Community News
Welcome to Kingston, The Heartbeat of Jamaica
BY: SIMONE JENNIFER SMITH
We poured into the bus just excited to be off the plane. Of course, we had made it through customs easily, and we were introduced to the first of our hosts, Carey Dennis from the Jamaica Tourist Board. He was serious but very friendly. I could tell that he took his work very seriously; at that point, his job was to get us all to our perspective hotels and get this trip started.
Trish, of course, was in video mode, and I switched to observer mode. I knew that after all of this, I would have to find a way to present Jamaica like it had never been seen before. I sat in the back (which you will see actually ends up being of detriment to me) but that comes later on in the mini-series and began to take in everything else around me. Jamaica has some of the most impressive views, regardless of where you are on the island. I gazed at the mountains and was brought back to all my earlier experiences in Jamaica; before I could go much further into thought, the two remaining journalists arrived and introduced themselves. Leona Minto and John T. Hodgson were journalists from Florida, and I instantly took a liking to them. They introduced themselves, and the jokes started instantly. I was half listening because the drive had begun, and my eyes were peeled on the road ahead. I was anxious to relive some of my memories of Jamaica.
One of the first parts of Jamaica that we drove through was Port Royal, and I only remembered because of the huge boulders that you see on both sides of the road. Trish and I did not get an opportunity to spend any time in Port Royal, but there is a great story behind that reason (wink, wink). We worked our way through Port Royal, and then we entered the city. The bus driver was providing commentary about the sights, and the fellow Jamaican journalist was talking about how much it had changed, yet it all seemed the same.
Trish was sitting at the front of the bus and had already announced that it was her spot for the remainder of the trip. I chuckled because I wondered how she was going to pull that off, but to my surprise, she actually did maintain her position the majority of the trip. As we made our way through the city; my eyes were darting from building to building taking in the colors, the greenery, the people carrying about their daily lives. The bus driver taunted Trish telling her to keep her eyes open. I already knew what was coming, but I played along.
We pulled around and he told her to look to her left. You can’t miss the Emancipation Park statues, and we all joked with Trish who did not seem to even notice the large naked statues that seemed to pop out of nowhere. My excitement grew as I realized that we had reached our destination. The Pegasus Hotel was our first stop, and we dropped the first set of journalists off. The Pegasus is intimidating; you instantly get why it has the covetable reputation as the Caribbean’s premier business and leisure hotel. The Pegasus has 300 sumptuous appointed rooms and suites, all upgraded to enhance the guest’s experience; it also hosts many of Jamaica’s prestigious events including the Miss Jamaica Pageant. I swear I have so many stories for all of you; stay tuned.
We pulled off and pulled into my home away from home for the next two nights; The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites. We were greeted with fresh fruit smoothies as soon as we exited the bus. “What a start!” I said to Trish, and I began to take in the hotel. The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites has 128 rooms, which breaks down into 89 deluxe rooms and 38 magnificent suites. We were ushered to our rooms and when I walked into my family suite, my jaw dropped, and my mind began to stray. The twinkling city lights, the imposing Blue Mountain Range, it was a lot to take in, and the room itself was, well, all I could say to myself was, “Wow!”
Our guide dropped my bags off, and I threw myself on my mahogany wood king-sized bed. “Whew! Where do I even start…” The phone rang, and I was quickly introduced to our second escort, Barney Bishop a member of the Finn Partners Group. “Hey Simone, a pleasure to meet you,” Barney said. “We have a meet and greet at The Pegasus at 6:00 pm, could you meet us at 5:45 pm?” “Ummmm, that is only 10 minutes from now!” “Yes it is,” he said already laughing at my dismay. “Hope you can make it!” I dropped the phone and began to frantically get dressed. Little did I know that the evening planned would be setting the tone for the rest of this trip. You can’t miss the next edition as I take you through our adventures in Kingston, Jamaica.
If you are interested in more information on the hotels featured in my story, you can visit them at the links below! See you next time.