A week in paradise

Why Beaches in Jamaica? It’s an all-inclusive family resort with more extras than I can believe, says Jeff Woolf

So you work hard, you want a holiday and you need a rest… but you’ve got kids! And although they deserve a holiday too, there’s an inevitable clash of interests; they have different ideas and the “rest” part doesn’t really appeal to them. As a single Dad with a young daughter, most of my breaks with her have consisted of 16 hours of running around: in the pool, out the pool, in the sea, out the sea, spot of tennis, spot of basketball, horse-riding, ping-pong, back to the pool… Relaxing simply isn’t an option and I end up getting home and in need of another break!

So this time I tried something different.

We travelled with Virgin Atlantic. Why? It’s direct, the on-board entertainment system is brilliant, the staff are cool, the seats comfortable and the whole experience is a breeze. The service was all smiles and fun. It’s true; they really do fly in the face of ordinary.

The place? Beaches, Jamaica. Why Jamaica? It’s a stunning island with the kindest and loveliest people, dedicated to having fun and enjoying life to the full.

Why Beaches? It’s an all-inclusive family resort with more extras than I can believe. My 13 year old daughter had so much to do it was crazy. We had a stunning room with our own personal butler thrown in. Beaches was just voted the “No 1 resort for families in the Caribbean” in the Trip Advisor Family Choice 2013 Awards. This was a great accolade and I knew I had to check it out.

Beaches somehow manage to remain “Jamaican” in its flavour and not simply to turn into a generic resort that could be anywhere in the world. Retaining that air of authenticity is a very special quality. Beaches also gives loads of support to the local culture, especially to underprivileged kids and teens. And local craftspeople are invited in to sell their wares to the guests. Hand carved wooden souvenirs of this sunny island are available directly from the folk that made them rather than from some overpriced souvenir shop selling Chinese made “Jamaican artefacts”.

Beaches is a low rise resort set on seven-mile beach in Negril, a seemingly endless stretch of soft white sand leading into a warm, inviting Caribbean ocean, the water bright turquoise, with a surface like a millpond. Often voted the world’s greatest beach, it’s on the west tip of the island and the sunsets are absolutely spectacular.

But what about my daughter? Well apart from great supervised clubs for toddlers, kids and teens, there’s a “scratch academy”, where you can learn to scratch and mix like a pro DJ, there’s a night club where NO ADULT GUESTS ARE ALLOWED!, a really great water park, a state-of-the-art x-box play lounge, a teens only games room, loads of sports opportunities, including snorkelling, glass bottom boat trips, Scuba diving, tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, water skiing, banana rides, giant water trikes, Hobie cats etc. etc. etc.

The chefs are able to adjust their cooking to suit a range of dietary requirements and the choice of restaurants is huge. There’s a great buffet restaurant, a Tex Mex, a poolside grill serving Jerk Chicken, beef burgers, fish wraps, the most amazing sweet potato chips etc., a Hibachi style Japanese restaurant, a seafood restaurant on the beach, a pizzeria, a formal Italian… the choice seems to be endless.

A problem that I often experience on holidays is that the extras bill can be a huge shock.  Not with Beaches; you simply pay for your holiday and then pretty much everything is thrown in - even the Scuba diving, which I’ve not come across in any other all-inclusive resort! A final perk for the traveller is that no tipping is allowed. So there’s no worry about how much to leave when you leave.

There are bars dotted around all of the pools and, yep, soft drinks, cocktails or premium brand alcohol… everything’s free.

The staff genuinely appear to love their jobs and strove in every imaginable way to make our experience one that we would cherish. Literally nothing was too much bother.

Which brings me neatly on to Ricardo. Our astonishing butler.

From arranging beach chairs every morning, a fully stuffed cooler and fabulous towel sculptures, to restaurant bookings and friendly service that was simply the best we’ve ever experienced; this was a touch that made us feel extremely special for a week. We even had a mobile phone (yes, it quickly became known as the “but-phone”… groan) that connected us to him 24/7 so that he could take care of any needs that we had.

The worst aspect of the holiday?? We had to leave!

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