vacation in Jamaica

For my 20th anniversary my wife would like to vacation in the Caribbean. We have never been there before so I know NOTHING about where to go or when to go. I would like to solicit opinions here.

First I want to say that we are in our 40's so we do want to be somewhat active but my health is not the best so I won't be surfing etc. The second is that I have severe anxiety issues with crowds, unknowns, or being confused. So I really need to find a place where I can feel comfortable.

Riu Montego Bay Hotel (Montego Bay, Jamaica) - Resort (All-Inclusive) Reviews - TripAdvisor

My travel agent suggested we stay at the Riu Montego Bay in Jamaica in May for 9 days. Can anyone with experience tell me if this location or time of year would be a good match for me and my wife? What things could we do to lessen any anxiety for me? Pre-schedule car to and from airport? I'm very open to ideas.

Also, if there is a service that could help with my questions for a fee I would be open to that. I understand the travel agent should be able to do that but often times I think they haven't been to the locations or fully understand what I'm asking for. Thanks again.

davemchine said:

For my 20th anniversary my wife would like to vacation in the Caribbean. We have never been there before so I know NOTHING about where to go or when to go. I would like to solicit opinions here.

First I want to say that we are in our 40's so we do want to be somewhat active but my health is not the best so I won't be surfing etc. The second is that I have severe anxiety issues with crowds, unknowns, or being confused. So I really need to find a place where I can feel comfortable.

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You sound like a person who would be a good fit for one of the "All-Inclusive" type resorts...like 'Sandals":

All Inclusive Caribbean Resorts & Vacation Packages for Weddings, Honeymoons, & Couples - Sandals

They have locations all over the Caribbean (including Jamaica)...and sometimes they have multiple locations on the same island (different prices tiers)...but you can usually share facilities via their own shuttle service.

At these sort of places...they are totally self-contained. So if you like the secure feeling of just being surrounded by other vacationers & resort staff (and not being hassled by local folks begging for money or bugging you to buy their souvenirs...that you really don't want)...then this may be the place for you.

These places have all sorts of activities you can do during the day, private beaches, usually buffet style meals, and each evening they have special activities that are different each night. Many times you see the same people day after day...and you may even strike up a "vacation" friend or two...who you may finding yourself speaking with regularly while you are there.

They also have daily "off-resort" activities that you can participate in (extra cost)...like visiting local scenic features...or local city centers.

You can also do "totally on your own stuff" (my wife & I did some golfing)...just get a taxi...and off you go.

They also have shuttle service to & from the airport.

HTH,

- Nick

Hi Nick, I've always heard that Sandals is something of a 'party' location. Is this incorrect? Although I'm in my 40's I'm physically in my 50's or maybe even 60's so think of me as a slightly grumpy man (get off my lawn!). Thanks for your advice. I do appreciate it.

davemchine said:

For my 20th anniversary my wife would like to vacation in the Caribbean. We have never been there before so I know NOTHING about where to go or when to go. I would like to solicit opinions here.

First I want to say that we are in our 40's so we do want to be somewhat active but my health is not the best so I won't be surfing etc. The second is that I have severe anxiety issues with crowds, unknowns, or being confused. So I really need to find a place where I can feel comfortable.

Riu Montego Bay Hotel (Montego Bay, Jamaica) - Resort (All-Inclusive) Reviews - TripAdvisor

My travel agent suggested we stay at the Riu Montego Bay in Jamaica in May for 9 days. Can anyone with experience tell me if this location or time of year would be a good match for me and my wife? What things could we do to lessen any anxiety for me? Pre-schedule car to and from airport? I'm very open to ideas.

Click to expand...

I haven't been to Jamaica, but I have been to the British Virgin Islands(pretty darn close to it), during Thanksgiving, and it was awesome. You get better deals offseason, as you might know, but for places down south, any season is a good season when you're coming from up north. I can say a few things with 100% certainty:
1. You'll never want to leave.
2. You should definitely do a short scuba-diving course, and pay for an expert guide that knows the best scenic area. It's not much of an invloving sport, and they make you wear inflatable vests. Those guides are usually the same group of people who give the scuba lessons. I'm not sure how bad of an anxiety issue you have, but that was my first time scuba diving, and I got kind of nervous about all the scuba horror scenes depicted in movies. It was a piece of cake in real life.
3. Bring money for drinks. Not because they are expensive, but because they are delicious, and will knock you into the next day before you know it
4. Hide your money! People will come after you because they know you obviously got money to pay for the trip. Also, don't take valuable when you're leaving your hotel, unless it's necessary.

You'll have a ton of fun!

davemchine said:

Hi Nick, I've always heard that Sandals is something of a 'party' location. Is this incorrect? Although I'm in my 40's I'm physically in my 50's or maybe even 60's so think of me as a slightly grumpy man (get off my lawn!). Thanks for your advice. I do appreciate it.

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Some locations may be different from others...but in my experience...the "party" aspect was only in the evenings (which you can choose to participate in or not). And even this "party aspect" is MUCH more tame than some of the other all-inclusive resorts.

During the day (morning, afternoon, late afternoon, early evening)...it's all relaxed. Fun in the sun, casual, laying out on the beach...folks just slogging around taking it easy.

I'm pretty sure some of the Sandals locations are more "family-oriented"...so maybe you could look into them. Of course at the family oriented locations...you may have to deal with more children. My wife & I spent 7 days at a Sandals location...and there were children...and it really wasn't that big of a deal. So maybe you would want one of the "family oriented" locations.

- Nick

I would recommend Bermuda or the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Maartin, etc). Jamaica is one of those islands where you don't want to venture outside of the tourist areas - the police carry assault rifles and tourists are often relentlessly pursued by drug dealers. Of the Carribean islands I've been to, Jamaica was one of my least favorite (I would even rank Puerto Rico above it).

I would also recommend doing a cruise as opposed to just visiting one island. In this way, if you don't care to do any of the activities on the island (which you can peruse and choose from on the ship), you can just stay on the ship, where there's plenty of stuff to do. Also, on a cruise, you pretty much worry about nothing more than getting on the ship. Once you're on, you don't have to worry about hotels, where you're going to eat or what you're going to do/see - you can pretty much relax and be treated like royalty (depending on the cruise line you choose).

cwa107 said:

I would also recommend doing a cruise as opposed to just visiting one island. In this way, if you don't care to do any of the activities on the island (which you can peruse and choose from on the ship), you can just stay on the ship, where there's plenty of stuff to do. Also, on a cruise, you pretty much worry about nothing more than getting on the ship. Once you're on, you don't have to worry about hotels, where you're going to eat or what you're going to do/see - you can pretty much relax and be treated like royalty (depending on the cruise line you choose).

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This is actually good advice. We had rented a 32' sailing boat , so we didn't need a cruise, but staying on one island can get expensive. It's so easy to get lost, since a lot of road don't have official names. Island hoping is also expensive if you're not on a cruise, or have your own boat. A cruise package can be comforting, especially since the average person gets sick during trips to climate areas that differ from their own. If you can sail, renting a sail boat is tremendously rewarding. Next time, we're renting a catamaran. Cruise packages(depending on the distance of the cruise) will also introduce you to so many things that you would have never found out on your own, unless you know someone there