My wife and I spent 8 days and 7 nights at Habitat and had a wonderful time.
The flights were amazing. Air Jamaica still has meals and offers champagne at no cost. Montego Bay airport has to be one of the best if you have a lay over during normal hours of the day.
Habitat was a nice dive resort. It was a little rough on the edges but over all was very nice. Needs a little touch up in the rooms and some extra care in the landscaping. I was surprised that all rooms were 2 queen beds. Had a kitchenette and fridge. Wonderful view of the water from the view. Staff was very friendly. Those I'm guessing that did not speak English well were stand offish but overall everyone was nice. The hotel is about 30 minutes from anything so we used the shuttle into town but did not get anywhere else. Had to use a taxi to get back which was pricey but we liked the city so well worth it. Went to the Aquarium and had dinner at Bistro Le Clochard. Walked around a lot too. The hotel is out in the middle of nowhere. Made vacation much more relaxing because there wasn't much to do with out a car. Amazing view from the hotel looking inland at the large houses that over looked us. My wife wished they had a little more to offer at the hotel like kayaks. Bikes were a little pricey to rent.
We did the Full American Meal Plan. Well worth it. $220 a person for all meals for the week. Was a little concerned about eating most nights at the same place but food was great! Most nights it was tough to decided what to choose versus trying to decided what I would settle for. Got main course and appetizer or dessert for each person for lunch and dinner. Portions were big and the food was delicious. Not a bad meal was had. Wait staff was a little slow with water refills, but if you asked you got it, not much self prompting for drinks of any kind.
The dive op was very friendly and knowledgeable but was not as liberal as I would expect. Boat divers were mostly limited to 60 feet unless is was at the car pile or the boat near it. The boat was a good size but did get crowded, some times over booked. Hotel was much busier for this time of year than I expected. The dives were very nice considering Omar had just gone through. Two boat dives a day. It would be better if the afternoon dive was a little later around 2 instead of 1:15. If you did the morning boat it was tough to get lunch and be back in time if you did the meal plan like we did. However the morning and afternoon boat usually went to the same place so not much reason to do both unless it was towards the end of the week and you were tired of the house reef. I liked that the tanks were out in the open. At Buddy Dive they locked them at night even though they told us where the key was.
Overall a very nice and relaxing vacation. If we were to do it again, I'd rent a car. If you just want to do the boat dives and nothing else then you are fine. Shore divers and the more adventurous need a car. Nice resort that's clean and friendly. Great food too.
The flights were amazing. Air Jamaica still has meals and offers champagne at no cost. Montego Bay airport has to be one of the best if you have a lay over during normal hours of the day.
Habitat was a nice dive resort. It was a little rough on the edges but over all was very nice. Needs a little touch up in the rooms and some extra care in the landscaping. I was surprised that all rooms were 2 queen beds. Had a kitchenette and fridge. Wonderful view of the water from the view. Staff was very friendly. Those I'm guessing that did not speak English well were stand offish but overall everyone was nice. The hotel is about 30 minutes from anything so we used the shuttle into town but did not get anywhere else. Had to use a taxi to get back which was pricey but we liked the city so well worth it. Went to the Aquarium and had dinner at Bistro Le Clochard. Walked around a lot too. The hotel is out in the middle of nowhere. Made vacation much more relaxing because there wasn't much to do with out a car. Amazing view from the hotel looking inland at the large houses that over looked us. My wife wished they had a little more to offer at the hotel like kayaks. Bikes were a little pricey to rent.
We did the Full American Meal Plan. Well worth it. $220 a person for all meals for the week. Was a little concerned about eating most nights at the same place but food was great! Most nights it was tough to decided what to choose versus trying to decided what I would settle for. Got main course and appetizer or dessert for each person for lunch and dinner. Portions were big and the food was delicious. Not a bad meal was had. Wait staff was a little slow with water refills, but if you asked you got it, not much self prompting for drinks of any kind.
The dive op was very friendly and knowledgeable but was not as liberal as I would expect. Boat divers were mostly limited to 60 feet unless is was at the car pile or the boat near it. The boat was a good size but did get crowded, some times over booked. Hotel was much busier for this time of year than I expected. The dives were very nice considering Omar had just gone through. Two boat dives a day. It would be better if the afternoon dive was a little later around 2 instead of 1:15. If you did the morning boat it was tough to get lunch and be back in time if you did the meal plan like we did. However the morning and afternoon boat usually went to the same place so not much reason to do both unless it was towards the end of the week and you were tired of the house reef. I liked that the tanks were out in the open. At Buddy Dive they locked them at night even though they told us where the key was.
Overall a very nice and relaxing vacation. If we were to do it again, I'd rent a car. If you just want to do the boat dives and nothing else then you are fine. Shore divers and the more adventurous need a car. Nice resort that's clean and friendly. Great food too.
