The particular customer was to reach at 8pm. We waited in our room and there was a knock on the door. I requested our seven-year-old son Scott to go and see who it's.
It’s not daily you open the door to see your favorite Sesame Avenue character Cookie Monster (you possibly can select from one in all 10 Sesame Avenue characters) paying you a go to for a bedtime story and lullaby earlier than tucking your little one in for the night time.
A resort photographer is available to seize that particular second and we made certain we had a cookie ready to feed our particular pal on the finish of his go to.
It was quarter-hour Scott will always remember and was simply one in all many memorable experiences on a current journey to Seashores Ocho Rios, an all-inclusive household resort in Jamaica.
Getting there was comparatively simple. We flew from Manchester direct to Montego Bay airport in Jamaica (flight time of 8 hours 40 minutes) after which loved a complimentary switch to the resort which took about 90 minutes.
On arrival we loved some moist towels, some champagne and fruit punch and have been proven to our room. We stayed in one of many Greek Beachfront Concierge Terrace Suites with an exquisite view overlooking the seashore and Caribbean Sea and to the youngsters’s delight, the room was adorned with a number of balloons.
They're a superb dimension with two double beds and a big couch mattress, a big en-suite toilet and a terrace space exterior with desk and chairs and a solar lounger.
The minibar and fridges in your room are replenished each day as a part of the all-inclusive providing at Seashores.
After a fast unpack it was time to play. Firstly we headed to the seashore the place all of the water sports activities are based mostly — kayaks, windsurfing, paddle-boarding, snorkelling, Hobie cats and our favorite, the banana boat rides. Every day scuba diving is obtainable for licensed divers and programs are provided for a further price.
Nonetheless, it was on the Pirates Island Waterpark the place Scott and Eva (13) spent a lot of the day. With kid-friendly swimming pools and 11 waterslides, there was a lot to maintain them (and me) occupied.
There’s two pool tables if you happen to want a while out of the water and you'll order drinks straight to your solar lounger. And on the entrance to the waterpark, official distributors will likely be there on totally different days promoting every part from work and Jamaican-style pottery to necklaces and bracelets.
The principle swimming pool is located in the course of the resort. It has a swim-up bar for adults and is true beside the primary stage the place the leisure takes place each night.
From Sesame Avenue stage reveals to stay music and cabaret reveals, there’s one thing for everyone. Certainly, we have been fortunate sufficient to be there on the day Jamaica celebrated 60 years of independence when all of the employees wore particular Jamaican outfits and produced a spectacular present and a becoming celebration.
For the singers amongst us, there’s karaoke — my spouse Samantha and Eva gave a rousing rendition of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer!
There’s additionally a lot to entertain the children out of the water. There’s tennis courts and a basketball court docket on website and quarter-hour away, Sandals Golf & Nation Membership with complimentary inexperienced charges and round-trip transfers included.
If it’s time for folks to take pleasure in a bit rest on their very own, there’s 5 totally different youngsters’ camps accessible, all with separate amenities.
These cater for infants proper as much as youngsters aged 15 to 17. Youngsters may go to Trench City in the course of the day, the place they will hang around and watch TV, hearken to music or play digital basketball or laser hockey whereas Membership Liquid is on from 10pm to 11pm the place tweens and teenagers can go and hang around with out their dad and mom.
On any such vacation, it’s nice for the youngsters to get away from their tablets and gadgets however thunderstorms can pop up sometimes in Jamaica and that proved a perfect time for Scott to go to the X Field Lounge which is open from 9am to 10pm each night time with a number of consoles and video games.
Essentially the most spectacular side to Seashores is the number of eating places. The Bayside Restaurant is the place you’ll take pleasure in an excellent buffet breakfast. Not solely is there a scorching meals station with sausages, bacon and hash browns, however you can also make your individual omelette, there’s a smoothie station, and all kinds of tropical fruit, bread and pastries and desserts. The Bayside can also be open for lunch and dinner.
Our favorite restaurant was Neptunes which serves Mediterranean delicacies outdoor — not solely was the meals nice however we had the perfect desk within the resort, proper on the finish of the pier underneath the gazebo.
Should you ask, one of many waiters will carry you some bread to feed the fish inside the deep blue water beside you. There’s additionally La Parisienne which serves French delicacies, the Venetian which is Italian and Josephine’s Creperie which, naturally sufficient, serves crepes but additionally has a smoothie bar. Beside Pirates Waterpark is the BBQ Park and Bella Napoli Pizzeria. Open from 11am, you possibly can stroll up, order your pizzas, burgers or scorching canines after which gather them later and eat on the poolside or again at your room. There’s a bar beside it for drinks and a self-serve ice cream machine.
After all the resort is catered in the direction of kids however there’s a lot for adults too. Samantha loved a go to to the Purple Lane Spa on-site which gives a wide range of skincare and physique care therapies to aromatherapy massages.
Within the night there’s a piano bar (near the spa) which is for adults solely and opens at 9pm. All us dads want some ‘me-time’ sometimes too and my favorite hideaway was the Opa Bar which was a really brief stroll from our room.
It opens from 4pm to 10pm and has an exquisite balcony overlooking the seashore from the place to observe the sundown each night time. As a result of it's barely out of the best way, it was by no means that busy and it’s an awesome spot to take pleasure in a chilly beer after a busy day entertaining the children.
For a day trip, I’d extremely advocate reserving a visit with Island Routes who've a reservations desk simply on the entrance of the Bayside Restaurant.
They provide 12 featured excursions from Seashores Ocho Rios together with a dune buggy journey and powerboat journeys however we opted for the Reggae Catamaran and Snorkelling Cruise.
After being transferred on bus to a different Sandals resort down the coast, we boarded this spectacular catamaran. There was solely about 25 of us on board so you are feeling like you've the entire boat to your self. After making our option to one of many Caribbean’s finest snorkelling spots, Eva and Samantha together with most others acquired their flippers on and headed out to the reef.
As Scott has solely simply realized to swim, we determined to remain on board and watch. Nonetheless, one of many boat’s diving crew very kindly provided to take Scott in and provides him a personal snorkelling lesson.
Subsequent factor I knew, Scott was snorkelling on the reef together with all people else. As soon as again on board, meals and drinks have been provided to everybody and we headed again because the DJ saved all people entertained and all of us loved a great sing-along.
The journey is dear at $380 for a household of 4 however the kids beloved it and might’t wait to return snorkelling once more.
One of many promoting factors the resort has is an unique partnership with Sesame Avenue and several other VIP packages are that can be purchased throughout your keep.
There’s the Evening Evening, Sleep Tight session which we had or there’s an all-access photograph session with a lot of the Sesame Avenue characters, a personality breakfast which you'll take pleasure in with Elmo and his mates, and if you happen to actually need to push the boat out, have a good time your little one’s birthday with a one-hour personal social gathering with a number of Sesame Avenue characters.
All through the day you’ll see the characters strolling in regards to the resort and they're at all times able to pose for footage.
And talking of capturing these particular moments, you'll find skilled photographers from Snap Pictures working all through the day taking footage of you and your family members.
Their companies additionally embody personal photograph periods, wedding ceremony pictures and video companies (bookable at a further value). On the finish of your vacation, you possibly can go to the Snap Pictures store, scroll by way of all the pictures which were taken all through your keep and decide and select which of them you want to purchase.
These are great mementoes to recollect an exquisite journey. Seashores’ household resorts are on one other stage to something I've skilled with the service and friendliness of the employees second to none. We hope to return someday to make extra particular recollections.
Journey factfile
A seven-night keep for 2 adults and two kids at Seashores Ocho Rios, A Spa, Golf and Waterpark Resort, Jamaica staying in a Caribbean luxurious household sized room double prices from £2,099 per grownup and from £915 per little one.
Worth consists of Luxurious Included (all-inclusive) lodging, return economic system class flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow Airport and resort transfers.
Worth is date-specific and is legitimate for journey on September 15, 2023, solely. Pricing is topic to availability and should change.
To guide or for extra data on Seashores Resorts go to www.seashores.co.uk or name 0800 597 0002.
Costs are assured on the time of reserving, no matter departure dates, and are secured with a £175 per particular person deposit.
Package deal holidays are ATOL and ABTA protected when made by way of UCHL, the UK tour operator for Sandals Resorts and Seashores Resorts.