travel

Secrets Wild Orchid Preferred Side Review

August 2, 2015 by Alicia Jones Leave a Comment

I have been back from the beautiful island of Jamaica for 2 weeks now. I must say that I had the best time! I stayed for seven days. We arrived in Jamaica around 9:21 am. It was no one in the line for customs at all so I could have saved on the Mobay arrival. I’m not complaining though I love a nice drink while I wait for transportation to the hotel. We got to the hotel and walked over to the Preferred side. Check in was smooth. Our room was not ready and we were told it wouldn’t be for a few hours. No problem we went right over to breakfast and then to the gentleman in the red vest and booked a short trip to the Hipstrip. We took care of shopping and got it out of the way. Shout out to Brian! He drove us to Mystic Mountain and was really nice! Shoutout to Hopeton once again although I only saw him once this time he always remembers me and says hello. Let’s get on to the preferred side. I am sold! Haha. I love it there! Our room 1411 had the best view. I got to see the amazing sunsets. The preferred side also has tubs on the balcony. It also has a private beach and pool which was really nice because you didn’t have to search for somewhere to sit there were plenty available. Did I mention the small lounge with a bar and snacks? YES! The preferred side was nice and quiet during the day a little loud at night because it was closer to the live entertainment. No worries man. I would love to stay there again. The grounds are always kept nice. There is always someone who is out trimming or cutting. I have stayed at St. James, Wild Orchid and now Wild Orchid Preferred. What’s next? LOL Ah I can’t forget about Leroy who served us at breakfast and sometimes lunch. He is the best. Always with a smile on his face. He had a wonderful gift for us the day before we left! Thank you so much Leroy! Also I cannot forget about Caulette! She is soooooo awesome! Thanks again Caulette! My favorite places to eat were the World Cafe which is the buffet, Portifino the Italian, and Blue Mountain with the Jamaican cuisine. The have changed the menus in most of the restaurants. Not sure about Seaside grill and Oceana. Overall I had a wonderful time and hope to return next year. It is my goal. Secrets is the perfect getaway for a girlfriends trip, couples, wedding, mother daughter trip whatever suits you if you are 18+. I am going to miss it. I do have one complaint and that is that I am so spoiled that I don’t care to go anywhere else. I could probably move right in!

Secrets Wild Orchid

April 24, 2015 by Alicia Jones Leave a Comment

I stayed on the Wild Orchid side of the resort March 18-22nd. I usually stay on the St. James side. This was my first time at Wild Orchid. I never thought I’d say this but I like wild Orchid better!

Although I didn’t mind the walk from St. James to the restaurants, being closer to everything was a lot more convenient. Everyone keeps saying that Wild Orchid was louder but every time I have been St. James has always been louder well poolside that is. Check in was very smooth. I don’t remember the name of the ladies that checked us in but they were nice. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we went and grabbed lunch at the World Cafe and when we came back our room was ready for us. Did I mention I love Caulette Mornan? No? Okay well let me tell you how much! So about a month before our stay I sent her an email about room preferences. I got a quick response from her saying she would make a note of that. So when we got to our room WOW is all I can say. We had the best view ever! I got to see the beautiful sunsets, I could hear the Caribbean Sea from my balcony, oh it was beautiful! It made my stay even better!! Our room was beautiful as always! Thanks so much Caulette! Breakfast at the World Cafe was good shout out to Leroy who was our server.

He is darn good! He always makes sure we have whatever we need and he remembered us from last year! Dinner at the Blue Mountain was delicious as always! Service was quick. We also had dinner at the Italian restaurant which was scrumptious! We also ate at Himitsu the asian style restaurant was great as always. I can’t wait to eat there again. We didn’t get to make to the other restaurants for dinner as we were only there for four nights. Also shoutout to Hopeton! I have been going to the resort since 2011 and he always remembers me and asks how my mom is doing. As always I love the nightly entertainment. The entertainment team does a great job at keeping us entertained. I am never disappointed. This trip was definitely memorable and I hope to be back soon at Wild Orchid!
Check out where I stayed here: http://www.secretsresorts.com/wild-orchid-montego-bay.
You can see the other resorts Secrets has to offer on there Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/SecretsResorts
Wanna get cool rewards? Signup at The Secrets Resort Fanpage: https://secretsresorts.fancorps.com/login

Jamaica Lookbook

April 10, 2015 by Alicia Jones Leave a Comment

Here is the video of some of the outfits in the Beautiful country of Jamaica. I created this video for anyone wondering want you should wear while on vacation there.

I need Warmth!

January 11, 2015 by Alicia Jones Leave a Comment

Oh boy. So I have gotten in my feelings and am really missing Jamaica. I went to 54th Street Bar and Grill today for lunch, and I ordered a Bahama Mama. It was delicious! Every ingredient was added just right, but most importantly it reminded me of Jamaica. They have the best rum and the best drinks I have ever tasted. I inserted pictures to give those a feel who have never been.

Where I am now it is sooooo cold. How can I not think about going somewhere tropical?
I miss the beach, the warm sun, the Caribbean Sea. Days like this it would be perfect to be laid out on the beach taking a nap. When I go to Jamaica I always stay at Secrets St. James in Montego Bay.

I also miss the food and the people! I always feel like royalty when I am there. Whenever you walk past someone they always greet you with a “Hello”. Don’t get me started on the Sunsets. The sunsets are so breathtaking!

I guess I will just have to wait….

My Stay At Disney Paradise Pier Hotel

September 11, 2014 by Alicia Jones Leave a Comment

I had the pleasure of staying at this hotel from March 24- March 29th. I went with my three kids and my mother. I booked through a travel agent with Disney. We arrived at LAX and rode the Disneyland express which seemed like it took forever to come pick us up.

Once we got to the hotel there wasn’t a line to check in in fact we went right up to the desk. It was almost like no one was there but only because everyone was at the parks. Check in was very smooth and quick. They gave each of my kids a balloon which they loved! I thought that was really nice.

I got a one bedroom suite on the 12th floor room 1222. I really liked the suite it was perfect for us. The room had a half bath off from the living room and a bathroom next to the bedroom. It also had a dining table, microwave and refrigerator. We had a awesome view of The Disney California Adventure Park. We were able to see The World of Color at night and the fireworks. The bathrooms had rotating shower heads. The room was very comfy. The only issue I had with the room was that while I was taking a shower in the bedrooms bathroom the water got so cold that I had to get out (still covered in soap) and go to the half bathroom to finish my shower. The bedroom had the queen sized beds. The living room had a couch with a pull out bed! This was very convenient for us. Lots a sleep room!

The meals at the hotel to me were waaaay overpriced. The character breakfast for my mom, three kids and I totaled up to $130! The kids loved the breakfast with the characters. The characters included Stitch, Mickey, Minnie, and Daisy. They each go around to the tables and play with the kids and give an autograph if you like. All except Mickey. He stands at the front and takes pictures with the families which can be purchased.
The hotel also had a pool area the has a slide!!

The kids absolutely loved it! The walks to the parks weren’t long at all. I was actually surprised at how close the parks were to our hotel. The walk from the hotel to Disney California Adventure park was about five minutes and to Disneyland park 10 minutes. I must admit this was not the hotel I wanted to stay at at first. I wanted to stay at Grand Californian. Staying here I saved a lot more money and I wasn’t at all disappointed! I will definately stay here again. Was very pleased and impressed.