11 October 2022

I visited Jamaica at the end of April 2022, I spent 14 nights in Negril staying at the Royalton Negril found awfully close to the famous 7-mile beach. Whilst spending a lot of time sunning myself on the beautiful sand, I also took a trip to Dunn`s river fall near the resort of Ocho Rios. Whilst here I had a guide to help me climb the falls which was amazing. It was a beautiful setting, and the falls look amazing and to be able to climb them is exhilarating and highly recommended. From here I then took a trip to 9 Mile around an hour's drive from Dunn`s. It is set high in the hills, and I needed to contend with a lot of windy roads to get there. However once there I loved it. Here is the birthplace and mausoleum of reggae legend Bob Marley. You can take a tour and get a great insight into his life. It’s a great relaxed atmosphere with reggae music constantly being played. I even got to see several hummingbirds close which was great. I also visited the famous Rick Café taking a catamaran tour which included snorkelling over a reef, and it was amazing to see so many diverse types of fish in their natural habitat. At Ricks Café several drinks were had to build up to jumping of the famous cliffs. Luckily, I had a good landing and suffered no bruises which I was immensely proud. I stayed all-inclusive and the food was fantastic with an excellent choice of restaurants, my favourite was the Japanese as the food and the service was amazing. During the day I always sampled the local Jerk chicken from the shack on the beach. It was beautiful and spicy just how I like it.... I can't wait to visit Jamaica again.

25 October 2022

Mexico - Cancun Back in January I flew to Mexico landing in Cancun and stayed at the beautiful RIU Palace Peninsula hotel within the main hotel zone. On landing in Cancun, it was absolutely throwing it down. I'm thinking oh no I want sunshine. I was told don’t worry its liquid sunshine and before I knew it the sun was shining again. We transferred to our hotel with no issues but had a sneaky Strawberry Daquiri at the bar just outside the airport before setting off. We got to the hotel at dusk and watched the sun set on the beach with first of many alcoholic drinks before going for our evening meal and then an early night to be up early the next morning. The hotel had its own beach where there was a lovely breeze so you could escape the heat of around the pool. The hotel had at least 7 pools and the hotel itself was huge. There were several restaurants along with the main buffet restaurant and the food good throughout the whole hotel and it catered for everyone. The room was also fantastic it was exceptionally large and even had its own Jacuzzi bath the main room and right next to the mini bar. The hotel was spotlessly clean and tidy all the time and the staff were fantastic always welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. There was entertainment on throughout the day and some great shows in the evening so there was always plenty to get involved with. It was my birthday whilst in Mexico and I wanted to visit the famous Coco Bongos, what a night that was. I fully recommend an evening there. The shows that they put on are fantastic and the party atmosphere is great. Right next door to Coco Bongos is Senor Frogs a bar which is superb full of games, dancing, and great music. We were just passing and called in for just the one.... ended up as several and the rest is history. If you stay in the hotel zone the public transport is fantastic. There are little red buses everywhere. All you do is put your arm out and it will stop. No looking for bus stops.... The buses are inexpensive at about 40p per trip and you can go anywhere along the hotel zone. You can go to the La Isla Cancun Shopping Village which has all the designer shops there and some amazing bars and restaurants. We had an evening in the Thai restaurant there and the food was 1st class. Whilst there the hotel offered a lot of water sports and activities, we opted for Parasailing which was great as it gave an amazing view of the hotel zone. To get to the boat for it we had to Jet Ski to it which was equally as fun.... We also had a trip to the beautiful Akumal Bay where we had the opportunity of a lifetime to snorkel with giant Marine Sea Turtles in the second largest reef in the world. It was an amazing experience although that day the sea was a bit choppy which made snorkelling a bit of a challenge. We had a great guide showing exactly where to find the turtles and I was amazed at the size of them. From here we visited a nearby Cenote which are underground rivers with crystal clear waters. Again, we snorkelled exploring the cavern which showed the unique water systems of the Yucatan. Some people wore wet suits for this as the water was very cold, but I felt brave enough not to and I was glad as once I was in it was very refreshing having escaped the heat outside. You can even see the roots of the trees hanging in the water. I will visit Mexico again and will re-visit Cancun too. It was a great holiday and highly recommended. I loved it!