Pampering Jamaica holidays as island is declared leading spa destination

Home to some of the world's most famous and luxurious spas, Jamaica lures visitors with its wealth of deluxe spa experiences and facilities. With a range of world class resorts boasting a range of exclusive spas, it's no surprise to see visitors return time and time again and again to pampering Jamaica holidays . As published by the Breaking Travel News website, they take a look at some of Jamaica's latest and most impressive spa developments.

Image by : voyagesendirect, on Flickr.

First up we have the Goldeneye resort, which after its latest refurbishment, has introduced a new spa offering enabling guests to enjoy invigorating spa treatments in the open air. The newly refurbished FieldSpa, beautifully hidden away in a cottage-like location right by Goldeneye's lagoon edge, is unique in the sense that it has no borders. Here guests can indulge in therapeutic massages, skin brightening facials, salt scrubs and herbal wraps, all performed in breezy and light open air tents. The spa also offers some other outstanding services including Moon Yoga, Coral Restoration, Jamaican Dance, Stargazing and the Jamaican Olympic Triathlete Iona Wynter, an activity designed for fitness fanatics offering amazing experiences such as Bay Rafting, Stretch & Snorkel classes and Jet Ski Leg & Ab workouts.

Next up, we have the second runner up of our list of spa-licious Jamaica hotels, the luxury Half Moon a resort, currently nominated for the title of Jamaica's Leading Spa Resort by the World Travel Awards. Offering truly indulgent Jamaica holidays with superb spa facilities, the Half Moon has converted its signature villa, Fern Tree House, into the brand new, completely re-designed Fern Tree, A RockResorts Spa®; a magnificent 68,000-square-foot sanctuary for the mind and body with indoor and outdoor treatment rooms. Drawing from the local landscape and centuries-old healing traditions as inspiration, the spa melds modern-day techniques with Jamaica's ancient healing remedies of native herbs, fruits and botanicals. Fern Tree also houses a relaxation lounge, yoga pavilion, hydrotherapy swimming pool, sculpture garden and several water features.

Image by : andyphelan45, on Flickr.

Part of the Fern Tree complex, Half Moon also offers six signature beachfront spa suites, each featuring added amenities that provide for in-room treatments, such as yoga, thus further incorporating Fern Tree's wellness experience into guests' rooms. The Half Moon resort also has an on-site Spa Elder, a veteran expert on holistic treatments to guide and advise clients on a path to wellness during their holidays to Jamaica, offering them personalised programmes and regimes fully customised to tend to each individual's specific needs.

And last but certainly not least, we have the internationally acclaimed Rockhouse Hotel Spa, now in its fifth year running. The luxury beach hotel and resort has recently rolled out its Caribbean Essentials products. In addition to its relaxing, organic ambience, the Spa Pavilion – which is an organic, temple-like structure - has been praised for its unique and holistic treatment menu, which was developed exclusively for the hotel with Jamaican products by spa guru Linda Hall.

"In the same way the Rockhouse restaurant fuses the spices and foods that reflect the diverse history and people of Jamaica, the Spa fuses all the natural goodness and beauty of Jamaica, restoring peace and harmony to our guests". - Linda herself explains.

Every product used at this resort's spa facilities are made locally using only natural ingredients indigenous to the Caribbean, remaining true to the region's authenticity by creating genuine experiences for truly original Caribbean holidays. Using Caribbean Essentials is in keeping with the Rockhouse philosophy of fusing all the natural goodness and beauty of the Caribbean to restore peace and harmony to our guests.

Image by : Universal Travelers, on Flickr.

Other amazing Jamaica hotels with equally amazing spa facilities for truly unforgettable experiences during holidays in Jamaica include the Sandals Grande Riviera Red Lane Spa, which just received an upgrade, the Bamboo Eco Resort, due to open in 3 years' time by 2015, and the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall with its signature treatments including the famous Shell Massage (in which the body is completely covered by 100% natural Tiger Clam sea shels filled with algae and dry kelp) and the exfoliating Sugar Cane Body Scrub.

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.

Jamaica Showcased as Luxury Destination Ahead of World Travel Awards

After being selected as the host of the World Travel Awards Caribbean & Americas ceremony next month and after being nominated for ten World Travel Awards this year, Jamaica is fast becoming known as one of the world's most luxurious destinations.

The Caribbean island boasts plenty of upscale accommodation for travellers taking luxury Jamaica holidays, and hotels and resorts in the island, including GoldenEye, The Half Moon, Strawberry Hill and Round Hill have all been nominated for prestigious World Travel Awards this year.

Jamaica has been nominated for the World's Leading Destination and the World's Leading Tourist Board at the ceremony, which is referred to as the "Oscars of the travel industry" by industry experts and the global media.

Image : Montego Bay View by gogrimm, on Flickr.

Nominated Jamaica hotels include the GoldenEye for the "Caribbean's Leading Boutique Resort", which is owned by Island Records icon Chris Blackwell and features 11 new luxury beach cottages and lagoon suites; Montego Bay's Round Hill which has been linked with A-list guests such as Sir Paul McCartney, Fred Astaire, Tommy Hilfiger and John F Kennedy and is up for five World Travel Awards; and the RockResort's Half Moon that will compete for the title of the "Caribbean's Leading Hotel".

Tourists taking Jamaica holidays now have a wider selection of all inclusive resorts on the Caribbean island including the adults-only five-star Secrets St James & Secrets Wild Orchid resort in Montego Bay that offers exclusive luxury amenities of Unlimited-Luxury within stunning tropical surroundings.

Image by: Jamaica Trip by 04deveni, on Flickr.

The World Travel Awards Americas & Caribbean gala ceremony will be hosted by Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island on 19th October, 2011. The event marks the fifth and final leg of the World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour and regional winners will go to the Grand Final in Doha, Qatar in November.

Sandals Resorts has also introduced luxury holidays to their offerings with the launch of Sandals Luxury Included Holidays.
Chairman of Sandals Resorts, Gordon "Butch" Stewart, explained: "At Sandals Resorts, we come from the region, we understand the communities, we understand the quality of the beaches and we understand the services and standards that the customer now demands.

"As we celebrate 30 years of providing luxury vacations that exceed expectations, I can say that we are delighted to showcase those services and amenities to the travel industry once again this year."

A new VIP lounge has also opened in Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport (MBJ) for high end travellers taking luxury holidays to Jamaica. The Club Mobay lounge features 10,000-square- feet of space and showcases the best of Jamaica through cultural design and art work.

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.

Sandals to spend $500 M in Jamaica and the Caribbean

As part of is regional expansion plans in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the Sandals Group of couples only hotels and family-friendly resorts has unveiled a new project worth $500 million to expand its brand and revolutionise the luxury holidays industry in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Adam Stewart, Sandals Resorts International Chief Executive Officer recently unveiled some of the prospective initiatives which are planned to take place over the next seven to eight years and which will highly impact the Caribbean holidays industry with innovative facilities and the construction of new Caribbean hotels and resorts.

Talking about one of the company's latest project in the Jamaica holidays industry Steward said: "The Sandals City resort is very much under development,". The previously announced 250-luxury-room resort that is to be built on approximately five acres of land along Oxford Road in Kingston is still under way with plans that also far advanced for the construction of a new off-shore village that is being built at Sandals Grande St Lucian, in the eastern Caribbean island, for which ground was broken last week. Around 150 new luxury suites, including the company's signature over-the- water suites accommodation, will be constructed over the next few months.

The new project announcement comes as the Sandals Group, which includes Appliance Traders and the Jamaica Observer, celebrates its 30th anniversary providing luxury holidays in the Caribbean and going strong. Stewart also added that 30 luxury suites would be built to represent every year that the company had been in business.

The Sandals CEO noted that the luxurious over-the-water-suites would, among other amenities, feature glass floors, and would be another first for Sandals Resorts and tourism in the Caribbean; as that type of accommodation had never been done in the region.

Stewart further explained how throughout Sandals' 30-year journey, many changes had been implemented to ensure it remained on top, and that accommodations like the over-the-water-suites and other expansion would further cement Sandals' position as leaders in the luxury Caribbean holidays industry.

Other plans, the CEO said, include the expansion of the Beaches family brand with the construction of a 400-room resort at Whitehouse in Westmoreland, 100 private luxury suites at Beaches Negril and a 400-room resort at Bloody Bay in Negril. He said designs were also being done for Beaches properties in St Lucia and Antigua.

Stewart also spoke about the Dragon Bay development in Portland which he said was very significant, as it would be a high-end development. But he pointed out that it was unlikely to come to fruition before an aerodrome was built in the parish.

Another of the company's plans includes an off-shore island at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, where several over-the-water suites are also to be constructed. Stewart said while the Jamaican Government was yet to give its final approval, he was optimistic that the new innovation would soon become a reality.

Meanwhile, chairman and founder of Sandals Resorts, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart said that for 17 consecutive years his hotel chain had been ranked as the world's best all-inclusive hotels and commended his over 10,000-strong team members for their continued commitment to the company.

The Sandals Hotels brand and its products were highlighted Saturday night with several top-notch video presentations showcasing the different experiences including accommodation, food, entertainment, bars and nightlife, weddings, land and water activities and kids' programs, among others.

About the Author

Born in Cuba and having lived and studied in London for over 5 years, Susana is a recent university graduate with a passion for travel who has taken much inspiration from the exotic destination she has visited throughout the years.

Upon graduating she has ultimately come to join an important UK tour operator specialised in Cuba holidays to share her love for travel with holidaymakers as the company's very own travel reporter and news editor. Her interest in the tourism industry was formed from a very early age, following her father's footsteps, a travel representative and manager, who worked for Cuba's national air carrier and whose travelling job was also the reason she found herself travelling from an early age and living in different parts of the world with her family.

Having travelled extensively herself, throughout her home country in Cuba, Europe and other faraway destinations in Asia and the Middle East, including exotic hot spots like China and Egypt, she continues to nourish and build upon her tourism knowledge to bring our travel readers with a fresh outlook on the latest happenings in the holiday industry.

Norwegian Cruise Line to return to Jamaica from October

After taking a six-year break from Jamaica, Norwegian Cruise Line will be returning to the Caribbean island from next month.

Passengers will once again be able to take Jamaica holidays aboard two Norwegian Cruise Line vessels with the first call of the year scheduled to be Ocho Rios on 19th October, 2011.

The Norwegian Pearl and the Norwegian Sun will both be calling at the Jamaican port during the 2011/2012 season with a total of 34 scheduled calls.

Throughout the entire season, the two ships will bring an estimated 68,000 passengers to Jamaica holidays where they can enjoy warm hospitality, delicious Caribbean cuisine, a warm tropical climate and beautiful white sand beaches.

Royal Caribbean International has recently moved their ships from Ocho Rios to the brand new port of Falmouth in Jamaica due to financial interest. Norwegian Cruise Line will be sharing Ocho Rios with Carnival Cruise Lines who operate year-round cruises to the port.

Located on the northern coast of Jamaica, Ocho Rios is one of the main ports of call for cruise liners providing Caribbean holidays for travellers from all over the world.

The Caribbean island of Jamaica is rich in culture, music, history and tourist attractions such as Dunn's River Falls, the Blue Mountains, the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, and the renowned Seven Mile Beach in Negril.

Situated in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba, the tropical island boasts luxury Jamaica hotels and resorts with leading brands such as Sandals Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, Ritz-Carlton and Iberostar operating properties surrounded by beautiful natural surroundings.

During holidays in Jamaica, tourists can engage in some fascinating scuba diving adventures beneath the surface of turquoise crystal-clear ocean waters to breathtaking underwater sites where they can explore sunken wrecks, colourful coral reefs and an array of marine species.

Norwegian Cruise Line has been operating Caribbean cruises since 1966 and to date, the company has eleven ships in its fleet.

The Norwegian Pearl has staterooms and suites for 2,394 passengers and facilities including a bowling alley, rock climbing wall, 16 restaurants and cafes, 13 bars and lounges, a casino, South Pacific Spa, swimming pools, and a fitness centre.

The Norwegian Sun has recently undergone multi-million-dollar renovations and offers staterooms and suites for 1,936 passengers, a theatre, 14 gourmet restaurants and cafes, 10 bars and lounges, a modern fitness centre, a kids centre, swimming pools and hot tubs, the Body Waves Spa, and the Sun Club Casino.

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.