Breezes Runaway Bay in Jamaica a Super Beach Retreat

When I first received a press invitation to visit Breezes Runaway Bay in Jamaica as part of a girl's golf getaway, I must admit I jumped at the chance! Only a three-hour Air Jamaica flight to the beachfront at a super-inclusive resort on the Caribbean Sea, walking upon some of the finest sand, being pampered with manicure, pedicure, spa treatment, and playing golf? It was a dream come true...and a birthday wish!

SuperClubs Breezes Runaway Bay is on a lovely quiet cove with everything a vacationer needs in order to relax, from hammocks dangling in the shade to food and drink being served around every corner of the twenty-two acre retreat. Although there are so many different activities to occupy your time outside of the complex (golf, Dunns River Falls, swimming with dolphins to name a few) it is a pleasure to just grab a book, take a swim or take a slow walk and melt the stress from the job which awaits you upon your return home.

Could it be that Runaway Bay was named Breezes because of the casual, warmhearted feeling surrounding you as soon as you enter into the open-air sea-breeze infused atrium? The front desk team is quick to greet tourists as is the bellman. Bartenders are standing at their stations mixing the day's special concoction. Yes, as soon as you enter this SuperClubs Resort, you feel as if your vacation has begun.

There are several room variations throughout Breezes Runaway Bay with different amenities: my room was slightly larger than the standard with terrific beach views. Some travelers might prefer the lush garden and pool view while others may enjoy a suite outfitted with a plunge pool; the choice is yours.

Here are a few images of my room: although I did not take a picture of the double-sized shower with dual heads spraying me both front and back, I should have!




Views from my private balcony (below) including a some of the suites with plunge pools. This new section of Breezes Runaway Bay Resort was also built with a small private pool and lounge area for a quiet retreat. Two additional pools within the complex are much larger. There is an infinity pool with a swim-up bar and music which was very popular.

These are lush, tropical views of the Breezes Runaway Bay gardens from the entrance of my third-floor room:

This SuperClubs Resort is a picture-perfect paradise.

Rain comes and goes throughout the day and although the heat noticeably took it's toll on the fairways and bunkers of the PGA-quality championship golf course, the views there were stupendous. The instructor in charge, Seymour Rose (a Senior Tour card holder), as well as the caddies, were very knowledgeable and "old school";  no video lessons (as I had originally thought), just basic golf lessons about how to make the best of the round, the golf course, and the golf swing. This was very refreshing!

While playing golf, my partner Lois Friedland (a.k.a. AdventureGuide) and I were not only assisted by our caddie Raymond, we also were treated to stories of the plantings on the course. In this picture, we had just bitten into the (bitter) fruit of an almond. Raymond cracked open a dried almond so we could sample what we purchase in our local supermarkets!

This was an exceptional and memorable vacation in Jamaica for me. Breezes Runaway Bay Resort and Golf Club should not disappoint the traveler seeking rest and a view of the Caribbean from a Jamaican perspective. Stop and chat with the locals selling beads on the beach to gain an appreciation for their way of life.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to in recent years.

A special thanks to these folks who made me feel at home:

Suzanne McManus, SuperClubs
Franklyn Eaton, General Manager, Breezes Runaway Bay
Patricia Clarke, Public Relations and Wedding Manager, Breezes Runaway Bay
Megan Vibert, Spring O'Brien

I also wanted to thank the Jamaican people who make visitors feel IRIE!

Golf and Adventure Getaway Jamaica -style

One segment of the girls' golf getaway package at Breezes Runaway Bay Resort is, naturally, to take a lesson and play a round (or more) at the SuperClubs Golf Club but once that is done, what are five adventurous ladies supposed to do? Why not interact with dolphins!

 Receiving a kiss from Skye the dolphin

The morning began with a lovely breakfast buffet including the freshest of fruit and some of the finest Jamaican coffee (with warmed milk) at the Beach Buffet. The girls gathered in the lobby and were escorted to Dolphin Cove at Treasure Reef, purported to be Jamaica's number one attraction, to get up-close and very personal with dolphins, sting-rays and even stand over shark-infested waters!

 Swimming with dolphins

We opted for the "Encounter Swim" program and had enough time before meeting the dolphin named "Skye" to first watch an entertaining shark show where the sharks were "tame" enough to allow their trainers to rub their undersides.

 Shark Show at Dolphin Cove

The girls even had the opportunity to hold a very heavy, slithery stingray then snorkel alongside of these mammals and other assorted fish. Stingrays are carnivorous yet non-aggressive shellfish although they do have poisonous barbs, only used in self-defense. We snorkeled alongside these and other fish. My first snorkel experience was very exciting and memorable.

 Holding a stingray, barb clipped

A tour of Ocho Rios was next on the agenda. I found myself slowly slipping into a state of happy "ya mon" and everything was beginning to look IRIE.


My first experience in Jamaica was in Ocho Rios: I fell down a manhole, legs dangling, while my husband looked around to see where I had disappeared! Many of the local shop ladies came to help, clean me up and "mother" me and from that time forward, I have always felt that there were no kinder, more helpful people than Jamaicans.

 Ocho Rios

Ocho Rios proudly displayed a bustling thoroughfare. Jamaica's main cruise ship destination of was named by the Spanish Las Chorreras, or The Bay of Waterfalls while the Arawak called Ocho Rios, Maguana.

The drive up Shaw Park Road led us to the newly opened Oceans on the Ridge Restaurant and Jerk Bar where views of the cruise ship port and mainland go on for miles while towering behind the bar stands Mick Jagger's vacation hideout.

Mick Jagger's supposed hideaway in Ocho Rios and a view from just below his estate of Ocho Rios

Continue along Shaw Park Estate and you will come upon Mahoe Falls Coyaba Gardens. Coyaba is the Arawak word for heaven and, with an assortment or rare and tropical plantings, a waterfall climb and George the Peacock outstretching his plumes for guests, this beautiful retreat will take your breath away.

Beautiful floral specimens and banana trees found at Coyaba Gardens

The day was filled with action, fun and and much relaxation, so much so that I knew that I had finally shifted into "vacation-mode".



<==We'll be enjoying Asian Fusian cuisine in front of a hibachi tonight at Munasan, one of Breezes Runaway Bay's two reservation-required restaurants.


==>Last night, we celebrated my birthday at the Resort's Italian Restaurant Martino's (complete with antipasti bar, delicious cheesecake and a heartwarming rendition of the Happy Birthday song.)



Tomorrow I head for home back aboard Air Jamaica but I won't be thinking of that tonight for we are celebrating reggae-style!


See me riding the dolphin Skye on Facebook feel free to post your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on the @Breezes_Resorts Twitter page!

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Air Jamaica makes travel to Runaway Bay a Breeze

Although air travel was more than a bit turbulent on today's descent into Jamaica's Donald Sangster Airport, the "super-inclusive" hospitality offered by Caribbean Airlines made up for any discomfort.

Most airlines tack on fees for baggage and throw you a bag of peanuts but Air Jamaica offers fliers two bags of luggage checked-in for free, a treat if you want to bring your golf clubs with you to Breezes Runaway Bay.

I was also surprised to receive a hot, tasty sandwich with two snacks. The online web portal check-in, available within three to twenty-four hours of my Jamaica escape, offered a short wait on the "special" line.

Air Jamaica, which just merged with Caribbean Airlines, calls their attentiveness "lovebird service", I considered it refreshing!


Once the flight arrived safely in Jamaica, customs validated my passport and then it was a short walk to the Breezes Runaway Bay lounge located inside the airport terminal. Travelers were greeted and quickly checked-in then shuttled off to the lavish twenty-two acre resort for super-inclusive service.


My super-inclusive Jamaica vacation began with a delicious buffet lunch at the al fresco Beach Terrace restaurant. Stations offering a variety of food from grilled shrimp and pasta (my choice) to tacos (and tempting desserts like warm chocolate bread pudding) had me going back for seconds.

 Breezes Runaway Bay Jamaica

You would think that the soft-sand beach is the main attraction at Breezes Runaway Bay but it is the people who work here and greet you with "Welcome home" that are the stars of this Resort.

 Friendly service at Breezes Runaway Bay Beach Buffet

Tomorrow, my Jamaica golf vacation kicks off with a video golf lesson and a round to be played at SuperClubs Golf Club. The fact sheet on this par 72 eighteen-hole championship golf course says that a few of its strengths are large flat greens protected by grassy mounds and sand bunkers. Add wind gusts of up to thirty-five mph and you can see why the SuperClubs Golf Club has hosted the Ryder Cup match between the UK and the West Indies, among other professional events.

View from the fairway: SuperClubs Golf Club

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Jamaica golf vacation at Breezes Runaway Bay during Women's Golf Month!

Jamaica is an island nation where over one-million visitors vacation each year. Feelings conjured up when thinking about "Xaymaca" a.k.a. "land of wood and water" are tropical breezes against my skin, green fairways and, as the locals say, "Irie"!  Imagine the excitement I felt being selected as one of five women writers to travel on a fun-filled ladies golf getaway to Breezes Runaway Bay Resort Jamaica!

Since June is Women's Golf Month and the trip coincides with my birthday, this was an offer to graciously accept!

 Map of Jamaica

An early flight (only three hours) from New York to Montego Bay, will leave an entire day to get acquainted with the twenty-two acre, all-inclusive Breezes Runaway Bay Resort and Golf Club. On the northwest coast of Jamaica, MOBay is not only known for its natural beauty but also for it's vibrant nightlife, which, for those who read my golf vacation blogs, is one of the big three important items on my great vacation checklist: natural beauty, nightlife within reach, and, of course...great golf courses!


Breezes Jamaica is considered "super-inclusive", which means everything from food, drinks and land and water sports is included within the Runaway Bay beachfront property...NO tipping...which is good because my bathing suit doesn't have pockets!

 Breezes Runaway Bay Jamaica

Although there is no need to leave the resort, I have been offered a choice of excursions seen below.


Which would you choose?


·         “Encounter” or swim with dolphins

·         Dune Buggy Adventure

·         Zipline Canopy

·         River tubing

·         ATV Safari

Ask me and I will reveal my decision!


SuperClubs Golf Club at Runaway Bay, a PGA-quality golf course once home to the Heineken World Cup Western Hemisphere Qualifying Tournament and the Jamaica Open, is now connected to the resort through an underground tunnel. I will definitely be taking a video golf lesson, playing a few rounds and reporting on the amenities!

My plans also include my first Scuba lesson at the Gold Palm Five-Star PADI facility, putting on some outdoor gear and taking a hiking, and a spa treatment!


Although I'm going to get away from the daily grind for a few days, a WI-FI connection will keep pictures and updates of my activities at Jamaica Breezes Runaway Bay Resort flowing through Facebook, Twitter and through the Golf for Beginners blog so stay tuned.


Rest and relaxation for me this coming week are a hammock away.