Day 1 - August 16th 2007
We have a 6:30am flight on US Airways. Why get up before the crack of dawn and head to the airport to fly to the Jamaica when both the Weather Channel and CNN are telling you a hurricane is on the way?
It's most a matter of non-belief really.
I did not believe that the hurricane would actually make its way to Jamaica; the storm was still 1,600 miles away from Jamaica and these things do have a mind of their own, usually turning at will right?
More important than my non-belief was the non-belief of US Airways and the Couples Resorts. Neither company was, on the morning of August 16th, offering to let customers reschedule without penalty. US Airways had declared a travel advisory for their customers headed to, or already at, their Eastern Caribbean destinations and was allowing changes without penalty but not for customers bound for or at Jamaica.
The US government had not issued any travel advisory against traveling to Jamaica.
The companies and the government would soon change their minds.
So… We depart for and arrive at Jamaica without any incidents.
The new terminal at the Montego Bay airport, the one that it seems like they have been working on forever, is now in use. The terminal is not quite done but it is a huge improvement even if it does add a mile or so to your trek through immigration, baggage claim and customs.
Every major resort offers free ground transportation, free except for the not-so-optional tips for the luggage porter and driver. Every year 'the highway' that Jamaicans proudly boast about is in better and better shape. I am not sure the highway will ever be completely finished but they are making some serious progress.
Having done the ground transportation 'thing' every year we decided to try something new. We had booked flights on Tim Air to fly from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. In reality you don't book flights on Tim Air, you charter a plane from them. This means, in theory, that the plane leaves when you are there and ready. We found out that this is not always true.
We took the 3 minute bus ride to the domestic terminal and paid for our flights (yes - you don't pay or even give a credit card number until you show up). We met our pilot right away but we didn't meet our plane for another 30 minutes or so. The plane was on its way back with different passengers and a different pilot. I know they have more than one plane I saw at least three but the day we were there they could have used at least one more.
Our pilot, Jason, was kind enough to allow us to quiz him on this flight experience (12 years) while we waiting. It's not that we were nervous; it's just that Jason looks pretty young.
Jason had the baggage porter get us a couple of Red Stripe beers while we were waiting but I'm not sure if this is a standard practice or not. I hope I didn't just get Jason in trouble.
The flight is a lot of fun, unless you're in the back-back seat, it can get a bit warm back there. The good folks from Tim Air tell you to fly them to save time over the ground transportation; having done both I am not sure it's enough of a difference to justify the price. You should fly Tim Air because it is fun and because you will get a great view of the Island. You won't want to forget to take out your camera before take off.
Want to find out more about Tim Air? You will find their website here
Our arrival at the resort, like the arrival at any quality resort in Jamaica, is something right of the old television Fantasy Island minus the short guy in the white suit. We are welcomed with cold towels and rum punch while someone else handles our luggage. All we have to do is let these nice folks swipe our credit cards and we're their best friends and family; no even better, we are Jamericans!
Be sure to remember this wonderful experience when I describe the check out process much later in this report.
We are shown to our rooms which since it's now almost 3:00 in the afternoon are ready for us. This is actually a first for all of my trips to Jamaica, I am quite use to waiting for my room. Well, waiting is a relative thing - I wait at the pool after visiting the bar.
Our room is about what I expected. We reserved "Beach Front" which simply means "closer to the beach than the other rooms". The bathroom is 'tired' and 'out-dated' and the air conditioner is noisy but I came here for the sun not the room right?
Still the beach and the main pool are nice; I am a fairly happy customer.
The beach front rooms pictured with the main pool and beach.
Note: This photo was taken from our Tim Air plane
I soon realize that the other room categories are at a much higher elevation. Some have a nice view but it's about 200 stairs to get down to the beach (and more importantly - up to your room). I am glad that I am not going to spend time in any of those rooms or so I thought at the time - more on that later.
We spend the rest of the day sampling the food, testing the bartending skills of the staff and touring the grounds. The grounds of the Sans Souci resort are for the most part the most beautiful of any of the resorts I have visited in Jamaica but you have to like stairs, lots of stairs. This would be a terrible place to be handicapped or seriously out of shape.
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