So here it was, the end of tax season, an insanely busy time for the DH and his sis, and it was time for a little bit of well deserved rest and relaxation at an all inclusive resort. Jamaica called. Debbie and her honey had a week booked at Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios, and we were to join them afterward for a week at the Riu Palace in Montego Bay. We decided to take a few days on our own and booked some time at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, on Point Lucea, before meeting up with them. And I’m sure glad we did!
The location and setting of the Grand Palladium is somewhat rural. As you can see from the pictures, trees and natural coastline abound. From our balcony, we could see Sunset Cove, where you can book a scuba dive, snorkeling trip, or other watery adventures, or just relax on the beach with a cold beverage and yummy Jamaican food. The resort has an abbreviated bar and jerk chicken shack down there, where the vegetarian fare included bammy, a local specialty pancake of fried cassava, and “peas” with rice. Along with a Red Stripe beer, it’s the perfect snack after a dive! It’s a bit of a hike to get around the property, and the rooms are organized in separate villas which are spread out along the water’s edge. There are covered walk-ways and guys driving these little golf carts around who will give you rides, which definitely came in handy when we were transporting our scuba gear and luggage! And walking around the property is a great way to observe some of the local flora and fauna. We were happy to spot a pair of Jamaican Yellow-billed Amazon parrots, Jamaican Mango hummingbirds, and we got an introduction to the Jamaican tree frogs. These little critters made a HUGH chorus every night!
the view from our balcony 
watching the daily storm roll in 
our last day …. it was hard to leave
As far as food and atmosphere at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, we were very happy. Despite some closures and changes due to the pandemic, there were a number of really good restaurants to try, including Jamaican food, sushi, and Mexican. The seafood place and the buffet had lovely open air seating. There were also a number of bars, besides the swim-up bar, well equipped to serve up whatever beverage you can dream of…. be sure to try the “Bob Marley,” a fun frozen mango and rum concoction with layers of red, gold, and green, and from the coffee bar, Jamaican coffee with rum cream! As for entertainment, there were some good live bands that mostly played reggae and reggae style covers, and the usual troop of dancers who, while they were very good and put on a different show every night, became repetitive and predictable. On the bright side, we enjoyed dancing ourselves in the aisle! The last night we were there, the resort made the questionable decision to hold a dance where everyone got a headset and danced to their individual choice of soundtracks, the silent disco….well,I guess I’m just too old for that sort of thing! Other pluses at this resort included clean accommodations with good housekeeping and down at the pool, we could generally find a couple of shaded lounge chairs, some overlooking the water’s edge, and little semi-private stretches of beach could be found around the property.
aerial view of the Grand Palladium… look at that water!
So How’s the Diving?
It was okay. If there had been more of us, I think they would’ve taken us out on the bigger boat. As it was, we went out in a tiny boat, and not very far out. The nice thing about that was that our surface interval was spent in a lounge chair on the beach while our guide loaded some fresh tanks. The water was warm, the visibility good, and we saw various corals, eels, and reef swimmers, notably Lion fish, which are growing in number there. The crew were pleasant, helpful, and very much on “island time.”
Montego Bay
When it came time to meet our peeps at our next all inclusive stay, we called again upon the good folks at Best Jamaica Transfers, to give us a lift to Montego Bay. (By the way, I highly recommend Best Jamaica. They were extremely friendly and accommodating, and very responsive whenever we contacted them, even when we called from the States to pre-arrange an airport pick-up. It’s definitely worth the price!) Our driver had to take us by the airport to pick up Debbie and Ron (since their bus from Sandals would ONLY take them to the airport,) and then on to the Riu Palace, which turns out to be only a couple miles from said airport. Unfortunately, the resort is in the flight path of the departing planes. You can’t really hear them from inside the building, but the planes get pretty noisy when you’re out on your balcony!
Oh yeah, our balcony? We had a great view of the service entrance at the neighboring resort, including the big cement drainage ditch and the chain link and barbed wire fence that kept the local population out.
view from our balcony! 
off to the right, a decent view of the city 
some rooms have better views
Okay, I’m done whining. The accommodations were nice and clean, with a modern vibe. (Some rooms located by the pool had swim up lanais!) And the staff was amazing. The food at the Riu was generally good, sometimes great, sometimes too spicy for some of our party. The Italian restaurant there served up some to-die-for vegetarian lasagna, but my crew, who don’t do a lot of spice, struggled with the curried goat in the Jamaican restaurant. My personal Jamaican food discoveries (found at both resorts) were callaloo, a leafy green vegetable, ackee, a very mild tasting fruit which when cooked and combined with salt fish on the plate resembles scrambled eggs, bammy, a flatbread made of cassava, and Jamaican fruit cake, a dark, dense, fruity, spicy treat.
The Riu is actually three resorts in a row, and when you stay in one you get to visit the others for entertainment, some dining, etc. We visited the neighboring Riu Reggae for a couple of evening shows, including a mind blowing performance by Silver Birds, a local, world famous steel drum band. Not only was their music incredible, but their dancing and acrobatics rivaled the dance show we saw the following evening. These performances were held in a spacious outdoor venue, with plenty of room to get up and boogie in the aisles and/or retreat to the back if it was too loud.
the fabulous Silver Birds 
vendors aren’t allowed on the beach, so they stay on their canoes!
So I have to say, our experience in Jamaica, this time, wasn’t all that we had hoped. The island was pretty buttoned up due to the pandemic. Besides the curfew, tourists just weren’t allowed to roam free. We had originally planned to rent a car and drive ourselves around to get a taste of the local history and culture, as we had done on a previous visit, but ended up just staying on property except for a walk across the street to a shopping mall.
And the diving?
As in Lucea, the diving was fine. I mean, how can you argue with warm, calm water and good visibility? We booked a two tank dive with the dive shop on the beach of the neighboring resort, just a few sandy steps away. The crew were friendly and helpful. We encountered the expected array of corals and reef fish along with something I didn’t expect, LOTS of lobsters. Well, to be honest, they were mostly caught in traps. These weren’t ordinary traps, they were handmade with what looked like found wooden poles and chicken wire, and so large you could park a (very) small car in them! The traps were baited with breadfruit and coconuts, and teemed with giant spiny lobsters along with a few sad looking puffer fish and lion fish. Hmm…and from what I understand, lobster season was closed at that time…