croydon plantation

This being our first trip to Jamaica, my wife and I wished to experience a touch of Jamaican life outside the resort.After reviewing the tours offered, we selected “ Croyden in the Mountains “ As we soon discovered, an excellent choice. An earlier departure of 8 A.M., the shuttle arrived close to estimated departure time and we were on our way. Three more stops for additional guests and Alicia, our informed tour guide, and we were on the way up the mountainous road heading to our destination. While the distance is not overwhelming, rush hour through Montego Bay was stop and go as we traversed the city. It takes an experienced driver to navigate the sometimes narrow, curvy and occasional bumpy thoroughfare heading to the plantation, however no problems were encountered.Our excursion presented a delightful surprise as arrangements had been made by Alicia to stop and visit an elementary school with kindergarten-aged children. It was indeed an honour to be part of the morning celebrations and have the pleasure to interact with the students. While the visit was a short one, it is a memory we will not soon forget.Alicia is an informed and knowable guide with a wonderful singing voice as we learned during our drive to the plantation. Her wisdom and mastery of Jamaica and the plantation was profound, truly a celebration of a job she enjoys.The plantation visit encompassed a history of the area, with an introduction to the coffee bean plantation, in season production and end result. Sampling of fresh fruit including several verities of pineapples was a savory delight. Taste and smell investigations with local vegetation, legumes and flower displays excited the senses. At the end of the education session, we arrived to a tasty Jerk Chicken lunch. Departing Croyden after our meal, we returned to the resort at approximately 15:30.So as not to give away all the wonderful secrets of the plantation, take the tour. It is well worth the time and financial consideration.

I am absolutely glad that I booked this tour. After reading the reviews, I was unsure if a long bus ride would be ideal for my group- the ride was eventful but out driver navigated very well! Once we arrived at the plantation, it was well worth it. The plantation is well maintained and beautiful! The lunch that is served was very flavorful and filling. Be ware- water/sodas you need to purchase separately. If you have the time, take this your.

This is a day trip well worth taking. Our tour guide, Wilson, was extremely pleasant and well informed. The journey itself was an education of the true life and culture of Jamaica. The Plantation was beautifully landscaped with breath taking views. There were many varieties of pineapples, coffee, and many other fruits and vegetation. There were samples available of most of the fruits as well as drinks. The lunch was a delightful Jamaican meal with jerk chicken, rice and beans, etc.A tour well worth your time and money.

We arrived at any interesting plantation. They have a variety of tropical plants to see, taste and learn about.Our guide, Alicia, was very good. She had interesting information, tales from her family, scientific explanations about the folk medicines that were made from the plants.The bus ride is long but the trip is worth it.

When you're tired of being surrounded by a mini-America at your resort, go check this place out. It is up in the hills in the middle of Jamaica and you can see on the drive what the country is really like. The driver was great, and our guide Winston was hilarious. He obviously has his tour down to a performance and was incredibly entertaining as he taught us about the country, the plantation, and the plants around us. As noted pretty much everywhere, it is a small plantation with lots of varieties of local plants to see and some to taste. Good lunch at the end of the tour. Overall, a nice day!

Interesting journey to the plantation - Seeing some of JamaicaGuided walk and talk was done well - simple facts about the history, trees, plants and fruitsBar be que jerk chicken,rice and peas for lunch in a shady pergolaGood value for money. 8.30 am - 3 .30pm approx

We booked our tour through Air Canada Vacations' local rep at our hotel. We were told that it was a half day tour when in fact it was a full 8 hours from the time we left the hotel until we returned. Our last stop after picking up people from the various hotels was to pick up our guide Alecia. On the trip out to the plantation she proved to be very knowledgeable about the area and we really enjoyed our journey up the long, narrow, winding road (please note that if anyone in your party suffers from car-sickness you will certainly want to avoid this tour due to the road and terrain conditions). Once we arrived at the plantation Alecia turned from tour guide to story teller and somewhat of a preacher. At times I honestly felt like I was in church. She made many references to how she helps the elderly people (13 of them as she told us numerous times) in her community by ensuring that they get a home cooked meal at least once a week. She then proceeded to lecture us on how we must all live our lives better and how there is always someone less fortunate who needs our help. No kidding, lady, I'm a good person who needs no admonishment from a local tour guide about how I choose to live my life! The older people in the group were enthralled with her 'teachings' and it soon became apparent to my wife and I that this was just a sham to garner more tips from the crowd. Believe it or not, at one point she actually related a story about how she prepared a huge Christmas dinner for the people in her community and she was able to buy the food for them with all the tips that she saved. Hmmmm, what a great way to get people to give you more tip money. It took us almost 3 hours to walk 1/4 mile in the plantation because she continued to tell stories about her herbal medicine, her grandfather and the people that she helps in her community. The tour could have happened in half that time and would have been much more enjoyable. To add insult to injury, our lunch that was included with the tour did not include anything to drink. Even if you wanted water it was an extra charge. Finally, when we thought we were going to be ending our misery and heading back to our hotel, Alecia had the bus driver stop so that we could 'support the locals' by purchasing items from a vendor just outside the plantation gate. Afterward there were many of us who were very disgruntled about the overall experience. This is a beautiful place and they can make this a much better experience by getting some competent guides who are interested in the overall experience instead of lining their pockets. Give it a pass for sure.

This was an hour and a half from out MoBay resort. We traveled on poor roads up the mountain but with very interesting local sights. The tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. We learned a lot about the many plants and fruits grown there and she had a lot of knowledge about herbs and plant-derived medicines. This is not for small children as it is a walking tour of information, which may be enjoyable for mid-teens up. We really enjoyed it and had a very good Jamaican lunch provided. At this time tours only on Thursday at 10:30 am. We left our resort at 9:00 and got there on time. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

We loved our trip to the Croydon Plantation! Our guide, Alecia, was humorous, knowledgeable and helpful. We learned as much from her telling us about growing up and living in Jamaica as we did from the tour itself. And the pineapple? Second to none!

This was a great tour. We learned a lot about local fruits, got to sample as we learned (tasting and comparing three kinds of pineapple, which were freshly picked, was the highlight), lunch was good and the views spectacular.

I just returned from a visit to Montego Bay and while there, we took the opportunity to visit Croydon Plantation. Our driver through JTL was Hines who was quite a gentleman and skilled driver. He maneuvered the tiny mountain roads with no fear and great humor. Winston was our guide on the drive and around the plantation. He has a lot of knowledge and a great love for Croydon and Jamaica. I can't imagine a better guide! We walked through the grounds learning about the different crops that are produced there. Everything from coffee to pineapples. We got to taste quite alot and at the end there was a delicious BBQ lunch. Such beautiful surroundings and a joy to just be there and breathe in the mountain air and see the flowers and the green. I highly recommend this tour!

This tour was highly recommended by Peter and Elaine, our innkeepers (see separate B&B review).We were picked up around 9am for our adventure and proceeded up inro the hills north of downtown Montego Bay. We got to see some lush mountain landscapes, much different from the beach and Montego Bay center. it was beautiful but the roads are quite rough and narrow. understandable why transportation is included in the tour price. Our driver, Martin gets straight "A's" for keeping the bus on the road!!!Once at the plantation, we were treated to a wonderful walking tour by our guide, Cedric, who explained the local area's history as well as the history of the plantation itself. Not to spoil readers for the tour, you will be amazed at the fruit and other plants grown here and why certain plants are here. We sampled 5 types of fresh cut pineapple and a surprising pineapple nectar made frome the skins of the fruit (who knew there was something more there) as well several citrus types grown at Croyden. We got a surprise visit from the plantation's owner, who spent a few minutes with us (he usually doesn't participate in the tours as he works the land along with his hired help). It happened that D.K., the owner, has a weekly golf match with our innkeeper's father every Thursday!Our walking tour wrapped up at the highest point on the plantation with a traditional Jerk Chicken barbeque accompanied by rice and beans and fresh pickled cucumbers, and more fruit!We then had a scenic return drive back to the B&B wrapping up around 3pm. A wonderful day trip (pictures to be added when I move them off the iPhone).

brilliant tour with a funny and entertaining guide called Winston. A great way to see the real Jamaica. On the way to the plantation Winston showed us the parishes and townships and notable. This tour is great value and lunch is included

This is a wonderful trip and very informative. The plantation grows almost all produce grown in Jamaica. You get to see/ touch the plants, trees, bushes and see how the produce is grown and taste the ripe produce for that season. We were able to taste pineapple, sugar cane, ugly fruit, star fruit, coconut, grapefruit, oneca, coffee, ginger beer, and a pineapple drink. Our favorite was the "cowboy" and "cheese" ripe from the plant pineapple. Delicious! Not to mention the plantation is in a beautiful mountain setting.Winston our tour guide was great! We highly recommend this trip!(The trip to the plantation is on windy small mountain roads. So if you get car sick plan on taking Dramamine.)

If your interested in the agriculture of the island and seeing a working farm,worth a visit.Food is pretty good too..they also have a pineapple tasting session,interesting.And a lovely drive up there...