Who doesn't love to travel around the world! If that was not a rhetoric, the answer would be- an H1B visa holder! Vicious cycle... "I have a visa, my husband's expires soon.. Now he got his, but I changed jobs. Oh wait, now my passport expires!" But we finally broke the spell this September- we went to Jamaica!! H1 stamped, vacation done... Ya man!
Before you read any further, here is the standard disclaimer- This blog is not meant to be immigration, travel, legal or any other advice. It is purely a narration of my experience to Jamaica and the Kingston consulate for my visa stamping. Please review your case with your lawyer/agent/adviser, weigh your options and decide what is best for you. My husband and I have been on H1B (work permit visa) in the USA for a few years now. We are both Indian (Asian).
As soon as this enlightenment of a new visa stamping location was bestowed upon us, we jumped on cheapcarribean.com and found the perfect one-week all-inclusive trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. We would go to Kingston for the interview and get our passports shipped to the resort, easy! Even better for us- Jamaica does not require a Jamaican visa for Indians. This is probably because- many years ago, when Jamaica was also a British colony, a lot of Indians had moved to Jamaica to work in their fields and manage the businesses. Jamaica is an English-speaking Caribbean island. The language Patwa sounds very similar to English.
Anyways, without further ado, I started filling up the amazon cart and putting together my todo list. Uh-uh, not so soon!
We soon realized this was not going to be an easy trip to plan. I called the consulate (yes a consulate that actually answers the phone!). The nice lady told me that they recommend 7-8 days for receiving the passport. I asked if there was a way I could request express shipping- No. This meant we would have to be in Kingston to pick up the passport! We read up on what others had done and the norm seemed to be- stay in Kingston. However we wanted this to also be a get-away-from-it-all vacation. So we looked at options to fly into Kingston and return from MoBay, but this was way more expensive than our cheap cheapcarribean.com deal. You can't just give up on a deal like that! So we came up with Plan D - we stay at the MoBay resort and travel to Kingston for two days.
And that is what we did! In addition to the resort stay and international flights, we also reserved shared airport transfers with Amstar DMC from the airport to the resort through cheapcarribean.com. Since we would not know upfront how many days it would take for the passport to be ready, we decided to only make arrangements for the visa appointment travel. We took a 10:30am visa appointment, leaving enough time to get there. A drive from MoBay to Kingston would be 3-3.5hrs. We found well-priced flights from MoBay-Kingston and back, on the same day, at www.intercaribbean.com. We did not have airport transfers for these flights though. We tried to book through different travel websites; but out of MoBay and back seemed to be a challenge to reserve a ride for. We decided to figure it out later in Jamaica, worst case we would end up paying more. We shortlisted a few tour companies on tripadvisor.com before we left.
We landed at Montego Bay to views of the blue waters surrounding the island (probably fewer white-sand-beach stretches on this coast though)
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| Montego Bay |
The airport arrival-meeting-area was chaotic. There was a crazy rush at the currency exchange counter with everyone stopping to get some Jamaican dollars. You really dont need to, USD was accepted everywhere we went. The airport counter offers exchange rate that is worse than what we got outside. At the airport we got a rate of 95, outside it was 105. On the way out of the airport, we passed by stalls for tour companies. As we waited there for our ride, they tried to sell us their tour packages. The only thing we needed was a ride to Kingston, but strangely no one was interested. So we waited for our shared ride to gather his flock, and then got going. It was a beautiful 25 mins ride to our resort - the Lady Hamilton Grand Palladium resort.
Lady Hamilton is the adult-only section of the Grand Palladium in Lucea (aka Lucy). We stayed at the honeymoon/villa suite at the far end of the resort. It is a 10 minute walk from there to the restaurants, which are in the main building you see below. They do have golf carts that transport people and luggage across the resort. We enjoyed walking! The resort has a night dress code. Dress up for dinner or you will be turned down at restaurants (other than buffets). Men have to dress in full length pants. Only during the day, may you rock the golf shorts and RayBan aviators! Thanks to the visa interview the Mr. had packed a pair of jeans. Women, understandably, don't seem to mind this rule at all ;) The beaches at the Grand Palladium resort are not the best. The main beach you see below, is rocky just a few feet into the water. It felt like a man made beach. We were told Negril is the place to be for beaches.
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| Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort |
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| Villa suites are on the far right corner of the pic. The far left is where the above pool is |
We had a relaxed day at the resort- the free food, drinks, towel service, room service, minibar refills, soaking in the morning sun by the pool, enjoying the afternoon tropical rains in the cabana, and ending the day in the pool-sized-jacuzzi. The next day we turned our focus to Kingston and our visa appointment on Monday. The resort had desks for tours. We checked there as well about airport transfers for our trip to Kingston. They did not offer the shared ride and gave us private tour rates. That is when we realized the obvious- cab fare is through the roof in Jamaica, atleast in comparison to the US. So we started calling the people we had shortlisted on tripadvisor. One tour company stood out from the few who even cared to respond- Jam Island Tours. The owner, Morris, came to the resort to meet us and worked out the best trip for us. He gave us a good rate for the four airport transfers we needed the next day. He does not operate in Kingston, but arranged for someone to take us to the consulate and back in Kingston. Morris sent his driver early in the morning at 6am to drop us off at MBJ airport. He also called multiple times during the day to make sure we were fine and had been picked up, dropped off and taken good care of. Excellent service by Morris!
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| Flight to Kingston |
The visa appointment itself was smooth. We got picked up at the airport and were taken straight to the consulate. We first waited in a short line outside. After 10 minutes we were let inside. There was a quick security screening of bags etc. Cell phones are not allowed inside and we left both iphones with our driver- a very nice and trustworthy guy that Morris had arranged. There are also people on the street who will hold your phone for USD 5. After security check, we moved into a long (but seated) line in an open area. After almost 45mins, we were taken inside the building. Our passports were checked and marked, and we were moved to the third line with tokens. We were taken to a counter to be finger-printed and came back an waited in line again. This was where the visa officers interviewed people as their token number was called. We had taken a group appointment. The interview went well for us and we were asked to come two days later, on Wednesday at 2pm to collect passport. We were out of the consulate in about 2.5 hours. (Please read the disclaimer at the top of the page)
When we got out of the Consulate, our ride was there to pick us up. He offered to give us a short tour, at additional charges. Since we had a few hours to kill before our return flight in the evening, we decided to take a city tour. We first went to Scotchies and had the most amazing jerk chicken. Get the chilli sauce if you like mouth-on-fire spicy. We loved it! The place is popular with the locals and is very well priced. We then went to the Bob Marley Museum and stopped at the Devon Bakery. Nothing spectacular about either of these. Devon bakery has good patties and ice cream, but requires an entry fee for Devon House. Our driver being local, made friends with the guard who let us in for 15 mins. The museum however lacked content worthy of a national icon.
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| Scotchies Jerk chicken |
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| Bob Marley Museum |
We were very happy with the service Morris provided and decided to use Jam Island tours to take us to collect the passport as well. This time we decided to enjoy the drive! We asked Morris to take us to the Blue Mountains near Kingston. Blue mountains is home to some of the world's best coffee. Again Morris assured us he would give us the best experience. He and his wife picked us up at 5am. His wife is also a really sweet person. We all chatted along the way. The Mr. is a sucker for knowledge and he had a lot of questions about Jamaican economy, politics, freedom, culture, religion, infrastructure. Morris is a great guide and engaged in all the discussions. His wife offered us fruits they bought along the way, she is really sweet. After three hours of comfortable freeway driving, we started the climb up Blue Mountains. The road up the mountain is a single lane road with no shoulder. We went slow on turns, and stopped to give way to those coming down. Our destination was the Alex Twyman's Old Tavern Coffee Estate. We passed by a few other coffee estates along the way- Strawberry Hill and Croydon. We kept going past these, the road became one with potholes and fallen branches. We still kept going. We seemed to have come to the other side of the mountain from where we started, but we still kept going. Finally we reached a military base.
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We kept going beyond the military base in search of the coffee estate. There was no sign board for the house or estate. Infact, the house itself is not visible from the road. A passerby on the way up, had given Morris directions and somehow when we reached the house, Morris knew it. It is a beautiful home perched at the edge of the mountain. Mrs. Twyman is a lovely lady. She welcomed us in, even though we were unannounced. She prefers people to call before they visit, since she may be in the middle of roasting. She showed us the bean selection and roasting process setup in a kitchen-like room. We were given time to hang around in the balcony with breathtaking views. She invited us inside the house again and served us black coffee with cookies! Isn't she sweet, who does that!!! Later we went out to walk around the plantations. She explained the process of planting to seeding, showing us saplings and beans. She described how some of the hurricanes and storms had destroyed plantations. She is a very polite and kind lady; and a great host! If you are looking for a regular guided tour, this may not fit the bill. If you are looking for a personal interaction, I would recommend a visit. In addition to the coffee, the views are great too! We needed to rush back to the Consulate so we thanked her and left. The tour is complimentary. As a gift to ourselves and an appreciation for her time, we bought coffee at USD 20 for each 220gm pack.
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| Alex Twyman's Tavern |
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| View from the balcony |
We got to the consulate 15 minutes before time. In the afternoon there was no waiting in line anywhere. We went through security and waited where the visa interviews had happened. They called out peoples' names and we walked up to collect our passports. We verified everything was correct and left for MoBay after a quick lunch. The drive back took much longer, because of the evening traffic.. Yes, even in Jamaica there is commuter traffic, no escaping that anywhere! It was not stand still or slow moving, but we just took more time at traffic lights etc. We probably took over 4hrs to get back and it was around 7:30pm by the time we got back- tired, sleepy and exhausted! But all business had been taken care of and we could simply relax now!
During the remaining three days, we wanted to relax and pretty much stayed at the resort. The trips to Kingston, even though they were good deals, were expensive at roughly USD 500 each day. We made a trip to the Dolphin Cove Negril which is right next door to the resort. We bought discounted tickets through the resort tour-desk. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even though we swim with aids at the local gym, for most practical purposes the Mr. and I are not swimmers! :) The guys at the Dolphin Cove were really helpful and made sure we had a good time. After five minutes of us in the water alone, one of their personnel saw our struggle and got in the water with us. He was keeping an eye out for us and making sure he was near by always. We had life vests that made it easier to float and move around, but these are not your bulky airplane life jackets. These are meant for you to be able to enjoy in water; not float on water. Keep that in mind if your swimming skills are rusty :) (I do not recommend throwing yourself into the ocean if you cannot swim!) We did the Ultimate Swim with two dolphins and the shark encounter. The shark (a cat shark) encounter would seem like a rip off at full price. With discounts, we did not mind the opportunity to lay a shark on our lap and feed him!
At the resort we also enjoyed the food and the nightly dance performances for entertainment. At the far end of the Lady Hamilton, there is a natural beach called the Sunset Cove. This is where the Jerk Hut of the resort is. It is not bad, but doesn't compare to Scotchies! We did some easy snorkeling at the Sunset Cove. We did not even need to snorkel, we just stood in the water and schools of fish were swimming around us! If you can swim, there is a coral reef a little out into the water. Near the shore, we did not see any colorful fish. Snorkeling was best at the farther end where the kayaks are, away from the resort end of the beach.
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| School of fish right off the beach |
A week went by pretty soon. With more time and flexibility, we could have spent a day at Ocho Rios or Negril. We did drive through Ocho Rios, aka Ochie, on our way to Kingston. Ocho Rios has a lot of activities, especially for family. The Blue Hole looks very beautiful in pictures. Apart from being the party place, Negril is known for its beaches. Seven Mile beach and Rick's Cafe are popular tourist spots. Some other time may be, until then...
“Don't worry about a thing, every little thing gonna be alright” - Bob Marley
Cost for two adults in USD
Hotel + International flights to/from California-MBJ + shared airport transfer for this: $3000
Flights from MBJ to Kingston and back: $120
Airport transfer for MBJ, Kingston and Kingston tour: $300
Road trip to Kingston and back: ~ $500
Dolphin Cove (Ultimate swim + shark encounter + photo CD): $253 + $55 + $108 + tip for the team
Keep in mind that we were traveling off season, with T-storms everyday. Rates may vary based on time of travel. Tours for Ochos Rios and Negril can be booked at the resort (good prices) or with an independent tour guide (like Jam Island Tours) after you get to Jamaica. I would recommend doing that rather than prior booking, especially during off season. The resorts are able to offer group rates for tours by putting multiple guests on the same tour. Negril tours were very popular at around $50 per person at group rates.
Flights from MBJ to Kingston and back: $120
Airport transfer for MBJ, Kingston and Kingston tour: $300
Road trip to Kingston and back: ~ $500
Dolphin Cove (Ultimate swim + shark encounter + photo CD): $253 + $55 + $108 + tip for the team
Keep in mind that we were traveling off season, with T-storms everyday. Rates may vary based on time of travel. Tours for Ochos Rios and Negril can be booked at the resort (good prices) or with an independent tour guide (like Jam Island Tours) after you get to Jamaica. I would recommend doing that rather than prior booking, especially during off season. The resorts are able to offer group rates for tours by putting multiple guests on the same tour. Negril tours were very popular at around $50 per person at group rates.
