Jamaica — two resorts, two lifestyles
Ackee and salt fish, jerk chicken and Red Stripe beer. Three Jamaica traditions that we love.
It’s been several years since we visited this friendly, Englishspeaking former British colony. In addition to the cuisine we wanted to experience both a large, lively all-inclusive resort and one that featured a laidback atmosphere with emphasis on service and relaxation. Happily, we found both. Landing in Montego Bay was chaotic. As everyone knows, the fall hurricanes affected several tropical islands and many travellers had to change plans. Jamaica was a beneficiary but, for the time being, it has brought more visitors than expected.
Once we got through the busy airport it was easy to find the pre-arranged transportation to our first destination, a large, all-inclusive property a few kilometres past the Montego Bay cruise port.
Secrets St. James and its sideby-side sister resort, Secrets Wild Orchid, offer 700 rooms in a series of four-storey buildings in a setting with lush landscaping. It includes a stretch of pristine, white sand beach and warm, clear water. We soon discovered that the buoyant Caribbean water had a silky smooth feel that seemed to caress your skin. The beach offered some of the best swimming we’ve ever enjoyed. The great snorkeling with lots of tropical fish just added to the pleasure.
Rooms at Secrets were large with king-size, four-poster beds, twin sinks, a Jacuzzi tub plus a separate shower with two types of nozzles. The mini-fridge was stocked daily with water, pop and Red Stripe beer.
The property has shopping areas (souvenir prices are very high) along with nine excellent restaurants, most spread along a village-like boulevard on the Wild Orchid side. Our favourite was Blue Mountain, featuring the kind of spicy Jamaican food we adore. We enjoyed a jerk chicken spring roll, whole escovitch snapper with traditional cassava flatbread and a delightful lamb curry. The Jamaican tradition of spicy jerk chicken can also be enjoyed from a push cart that traverses the seaside sidewalk every afternoon.
Shorts are allowed in the evening at all restaurants except for Bordeaux, the fine dining establishment highlighting French cuisine. Promoted as “white glove service” (none of the waiters actually wore white gloves) it was nevertheless excellent in presentation and service. The appetizers were especially good. We enjoyed goat cheese with roasted beet carpaccio and sautéed prawns with cauliflower puree.
Like all large Caribbean resorts, there was a large, wellstocked buffet with various areas devoted to a variety of themes and international flavours. Unlike most resorts, however, there’s no evening buffet as guests are encouraged to try the a la carte restaurants. At breakfast, a corner of the buffet is devoted to traditional Jamaican dishes. Our favourite was ackee and salt fish, the national dish of Jamaica. But at lunch we were delighted to see Prince Edward Island mussels featured in a rich spicy tomato sauce.
After four days of enjoying the active lifestyle at Secrets (lots of games and activities if one wanted to keep busy) we switched to the high-end Zoetry Montego Bay property on the other side of the MoBay airport. Like all Zoetry branded resorts across the Caribbean, this one is truly a boutique establishment (just 49 rooms) with an unprecedented level of service (more staff than guests). It opened just a few months ago after a seven-million dollar restoration of another property. The rooms were gutted and rebuilt (they’re huge and very well equipped), the former tennis court was turned into the main restaurant and the rectangular swimming pool was demolished and then rebuilt as a curving structure with a whirlpool. Eight of the ground level units now have swim-out pools. All guests can visit the well-equipped spa for a complimentary foot massage.
The beach is protected by a large coral reef offshore but unfortunately it’s small and not nearly as inviting at the one at Secrets. There is good swimming at the end of the wharf but it requires climbing down a ladder (we suggested a staircase into the water and management thought that was a good idea).
Zoetry Montego Bay is designed for relaxation so it’s perfect for those who don’t want constant activities and loud music at a resort. Evening entertainment for our stay was a saxophone player one night and a fine pianist the other.
Personal, refined service is the key so both main restaurants are a la carte with fresh ingredients and imaginative presentation. They’re flexible too. At lunch one day we noted there was no fresh fish on the menu so we asked if some was available. “No problem,” was the answer. “Fillet snapper or whole fish?” We chose the whole fish and it was superb. A jerk chicken hut (Jerky Jo’s) is at one end of the resort and it serves excellent authentic Jamaican chicken and pork.
The complimentary Spanish house wines are only fair in quality but should be better to match the quality of the food. The resort would benefit by switching to moderately priced wines from Chile or Argentina. There is an optional, extra cost wine list with some excellent vintages.
Guests who stay five days or more at Zoetry are able to use an express line at Montego Bay airport to speed security and customs as well as gain admission to the lounge, Club MoBay.
An excellent additional perk at a busy airport.