Therefore instead of the heavy winter clothes and skis, we packed our light- weight summer clothes that included swimsuits, tennis racquets and sunscreen for an active vacation in the sun and warmth of Jamaica. I had scouted the Super Clubs a short time ago and felt they would be ideal for teenagers and their families. We were fortunate to obtain reservations for the first part of our escape from the cold at the all-inclusive Breezes Super Club at Montego Bay and the last three nights at the more upscale, inclusive Grand Lido Braco Super Club.
My grandchildren, 18-year old Rochester University freshman, Bradley Wasser and his 15-year old sister Maris who just started at Roslyn High School and their parents Jill and Stuart Wasser and I were pleased to find a representative from Super Clubs at the Montego Bay Airport waiting to drive us to Breezes at Runaway Bay about an hour away. Upon our arrival Christmas Day at Breezes we were given refreshing cold towels, beverages, snacks and a visit from St. Nick (costumed and enacted by the multi-talented entertainment director Chris) I must say that we were taken aback by the patter of two huge brown horses on the marble lobby floors and the presence of Santa Claus, standing on stilts in the horse drawn carriage. Santa stopped to welcome us with Happy Holiday Greetings.
We then went off to our rooms and found that our accommodations were great with plunge pools and easy access to the beach, pools, dining, the Hurricane Disco, the bandstand and stage. I can readily understand why Beeches has been described as “the playful side of Paradise” with its concept of a completely new relaxed, fun-filled formula for an active vacation. Just imagine free sailing lessons, rock wall climbing, trapeze swinging, scuba diving, golfing and tennis instruction in the mornings and afternoons. Jill and Stuart made sure to participate in the tennis drills every day at Breezes and Grand Lido Braco. They had a doubles match with Bradley and Maris that I watched. Stuart and Jill were soundly beaten. Jill would like a rematch to try to even the score. However my money is on my grandchildren.
There is also cycling, basketball and volleyball, kayaking and windsurfing for the active tourist. But Stuart and Bradley were eager to try scuba diving. They took the required lessons, got their certification and did their first dive at the Grand Lido Braco. They are now looking forward to the family’s returning to Super Clubs for more scuba diving as well as the other activities. I particularly enjoyed chilling out in a hammock and sun-soaking in a chaise lounge at the pool or at the beautiful Jamaican beach.
Additionally we all wanted to try the new tastes like the Jamaican beef patties and to quench our thirst with the virgin pina coladas for the youngsters and the real McCoy (Jamaican rum pina colada) for the senior set and (As a matter of fact on our return home Jill made reservations for a longer stay over the New Year 2010.)
My grandson Bradley found his way to the Hurricane Disco with some other young people, mostly from Canada, where he danced to the Reggae music and enjoyed listening to the talented musicians. Maris was busy swimming, playing Bingo and acting as a judge at the Boys versus Girls Contests. She also took photos of Jill and Stuart on the dance floor during the shows.
Actually, Bradley and I had visited Super Clubs’ Starfish Trelawny briefly when Bradley was 10-years old. I recall that he surprised me then by winning a dance contest. We found that Starfish Resorts were designed to provide fun for the whole family with a program for younger kids under 14. The youngsters have supervised water sports with their own pool complete with water spouts, fountains and all a thrilling 124 foot water slide, a circus school and a rock-climbing wall, a choice of video games and their own kid-certified menu. Therefore I can recommend Super Clubs for children of all ages.
Copyright by Marcia Abramson
