A few years ago, in the dead of a brutally cold winter, I was literally withering away in the cold. Missouri was in a deep freeze and I was really exhausted from it. Since I continually shop for travel bargains, I’m so glad I noticed when a new hotel listing came up on Expedia. A Montego Bay Villa had thrown itself into the mix of accommodations that I had become accustomed to seeing and they were running a New Year’s Eve Holiday special. I still had some days off from work to use, so I booked the trip. I would fly to Montego Bay on December 30 and stay until January 2. It sounded just like a few days of warmth that I hoped would recharge me.
The Villa was in the lower foothills of the Blue Mountains, and close enough that I could still see the sea.
This was quite a change of scenery from the all-inclusive resorts I was used to. The Villa had about 8 bedrooms most with their own bathroom and shower, a parlor, a kitchen, and various other sitting areas. There was also a pool, which none of the other guests seemed to use and a breadfruit tree laden with fruit was right next to the pool! I knew I had found the perfect chill-spot and I was sitting out at the pool within minutes of my arrival. 
Peggy, the cook at the Villa, came out poolside and asked if I’d like to have my dinner there which I thought was an incredibly great idea. I settled on jerk chicken and dined poolside, while chatting on the phone with friends back home.
With the next day being New Year’s Eve, I made plans to go over to the Grand Palladium Resort for their celebration. Grand Palladium is one of my favorite all-inclusive resort brands and I still knew some of the staff there from my previous trips. Did you know you can buy a day pass to most all-inclusive resorts? For New Year’s Eve, GP offered a pass that was good from 6pm until 1am allowing me access to all their amenities for the festivities. I arrived in time to go to their Jamaican restaurant for dinner and then I headed over to the theater for their big NYE show. They had a champagne toast and fireworks display at midnight and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at any of the resorts. When my pass expired, I had a cab waiting for me outside of the lobby.
For New Year’s Day, Peggy, the cook, had the holiday off so there was no meal service available. The security guard, Duran, suggested some options. I decided on carry out pizza from town because we knew Pizza Hut was open. Duran drove me into Montego Bay where I picked up a pizza and then we headed back to the villa. On our way back, we stopped off at a small, non-descript bar at the bottom of the hills and shot a few games of pool. It was a good thing we kept winning because Duran had been placing bets on our games.
The next day was my departure day, but my flight out wasn’t until evening. Duran offered to drive me into town for a while to do some shopping at some of his favorite stores. I picked up souvenirs to take home before we stopped off at the most incredible jerk center I’ve ever been to, Scotchie’s. 
When you walk in the place, it is a mostly open-air tiki-type bar that serves all kinds of jerk meats and accompaniments. We ran into Sheba and Sheena, (two other guests from the villa) and turned it into a wonderful dinner together. 
If you ever pass a Scotchie’s in Jamaica, stop in and eat there. I highly recommend the jerk pork and breadfruit. The stuff melts in your mouth.
I was sad to leave that evening, but I had such a rejuvenating break from the cold winter that would make it easier to get through the rest of the cold. It was also nice to be able to explore some of the local activities off the beaten path and not stick to the usual excursions. I’m always a firm believer of scratching beneath the surface when you travel outside of your country. It will open your mind and expose you to really unique experiences!
*How much time do I have to devote to my next trip? If I have a week or more, I’ll venture further from home and keep in mind that I’ll need to budget for more. If I only have a few days, I’ll stay closer to home and seek out non-stop flights so I don’t waste an entire day getting there.
*What is my budget? If I have a lot to spend on vacay, I’ll upgrade to a nicer resort (there’s definitely a difference between a Sandals and others). If I have a limited budget, I’ll stick to a less inclusive or seek out a non-inclusive resort, villa, or studio to stay in.
*Regardless of anything else, I will search for what’s on sale. In the past, this has landed me in a completely different country than I originally intended, but I can’t pass up saving money when it’s able to be saved. I like to use 
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to help me price trips.
*What activities do I want to participate in? Do I want an active, sightseeing trip? Do I want to do volunteer work while I’m there? Do I just want to veg by the pool and sip fruity cocktails? Activities will come into play when deciding on the where.
*Do I want to go somewhere warm or cold? Or is the location more important than climate? If there’s a particular place I have on my list to visit, climate won’t really matter to me. But, if my goal is a restful, relaxing trip, you’ll find me by the pool or scuba diving in a warm, most likely Caribbean locale.
*Who will I be going with? If it’s just me and hubby, we can easily determine where we are going. If others are going, or this will be a group trip, we’ll need to determine if they are bringing children, what their budget is, and what activities they would be interested in. Is it a girls weekend or family trip? That adds other needs to consider.