 YOUR
VILLA VACATION
by Linda Smith
Location
and Activities
Most villas are located on an excellent
stretch of
Jamaica's beautiful north coast
within a 10-mile span of the colorful town
of Montego Bay
and the international airport, enabling guests to reach "home"
20 minutes after clearing Customs. Nine are on beautiful Discovery Bay, one is
on the beach in Runaway Bay and five are oceanfront in colorful Ocho Rios. We
also have a charming 18th Century 16-bedroom plantation with stables and trails
in Trelawny, and renowned for its dreamlike weddings.
Travel & Leisure
has dubbed north coast "the Jamaican Riviera."
While privately located and
concealed from view by lush landscaping, each villa is within easy driving distance
of beaches, dive shops, boat rentals, clubs, boutiques, restaurants, golf courses,
tennis courts, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling and other water sports, and craft
markets. Just a few minutes from our Montego Bay villas are Round
Hill Hotel & Beach Club ... The Tryall Club with one of the world's most beautiful
golf courses, host to PGA and LPGA
Tour events ... Rose Hall Resort
& Country Club with beautiful new golf course and $7 million water park
... and Half Moon Golf, Tennis & Beach Club, also with championship golf course
and tennis courts. Sunset sails, river rafting by torchlight, horseback riding,
native floor shows, visits to the bird sanctuaries and waterfalls ... or to a
furniture factory up a nearby mountain where you can custom order excellent quality
cedar and mahogany reproductions ... can also be planned and involve minimal driving.
See ENJOY JAMAICA! for additional
activities. Staff and Service
Your cook will handle
grocery shopping and meal preparation. She will pre-purchase your first few meals
plus pantry staples, then finish the week's shopping after meeting with you.
At week's end, she will present receipts for all food and beverage and reconcile
your account. A typical grocery budget is $315-$350 per adult per week ~ less
for children. (A few villas have higher budgets for food and beverage.) This
may vary up or down depending on market prices and menus. An approximate food
budget is $45 per adult per day (more in some villas)
and $20 per day for preteens. If you request shrimp, lobster, imported beef
or large quantities of other food items, this estimate will increase. Your
cook will pre-purchase your first few meals, pantry staples and a small starter
bar (a few bottles of Red Stripe, moderately-priced wine and rum). Additional
alcohol requests will increase your budget. If you wish to go to the various
markets with her, you are welcome. Otherwise, simply review with her your
tastes and distastes and she'll handle it all while you stay at the villa
and relax.
The day
starts while guests are still asleep. The cook quietly places pots of steaming
Jamaican coffee on the verandah. Full breakfast is served when all guests
are ready. A typical breakfast may include fresh-squeezed orange juice and
fresh fruits, banana fritters or plantain, eggs, bacon, pancakes or cereal
~ or Jamaican ackee and salt fish. For lunches and dinners, your cook will
prepare her own mix of Jamaican specialties ~ including delicious homemade
soups and desserts, lobster, curried goat, jerk pork or chicken, pasta, lamb,
beef, fresh fish ~ or serve traditional American fare as you request. Warning:
Jamaican cooks are excellent and portions are generous!
Your chambermaid and laundress will care for every detail
of your bedroom and bath ~ providing fresh linens and flowers,
returning your neatly-folded laundry, and turning down your bed
each evening. The gardener will maintain the pool and grounds immaculately
each day. Most villas are staffed by a butler as well who serves, tends bar
and generally facilitates.
Available on request are masseuses, nannies and drivers. Recommended
staff gratuity at the end of your stay is 10% of the villa rental in High Season,
15% in Low Season, divided among your staff members in accordance with the Gratuity
Guide you'll find in your Welcome Book at the villa. Plan to pay your grocery
and gratuity monies in cash: US dollars or Jamaican dollars.
Your
Budget (must read!)
Weather
Jamaica enjoys
typical Caribbean weather: 80's and 90's by day and 70's at night. Winter to
summer variance is only 10 degrees. It is more likely to rain in May/June
and September/October
than in other months. Dress is casual. Coats, ties and expensive jewelry are
not appropriate. In winter months, you may need a cotton sweater after sunset. Do
take mosquito repellent! We recommend Ben's 100, Cutters, Ultra Muskol and
Avon Skin-So-Soft.
Currency
US dollars are accepted
island wide. Exchange rates vary if you choose to purchase Jamaican dollars. Most
commercial establishments, including grocery and liquor stores, accept credit
cards. Staff and driver gratuities, however, must be paid in cash.
Travel Documents
Tourism is Jamaica's leading industry,
so reserve flights early. Your destination is Montego Bay. Air Jamaica, Air Canada,
American,
Continental, Delta, British Air, Northwest, Spirit, United, US Air
and Virgin Atlantic are major carriers. Several charters operate
from the
East Coast, the Midwest and Europe. Proof of citizenship will be required in the
form of one of the following:
WE
RECOMMEND A U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUED PASSPORT TO ENSURE YOU WILL BE PERMITTED
TO BOARD YOUR FLIGHT If you have questions
about these requirements or are a citizen of another country, call 1-800-233-4582
(Jamaica Tourist Board). Or check with the Embassy of Jamaica, 1520 New Hampshire
Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 tel (202) 452-0660.
Check-in
and Check-out Times
Check-in time is 1:00 p.m. on arrival day. Check-out time is
11:00 a.m. on departure day.
In The Tryall Club villas, check-in time is
3:00 p.m. and checkout time is 12:00 noon.
However, if no other guests are scheduled to occupy your villa on arrival and
departure days, you are welcome to check in early and check out as late as
you wish.
Ask any agent in our office to advise you of the occupancy
schedule of your villa. Remember that the schedule may change prior
to your
travel date, so you may wish to check with us again the week prior to your
trip.
In a Summer
Place, Amanoka, Keela
Wee, Makana, Sundown, Coral
Cove Cottages and Whispering
Waters
CHECK-IN TIME IS 3:00 p.m. and CHECK-OUT TIME
IS 11:00 a.m.
Electricity
Current is essentially the
same as US: 110 volts, 50 cycles (US is 60 cycles). Converters are not necessary
for US-made appliances. Telephone - Overseas Calls
We recommend
Digicel cell phones which are available at local outlets in Jamaica. Some of our
villas offer complimentary Digicels. Click here
for the list. Alternatively, World Talk Calling Cards expedite overseas calls.
Your cook will provide a starter card and, at your request, will purchase more
minutes for you in various denominations. Jamaica Telephone may not accept AT&T
calling cards and other prepaid phone cards. Internet Access
Click here to see our list of villas
that have complimentary Internet access.
In other villas, bring your laptop
to establish a temporary email ac count for Internet access. Call, email or fax
Infochannel in Kingston. Telephone (876) 978-2960, fax (876) 978-2966 or (876)
927-8086 or email icquery@infochan.com.
Have a credit card and the villa phone number handy. They will ask for the information
they require to set up your account for the time period you request. They'll bill
your credit card. It's easy and not too expensive. Infochan also offers very good
technical support seven days a week via 978-4972 or 927-3630 or 946-1657 or 978-2960-64.
Turn off your computer when you're not using it as Jamaica experiences occasional
power surges, brownouts, blackouts and phone spikes. An ideal setup would include
an extension cord, a surge protector and a phone splitter ~ but it is possible
to operate without all these.
Ground Transportation
We can reserve
self drive. However, we recommend our team of excellent private drivers (parttime
or fulltime). See Getting Around
for rates. Payment, Cancellation and Damage Deposit Policy
A
25% deposit confirms a reservation. Balance is due 60 days before travel. No refunds
for cancellations are made within 60 days prior to scheduled occupancy. For cancellations
61 or more days prior to scheduled occupancy, we will refund all deposits less
a 10% cancellation fee. A $500 (more in some villas) damage deposit also is required. We will refund
this promptly when you return home if no damage occurs during your stay. (The
damage deposit is higher in a few properties.) For Christmas and New Year's weeks,
the no-refund policy applies 90 days prior to scheduled travel.
Updated July 23, 2007
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