Jamaica is home to some of the most famous spas in the world, from the FieldSpa at Goldeneye, to the Fern Tree, Rock Resorts Spa at the Half Moon – it’s no wonder visitors return again and again to experience Jamaican pampering. BTN takes a look at some of the latest spa developments taking place across this premier Caribbean spa destination.

Goldeneye introduces FieldSpa

Following its recent refurbishment, Goldeneye has introduced its latest spa offering enabling guests to enjoy spa treatments in the open air.

FieldSpa, which is located in a cottage on Goldeneye’s lagoon edge, is unique in that it has no borders. Guests can enjoy massages, salt scrubs, skin brightening facials, herbal wraps in open air treatment rooms.

Goldeneye’s newly opened FieldSpa

FieldSpa also offers a wide range of services for fitness fanatics. Jamaican Olympic Triathlete Iona Wynter offers fun, fitness-focused experiences ranging from Bay Rafting and Jet Ski Leg & Ab workouts, to Stretch & Snorkel classes and triathlon training.

Guests who are a little more adventurous can experience experimental activities such as Moon Yoga, Jamaican Dance, Coral Restoration and Stargazing. A range of relaxing and uplifting beauty and body therapies using locally farm- and wild-grown herbs and flowers will also be available to guests.

Goldeneye has been nominated in the category of the Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Resort by the World Travel Awards.

Half Moon rebrands its Fern Tree spa

Half Moon - nominated for Jamaica’s Leading Spa Resort by the World Travel Awards - has converted its signature villa, Fern Tree House, into Fern Tree, A RockResorts Spa®, a 68,000 square foot indoor/outdoor sanctuary for the mind and body.  Drawing from the local landscape and centuries-old healing traditions as inspiration, the spa melds modern-day techniques with Jamaica’s ancient healing remedies of native herbs, fruits and botanicals.  Fern Tree also houses a relaxation lounge, yoga pavilion, hydrotherapy swimming pool, sculpture garden and several water features. 

As part of the Fern Tree complex, Half Moon, A RockResort also features six signature beachfront spa suites.  Each state-of-the-art suite has added amenities that provide for in-room treatments, such as yoga, which further extends Fern Tree’s wellness experience into guests’ accommodations. 

“We have spared no expense in creating the finest spa in the Caribbean,” said Aram Zerunian, the resort’s general manager.  “Throughout Half Moon’s 50-plus year history, our guests have come to expect nothing but the best, Fern Tree’s world-class treatments and design, paired with Half Moon’s signature hospitality and service will be no exception.”

Half Moon has an on-site Spa Elder to guide, create and counsel clients on a path to wellness with bespoke programmes and regimes.  The elder individually meets with guests to develop treatments for their specific needs. 

A guest enjoys a body wrap at the Fern Tree Spa

Spa treatment rooms are set amidst lush gardens allowing guests the option of having their room enclosed or open to their own private garden terrace. Couples can reserve one of the plantation-style couples massage suites, bedecked with wooden millwork, pitched ceilings and private patio with outdoor soaking tubs.  Families, wedding parties and groups will enjoy the VIP Spa Lounge, offering a separate living room, treatment room and private pool affording the group quality bonding time and private tranquillity.  Additionally, two over-water bungalows that open out to the sea are the ultimate in peaceful relaxation.

Rockhouse Hotel Spa launches new product range

The internationally acclaimed Rockhouse Hotel Spa, now in its fifth year, has rolled out its Caribbean Essentials products. In addition to its relaxing, organic ambience, the Spa Pavilion – which is an organic, temple-like structure - has been praised for its unique and holistic treatment menu, which was developed exclusively for the hotel with Jamaican products by spa guru Linda Hall.

According to Linda Hall, “In the same way the Rockhouse restaurant fuses the spices and foods that reflect the diverse history and people of Jamaica, the Spa fuses all the natural goodness and beauty of Jamaica, restoring peace and harmony to our guests”.

All the products are made locally using only natural ingredients indigenous to the Caribbean. Using Caribbean Essentials is in keeping with the Rockhouse philosophy of fusing all the natural goodness and beauty of the Caribbean to restore peace and harmony to our guests.

Rockhouse Hotel Spa treatment

A popular treatment is the Blue Mountain Coffee Scrub. This is a therapeutic, aromatic, synergy of a brew. Some of the curative ingredients in this amazing scrub include Blue Mountain coffee blended with orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of vanilla, and a good helping of brown sugar. It is an ideal detoxifying and exfoliating scrub.

The Rockhouse Hotel Jamaica was nominated in three categories this year by the World Travel Awards

Sandals Grande Riviera Red Lane Spa gets an upgrade

The Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort - nominated by the World Travel Awards as Jamaica’s Leading Resort - has recently undergone $60 million in renovations, adding the all-new Riviera Beach Club, featuring chic, lounge-like amenities at both the beach and pool areas; the Riviera Villas, exciting new culinary experiences; and the refurbishment of the resort’s Red Lane® Spa.

The newly updated Red Lane® Spa features a new relaxing colour scheme and redesigned plunge pools, decorated with Indonesian panelling and coral stone coping.

Sandals Red Lane Spa

Bamboo Eco Resort set to open in 2015

An innovative ecological resort is planned for development in St. Mary, Jamaica. The proposed Bamboo site was identified as an ideal location for the development of The Bamboo Eco resort because of its exotic location, warm friendly people, and unspoiled natural beauty.

With a total project cost of US$125 million, the Bamboo development will create vitally needed new jobs, vocational training, and opportunity in the St Mary region. The development of Bamboo is expected to take place over a four year period. The group aims to begin phase one development in 2011, with a projected opening in 2015.
The Six Senses Spa at Bamboo Eco Resort will have a central theme of a tropical garden paradise, featuring waterfalls, exotic flowers, flowing streams and Jamaican fruit trees. The Spa will be a place where visitors come to experience natural healing through hydrotherapy, therapeutic massage, natural body treatments, and physical exercise programs.

Ritz Carlton Spa focuses on island inspired treatments

The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Rose Hall has rolled out a host of island-inspired treatments designed to which draw on Jamaican culture with indigenous ingredients. Select treatments incorporate the five Chinese elements of Fire, Water, Wood, Earth and Metal; healing properties of herbal tea infused with Valerian passion flower and St. John’s Wort; and the relaxing effects of 100% natural sea sells – ingredients used to heal and rejuvenate.

The Shell Massage is a full body massage using Four 100% natural Tiger Clam sea shells filled with dried kelp and algae are activated and deeply heated to provide 50 or 80 minutes of an invigorating deep tissue. The constant smooth texture of the heated shells provides a warm healing tranquility to the body, aiding in the relaxation of muscles.

Meanwhile the signature Sugar Cane Body Scrub scrubs away tension and exfoliates, restoring energy to the body.The Ritz Carlton Rose Hall has been nominated in four categories by the World Travel Awards this year including Jamaica’s Leading Resort.

The Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony marks the fifth and final leg of World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour, and follows heats in Dubai, UAE; Antalya, Turkey; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and Bangkok, Thailand. Regional winners from these events then progress to the Grand Final in Doha, Qatar in November.

The event partners are Sandals Resorts, BBC World News and WeClickMedia, while media partners include National Geographic Traveller, eTurboNews, Focus on Travel News, Breaking Travel News, JaxFax and Travel Daily News.

For more info about World Travel Awards 2011 Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony & bookings visit: http://www.worldtravelawards.com/americas2011

To find out what else is happening in Jamaica and Montego Bay, why not visit jamaica.city.mobi
or montegobay.mobi.