A-Z, Hooves, Dunns River

[mrsbaru]

December 15, 2005

 

Woke up bright and early this morning to head off to Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Jamaica is so beautiful, lush, green, mountainous. It is to bad they have such an employment problem, because it really is a beautiful country. Again, we had booked a private tour with A-Z Jamaica planners and it seemed to go much better than the ship organized tours. All emails are returned promptly and every question in answered. We met Georgeen at the end of the pier and she called for our driver Kingsley. We had a private driver the entire day for the two of us and it was wonderful. Kingsley was extremely friendly and seemed to genuinely want us to have the best day we possibly could.

 

Our first stop was to Hooves stables to go horseback riding in the ocean. Before our ride began, there was a museum that you could self tour that had historical data on Jamaica and was a nice place to wait. There seemed to be some organizational issues as they didn’t realize we had booked a private ride and seemed a little understaffed. However, they were prompt to have everything worked out properly. Their horses were all in good health, weight, and seemed to be cared for by a good, experienced staff. I was impressed, as I was expecting sub par standards based on the US and that was not the case. (Please note I have a degree in Equine Mgt) Even though I am an accomplished rider, Brian is not and we both had horses suited to our size and riding ability. We rode down the hill while our guide discussed the historical aspects of the location and some Jamaican customs. Once we arrived on the beach, we got off the horses and gave them a rest while we got out of our jeans and shoes. There is some food and drink available for purchase while you wait. They keep the saddles on the horses and after the experience, I think it is better for beginners to have the saddle than going bareback. Pictures are for sale at $10 a piece and I recommend them as they came out very well. We also took our water cameras and had fun with those as well. Your guide takes you into the water up to your thighs and off you go, trotting and cantering through the water, it was so much fun and really amazing. You run about 100 yards and back again, two times. Again, the horses rest and you dry off and put clothes back on. I found that my jeans were not going over my wet skin and suit, so I placed the towel over the saddle and rode like that on the way home and was comfortable without long pants. We rode back up to the stables and we were greeted by Kingsley ready to take us to our next destination. We had a really great time riding, as it was a dream of mine to get out of the ring and onto the beach, having Brian with me just enhanced the experience.

 

Next, Kingsley brought us over to Dunns River Falls. This is where having a driver really affected our experience. He took us through the ticket process without trouble since A-Z had prepaid for our tickets. We traded our sneakers for rubber water shoes at $5 a person, and I’d pay more than that for the use we got out of the shoes! Kingsley walked us straight down to the beach where you start your climb. OMG, the falls are so pretty, all natural, fresh water, not to cold, sooo nice! Now, I am a big wuss and am afraid of heights, so I was really nervous. We opted to not take a guide, and I think it was the better decision, as we got to take our time and no one was rushing us up the falls. If Brian had not been there to support me in the process (both verbally and physically), I don’t think I would have done so well. Kingsley followed us up the falls, via the staircase that is along the side and took pictures with our digital camera and cheered us on. We grabbed our water camera as well and took pictures as well. We underestimated the falls and didn’t realize there was 3 tiers to them and where surprised that our legs held up to the challenge. (Although the next day and for 2 more after that, we walked funny because our calves hurt!) We promptly returned our shoes and got our sneakers back. Here is the best part, with Kingsley, we were able to walk out of the exit side of the entrance. We heard from fellow cruisers that they were not allowed to leave that way and had to walk through the market, where many of them got ripped off by the vendors. Kingsley knew we didn’t want to shop and kept us away from the hassle and we were extremely happy for that.

 

It was past lunch time and close to having to get back on the boat, so he brought us to an outdoor restaurant near the ship and we had authentic jerk chicken, pork, and fiesta bread. It was delicious, and I’m sad to say I’ll never have jerk that good again in Northeast USA! With our bellies full and our day used up to the max, Kingsley dropped us off right in front of the pier at 3pm, and we gave him big hugs and a huge thanks for a wonderful day. We are positive that if we ever return we will use A-Z and ask for Kingsley as our driver.

[Bunti]

We used A-Z last year in Ochos Rios. They were the best!! We had Geoffrey for our driver, and he was so knowledgeable and wonderful.

 

I am surprised I don't hear more about A-Z on these boards. They made Jamaica the highlight of our Mariner Cruise. We'll be booking with them in Montego bay next November!

[carleah]

We booked a tour with Belinda from A-Z Planners several months ago for our Jamaica stop on 12/21. I learned about them through this board. They were highly recommended and Belinda was great answering my questions by email.

We were met at the pier by Belinda holding a sign with their name. There was just my nephew and I so my first thought was will they just take us two without filling up the van?. Belinda explained that my nephew & I would be touring alone with our guide Mickey.

First stop was Dunns Falls. Mickey stayed with us the whole time. It was awesome. We bypassed the marketplace at the top as we heard about the agressive vendors. When we were leaving the lines were long so get there as early as you can to avoid them.

Next we had a wonderful tour of Jamaica stopping at Wassi Pottery where Mickey had a guide give us a tour then we drove through Fern Gully stopping for pictures along the mountains. Our final stop was the river tubing which was the highlight of our tour. It was a blast. Highly recommend this tour. Mickey was just great as our guide. We had a customized tour to what we wanted to see in Jamaica.

If I can answer any questions please ask away.:)