FAQ
Who do I contact if I have questions or I want to book?
What methods of payment are accepted?
Do you offer travel insurance?
To which airport do I fly in Jamaica?
Which airlines fly to Jamaica?
What do we do about airport transfers?
How do I go about reserving a vehicle?
Will we get breakfast each day, as the details sent reference only luncheon and dinner menus?
Do we all have to eat the same menu?
What if someone is a vegetarian or vegan?
When do we need to schedule desired excursions?
What if our child does not appear to enjoy the assigned childcare provider?
Is it possible to do community service during my vacation?
Can I still partake in religious services while on vacation?
What resources are there for children?
Does the household staff stay over in the house too?
How do the villas relate to one another?
What is the weather like at Bluefields?
Does every room have A/C?
Is Jamaica safe, and are the properties gated?
What is the expected condition of the Bluefields Beach?
Can I use my cell phone or Blackberry in Bluefields Bay, Jamaica?
Do you have WiFi?
Will my Ipod or Iphone work for music in Bluefields?
What is your cancellation policy?
What is your hurricane policy?
What if a hurricane occurs while we are in Bluefields?
Question: Who do I contact if I have questions or I want to book?
Answer: Email us at vacations@bluefieldsvillas.com, or call 1-877-955-8993. We want you to contact us with all questions as our office is staffed with people who intimately know these villas. Asking questions will help us to get to know you and will allow us to fully-personalize your vacation to be exactly what you want.
Question: What methods of payment are accepted?
Answer: We accept personal checks, bank wire transfers, and also VISA, MasterCard, Discover credit cards.
Question: Do you offer travel insurance?
Answer: We do not offer travel insurance directly but we do recommend Access America (#800-284-8300) for more information. You may want to tell them that you are visiting Bluefields Bay Villas in Jamaica (Location #F003020).
Question: To which airport do I fly in Jamaica?
Answer: You want to fly to Montego Bay Airport (code: MBJ) which is in Jamaica's second largest city and this is the main tourist destination on the North Coast. There is another airport in the capital, Kingston, but that is 3+ hours from Bluefields and we only provide transfers from Montego Bay Airport.
Question: Which airlines fly to Jamaica?
Answer: The official webpage for the Montego Bay Airport will have up-to-date information about which airlines fly to Jamaica from your location:
http://www.mbjairport.com/English/AirlineInformation.aspx
Another useful link for airline information (Wikipedia pages may not be completely factual or accurate):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangster_International_AirportQuestion: What do we do about airport transfers?
Answer: One airport transfer each way via vehicle per villa is included for full-week rentals. If your rental is less than a full week, airport transfers are available for an extra cost. We have our own fleet of vans that are used for these transfers.
An alternative means of airport transfer is via helicopter, and we work with Island Hoppers which operates two Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger helicopters. These helicopters are U.S. registered and maintained under the regulations of both the FAA and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority. Mechanics are FAA-licensed and the helicopters are inspected and certified annually by a U.S. based inspector. Island Hoppers holds US$10,000,000 of liability insurance through Lloyds of London. Their pilots have a combined total flight experience of over 50 years.Question: How do I go about reserving a vehicle?
Answer: Please let us know which model vehicle you prefer and we will then make the reservation for you with Liberty Car Rentals so that you can add our driver to your rental policy and we will then include a driver free-of-charge. This company goes out of their way to accommodate our reservations as they prefer the fact that we provide drivers who then keep their vehicles in the best possible condition.
Question: Will we get breakfast each day, as the details sent reference only luncheon and dinner menus?
Answer: Full breakfasts are served to guests as they arise, so guests do not need to eat this meal all together. There is a fruit course, eggs cooked to order, pancakes, bacon, toast, jams and more.
Question: Do we all have to eat the same menu?
Answer: We ask the group to choose one menu for each lunch and each dinner. But, if there is someone who cannot eat or would not enjoy the selected entrée dish, the cook will make an alternative entrée dish available.
Question: What if someone is a vegetarian or vegan?
Answer: We have a list of possibilities for vegetarian and vegan guests. Because of our personalized service, you will have a team of people working to ensure that you have the best possible experience. We are expert at catering to different food tastes, and source ingredients directly from local farmers and fishermen.
Question: When do we need to schedule desired excursions?
Answer: Since some excursions can be weather-dependent such as deep-sea fishing and visits to the YS Falls, we suggest that you schedule excursions upon arrival once you meet with our manager who will verify the best timing for your plans.
Question: What if our child does not appear to enjoy the assigned childcare provider?
Answer: Same as with any difficulty, please ask to see our manager immediately to discuss how best to effect a change. Sometimes personalities do not jibe, and this will not cause hurt feelings. Please be forthright so that everyone ends up happy.
Question: Is it possible to do community service during my vacation?
Answer: Absolutely. We encourage and help arrange community service via our own registered U.S. charity, Bluefields Environmental Protection Association (BEPA) www.bepajamaica.org. Please let us know what area(s) are of interest and we will do our best to help set up an experience tailored just for you.
Question: Can I still partake in religious services while on vacation?
Answer: Yes. There are many types of religious services available that we are happy to help arrange for you if you send us some particulars about what you are seeking.
Question: What resources are there for children?
Answer: Our nannies will do their best to keep young guests occupied and happy. Depending upon the ages, the nannies will organize reading, swimming, kayaking, playing tennis, participating in other games, doing art projects, taking nature walks, building sand castles and even arranging cooking lessons too.
Question: Does the household staff stay over in the house too?
Answer: None of the staff live on the properties. However, there is a staff member on duty at each property 24 hours a day. Every villa has its own night-duty attendant who provides nighttime service from 8PM until 8AM (closes up the villa at night, treats the pool when people are not using it, sets the table for breakfast, makes tea and coffee before you arise, and basically assists with any guest needs during those particular hours).
Question: How do the villas relate to one another?
Answer: Mullion Cove, The Hermitage, and Cottonwood Cottage are on 6 adjoining acres that open out to the ½ mile long Bluefields Beach. Milestone is ¼ mile west and San Michele is 1 ½ miles east on the other side of Bluefields Bay.
Question: What is the weather like at Bluefields?
Answer: The average temperature in Bluefields is 82F (27.7C), and the temperature variation is only 10 degrees year-round. There are always lovely sea breezes and the villas are designed with those in mind. In terms of rainfall, November through April are the driest months of the year. If there is rainfall, it is typically going to be afternoon showers which pass with the sun often returning afterwards.
Question: Does every room have A/C?
Answer: Every master bedroom has A/C. Of the 20 bedrooms, we have only 4 which do not have A/C: two downstairs bedrooms at Mullion Cove; two smaller bedrooms at The Hermitage.
Question: Is Jamaica safe, and are the properties gated?
Answer: Our area is safe and secure because we brought a much better lifestyle for residents through our tourist business. We employ 50+ workers and they support hundreds of other family members. Thus the entire community becomes heavily-invested in making sure that our visitors remain happy and healthy. It is quickly noticed if a new face appears, since there is such a strong community network.
Question: What is the expected condition of the Bluefields Beach?
Answer: This is hard to answer, because the condition of the beach so depends upon natural forces. Usually the sea moves in a direction that enlarges our end of that beach from the spring through the fall. Sometimes the beach can be rocky on our end during the winter, although it was ideal during most of Winter 2010. In any case, you can always find a sandy stretch of beach quite easily and quickly with the help of our seafront attendants. You may want to bring AquaSocks (or similar) in case the beach has less sand while you are there.
Question: Can I use my cell phone or Blackberry in Bluefields Bay, Jamaica?
Answer: In most cases, you can use your cell phone or Blackberry in Bluefields Bay. There are two factors to consider however. One is: Does your carrier cover Jamaica? Second: On what frequencies does your phone work? While almost every carrier has a "roaming" agreement with one or all of the three Jamaican cell providers, they usually require you to call their Customer Support line to activate "roaming" outside of your home service area. Links to the international roaming pages for the largest carriers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada can be found below.
USA
T-Mobile USA
AT&T
Verizon
Sprint
Canada
Rogers Wireless
Telus
Bell Mobility
UK
Orange UK
O2
T-Mobile UK
Vodafone UK
Answer: Our villas and their surrounding areas are wrapped in a blanket of WiFi. The SSID (network name) is "bluefields" and requires no password for use. Please note that we have a very good relationship with Cable & Wireless (our ISP) and we all work hard to monitor and maintain connectivity. However there can be issues that come up to occasionally interrupt service. Normally we will know if there is a problem, but we ask that you inform your headman immediately if you have an issue so that we can get it resolved quickly. The status of our WiFi can be checked by clicking on the link below.
Bluefields Wifi Network StatusQuestion: Will my Ipod or Iphone work for music in Bluefields?
Answer: Yes, all of our villas are outfitted to be Ipod and Iphone compatible. There is also another option: We are in the beginning phase of testing our own solution for music. Every house now has Radio Bluefields installed in it. Radio Bluefields is our in-house radio station that streams over the internet to the stereo in your house. This is now a classic reggae format, and we are open to all comments, suggestions and feedback about how well it worked, which you can do by clicking here.
Question: What is your cancellation policy?
Answer: We recommend that you buy cancellation insurance (see above) if you have concerns about not being able to travel. That will enable you to cover your airplane ticket costs in addition to the cost of the villa. If you alert us that you cannot travel, we will do our best to re-book the villa for those dates. If we can do so for the same sum, we will hold a $500 administrative fee and refund to you the remainder.
Question: What is your hurricane policy?
Answer: Our rental contract states that we will refund (or reschedule) visits that are unable to proceed because of a hurricane. If we deem that the villa premises are not suitable and available for your holiday, we will contact you to plan how to make you "whole". As we do not cover airline costs, we recommend that you consider buying travel insurance at certain times of the year. Some airlines servicing the Caribbean have their own policies for hurricanes, with many being similar to ours.
Question: What if a hurricane occurs while we are in Bluefields?
Answer: We have a tested recovery plan in case of potential hurricanes. Guests have the option of leaving the island if flights are still available, and we help to work that out. The other option is to ride out the storm. Guests are all moved to Mullion Cove which was built in 1949 and has easily survived hurricanes. Our storeroom with all food and supplies is adjacent to Mullion Cove, is similar in design to a bunker, and is power-independent from the grid for weeks if necessary. A team of staff will remain with guests to make sure that everyone is as comfortable as possible and our staff stay with guests to help keep the party going. Even if roads are blocked, guests can be taken to the airport by helicopter as long as the company still has availability.