Montego Bay 2020 - Secrets Wild Orchid - The Room

This resort is amazing. I can't wait to try it again post-plague, when all the amenities are available. Even now, it's incredible. We stayed in the Preferred Club. This is wonderful luxury, even now when some things are unavailable because safety. My personal favourite is the fact that you can order champagne from room service at no additional cost (well, tip your room service person). It's also available in the bars. 😍

First, the room is nice.  The balcony has two chairs and a table. It also has a hot tub that would seat two comfortably. My room (1201) also had a view of the outdoor stage, so I could grab a drink, fill the tub, start the jets, and watch the show -- Live Music! -- with a ridiculous amount of comfort. The stage was to the left. Directly in front of me was Montego Bay. I liked my view a lot.

I am always amazed at my ability to forget to take obvious pictures, like say, the bed. It was a king size, in between the living area and the bathroom.  The bathroom was a large open area with shutter doors which opened to the main room, exposing the second one-seater soaking hot tub. It also had a two sink vanity. In separate cubicles were the toilet, and the rain shower.

The shower was complete with shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner. The size of the bottles was generous so you could get by with one of each for the entire stay. I thought this was much better than the single use ones you normally get, which produce ridiculous amounts of waste plastic.

The sack between the two sinks contained all the toiletries and face cloths. Aside from the usual suspects there were shaving cream, a razor, mosquito repellent, and a comb. 

There was also an incense holder, matches, and a single incense stick. Nice. I wish they had replenished the incense while I was there, though; it was the only thing that kept the mosquitoes at bay.

The room was very comfortable. It had a nice ceiling fan, and lots of places to charge things. There were lots of towels, and five pillows were on the bed. The room also had a safe and a television. I don't tend to watch television when I'm travelling, so I will have to take other guests' word for it that there were three porn channels available (included!).

I mentioned the room service briefly. There is a cupboard with a door which opens outside your room, and another door which opens inside your room. This is where all room service deliveries take place. At the beginning of your stay, this is also where your mini-bar contents are. There is the standard sodas, beer, and a small bottle of some rather nice rum. In addition, there are granola bars, and potato chips in case you feel snacky. These are included in your stay, and you can phone room service to get them replenished. You also need to order coffee pods from room service, as they are not left in your room by default, currently.

Next: Montego Bay Part III - The Resort Life

Montego Bay 2020 - Air Canada Rouge Business Class During Covid

How I love Jamaica! One of my favourite spots, with the warm, crystal clear water, the wonderful music, the amazing food, and the lovely climate.  So, what is it like to travel Air Canada Business Class during the pandemic? A few things have changed, but, before I get to that, I have to get to the airport.

Since my flight was at a more civilized time, I could take the UP Express. For those not near Toronto, this is the train that goes from Union Station to Pearson Airport in 25 minutes. It is cheap and effective. I was pleased to see that they had added plexiglass dividers between the seats for added safety. Of course, at 6 in the morning, it was sparsely populated anyway.

The Priority check-in was easy, although the agent wasn't really familiar with the requirements for the Jamaica travel authorization she had to check. It's new; she'll get accustomed. I only knew what was going on with it because I've attended the travel agents' webinars. Nexus and priority lane security screenings are not available right now, but the lines are pretty small anyway. 

The Maple Leaf Lounge was my next stop. It now has table service. There is a QR code on each table, and you order through your phone. Bonus, though, they now offer hot breakfast (it's not great, but it is a bit of an improvement over their previous offerings).

On to the plane, both figuratively and literally. I was one of the last to board. As far as business class seats go, these were somewhat middle of the road, and since it was Rouge, there were no seat-back screens and no air show.  The seats adjusted three ways: recline, seat part forward, and lumbar adjustments. The controls were manual and a little stiff. 

Once we reached altitude, they started breakfast service. Surprisingly, food was served first, then they came around with the drinks. The breakfast was served cold in individual boxes, but thankfully, it was all food that should be served cold. There were plain yoghurt with fruit and seeds, a cheese plate with crackers and produce, a croissant, a fruit bread, and assorted condiments. Too much food for me, but good variety, and delicious.

The drink service was presented without delay. In addition to the soft drinks that are available in economy, business also has the choice of beer or wine. The only beer is Molson Canadian, but what are you gonna do? There was more of a selection of wine, but I know I'd be drinking Red Stripe when I landed, so I figured breakfast beer would be a wiser choice.

I like an aisle seat, but there was no one next to me, so I could take pictures out the window this time. 

I cannot stress enough how much better arrival and departure are in Montego Bay if you go through Club Mobay. The arrival service includes meet and greet between the ramp and customs. They then whisk you through customs, help you find your luggage, and give you a nice place to sit and relax and have a few beers or rum punches and snacks until you're ready for your transportation to your resort. Worth every penny. 

Departure works in reverse. You get expedited through security, and then get to sit in a full service lounge with a full bar, and snacks and meals until they announce boarding for your flight. 

All too soon it was boarding time. I was in the bulkhead row this time. Not my preference because I hate lifting my case up and down, but I'll live. 😀 Once again, the seats were roomy, and there were no screens. I should mention that iPads with movies on were freely available to us, but I still had a whole bunch of vacation reading I wanted to do.

This time drinks service was first, and I asked if I could be served dinner later. I had just had lunch in the lounge, and we were going to be landing just after dinner time. No problem. Again, there were wine and beer available to business class only. I'm a firm believer in paying for upgrades, because I like my little luxuries.

Speaking of, dinner was pretty good considering they're not cooking these days. There were two salads: one with smoked salmon and vegetables, and a mixed greens salad with balsamic and olive oil. The roll was a roll. I usually save some of the dressing for it. The chicken wrap was a little bland, but fresh. And the dessert seemed to be a sort of crème brûlée type thing. 

I was very tired by the time we landed, so I was overjoyed that the Nexus kiosks were open, and my luggage arrived quickly. Then, into a taxi home, and quarantine begins.

Next - Montego Bay Part II - Secrets Wild Orchid

Travelling in the time of Covid - Part IV

 We left the resort three times. Once to go on a catamaran excursion, once to go to a beach club, and once to go home. 

The catamaran trip was iffy, from a safety perspective. They didn't enforce masks or social distancing on the bus, or on the boat. When I asked, I was told that the boat was rated for 38 passengers, but I'm sure they didn't intend them all to be gathered below decks for the usual speeches, etc. Fortunately, no one was ill. 

I was a little concerned when we arrived at the location for the catamaran. The waivers they had us sign included an agreement to wear life jackets. It turns out, I guess, that you were agreeing to wear them if the boat sank? We were offered them when we went snorkelling, but no one demanded we wear them. There weren't any flippers, just masks and snorkels.

The snorkelling itself was cut short because of how strong the current was. People were finding it too tiring to stay near the boat. But that meant the bar opened, and we headed to the area they called the Swimming Pool, which was a circular shallow area, just right to hang out and have drinks from the floating bar the boat crew set up. There were also people with animals to pose for pictures (monkey and parrots), and a floating fresh coconut store. 

The snacks were reasonable for the time of day, and the bar was very open. The excursion was good except for one small detail: my camera got left on the transportation coming back from the boat. The tour desk guy said they had found it, but somehow in the 3 days they had it, they never got it to the resort. Which is why this trip doesn't have as many pictures as previous trip reports. 

The next time we left the resort was our last night in Punta Cana. We were out of a la carte nights, but they widely advertised that we had a discount at the Pearl Beach Club next store.  We should have gone there before the last night. 

They took our temperature when we arrived which did make me feel a little more secure. Then they showed us to a very nice table near one of several plunge pools. 

We ordered a cheese board and some cocktails. The service was excellent, and no one was seated near us at all. In fact, we only saw a few other customers.

The cheeseboard was excellent, with a generous amount of cheese, and some lovely fruit, nuts, breads, and condiments. The drinks were not skimpy, either. 

I had brought my bathing suit, so I spent some time in the plunge pool. Sadly, the place was only open until 7, so we had to call it a night. The bill for 6 drinks, and the cheeseboard, was only $44US.  For a night out, this is excellent value for money, and very affordable when on vacation. 

I think if I were to do it again, I would do it earlier in the vacation, and start earlier in the day. I would definitely recommend this place.

The last time we left the resort, it was to go home. We were using the Air Canada transfer, so it was a short bus ride to Sangster. Once there, we checked our bags, and went through security. There is a lounge at Punta Cana that is available for Priority Pass members (and others with a small fee), so we hung out there, and had some food, knowing there would be none on the plane (sorry AC, but a tiny package of pretzels is not food).  We were also permitted two adult beverages each. The lounge has a pool, but there is no shade for it, so I didn't regret packing my bathing suit in the checked luggage.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip. And very worth the 2 week quarantine when I got home.

Next: Jamaica November2020