DAY ONE

TRAVEL DAY

I travelled from London Heathrow, and getting to the airport was easy. I took the direct train from Carlisle, which took three and a half hours and then went underground to the airport, a quick and cost-effective way to get there.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express the night before, which was clean and had easy access to the terminals. There were many bars and restaurants, and you could walk to other hotels and use their restaurants.

DAY TWO

MONTEGO BAY

We flew with Virgin Atlantic at 8:30 a.m., enjoying a smooth check-in and Terminal 3's variety of shops and eateries. Onboard, we received blankets, pillows, and headphones, along with entertainment screens offering films, TV shows, and music. Food and drinks were plentiful, with a range of meals, snacks, and complimentary beverages served throughout.

On arrival at Montego Bay, we transferred to the Grand Palladium Jamaica with Kiuki Transfers—Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and an hour's scenic drive. Check-in at the resort was quick, with rum punch and a buggy ride to our room. The Jamaica side boasts renovated, spacious Junior Suites with mini-bars and excellent air conditioning.

Dinner at the Mo' Bay buffet featured diverse options, including freshly made pancakes, with attentive staff ensuring a great dining experience.

DAY THREE

TOURING THE HOTEL

We ate breakfast at Mo' Bay, and there was plenty of choice. Then we had a tour of the hotel. The hotel has 10 bars and 10 restaurants. We toured all the bars and restaurants on the Lady Hamilton side of the property. They have romance villas on this side, which are more private and would be great for honeymoons. The whole resort has 1049 rooms. It has Jamica's largest pool with a swim-up bar. Miss Lou's coffee bar was lovely and included different Caribbean coffees.

Then we had lunch at the Poseidon, located at Sunset Cove, which offers watersports. This was a La Carte lunch service with fresh ingredients. We then had a 3-course meal at Suptouri, which was Asian-inspired, and the sushi was delicious. Evening entertainment was a Bob Marley tribute act.

DAY FOUR

EXCURSION TO NEGRIL BEACH AND RICKS CAFE

We used Kiuki Transfers to get to Negril, which was around 45 minutes from the hotel. We went to Margaritaville Beach Club, and I would highly recommend it. The beach was beautiful and clean, and the sun beds were comfy. The staff was very attentive and always made sure we had drinks. I had jerk chicken for lunch, and it was delicious. There were plenty of excursions available on the beach, like horse riding and banana boats.

We then went to Ricks Cafe, which offers cliff diving, reggae music, and sunset views. It was amazing watching the cliff divers! There is usually a beautiful sunset, but it was cloudy when we were there, so we didn't see it. They also offer food and entertainment all night, so it is a great evening.

DAY FIVE

DUNNS RIVER FALLS AND BOB MARLEY'S RESTING PLACE

This day was free, so we decided to do a tour, which went to Dunns River Falls and Bob Marley's resting place. We booked this at the hotel, including lunch, travel and drinks, and it was around £100pp. It was a long day of travelling, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with travel sickness as the roads are very windy.

Dunns River Falls was around 3 hours from the hotel, and Bob Marley's house was around 2 hours from there. I would recommend Dunns River Falls, but Bob Marley's felt like they were profiting from tourists massively. We ate at the Italian restaurants at the hotel when we got back. They have plenty of choices with pizzas and pasta, and they had a speciality cocktail available, Aperol Spritz, to match the theme of the restaurant.

DAY SIX

TREASURE HUNT

On this day, we participated in a treasure hunt to familiarize ourselves more with the hotel and its hidden gems. My favourite hidden gems were the beer hut on a small relaxing beach and a jerk chicken hut.

We then participated in training and updates, and they told us that in the future, they will expand the Grand Palladium Jamaica to have a TRS Property on site that offers adults-only luxury, but they will still be able to use the Grand Palladium facilities.