Jammin'
JAMAICA
GENERAL INFORMATION
FLIGHT TIME: Around 9 hours 50 minutes (London-Gatwick to Montego Bay) TIME DIFFERENCE: GMT – 5 hours VISA REQUIREMENTS: None CURRENCY: Jamaican Dollar (JMD). £1 = 149.5 JMD (Jan 2013) WHEN TO GO: The later part of the winter and spring through to early summer are ideal times to visit, the climate is temperate and generally dry. There’s more rain August/end November.
LOOK TO BOOK KUONI
01306 747008 Seven nights all- inclusive at The Jewel Runaway Bay are from £1375pp, twin share, based on March 2013 departures. The price is for a premier guestroom and includes return flights from London Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic and transfers in resort.
www.kuoni.co.uk
BY EMILY ASHWELL
Jamaica is an island-destination big on multifarious attractions: long white-sand beaches, lush mountain forest, mouth- watering spicy jerk marinades and hotels that range from kooky shacks to sprawling all-inclusive resorts. But last summer a certain home son
showed the world another trait Jamaica has got in abundance – personality. Usain Bolt’s gold medal-winning
performance at the London 2012 Olympics helped put the fun factor into the event. For two weeks Jamaican green-and-yellow flags were out in force in support of the athlete mega-star, putting a rare spotlight on the island.
The third-largest island after Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica's main tourist areas are found in the north and west of the island. For visitors there's an ever-growing range of excursion opportunities: perhaps the most popular is a trip to Dunn’s River Falls, but for an alternative suggest Reach Falls. Jamaica is also a great destination for golfers, with White Witch of Rose Hall Golf Club, Cinnamon Hill Ocean Course and Half Moon among the best courses in the Caribbean.
For golfing clients, point out that Sandals guests get to play free at Sandals Golf and Country Club, a course known for its lush vegetation and great views. Travel 2’s Product and Purchasing manager Kevin Coles suggests a trip to the old coffee factory at Mavis Bank up in the Blue Mountains. He said: “Workers there are called
'cuppers' and if asked they will demonstrate the art of cupping, a tasting technique they use to identify the quality of the bean. You can take the tour and see how the beans are dried and processed – then, of course, smell and taste the coffee.” In its new programme, launching this month (January), Caribtours will be introducing some new hotels into its mainstream Jamaica programme that were previously on sale through the operator’s all-inclusive summer sale last year (2012). These include Beaches Negril and Sunset at the Palms also in Negril and Secrets St James at Montego Bay. There are also refurbishments taking
place at well-established hotels. Half Moon, a Rock Resort in Montego Bay, is continuing its Royal Villas renovation. Meanwhile Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort (formerly Breezes Runaway
22 January 2013 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
“Tour Jamaica's remaining great houses, run by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, and immerse yourself in the history of the old plantations”
Bay) is undergoing a major refurbishment. SuperClubs has also announced its intention to sell Hedonism II, with the new ownership expected to invest money in upgrading the resort. Agents wanting to improve their Jamaica knowledge should sign up for the destination's online training course at
www.traveluni.com
Why Jamaica? A wide variety of hotels mean there’s something to suit every taste, from big resorts such as Couples and Sandals to funky boutique properties such as The Caves. It’s also a great Caribbean island for an on-island twin centre; guests can
switch between the beach and mountains. The island also has plenty of surprises; suggest a ride through tropical gardens on a sled pulled by rescue dogs, swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cove, zip-lining above a canopy of trees where colourful birds emerge from the foliage below you, bamboo rafting on the Rio Grande or horse riding on the edge of the ocean. Also suggest Jamaica as the coolest
Caribbean destination right now. Not only did its athletes steal the show at the Olympics, but it is also home to 007 James Bond creator Ian Fleming’s old house Goldeneye, located up in the Strawberry Hill district. It's a timely hotel to visit, given the huge success of the latest Bond movie
JR
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