel visit was to be Couples Negril, the quintessential all-inclusive for romantics, the all-inclusive hotel includes unlimited daily meals with wine at lunch or dinner, all drinks at any of their five restaurants and all water sports activities and organised tour. Let’s just say, when couples go to Couples, they’re very well looked after! The hotel itself is beautiful, from the eco-friendly litho chrome paint that portrays a feeling of elegance with a rustic flare, to the priceless sculptures by renowned Jamaican sculptor, Gene Pearson, that lends an authentic and important Caribbean heritage on every corner. Julene, a HEART trainee for the property, led the group from room to room telling us more about the 234 rooms on offer. Guests can choose from Deluxe Garden View rooms (92), Deluxe Ocean View rooms (77), Deluxe Beach front (47) or a Beach front suite (12) and Garden View Suite (6). From windsurfing to hobi cat sailing, sunfish sailing, snorkelling, scuba-diving and more- all experiences are looked after and encouraged for guests at the resort!
This is the ideal stay for honeymooners and newlyweds, and also organises weddings for those that have yet to tie the knot! Importantly, for travel agents for your LGBTQ+ travellers or Pink guests, this is one of few properties in Jamaican known to make a special effort to make these guests feel at home.
After Couples Negril, the group stopped to experience one of the fantastic bars available along the beach, Boardwalk, where they experienced a wonderful drop of local beer shandy, enjoyed hot sauce and even saw a lobster and crab being caught live for a nearby restaurant by its owner!
Next up, it was a hotel visit at Sandals Negril! This stretching resort occupies 1700ft of Negril’s pristine Seven Mile white sand beach with phenomenal one-bedroom oceanfront suites, ultra luxurious palm grove villa suites with private plunge pool and chic rooms and suites in their Long shore building. In fact, the award-winning resort has 244 rooms across 19 categories and this travel writer won’t even try and list them all! The are nine restaurants at the resort from Mexican to Spanish tapas, Japanese Teppanyaki and a variety of indoor and outdoor dining. There are six bars and cocktails loungers across the resort and daily entertainment in the evenings! Romaine guided the group around the resort, providing a fantastic lunch with a special rum cocktail that was delicious!
Sandals is an adult-only hotel, best for couples but also accommodating family and friend groups. One note for travel agents: their ocean view rooms (listed on bed banks) may be a little deceiving to your customers- some of them are partial ocean views so it’s always worth double-checking!
Next, the group went to Beaches Negril, similarly located on this stunning white sandy beach. This is your ideal family resort. The group was met by Sesame Street characters and fresh juice on arrival. Led by the fantastic and efficient Chevelle, she guided the group through the Pirate Island Water Theme Park, Kids Kamp and Nursery and amazing stretching beach, bars and restaurants. There are twelve restaurant options on the resort, from Japanese ‘Kimonos’ to Dino’s Pizzeria, and Yoyo’s Frozen yogurt bar that the group were lucky enough to try! There is so much to talk about this hotel but just know that this hotel is the most accommodating to families of every size. They look after the accessibility for families that want to bring grandparents to ensure that beds are on ground floor level when it comes to their larger villas. They have a range of interconnecting rooms to suit families from small kids to teenagers, to aunts and uncles- each holiday seems especially designed to make sure that families are happy no matter their size! Their incredible Kids Kamp and Nursery has multiple activities available for kids- this is one nursery that will look after kids of all ages even if they’re “straight out of the womb”, letting parents have a break. Over 80% of the staff on Beaches are Certified in Autism training and understanding, and that includes the kids club that looks after kids as though they were their own!
At the end of the day, of thirty-five-degree weather and a light sprinkling of rain around lunch time, the group hopped back in their coach transfer operated by the fantastic Patrick, and went to their final stop of the day! Rick’s Cafe, the first public bar and restaurant of its type on the West End Cliffs, offering an alternative to Negril’s majestic seven-mile beach. This eccentric spot features a long bar and cliff-diving where you can have a cocktail and watch people jump to the depths of the clear sea below! With Jamaican dancers, “magic mushroom brownies” across the street and that sheer rock cliff where fellow travellers- Claire and Jo jumped off- it really was the perfect way to end the day exploring Negril!
