Shouldn't Those Kids be in School?

You finally have that youngest child packed off to college or you managed to get the grandparents to watch the kids while you head off for an adult vacation.
 The last thing you want to see are a bunch of little darlings running around. Of course someone will tell you to head for an adult only all inclusive resort, but maybe sitting on the beach is not what you have in mind for this trip. Viking River and Ocean Cruises are adult only and the hotly anticipated Virgin Voyages(the 1st ship Scarlet Lady will launch April 2020) will be AO also.


 Problem is that  your kids' school schedule maybe the exception not the rule. So here is what you need to know.

1. Spring Break is a moveable feast: K-12 schools breaks can be from early March-mid April. Gone is the time when schools just broke around the 2 weeks surrounding Easter.


2. Not everyone is on the Labor Day to mid June school year. Depending on location, some schools start in August and finish up anywhere from mid May onward.


3. Jersey Week  No this is not some Disney/ESPN promotion to get people into the parks at a rather slow time of the year. It 's the week that New Jersey schools get Thursday & Friday off so the teachers can go to the union convention. Since it sometimes falls on election week, families do pull the kids out for the entire week. So resorts and cruise ships may seem a little fuller this week.


4. Fall Break- Some schools do have a week long fall break in October. The week Columbus Day falls in is popular.


5. President's Day week & Mardi Gras week- Yes, kids in certain areas of the country get these weeks off.


Keep these times in mind when planning your adult getaway!

    

A New Player on the Block

Hyatt Hotels entry into the all inclusive resort market has been somewhat under the radar of most people. They have eased into the market with resorts in Cancun(adult only), Rose Hall Jamaica, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The last 3 resorts have both an adult only section(Zilara brand) and family section (Ziva). Unfortunately the Cabo San Lucas resort was heavily damaged shortly after it opened by Hurricane Odile and will re-open this summer.  Their concept is the evolution of all inclusive. So I was intrigued by an invitation to visit the location in Rose Hall, Montego Bay Jamaica. I jumped at the chance to check out a luxury family resort only 15 minutes from the airport. With little ones, do you really want to take that long drive to Negril or Ocho Rios especially if you are not staying a full week. Plus this property had been a former Ritz Carlton, so I wanted to see what they did with the renovations and additions to see if they maintained the elegance of the property.

First I did use Club Mobay to fast track through immigrations and customs and was escorted to the Hyatt Ziva/Zilara airport lounge to wait for my included transfer. It's a 15 minute trip from the airport to the resort. Each brand has it's own entrance and lobby. I was staying at the Ziva side and was met by Travis who took my bag and escorted me inside to check in. I was handed a much needed adult beverage after my long flight and checked in. I was escorted to my room by Travis with my bag. I was in a Ziva Ocean View Junior Suite, which was quite large at 656 sqft and in the new addition to the existing hotel.

 

 

The pool area for this section is brand new, it consists of an activity pool(think water volleyball and they do have water spinning classes in the morning also) and a relaxation pool with the swim up bar and water lounge chairs. And around the pool are the covered beds, which will let you take a nap without getting sunburned and they are for everyone, not just people in the "club" or "butler" rooms like at some resorts.

No getting up really early and calling for dinner reservations! The Italian, Brazilian and Asian a la carte restaurants do not require reservations. The buffet is very elegant looking with indoor and outdoor seating. I only ate breakfast there, but it is well laid out even though the bread station is behind a wall. Food is very high quality with some international touches, like baked beans for our friends from the UK and they also had a couple of Jamaican items also. The open air restaurants for both hotels were excellent. They also have a couple of places to get your lattes. Also no need to grab a cab and go to Schotchies to get your jerk chicken, because the resort has a great jerk shack on site.

For entertainment they do put on a nightly show and have a late night English Pub style bar for the night owls. There is a roof top Moroccan style bar, as well as an open air bar and piano bar opened in the evening.

They do have all the other amenities that you would expect from a top level all inclusive; spa, fitness center, 24 hour room service and kids club.

Now the adults only guests from Zilara can come over and use the Ziva facilities(it's really just one resort) but to be honest most everything is over on the Ziva side. When we were there the Zilara pool was more crowded than the Ziva pool.

For the balance of 2015, when staying 3 or more nights you get a complimentary round of golf at either Cinnamon Hill or White Witch, which is always on every Top 10 Caribbean golf course list.
The beach is more lagoon like, so it is safer for kids to swim.

All in all I think this will be a great family resort for those looking for an upscale resort within close distance to the airport, which is great for shorter stays. Who wants to spend a 4 day weekend trip with long rides to a resort? It would be a good choice for a destination wedding, where everyone could be at the same resort. Families in Ziva and the bride & groom and adult guests at Zilara. Also with the meeting room space and the food quality, it would work well for business meetings/events also.