Island Ting: My First Trip to Jamaica

“Wah gwaan!” Lol, sorry – I couldn’t resist. I had the opportunity to travel to Jamaica with my boyfriend earlier this year and I had the absolute best time. I wanted to share my experience with y’all – everything from where we stayed to what we ate – so that you know of some cool things to do and see (and eat!) if you ever travel there!

Getting Prepared for Departure

We went in January 2022, so COVID-19 protocols were very much still in effect. We booked our tickets a few months in advance and for a nonstop round-trip flight for 7 days it cost us about $500 each. I’m sure most of you already know this, but for the sake of not assuming (y’all know how the saying goes) I’m just going to say it anyway: you do need a passport to go to Jamaica! We renewed ours earlier in the year. I got my passport when I was a minor and hadn’t had it renewed since then, so it cost me a bit extra to get a new one. I can’t remember how much exactly, but it was definitely over $100.

Anyway, back to the COVID rules. At the time that we went, we had to present a negative PCR test when we arrived at the airport. If I remember correctly, the test had to be taken no more than 3 days before departure. And the ticketing agent at the airport absolutely did check. So if you’re traveling somewhere where this still applies, make sure you’re on it! We also had to fill out some forms online through Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness to prove that we tested and were negative, and provide details on where we’d be staying during our trip. When I tell y’all they were not playingggg. In the moment it felt a little stressful trying to make sure that we crossed all of our Ts and dotted all of our Is, but honestly, I appreciated how diligent the country was about making sure everyone was healthy and safe.

Ready for Takeoff

The flight was about 5 hours long. We left close to 9 a.m. and arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica at 1 p.m. Thankfully they’re also in the Eastern time zone so we didn’t feel jet-lagged at all. We flew Delta, but plenty of other airlines fly into the country, too. Take your pick! When we arrived we did have to go through Customs which took a little bit of time. Just be prepared to stand in line a little bit!

Montego Baes

I should note that this was actually a couples trip! My boyfriend’s sister (Simone) and her boyfriend (Chad) flew from California and met us at the airport. Everyone had been to the island except for me – Chad is actually from there – so I was happy to have three expert tour guides by my side. Lol. Once we got through Customs we loaded up our rental car with our luggage and headed to our AirBnB.

Now, I knew Jamaicans drive on the opposite side of the road, but actually witnessing it in real life had me SHOOK. Shout out to Chad for whipping the car like a pro, though. My anxiety was on 10 in the backseat! Lol.

I should also tell y’all that we decided to do something a little different for this trip: Instead of staying in one place for the whole time, we hopped to different parts of the island. We started in Montego Bay, then we went to Negril, and then ended our trip in Trelawny. But more on that later.

Our first AirBnB was called Nianna Coral Bay. It was a two-story gated townhouse with two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. Each room had a king-sized bed and there were also other amenities such as wifi, a TV with cable, air conditioning, free parking, an infinity pool and more. It was a really comfy stay! We ended up doing two days and one night at this place. And the morning before we left we had a private chef come and make us a traditional breakfast. There was so. much. food. And I tried everything!

We also got to visit Chad’s family while we were in Montego Bay. His family’s home was beautiful! And I loved being able to see the island from a not-so-touristy point of view.

Let’s Chill in Negril

Okay, let’s talk about my faaaaavorite part of the trip. Those of you that have been with me for a minute know I can be a little bougie. Lol. And to those of you that are new here, now ya know! I LOVED Negril. It’s known as the “essence of relaxation,” and I truly can’t think of a better way to describe it. The water was so blue and clear, the sand felt so good on my feet, the sun was doing its thang. Ugh! Just typing all of this out makes me want to hop on the next thing smoking.

The drive from Montego Bay to Negril took about an hour and a half. On the way there we stopped at a roadside fruit stand to get some fresh coconuts and grab some fruit to keep at our next AirBnB. This was actually my first time having fresh coconut water. I’d only had the kind in the cartons that they sell at the grocery stores at home and I couldn’t stand the taste of those. But fresh is best! And tastes way, way different. My favorite part was scooping the jelly out of the coconut and eating it. So yummy!

I think my jaw dropped when we finally arrived at our destination. Lol. We stayed at the Beach House Condos. I’m not kidding when I say I could’ve stayed here forever. Each couple basically had their own apartment. It was great! My boo and I stayed in the lower level and Simone and Chad opted for the upper. We had a king-sized bed, full kitchen, a full bathroom, a living room area and a patio that was perfect for suntanning. For a second it really felt like I lived there! Lol.

While in Negril we did a lot of bumming on the beach. The weather was perfect. On one of our days we did a 4-hour catamaran sunset ride complete with all-you-can-eat food and drinks. Robert (my boo) even cliff-dived at one of the stops we made during the ride. Crazy! The other days were filled with walks to nearby restaurants, splashing in the water, and people-watching. Ha!

Some of the food I ate in Negril included some delicious banana pancakes, oxtail with rice & peas, brown stew chicken, jerk chicken, lobster tail, jerk chicken alfredo (I was skeptical but it was BUSSIN’), rum cake, and a whooooole lot of rum punch. 10/10, would recommend!

We spent three days and two nights in Negril. I was so sad to leave! I was feeling like my best easy-breezy-beautiful self. I can’t wait to go back again!

The Trelawny Turn Down

We finished up our trip in Trelawny. I can’t remember how long the drive was. We met up with my boyfriend’s cousin Maria who actually still lives in Jamaica. This trip marked my first time meeting her and I was really excited to get to know more of his family! We stayed in the Nutshell Cottage which was a cute and quaint 3-bedroom 2-bathroom house right off of the water. Trelawny was very different from Montego Bay and Negril in my opinion. It felt like this is where people come to purchase property after they retire. It was fairly quiet and wasn’t super crowded. It was still extremely beautiful and peaceful, though!

There weren’t a ton of restaurants close to our cottage, so we actually had two lovely ladies cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for us every day we were there. They spoiled us – we had curry goat, lots of plantain (my fav), festival, callaloo, ackee and saltfish – whatever we wanted, they made it for us!

Our two days in Trelawny before heading back home were definitely turn-down time. We spent a lot of time laying on the beach and talking and telling stories. It was a great bonding experience that I will cherish forever.

On our last day, we had to have someone come and administer COVID tests for us so that we could get on the plane home. Again, this was January 2022, so the Delta variant was running pretty rampant. If we had tested positive we weren’t going to be able to go home until we were negative. If I’m not mistaken, the tests cost $50 each, and the results were brought to us later that day. Thankfully everyone was good to go!

Back to Reality

Coming home to the bitter cold was not easy! As soon as we got off the plane I wished I could get right back on. Lol. We had such a wonderful time on our trip, and for that, I’m grateful. This was our first trip out of the country together. Earlier in the year I’d said I want us to fill up our passports, so I’m glad that we were able to start making progress on that. I feel so lucky to have a partner that is down for whatever and loves to travel and explore. It was nice getting the chance to bond with his family and learn more about their Jamaican roots. Fingers crossed he can get dual citizenship! Lol. If you’re thinking about traveling to the island, DO IT! I’m hoping we can make this an annual thing and that next year my family can tag along, too.

I hope this (long) blog post gave a little bit on insight on what to expect when and if you decide to go. I love traveling and I’m happy that I’m making space to share more of my experiences with you all. Now, where should we go next?