The location of the "Turtle Towers" could not be better. Beach, restaurants, shopping and even the "nightlife" can be reached with a short walk. Friendly general impression of the four high-rise buildings, grounds well maintained, and the pool is always clean. Security is ensured by guards at the entrances to the plot and to the houses.
Apartment 43C - we used it two weeks with four adults - is well maintained and has everything you need. A special treasure is Annett. She comes not only to the friendly greeting on arrival, but about every two days in order to take care of the cleaning and replacement of linen and towels. She also helped when we first time prepared the famous Jamaican dish with the National Fruit Ackee and salt fish. Annett made an unalloyed pleasure possible (you can make momentous mistake!). And special warm thanks to Annett for her surprise visit with a present for our double-birthday!
Four comments on a few limitations:
- The balcony is large enough for enjoying the city view at sunrise and a limited ocean view with a drink. For a meal on the balcony space is too limited (for four people).
- The inserts / covers in the refrigerator would benefit from a renewal and the capacity for making ice cubes (for drinks) is too low. But you can buy large bags with pieces of ice for 1 to 2 USD, for example, at petrol stations nearby.
- The sink in one of the bathroom is nice to look at, but mounted very high for not tall people or children.
- Beach chairs are provided free (as advertised), but the number and condition leave much room for improvement. Most of the available approximately ten beach chairs are in such a deplorable state that you may prefer to rent good chairs for 5 USD / day. In addition, the number of available beds is not always sufficient (even out of main season).
Getting to the great beach only needs less than a two minutes’ walk (through the gardens): fine, yellow sand, a beautiful view of the bay (the all-inclusive hotels are on the other end), and almond and palm trees for shades. The number of people on the beach ranging from "idyllic tranquility" to great bustle - all depending on the time of day and the number of cruise ships in the port. For vacationers who want to enjoy the beach in peace, this is a good place. Those looking for intensive entertainment on the beach should perhaps choose another place. The beach is public, but with entrance fee which (unfortunately) appears to limit the number of domestic guests. The hotels in the bay do not allow non-residents passage to the street nor the use of their restaurants. We were wondering about the business idea behind, especially because there were not many guests in the hotels.
During the first days on the beach different “consultants” / tour-sellers seek to attract new customers. But if you found "your supervisor" you remain spared of such attempts. Highly recommended is "Charly". Since thirty years he is his doing his job on this beach. He is providing good recommendations and helps even with special requests (like a freshly caught octopus grilled on the beach). The prices for tours and services are not low, but adequate (after negotiation). Tip-expectation of service providers is more commonly located at the top of the scale. However, this can hardly be surprising at the price of "normal" food at the supermarket.
We fully enjoyed this apartment, beach, and tours as well as our overall experience. We will vsiit again.