Back in February, my hubby and I went to Jamaica for a long weekend. It was divine. We stayed at an amazing boutique hotel called Tingalaya’s Retreat in Negril. It was more amazing that I can even describe.
Let me back up…
We left the cold of Minnesota behind late on the Wed night before Valentine’s Day. We were flying a red eye to Ft. Lauderdale then changing planes to head to Montego Bay. The red eye was a new experience for both of us, but hey, it got us to Jamaica a day quicker. We flew Spirit airlines. I know, I heard all the horror stories. Our experience was nothing but awesome. Our flight was 30 min late leaving MSP due to a medical emergency in the gate area, but that is certainly out of the control of Spirit. The pilot was funny and to the point. Yes, you have to pay for everything, but if you did your research (as we did) you know that going in and are prepared.
Ft. Lauderdale airport sucks. We had to leave the terminal and walk to the next one over and go through security again (already played that game at MSP). No big deal really, just an inconvenience, but hey we had 4 hours to burn. The flight to Montego Bay was beautiful. The blue of the Caribbean is always a welcome sight.
We splurged and paid for Club Mobay , $50 each and worth every single penny. We were met at the gate by a Club Mobay employee who escorted us around the main customs line to the VIP line. He walked us through customs and explained the process. Once we were processed into Jamaica, we headed to the Club Mobay Lounge where we were handed lemongrass towels and a cold beverage. Hubby had a Red Strip and I enjoyed a rum punch.
We prearranged our airport transportation with Rocky’s Tours. Our driver was waiting at the airport when we arrived. Once loaded into the van we were on our way, a quick stop later and we were relaxing with an ice cold Red Stripe while we cruised along the coast toward Negril. Our driver was phenomenal! He gave us an awesome history of the area as well as helped us to understand many of the cultural differences we were going to experience while we were on the island. We do not enjoy in Jamaica, we full-joy!
Once at Tingalaya’s we were greeted by Jube, the care taker who showed us to our cottage. That’s right, we had a cottage all to ourselves! We rented the Sea Grape cottage. It was amazing. We were exhausted so after a tour of the grounds and the gardens, we took a nap. We enjoyed a delicious dinner cooked by Maria along with a lovely bottle of wine. It was a perfect way to begin our Jamaican vacation.
