For a long weekend in June we headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday, which naturally consisted of Cool Runnings quotes adapted for our weekend of fun.
June is shoulder season so a great time of year to visit because there is less of a crowd but still warm weather. Although it was humid during our stay, there were afternoon rainstorms around lunch time that tempered the humidity for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
I’ve been to Montego Bay before where I stayed with my mom at the inclusive resort, Hilton Rose Hall, which I’d also recommend. Both trips consisted of lots of piña coladas and time laying around the beach.
This trip, we stayed at the Humming Bird House at the Tryall Club, about a 40 minute drive from the Montego Bay airport. The Humming Bird House is simply stunning and was difficult to say goodbye to! It has 14 rooms, each beautifully decorated in white with a pop of color. And each room has spectacular views of the vegetation on the mountain and the ocean down below. Check out more housing options at the Tryall Club here.
View from our bedroom balcony:
Living in a city, I enjoyed that the grounds had lush vegetation and that we fell asleep to the sound of tree frogs every night.
The infinity pool though is probably where we spent most of our time while at the house though. After a long day at the beach the pool floats were a perfect place to watch the sun set or take a nap on before dinner.
Lazy Beach Days
While the guys played golf, us girls headed to the beach. We found the ultimate place to sunbathe… an ocean trampoline that didn’t really have any bounce to it. With rum punch in hand and the sun above, we didn’t mind at all that the boys’ golf game lasted a few hours longer than they’d anticipated…
The next day on the beach we decided to abandon our trampoline for a bit to try out the banana boat. It was my first time on a banana boat… still have a lot of learning to do on how to get back on gracefully after you fall off.
Reggae band
& of course, what’s a trip to Jamaica without some reggae? One night during our stay we had a band come play at the house that really got us to “feel the rhythm”.
http://www.gallivantguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/img_2461.movFood & Piña Coladas
Every meal during our trip was incredible. We were greeted each morning with a full breakfast spread: bacon, eggs, fruit, toast, pancakes or French toast. I’m sad I didn’t take a pic of it but was too busy stuffing my face!
Must try foods/drinks while in Jamaica:
- Jerk chicken and rice
- Mangoes
- Pineapples
- Pumpkin soup (If you’re like me and don’t usually like eating soup when it’s warm make an exception!)
- Rum punch
- Red Stripe (official beer of Jamaica)
- And of course… piña coladas!
We were there three nights with three equally delicious dinners via a private chef that were all delicious!
Night one we had: Pumpkin soup for a starter; Jerk chicken, local vegetables and rice; and butter cake for a desert. Butter cake was a special request for the birthday boy.
Night two we had: pork chops with mashed potatoes, plantains, and green beans.
Night three we had: lamb chops with potato wedges and cauliflower.
Outfits
I’ve been using Rent the Runway Unlimited for the past six months so had been planning my outfits out. I ended up wearing two dresses and a clutch from RTR.
Milly Yellow Printed Jordan Dress and Rebecca Minkoff Out of Office Taco Clutch:
Bailey 44 Printed Ipanema Dress:
Other Recommendations
While we didn’t adventure outside of the Tryall Club during our stay, I wanted to include some other recommendations in case you are thinking about planning a trip to Montego Bay! These are things I did on my last trip or we talked about doing but decided lazing around the beach was too hard to say no to.
- Margaritaville (food, drinks, water sports)
- Rose Hall Hilton (all inclusive)
- Rose Hall Great House (golf & tours)
- Half Moon (another hotel option)
- Dunn’s River Falls & Nine Mile Day Trip (this is still on my Jamaica bucket list)
- Rick’s Cave Cafe in Negril (also on my Jamaica bucket list – watch daring cliff dives while you eat & drink)
- Zip lining