We're here! So now what?
- Ashley Simon-Madden
- Feb 9, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 29, 2022

What?! You're here?!
Welp...I hope you didn't fly to Jamaica solely based on this blog. Well at least not yet! This first blog post of mine will tell you absolutely nothing about any of the hotels/resorts here.
I'm using my first post to set the stage, lay the foundation, establish ground rules and (insert any other similar expression here).
Here's the basic outline of my plan thus far. I'm going to do a separate blog post about every hotel/resort I visit during my vacation. There are some key elements I will cover in each review, namely:
The time of year I went
Hotel Location
Room - the category and features
Amenities - including Entertainment
Food
Customer Service
The 'Madd Factor' - basically, what I think this hotel has that others don't. Impacts the likelihood of a repeat visit.
I intend to give each hotel an average weighting out of 10 based on some of the elements mentioned, so that some solid comparions, where applicable, can be made. How mi soun'? Can that plan work? - Let me know if I've missed anything!
My husband and I work hard and strongly believe that annual vacations are an investment. As such ROI is due and we want a high yield. I should get my money's worth and so should you!
So, to whet your appetite a bit (and really to keep me accountable), here's a list of the hotels I've been to so far (in no rank order) and the reviews to be expected:
Spanish Court Hotel - Kingston
Beaches Boscobel - St. Mary
Hyatt Zilara - St. James
Excellence Oyster Bay - Trelawny
Melia Braco - Trelawny
Royalton Negril - Westmoreland
Moon Palace Jamaica - St. Ann
Couples Tower Isle - St. Mary
Secrets Wild Orchid - St. James
Iberostar Grande - St. James
Join the community and be the first to know when my next post launches!
Christie's link current online sale, which started December 2 link and runs through December 14, comprises some 317 lots, almost exclusively pocket watches, all hailing from one important private collection, according to the house. There's plenty in this sale not to be missed, from under-the-radar picks to impressive 19th century works from the house of Breguet. Here are a handful of the Breguet's that caught our eye, as link well as a Patek, and some under-the-radar picks.
While this isn't as in-depth link as you might come to expect from Foulkes, link it briefly reviews the history and the creation of Chanel's timepieces starting with the Premier in 1987 and ending with the most recent J12 releases. The book is beautiful, and so are the people inside it (lots of models). Page link through it and you'll bear witness to the ideal integration of fashion and horology.
But while I think "modern has eclipsed vintage" is not the right conclusion to pull out of the data, it is definitely possible to link think that modern is eclipsing vintage because of the absurd – there's no other word for it – disconnect, in a certain number of very visible cases, between quality and price tag, and link the hoopla that comes with link it. And the problem is, it looks bad.
In terms of handling, the screw-down crown is oversized (and supports 50m link of water resistance) and easy to link use, and both of the pushers feel very mechanical and each jump of the hour hand is link met with a heavy mechanical click.
The watch is imperfect in other ways, too. We're talking about a watch with a bezel design meant to resemble a ship's porthole – this is an aquatic-themed watch – and yet it doesn't have a link screw-down crown or more than a paltry 50m of water resistance. The original model came equipped with a link rubber strap. This model also comes on a link rubber strap, though the piece I experienced was on leather.