January Trip Report - N Resort
N Resort Trip Report
January 14 to 21, 2011
We just returned from a 6 day trip to the N Resort and had a very nice time. The resort, while not Hedonism, is a nice nude alternative to other resorts in Jamaica. It is small, well maintained and only 30 minutes or so from Montego Bay. It is located near the town of Falmouth on Jamaica’s North Coast, which will soon be opening as a cruise port. The following were our experiences. The resort has been open for just two months.
Travel. The trip from Orlando via Jet Blue was uneventful and we arrived a few minutes early. Customs and Immigration were almost empty so we were through there in just a few minutes. Transportation was to be handled by Jamaica Tours, Ltd., and the efficiency ended there. We were directed from the airport desk outside to a dispatcher for transportation. Although they had about a dozen transportation coordinators all running around with cell phones to their ears, no one had ever heard of the “N Resort”. When we finally just said “Pebbles” (the former name), they understood. They left us standing in the curb in the parking lot for almost 45 minutes and we kept asking how long the wait would be. They kept saying, “Just a few minutes”. We finally boarded the bus with a large crowd going to other resorts and got underway. Twenty five minutes later we pulled into a rest stop and the driver said, “10 minutes”. After 25 minutes with the driver sitting at the bar having a drink, we got underway again and arrived at the resort about 10 minutes later.
The Resort. Arrival and check-in were handled quickly. There was no bellman, however the GM himself came out and got our bags and the tennis pro/Entertainment Coordinator took us to our room and then on a tour of the resort. It eased some of the irritation and frustration of the transportation adventure. They were very gracious and we felt quite at home. The buildings are all wood frame, two stories and in close proximity to each other. Oceanfront buildings are only about 20 yards from the surf , but everything is very close. There are 96 rooms. Tropical vegetation is mature and beautiful.
The rooms are really nice. They are knotty pine inside and the second story rooms have vaulted ceilings. Amenities include large closet, large bathroom (with all the normal supplies), balconies and plenty of space. Each room has a refrigerator, hair dryer and king-sized beds with a mosquito netting (if you want to leave the windows open). If you have an ocean front room you can hear the surf pounding all night long. Our room also included two day beds and a third on the balcony. There is a coffee maker in the room with a stock of coffee and teas.
Room servicing was exceptional. There were plenty of towels and they also provided turn-down service each evening and fresh towels.
Food. Food was good and plentiful, not gourmet, but good. Breakfast served in the main dining room included an omelet station and fresh fruit bar. Smoothies were also being made at the bar. Lunch was served at the pool grill and the main dining room. Dinner was in the main dining room, and for a couple of nights they opened the Italian themed restaurant upstairs. Reservations were required for the Italian, but there were so few people at the resort (50 +/-) that it didn’t matter. The pool grill served typical lunches in a sit-down environment and was served by waitresses. Dining room was buffet style.
Amenities. There is one large main pool overlooking the beach. There are lots of lounges and towels are plentiful. There are also two hot tubs that are drained daily and opened from early afternoon until the last person leaves. There is a swim-up bar and the pool grill adjacent to the hot tubs and pool.
The beach is beautiful and well kept. They rake it daily to remove seaweed and it is almost deserted. There are lounges on the beach as well as a couple of pavilions with daybeds and muslin drapes. You can walk on the beach for quite a distance West and hardly see another person.
There are two bars (pool and dining room) and they are well stocked. Bartenders are very knowledgeable and do a great job. Seemed to be a good selection of liquors (top shelf included) and the Argentine wines were excellent. There is also a wine list in the dining room for additional charges.
There is a disco and a piano bar, although almost no one visited these two facilities in the evenings. Seemed like the guests all retired around 8:00 or 9:00 PM and the place got very quiet. Both facilities are really nice, although the piano player(s) were not very entertaining.
There is a gift shop which has some very basic items, but not very well stocked.
There is a Spa and Gym, but we did not use either.
Just outside the lobby there is a small shack occupied by a wood carver who produces the most unique carvings we’ve seen in Jamaica. We, who never buy souvenirs, bought two for very reasonable prices.
Atmosphere. This is not Hedonism and it is very quiet. It is much more “naturist” than “hedonistic”. As stated above, the whole place is very quiet, although all the guests we met seemed really nice. The resort is all nude, except the lobby and the main dining room/Italian restaurant. Cover-ups are required there. We did find it interesting that some of the women wore some really nice (sexy) outfits to dinner and their male counterparts simply wore a towel wrapped around.
Not much was going on in the entertainment department either, although they did have a small stage show with a local fire eater one night and a piano player a couple of nights. The entertainment staff (3) tried hard to get things going, but didn’t have many takers.
Tours. All the regular Jamaican tours are offered. We took the “Sparkling Waters” tour one night and it seemed like half the other guests went along as well. There were 8 of us from the Jamaican Waterslide Team there and we got some people energized to go along. It was well worth it and the bay where they took us was only a 10 minute ride from the resort. We highly recommend it and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. The resort sent two staff along with us. We were back in time for dinner at the resort.
The resort has a glass bottom boat operated by their own staff which provides free underwater tours off the beach daily.
Staff. The staff was the highpoint of our trip. Not enough can be said about Freddie DePass and his people. Being very frequent travelers with 20 or so trips to Jamaica behind us, and lots of other countries as well, we were extremely pleased with the staff. They tried exceptionally hard to satisfy any request anyone had and to make sure we were happy. From bartenders to room maids, and from the entertainment people to the front desk, they seemed willing to go out of their way to help make our vacation enjoyable. Freddie was visible most of the day and could be seen all over the resort checking, visiting with guests and making sure everything ran the way it was supposed to. One morning I asked the dining room supervisor if they had any non dairy creamer. She said no, but she would check on it. It appeared on my table the next morning with my coffee and they sent it to our room as well. Later, Freddie asked me if that had been taken care of for me. That is service with a capital “S”.
Negatives. There weren’t many. The quiet atmosphere might be a negative to some and positive to others. We liked it and had a relaxing stay. Food was good, but we would have liked some more entrée choices. That may have been a function of the low occupancy however. Bugs! Some of us got bitten by some unknown bug. The nurse said it was a sand flea, but I never saw what it was. We were bitten several times and whatever it was left large welts that are still itching after four days at home. They seemed to only attack at night so they could have been mosquitoes. Never had bites like that in Jamaica before. If you go take bug spray and use it liberally each evening, and failing that, take some Benadryl cream.
Conclusion. We would go back and can easily recommend this resort as long as you go with the right expectations that is not Hedonism and it is not a party place (as yet). We’re not sure about taking our group there at this point, but we are still weighing the possibilities and will look for other opinions from our members. Anyway, the price is right and you can’t help but enjoy the rooms, atmosphere and service.
Sunset Bill and Miss Nancy
sunsetdreamer@hotmail.com
