#Emmasadventures2017summer – GO! Travel to Jamaica & Relinquish Control at Royalton Negril

View of Bloody Bay from Royalton

The very same afternoon that we left Royalton White Sands in Falmouth, the six of us piled into my pick-up truck, once again, and drove 2 hours to Negril.  Anyone who tells you that it takes 1 1/2 hours must be driving at two in the morning!

Being from Clarendon and currently living in Kingston, I rarely find myself in Montego Bay.  Okay, I lie.  I never find myself there!  Not that I have anything against this city, I promise!!  It’s just far.  We reached the roundabout by the airport in the height of traffic, so we took the top road.  Upon coming down the hill to a busy set of lights, I had zero clue which way I was to go.  Inevitably, I took the wrong turn – left, and had to do a u-turn so that we didn’t end up in the heart of downtown Mobay.  Success.  I had managed to maneuver us in the right direction…….well sort of, as I realized that I was in the wrong lane…..I was trying to drive against oncoming traffic!  Nightmare.  I just needed to turn left and all would be well in the world again.  You can imagine the honks and road-rage shouts, as my not-so-small vehicle was causing more confusion in a mayhem of impatient drivers.  There was nothing I could do, except safely and apologetically make my way to where I was supposed to be.  We all lived to tell the tale, but I can only imagine what the Montegonians’ side of the story would be!

Needless to say, it was a relief when we reached Negril at 8 o’clock that night to stay at Royalton.  Greeted by extremely helpful staff, assisted with our bags, smoothly checked in and upgraded to two adjoining swim-out suites, which were more than perfect for us, we walked over to Zen Japanese restaurant for a late dinner.   The floor-show was in full soca swing, which added to the good mood our rooms had brought out of us!  Although the restaurant was close to empty by the time we got there, our server Andrean and Chef Ricardo were so obliging and gracious, as they took care of my deathly sesame allergy, my distaste for garlic and, most importantly, our need for some Sake!!!  Trish and I finally let the kids have their electronic tablets, as everyone was exhausted, but they gladly put them down for Ricardo’s culinary tricks, which kept us all entertained and then well fed!

Waking up in the comfort of a Royalton bed, with the ability to brew my own coffee right there in our suite, simply added to the heaven I was in.  I was even able to write one of my blogs at the desk in the room, before the children awoke.  I have to say, I would have thought that stepping out onto one’s patio and straight into a plunge-pool was a bit of a gimmick, but the reality of being able to do so is glorious!

Finally, we headed across the front of the hotel, which looks onto the serenity of Bloody Bay, and helped ourselves to what could only be described as a sumptuous spread of every breakfast variation.  So much so, I had to tell my 8 year old son, ‘Don’t overdo it,’ to which he replied, ‘Why not?’  Indeed.

Sadly, we were only there for one night, but with a few hours left before check-out time, we did not waste a second – lounging on the beach, swimming in the ocean and playing in the splash-park.  Had we known all what Royalton Negril has to offer for children and adults alike, we certainly would have booked to stay at least one more night.  I am certainly going to have to return, sooner rather than later.

All I can say now is Thank You, GO! Jamaica Travel, who had suggested and booked us in to Royalton Negril a few days previously.  This company’s reputation for being the Caribbean’s Leading Tour Operator is no joke.  Knowing that two mummies, along with their four children, were on an island tour in our own car, CEO Dave Chin Tung insisted that we stay in this lovely all-inclusive hotel, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about carrying food to feed the kids and ourselves.  To be honest, we had been quite prepared to lug a cooler of provisions and stay in a simple apartment, but the foresight of GO! Jamaica Travel actually saved us from much stress and what would have been a real headache, had we stuck to our original plan.  As it turns out, they could have organized every single step of our adventures this summer.  Alas, I don’t know much about tour operators in general because I am the quintessential organizer myself.  That said, now that I am aware of the excellent and personal service provided by GO! Jamaica Travel, I might relinquish some of my control next time!

Cheers from Zen!

Morning wake-up call

Breakfast time!

Fresh Local Fruit for Breakfast – Sweet Sop, Passion Fruit, Paw Paw & Pineapple

Smoked Marlin, Smoked Salmon, Omelette, Ackee & Salt Fish, Callaloo & Bammy

Playing on the Beach

No words necessary……