Tag: travel agent

Club Mobay

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Imagine as you are getting off your plane in Montego Bay, you are greeted by a VIP Representative. They are holding a sign with your name and greet you warmly. They then Fast Track you through Customs and Immigration. After finishing the security process, they take you to their lounge where you can wait for the transfer to your resort. Going through customs and immigration can be stressful – it’s so nice to have someone to guide you through the entire process!

Club Mobay does not provide transfers, but they help coordinate transfers you have booked.

In the lounge, you will have Wi-Fi, snacks, beverages and can enjoy a drink at the bar. They have TV’s, a play area for children and private restrooms. If you are staying in Negril or Ocho Rios, make sure to make use of those restrooms before leaving for the resort. Your trip can be 1.5 – 2 hours long.

If your resort offers their own private lounge, you will be escorted there so you can check in. Before covid, you could check in with your resort and go back to Club Mobay while you were waiting. When I was there last time, they seemed to want you to stay with your resort lounge. It really didn’t matter though… the Sandals lounge was very nice and it was only a few minutes before they were escorting us to our driver. The two pictures below are in the Sandals lounge.

Departure service is also very worthwhile. You go through a separate line for security and it tends to be much shorter than the other security line. Once through, you can make your way to the Club Mobay Departure Lounge and and enjoy some delicious food and beverages. Since you really aren’t getting much (if any) food on planes today, it is nice to be able to eat before boarding. Below is a picture of what my travel buddies were eating and two stock photos of the departure lounge.

I haven’t been able to eat gluten in about 15 years. I didn’t have high hopes that Club Mobay would have much for me to eat. But when I told the server about my allergy, the chef came out to go over the menu with me and explain to me what he could make. I ended up with jerk chicken and some BBQ. It was absolutely delicious!

Club Mobay not only offers the Arrival Meet and Greet and the Departure service, they also help with the following:

Destination Weddings… Along with Arrival service and helping with your gown, they also offer a lounge that you can reserve for the wedding party to hang out together one last time before you get on your flight. They even offer mini spa services.

Groups... 25 people or more qualify for group rates. Each representative will take a 6 people max from the group through the customs and immigration process. They will coordinate the transfers you have booked for the group. They offer a business center and complimentary phone calls to the US and Canada.

Unaccompanied Minors… Help relive some of your stress when your child is traveling alone. The trained and dedicated representative will escort your child through the customs and immigration and take them to Club Mobay to have fun in the kid’s play area.

Club Mobay is also perfect for Business Travelers and Senior Citizens. Actually, I think everyone would enjoy this service! If you travel to Jamaica often, you can get a Annual Card and save some money.

Arriving at the Kingston Airport? Club Kingston offers similar amenities. It’s a little smaller, but has the same type of service.

If you would like more information about Club Mobay, let me know!

Couples Negril

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On my familiarization trip with the Jamaican Tourism Board (JTB), we visited 9 resorts in total. I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit a Couples resort before and was really looking forward to this one. Couples Resorts are popular with a lot of travel agents and I have to say, I was not disappointed!

Couples Negril is a lovely property that is on the smaller side with just 234 rooms and suites. This makes getting around very easy. Everything was very clean and the staff was amazing. As the name implies, this is a resort for couples only. No singles or families.

Couples resorts include the things you would expect such as multiple restaurants and bars, unlimited premium cocktails and wine, nightly entertainment, etc… But a lot of people don’t realize all the fun extras you get included in the price! Here are some examples:

  • Scuba diving is included. If you are a certified diver, the tanks, gear and boat ride to the dive site are all included.
  • Glass bottom boat rides
  • Snorkeling – they will take you out on a boat to get to the best snorkel sites
  • Hobie Cat Sailing
  • Waterskiing
  • Windsurfing
  • Paddleboarding
  • Kayaking
  • Wakeboarding

  • Round trip transfers to the Montego Bay airport
  • Unlimited Golf – Green Fees and Transfers (Clubs, carts and mandatory caddies are extra)
  • Unlimited Tennis Courts – Free Lessons available
  • Some Couples Resorts even have Pickle Ball
  • Complementary Off Site excursions
  • Trips to Margaritaville
  • Catamaran Cruise

  • Complimentary Wedding Ceremony with a 3 night stay
  • Complimentary Honeymoon Package with a 6 night stay

Also, the resort has a strict No Tipping policy. When pricing a resort, all of these inclusions are very important to consider. You might be surprised how fast things can add up once you include all the extras.

We had the opportunity to tour one of the Garden Suites. The room is quite spacious and I found the colors and setting very serene. Personally, when my husband and I go to the beach, we always want a room with an ocean view. But at this resort, I thought the garden views were so pretty that I would enjoy this as much as their ocean view rooms.

After our tour of the property, we were invited to stay for lunch. Eating out can be difficult for me because I am can’t eat anything with gluten. If I accidently eat gluten, I get sick very quickly, so eating at unknown restaurants always causes stress. The chef came to my table and talked about what would be good options for me. I felt very confident after the discussion because it was clear that the chef understood gluten intolerance very well. I selected the Lamb Chops but was very nervous at first because it arrived to the table with sauce. It’s very unusual to get a gluten free sauce in a restaurant and I’m used to the sauce being left off. I even questioned the server about it. She double checked with the chef and confirmed it was safe for me to eat. It was delicious and I am happy to report that I didn’t have any issues at all after eating it! It was so nice to have a gluten free meal with lots of flavor.

The beaches in Negril are beautiful and the water is very calm. The beach at Couples was very inviting and we all wished we could stay and play on the beach for a while. This is a resort that I would like to stay as a guest and I know that we will be back. I would definitely recommend this resort to my clients that are looking for a relaxed all-inclusive at a great price point.

If you would like to read about my travel experience to and from Jamaica during covid, click here. The article covers the process of getting tested before leaving for Jamaica and how I was tested at my resort to get back to the US. I also cover what it is like to fly at this time and any other documentation that is needed to enter travel.

If you would like more information about this resort or travel in general, you can reach me at:

Karen Boss
KBoss Travel by Dream Vacations
919-346-7779
kboss@dreamvacations.com
www.kboss.dreamvacations.com

Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa

Published on by scubagoil1 Comment

On my familiarization trip with the Jamaican Tourism Board (JTB), we visited about 9 resorts in total. Our first property was the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa. It is listed as being located in Montego Bay but it’s actually in the town of Lucea. It’s close to the airport compared to going to Negril or Ocho Rios and will take about 45 minutes to drive there. This was my view as I got ready to check in!

The check-in process was pleasant. The porters took our bags and pointed us the the little bar set up nearby to get our welcome drink. From there we walked over to the front desk and got our room information. We were a little early, but they were able to find rooms for all of us to go to right away. Had they had not been able to give us access to our rooms right away, they would have held our luggage for us while we enjoyed the resort. One of the porters put our luggage on a large golf cart and drove us to our rooms.

Here was the view from my balcony. This would be considered an “Ocean View” room. If I had an Ocean Front room, it would directly face the water. Each resort may have different definitions of “views”, so if the view is important to you, make sure you let your travel agent know exactly what you want to see. But remember… with a better view comes a higher price point. The grounds were actually very pretty – I just happened to overlook a brown patch below. There were lots of people working on the landscaping, so I’m sure this was a recent issue and would be taken care of.

Here are some pictures of my room. I thought the room was nice looking and I was able to keep the temperature cool enough for me. This is not always easy when in these tropical locations! At some resorts, the cooling system has a hard time keeping up.

We were invited to a cocktail reception that evening. They had a lovely violinist playing which we all enjoyed thoroughly. The sunset from the reception area was beautiful.

Here is a look at the Adult Only pool. And close by is a secluded area for topless sunbathing.

This is a nice setting for a destination wedding. They have locations all over the resort where you can choose to have your ceremony.

One thing I love about this resort is that they grow some of their vegetables right on the property!

They also have a large, wonderful spa area!

This all inclusive resort is a beautiful property and the staff were wonderful. They were always smiling, friendly and helpful. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience it.

If you would like to read about my travel experience to and from Jamaica during covid, click here. The article covers the process of getting tested before leaving for Jamaica and how I was tested at my resort to get back to the US. I also cover what it is like to fly at this time and any other documentation that is needed to enter travel.

If you would like more information about this resort or travel in general, you can reach me at:

Karen Boss
KBoss Travel by Dream Vacations
919-346-7779
kboss@dreamvacations.com
www.kboss.dreamvacations.com

KBoss Travel By Dream Vacations

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Hello and welcome to my blog! I’m Karen Boss – owner of KBoss Travel by Dream Vacations. As a Navy veteran, I developed a travel bug early in life and my love of travel has grown exponentially ever since. I now have the pleasure of planning travel every day!

There are a lot of great travel agents out there. How do you choose one? You can ask what type of travel they specialize in and see if it aligns with your travel goals. Also, ask what type of training they participate in and certifications they earn to keep their skills current. I am always working on continuing education to assure I can give the highest level of service to my clients.

I specialize in resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico as well as cruising. With that being said, I work with my vendors and suppliers on land tours and vacations all over the world and take as much training as possible to keep my knowledge base strong.

Professional Certifications:

  • Certified Autism Travel Professional
  • Special Needs at Sea Certified Accessible Travel Advocate
  • Travel Safety Certified
  • Certified Sandals Specialist
  • Jamaica Specialist
  • St. Kitts Specialist
  • Regent Seven Seas – Luxury Cruise Expert
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines Master’s Degree
  • Virgin Voyages Certified
  • Avalon Waterways Specialist
  • National Geographic Journeys Specialist (and a member of the G Adventures Agent Advisory Panel)
  • Certified Globus Tour Expert/ Globus +Cosmos Specialist
  • MBA – Monograms Booking Agent Independent Travel Specialist
  • Universal Orlando Resort Specialist
  • Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
  • CLIA Member (Cruise Lines International Association) – CLIA supports policies and practices that foster a safe, secure, healthy and sustainable cruise ship environment and is dedicated to promoting the cruise travel experience. They also provide travel agents with valuable training and industry information.

Where would you like to go next? Let’s talk about your next adventure!

To visit my website, go to: kboss.dreamvacations.com