Rose Bay Hotel
Suggestions for Montego Bay, Jamaica in August?
What’s the best/cheapest place/website to book tours for Montego Bay, Jamaica? I’ll be staying at the Hilton Rose Hall. Should I just book them at the hotel, but I’m afraid their rate would be expensive. After all, it is the Hilton.. but I’m afraid to book with people on the street, because they may not be legit. Other questions:
- Should I bother renting a car there? Is it safe to drive around on our own?
- What are the best activities there with 3 young children under age of 10 and my parents who are in their 60s?
- What’s the best way to go places while in Jamaica? I don’t want to pay too much, but I also want to be safe.
- Is Montego Bay a good place for family with young kids and older people, or is it a party place?
- Has anyone stayed at Hilton Rose Hall? How was it?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Well, my husband & I found it’s actually cheaper to book at the hotel, we saved like $20 on each tour.
I wouldn’t rent a car, I just wouldn’t want to risk it.
Best activities, river tubing, zip lining, dune buggy, swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cove, ATV riding & horseback riding.
Best way to get to places is either on the hotels shuttle, tour bus or taxi but taxis are quite expensive… $30 for 2 miles.
Montego Bay is not a party place at all lol we were expecting to see a lot of young people (we are in our early 20′s) but we saw more families with young kids & older people probably because most people our age can’t afford to go.
I didn’t stay at Hilton Rose Hall but we picked up some people while on a tour bus & well it doesn’t look very nice from the outside but maybe it looks better inside.
Rose Bay Hotel
Discovering View Park Hotel Tagaytay
As an experienced traveler, I always research about the places we’d want to check into through the net. ViewPark Hotel’s website (http://viewparkhotel.com) showed pictures of well-designed rooms (top priority for us!) so we decided to check it out. Personally, I go for the smaller hotels because experience has taught me that this type of boutique hotel, as opposed to the bigger and more formal hotel, seem to try harder in giving guests a warm experience. Somehow, the big name hotels seem a tad cold and too professional.
ViewPark Hotel simply cocooned us with that warm feeling of coming home to a (nicer) house the minute we stepped in their lobby. With a freshwater aquarium filled with beautiful live corals of every shape and color, and friendly staff to welcome guests (without that obsequious or over-the-top servility), we knew we came to the right place.
One of the rooms we saw was the Deluxe Room with a double bed, and the standard room features: cable TV, personal ref., closet, a good-sized bathroom and remote-controlled A/C. What was unusual in this room (which was standard in all the hotel’s eight rooms) is the rainshower head. There are quite a number of hotels that do not feature this more modern bath amenity, for the same room rates. But what adds charm to this room is a wide bay window with cushioned window seats and plump throw pillows. Perfect for surfing the worldwide web — which was a joy, thanks to their fast internet connection.
The room we eventually got met my picky daughter’s approval, having two double beds, bigger space and of course, a bigger TV. The Superior Twin Room even has a balcony with its own table and chairs – nice for winding down with your evening coffee or enjoying the early morning (cold) breeze.
ViewPark Hotel also has rooms for those on a budget, and for below 2,000 pesos, you’d get the same personalized and warm service. It has its own cozy restaurant, Red Lemon Grill which serves local and continental dishes, as well as Adam’s Café, a coffee and snack bar with outdoor tables. Good masseuse service can also be arranged right in the privacy of your hotel room.
But really, the charm of this hotel lies in the strength of its people. Leading her team of dedicated, multi-taskers is the efficient and bubbly GM Joy Tung. She very humbly pointing out that as far as hotels go, theirs is just “normal”. By that, she means they offer standard rates for good, clean rooms. But when we pointed out that ViewPark Hotel stands out from the rest because, compared to hotels with the same rates, their people go the extra mile. Beyond the friendly faces and genuine smiles, their staff appears magically to offer assistance even before guests think they do need help. And they can be counted on to follow through with requests previously made by the guests. This is the elusive quality that ensures guests (us included) come back.
ViewPark Hotel has been steadily gaining a loyal clientele of couples and families who have made it their Tagaytay getaway. That’s why the movie selection they offer includes classics, new titles and a very wide selection of kid-friendly movies. It’s also why rooms are floored in wood, not the usual tile, so older family members can have warmer floors and kids (and their toys) are less likely to get hurt when the playing gets extra rough. Couples, especially the women, approve of the modern Morocco-European design elements employed in the room — from the headboards to the linens and good quality drapes, even to the Moorish elements of our lampshades (incidentally, my favorite feature in our room). ViewPark Hotel can be counted on to make a special occasion all the more memorable (rose petals everywhere you want during Valentine’s Day, for example). Better yet, they can be your creative partners to collaborate with you and make your honeymoon or anniversary a unique experience.
No wonder ViewPark Hotel guests keep coming back – it’s like a second home in cool Tagaytay, where you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to chill out and enjoy the warm service from Ms. Joy and her Team.
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what are some fun and interesting things to do at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica?
Fun & Interesting is what the resort promises you so you’ll stay on the grounds…but then why bother going to Jamaica if you don’t leave.
Try getting out on an excursion to the martha brae river for rafting, rose hall great house to hear the legend of mad Annie, day trip to Falmouth which is only 30 minutes away, or just go shopping in Montego Bay..20 minutes away.
Hoteloogle.com – Rose Bay Hotel Santorini