A Jamaican Breeze Villa

Thank you for your interest in A Jamaican Breeze Villa.   If you are new to villa rental, I'm sure you have many questions.  We hope this information helps answer your questions about renting a villa in Jamaica.  If you have stayed in villas in the past then most of this information will be familiar to you, but it never hurts to have a refresher. 

My husband and I have been vacationing in Jamaica for nearly 20 years.   We feel that Jamaica is an island blessed by God for it's wonderful weather, beautiful scenery and gracious people.  We are thrilled that we will be able share some of Jamaica wonders with you and we hope that you decide to come for a visit.

Documents you will need to fly to Jamaica

USA and Canadian Citizens will need a valid passport
UK Citizens: Commonwealth citizens need a passport (no visa is required).
Japan Citizens will need a Passport. A visa is required for stays of over 30 days.
All other countries: Please contact the Jamaican Tourist Board office nearest you for requirements.

Things to Bring

We recommend that you bring sunscreen, mosquito repellant, personal toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste etc. You can reduce your grocery bill by brining non-perishable food items like jams, peanut butter, cereal, baby food etc. as imported items can be fairly expensive.

Weather in Jamaica

Jamaica is located in the Caribbean and enjoys typical tropical weather, 80's during the day and 70's at night. The rainy season is more likely to be in May/June and September/October.  It is not uncommon to experience a rain showers followed by beautiful sunny weather within the same hour.

Food

The cost of your stay includes a cook who will prepare delicious meals for you at your request. A sample menu of Jamaican and international dishes is provided for you to choose from but this is just an example.  Meals are cooked using fresh local ingredients wherever possible. A few groceries will be pre-purchased and brought to the villa before you arrive.  Once you have settled in, your cook will ask you for more details about what types of food you like or dislike, if there are any allergies or special dietary needs. You may reimburse her at this time for the pre-purchased groceries, and give her additional money for the groceries needed for the balance of your stay in the villa.  One of the villa staff will be happy to shop for you in the local market, or you can go with them if you would like to see a slice of local life.

The nearby fishing village ensures that fresh seafood is always available. Free-range meat can also be sourced locally. For 3 meals a day and drinks, a typical cost for groceries for an adult per day will be about $30-$50 a day depending on food preferences and whether you are a heavy or light eater. If you add alcoholic drinks, expect to pay a little more.

Local Fruit
The Jamaican Breeze Estate is filled with dozens of fruit trees of many different varieties.  As our welcome gift to you, your cook will serve you a fruit plate sampler with your first evening meal.  We want to give every visitor the opportunity to try as many of Jamaica's wonderful fruits as possible including; mango, papaya, sugarloaf pineapple, ginneps, sweet sap and jack fruit.  Your cook will be happy to purchase more of any fruit that you enjoy.

Grocery stores do accept credit cards
Many of the larger grocery stores accept credit cards: L&M Supermarket is just a few minute walk from the villa and accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover.


Do you like to cook?
A Jamaican Breeze Villa has a well equipped kitchen with many modern conveniences.  Guests are welcome to cook or use the kitchen to make a special snack or dessert.  The best part, is that there is no need to clean up.  Your staff will do the dishes when you are finished.  Our cook is happy to help you while you enjoy the kitchen to make your cooking experience even more enjoyable.    Some of our best family memories come from having the entire family in the kitchen cooking together and we have created our kitchen to encourage such memories. 

Water

The water from the tap is clean and safe to drink. There are also many varieties of bottled water available from the local grocery. 

Ground Transportation

Provided with the cost of your villa rental is round trip service from the Montego airport.  Yuton our driver, is available for for hire if you wish to go anyplace during your stay with us.  The cost for use of a van and driver is $60 for a 1/2 day (1 - 4 hours), $100 for a full day (over 4 hours).  You can go anywhere in Jamaica. Yuton is very familiar with our villa and the area.  He is happy to act as your guide, take you and the cook to market and just basically insure that you can focus on your vacation and not have the worry about driving in Jamaica.

Your Arrival at the Airport

We recommend that you fly into Montego Bay airport, as it is the shortest distance from the villa.
 
After you de-board your plane, your fist stop will be passport control.  You will give them your WHITE SLIP that you filled out on the airplane.  (you must use black or blue ink.  The form will ask "Where are you staying?" your answer will be Jamaican Breeze Villa, Runaway Bay.  On the back of the form it will ask " How many pieces of luggage do you have with you?"  They want you to include all checked and carry on bags in this number.)

Once through passport control you will gather your luggage at the carousel and take it to customs (just a few feet away).  - Right hand side is for folks who have something to declare (items that you are bringing that might be sold or left in Jamaica)  If all you are bringing is clothing and vacation supplies, you should have nothing to declare and will use the left hand lanes.  Customs will check your passports and ask you a few questions such as where are you staying, how long you will be in Jamaica and if this is your first visit. 

After you leave customs, let a porter help you with your luggage.  You will not be allowed to take the luggage carts outside, but the porters will have their own carts and will assist you in getting to our driver.  Be sure to tell the porter that you have your own transportation (A typical tip for porters is $1 US per bag - You are welcome to carry your own bags outside if you wish.)  Uton is our villa driver, and has driven our family around Jamaica for years.   He will be waiting for you as you exit the airport and will drive you to the villa.

Our Villa Staff

As part of your villa rental fee, A Jamaican Breeze Villa comes fully staffed.  Their sole objective is to insure your comfort and complete satisfaction. Your Head of Household and cook will oversee all of your needs (requests for nannies, grocery shopping, etc.) just ask. Your housekeepers will care for every detail of your bedroom and bath, providing fresh linens and turn down every evening. No need to over pack for your visit to Jamaican Breeze since clothing will be washed, ironed, folded and returned to your room daily by your laundress.

A Jamaican Breeze Villa's beautiful plants, flowers and grounds are impeccably maintained by your gardener who will provide fresh flowers for each room and will provide the Chef with fruits and spices that may be in season from our own garden selection. As you relax by the pool, your Butler will be a warm familiar face to bring you cool drinks or clean towels.  He will also assist during all of your dining experiences. Also, if you want to plan a morning or afternoon of golf, tennis, shopping, touring or visits to other area attractions, your butler can take care of all the details.  Our gardener is also a certified lifeguard and lifelong fisherman. He will help keep an eye on the kids when they are at the ocean playing.  He is also a willing guide for your sea kayak and snorkeling adventures.

Children's Amenities

We strive to make A Jamaican Breeze the best family friendly villa in Jamaica and have worked hard to provide a wide variety of child friendly amenities.    We have provided two cribs/playpens, a highchair, three baby gates, a stroller and bed side rails that can be inserted under the mattresses so that toddlers do not roll off the bed.

For older children and the young at heart we offer; a pool slide, hammocks and swings throughout the property, volleyball, badminton, crochet, Frisbee, sea kayaks, sand castle making supplies, a sea shell beach, masks, fins and snorkels, a touch tank and our own private miniature zoo.  One of our daughters favorite things to do on vacation has always been to catch the local lizards and hermit crabs.  So we have created their own private animal lovers garden, complete with cages to temporarily house their animal friends.  The touch tank provides them a great place to put their friends from the ocean, just long enough to share their finds with others and watch them for a while before releasing them to the sea.  The touch tank usually has living starfish, sand dollars, sea cucumber and other small sea creatures.  Children are our future.  If we help them develop a personal connection with nature while they are young , then they will work to conserve the plants, animals and resources of this planet when they grow up. 

A Jamaican Breeze Villa also has a large collection of G and PG rated movies and child friendly music.  The game room is a favorite hangout location for many of our young visitors.  It has a large screen TV, DVD player, Wi Game Station, billiards, electronic darts and a variety of board games

Swimming Pool

We have a lovely pool that offers a zero entry side  (great for small children) and a deep end of 8 feet.  The pool is maintained by the villa staff.  It has a solar heater to keep the water in the pool at a comfortable level.  Night time lightly can be turned on so that you may enjoy the water at any hour.

Snorkeling

There is excellent snorkeling and swimming from the beach.  The reef has some of the best snorkeling in Jamaica and can be accessed by the four kayaks on the beach in front of the house. Please tie the kayaks to the buoy on the reef and swim to the location where you would like to snorkel. There are also a number of beautiful coral heads closer in, which can be accessed by swimming.  Much of the area between the beach and the reef is very shallow.  We suggest that you use the water shoes if you would like to walk out to some of the closer coral heads as there are a variety of sea urchins, star fish and other creatures that live the the sandy bottom between the beach and the reef.   Try to avoid touching or standing on the coral. Once the coral is touched or damaged, it dies and does not grow back.

You are welcome to bring back living specimens for the touch tank on the beach.  Please remember to be very gentle when collecting live animals and do not carry them above the surface of the water.  All living specimens will be released at the end of your visit.  No live animal may be taken from the island and no living animal may be killed for it's shell.

Masks, Snorkels, Fins and Water Shoes

We have a supply of high quality masks, snorkels, fins and water shoes for use by our guests.  You are welcome to use these items in the pool and in the ocean. When you are finished with them, please rinse them with fresh water and allow them to dry after each use. 

Scuba Diving

A Jamaican Breeze is just a short walk from Runaway Bays local dive shop "Sharkies". There you can schedule a variety of reef and wreck dives.

Money

The official currency in Jamaica is the Jamaican Dollar. US dollars, and travelers checks are widely accepted. Most commercial establishments will accept credit cards.   We suggest that you pay for groceries and tips in local currency

It is very easy to exchange US and Canadian dollars at local Cambios. All they do is exchange money. There is much less hassle than going into a bank, which we never advise doing unless you have to, as the lines are awful and the exchange is not as good.

You can use US$ in most places but you should keep up on the most current exchange rates to ensure the best deals.  You will get Jamaican $ back as change.  For street vendors and in the outdoor markets you should use Jamaican currency.

Most banks have ATM machines. The ATM will dispense Jamaican dollars and some now dispense USD. There is normally a charge for using the machines, and they have daily limits of about $200-300. Your US bank will charge your account at the current exchange rate.

Telephone Usage

Jamaica uses the North American Dial Plan, so people can call you at the villa from the US or Canada by dialing 1+ Area Code (876).and the 7-digit telephone number. From other countries, callers should use normal international dialing procedures. The area code for all of Jamaica is (876)

Cable & Wireless and Digicell, the major Jamaican providers, have roaming agreements with the most service providers.  Check with your wireless provider to see if you telephone and calling plan are supported in Jamaica.  It can be very expense to use a phone without a good roaming and data plan.

The villa has two cell phone for guest use and offers free calling to the US and Canada

Electricity

The island uses 110 volts.  Any standard appliance from the states can be used in Jamaica.

Linens

Bed linens are changed every other day.  Simply leave any towels or clothes that you would like washed in the laundry hamper, which can be found in your bathroom.  It is appreciated if you remove any suntan oils before getting in bed or sitting on the furniture. The colorful beach towels are for use on the beach. Please do take the bathroom towels to the pool or beach.

Locking Doors

Every bedroom has it's own locking door.  The keys will be given to you upon your arrival.  Whether you lock your doors or not is totally up to you.  The staff will lock the house after you go to bed in the evening and will open the house each morning.  There will always be a staff member present on the estate during your stay and so there is no need to lock the villa if you decide to leave for any day trips. 

Safes

There are safes in each of the bedrooms. Instructions are provided on how to use the safes. At the end of your stay, when you are finished using the safe, leave the door open to the safe.  

Staff tips

A 10-15% tip (percentage of the full villa rate) is suggested for the staff to be distributed the day you leave. A suggested allocation might be:
Cook – 30%
Butler – 25%
Housekeeper – 25%
Gardener - 20%
We recommend placing the tip in individual envelopes for each staff member. Give it to them when the van picks us up for the airport. You should also tip your van driver (10-15% of the van package rate) after he drops you off at the airport on your return.

Security

The Villa is very safe.  Sylvan lives on the property year round and has never had any problems.  It is however advisable to follow common sense

Restaurants

There are lots of excellent restaurants in Ocho Rios.  Read the guest book and see where previous guests recommend good food and fun.

Insects and Lizards

You will see lizards of various types around the area. For example, Geckos frequently crawl on the walls. The Geckos are harmless, cute animals that make a small chirping sound. Please do not kill these animals since they eat the insects.

Safety

Slippery Floor Surfaces - The tile in the house is slippery when it is wet. If you walk into the house wet, you may slip on the tile. Please be careful. Please watch your children carefully on the stairs and the decks. They can be slippery and dangerous.

Life Preservers - There are a number of life preservers for both children and adults. Please make sure your children use the life preservers in both the pool and in ocean. It is a good idea for adults to use life preservers when snorkeling, especially when on the reef, since currents and waves can pull you into the ocean.

Sun - The tropical sun is extremely strong and it is very easy to get burned. Make sure that you limit your exposure time and use protective lotions.

Coral - Do not touch any of the coral. Fire coral can sting you severely. It is advisable to use water shoes, supplied with the house, when entering the ocean to prevent cuts on your feet.

If you need a doctor

There are a number of doctors in Ocho Rios area. Your villa staff will know how to reach a doctor. For serious problems, we recommend Montego Bay Hope, a new state-of-the-art medical diagnostic and treatment center which has a link with a hospital in South Florida should you need to be transported off the island. Before your visit, please check with your insurance company so you know what procedure to follow just in case you do develop a medical emergency.

Hurricane Insurance

If you are traveling to Jamaica between June and November, please note that this is considered hurricane season.  We encourage you to purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment as we can not refund your money.  In the past 55 years only 5 hurricanes have hit Jamaica. These were: August 1, 1951, Charlie, October 5, 1963, Flora, August 4, 1980 Allen, September 12, 1988, Gilbert and September 10, 2004 Ivan.

Refunds

There will not be any refunds, under any circumstances.

Guest Book

Please sign the guest book before you leave and give us your comments. We love to hear from you. This is one of the only ways that we can obtain feedback. If you leave your email address, we will contact you about any future specials or events at A Jamaican Breeze Villa.

When is the Check-in and Check-out times?

Check in time is any time after 2pm on the arrival day.

Check out time is any time before 11am on the departure day.

We will do our best to accommodate your arrival and departure with your travel itinerary. If no other guests are scheduled to enter your villa on arrival and departure days, you are welcome to check in early and check out as late as you wish. Please inquire and we will check the schedules.