Well I have been to Jamaica once before, six years ago on vacation, and I had some great jerk chicken and some delicious ackee and saltfish. Since this time was for a business trip though, I wasn't counting on getting out of the resort for some real local Jamaican food. So while I was hoping to come back and show you pictures and write about really good jerk chicken and ackee and saltfish, all I have to report from the resort is a big buffet with a surprising amount of Mexican food, and a French a la carte meal from one of the specialty restaurants on the resort property. I had some shrimp cocktail with tropical fruit cocktail sauce, a roasted pumpkin soup with chicken that although good it tasted more like cream of chicken than pumpkin, a pan seared mahi-mahi fillet with plantain mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables, and strawberry cheesecake. The mahi was good, the plantain mashed potatoes were good but had a funny skin enveloping them like they were sitting under a heat lamp too long, and the strawberry cheesecake was good too, significantly better than any of the cheesecakes in the buffet, which were plentiful I might add. Still no jerk, no ackee and no saltfish.
So I'm sorry to disappoint, I know my friend at The Pink Spoon was really looking forward to hearing about the jerk chicken and ackee & saltfish. I did manage to get some jerk though, twice, although only one was in Jamaica. I got some good jerk chicken with rice and peas (beans) at the Margaritaville Cafe in the Montego Bay airport, and I had a jerk chicken sandwich at the Miami International airport while waiting for my connecting flight to Boston. Both were good but neither was what I was hoping for. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be back to Jamaica on my own dime, and then for sure I will come back with some delicious food tales.
Oh yeah, we stayed at the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica Resort on the north coast in Runaway Bay. The pool was great, but the beach was terrible. If you want to go to Jamaica, I'd recommend spending your days in Negril, either on Bloody Bay or in the cliffs.
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You stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe? The largest resort in the Carribean? So did I. I foud the beach okay though; it was other things that I did not like. Check out my review here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147317-d629722-r8492959-Gran_Bahia_Principe_Jamaica-Runaway_Bay_Jamaica.html
ReplyDeleteHi Donald, I did stay at the Gran Bahia Principe. It was a business trip, and having been there, I would never spend my own money to go back.
ReplyDeleteI thought the food was average, certainly nothing to write about. And I was neither impressed with the beach or the grand nature of the property. The pool, however I did find quite relaxing and I found the service at the bars, both on the patio off the lobby and at the pool, to be quite good.
The general service of the whole property was quite unresponsive though. I was sharing a room with a colleague; when we checked in there was only one bed. It took several hours, and by several I mean the whole day, for them to just bring a cot to the room. We switched rooms the following day to one with two beds.
I would not recommend anyone spend their own money to go to this resort. Spend your money and go to Negril if you really want to enjoy Jamaica!