City residents Jessica Filice and Tammy Adams have just returned, with a group of teachers, from the sunny beaches of the Riu Ocho Rios hotel in Jamaica.
Both were enthusiastic about the venue. “Riu Ochos Rios is a beautiful five-star resort that is like no other,” Adams said.
Right from their arrival, the pair received five-star treatment.
“We were greeted with refreshing drinks and many people to assist with luggage and check-ins,” she said.
“The food was nothing like I’ve had before at other resorts — it was so delicious and tasty. A variety of foods were available for all palates, including the famous Jamaican jerk chicken, which was amazingly good.”
That sentiment was backed up by Filice.
“The food was delicious, both at the buffets and the a-la-carte restaurants, especially the Caribbean Red Sea snapper at the steak house,” Filice said.
Eva Paré, another city resident, who recently returned from the same resort, said the food was of the best she had sampled in her Caribbean travels.
“I have been four or five times in Mexico, three times in Cuba and also in St. Martins,” she said. “I have been in a lot of hotels but I have to say the food at this hotel was of the best quality and variety,” she said.
Paré said she also enjoyed the rooms.
“Every room has a beautiful beach view,” she said.
The beach was very attractive, Filice noted.
“The beach was the best I’ve been to — beautiful white sand, the ocean with every shade of blue and green you can imagine, and life guards. There was also a kids section with staff to supervise.”
She was also captivated by a visit to deceased reggae artist Bob Marley’s home, which was located nearby.
Ocho Rios, Jamaica, is a popular and safe Caribbean vacation spot, according to Sell Off Vacations travel consultant Theresa Filice. Photo by Eva Paré
Paré said her two boys, aged 12 and 16, found lots to do.
“My younger son went snorkeling and enjoyed darts, the pool tables and watching videos. My older son played a lot of beach volleyball.”
Although she didn’t go out at night and stayed close to the resort, Paré said she never had a sense there was much to fear.
“The kids found the Jamaicans to be very friendly people.”
Adams mentioned a local excursion — Dunn’s River Falls, a 600-foot waterfall where tourists can wade out right into the falling water.
“Forming a human chain to climb up hundreds of feet of rushing water was exhilarating,” she said.
Sell Off Vacations travel consultant Theresa Filice said flights to the resort leave from Toronto and land in Montego Bay. Then there is a 90-minute bus ride to the resort. The Ochos Rios resort is in the middle of the island’s long north coast, but it is only one of a number of vacation spots in Jamaica that Sudbury residents have enjoyed over the years.
Alhough a Canadian passport is highly recommended when travelling to Jamaica, at this time, only a Canadian birth certificate and valid drivers license is required for entry into the country.
However, Filice said it is a wise idea to sign up online with Canadians Abroad (ROCA), a free service that enables government officials to assist you in case of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest.
For more information about Jamaica, phone Sell Off Vacations at 522-5666.
