The cottages at this secluded resort sit atop steep cave-strewn cliffs, where you can dine in a private grotto or take in the scene at the candlelit Cave Rum and Cigar Bar. —Amy Cortese The Caves, (800) 688-7678, alll-inclusive rates start at $798 for double rooms during high season (December 23–April 20). Photo courtesy of The Caves. This appeared in the March/April 2010 issue.
Jamaica is redefining the ‘wet bar’ with The Pelican Bar, located just off of Treasure Beach in the South West of the island nation. The rustic wooden bar is built on a sand bank about a quarter mile out in the Caribbean Sea. We chartered a fishing boat from the wonderful Jakes Guesthouse for a 20-minute sunset trip to The Pelican. The owner, Floyd, mixed us rum and Ting, a grapefruit soda and sold us Red Stripe beer, which we drank while dangling our feet off the dock. Unfortunately we didn’t see any dolphins or pelicans on our trip. We met a Canadian/Jamaican resident who told us The Pelican Bar was completely destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The owner of Jake’s Guesthouse donated wood while other neighbors helped rebuild the wet watering hole.
The music producers behind Jamaica’s funky Geejam Hotel hired mixologist Shigefumi Kabashima of New York City speakeasy Angel’s Share to create the cocktail menu of this new 13-villa property. An original 1930s billiard table graces the hotel’s Time Bar and Explorer’s Lounge, as does the largest selection of cognacs and Cuban rums in Jamaica. Each villa has a private terrace with an outdoor tub and a heated plunge pool. Trident’s staff can arrange fishing trips on a private boat and surf lessons at Long Bay Beach. From $750. (888) 443-3526. Photo courtesy of Trident Hotel. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.
Once tucked in to the Rockhouse, be sure to take a leap from the catwalk between Palapas 11 and 14. You'll drop 20' into warm, clear water where you can swim to a ladder to do it again or spend time snorkeling. (Gear avail at the pool bar and grill; $5/day) After, prepare for a nap poolside post-grilled sandwiches and delish drinks.
On Saturday mornings all over Kingston, Jamaica, cooks fire up the jerk pans. These characteristic grills—industrial steel-drums- turned-smokers—appear on every street corner. When I asked my taxi driver to find the best jerk chicken en route to Norman Manly International Airport, he detoured down a cul-de-sac near a soccer stadium to a stand run by his aunt, Joan Henry. A buxom woman wearing a hairnet, Joan started a fire with dry coconut husks and chunks of piment (allspice) charcoal on a hinged, 55-gallon jerk pan. She tossed several chopped-up chickens on the grill and then, in a sink next to her kitchen shed, blended her sauce from scratch: scallions, thyme, garlic, vinegar, sugar, browning sauce, and fiery Scotch bonnet peppers that imbue this Caribbean barbecue with its distinctive searing heat. As she spooned the sauce atop the sizzling meat, three local girls clustered around the grill. During my week on the island, I had sampled plenty of jerk chicken, but this batch had a unique aroma of woodsy spice and fresh herbs that was unlike any other I had smelled. When I took a bite, I found the sauce milder than most, but that peppery tropical kick lingered on my tongue. Before climbing back into the cab, I slipped Joan some cash to buy lunch for the girls playing among plumes of smoke. —Shane Mitchell Stay at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston. Rooms from $190.
In March of 2012 we stayed at Zion Country Eco Beach Cabins in Portland Parish Jamaica, in part due to their commitment to sustainable tourism. The proprietor Free-I is a respected member of the community and is able to connect guests with local resources and guides. The tours at nearby Reach Falls recently became government-regulated, and outside guides were hired in lieu of the local Rastafarian community who have traditionally taken visitors to the magnificent main falls. Free-I eschews the regulated tours and instead directs guests to Renny, who with great wisdom and wit led us down a sloping path in a banana plantation to an aquamarine creek... which became a river... which led to pool after perfect pool below the falls. We hiked and played in the water all morning, jumping off rock faces into deep pools and swimming behind small falls to find hidden caves. Eventually we reached the "back door" of the main falls, and were able to see them from our vantage point outside the regulated zone. We did get some nice photos of the falls (a few of tourists with puzzled "how did you get there?!" looks on their faces) but after a brief respite we were happy to turn around and head back downstream with Renny!
One of the most relaxing water rides you will ever experience is rafting on the Rio Grande (one of Jamaica's largest rivers). The journey weaves through the deep valleys and untouched hillsides sprayed with lush tropical forests and towering arches of bamboo. Your raft guide is not just your captain but also a wealth of history as your told that rafting started as a means of transporting bananas and it was Hollywood's Errol Flynn who introduced it to Jamaican Tourism. Rafting on the Rio Grande is a touch of history with serene wonders.
What is the most effort you made to have a drink? I needed to hire a boat to get me out to Floyd's Pelican Bar. The good folks at Jake's Guest House arranged to have a fisherman take me from Frenchman's Bay on the 30-minute trip out to the bar that rests on stilts a quarter mile out in the Caribbean Sea. You can also get here from Black River. You can arrange to have a meal of lobster and/or fish caught in the water around the bar, though I just came for a few Red Stripe beers. You can hang out all day swimming, fishing, sunbathing and/or drinking Red Stripe or "Rum & Ting (grapefruit soda)." I was told you can often see dolphin and pelicans from the bar but I was not so fortunate. The structure is made completely from driftwood and if you bring a knife out, you can carve your name in the planks. I meet a bunch of cool people out there and watched a beautiful sunset before my return trip.
Hurricanes Dean and Gustav tore through the Caribbean island of Jamaica in 2007 and 2008, leaving many houses water-damaged or completely destroyed. Volunteer organization Projects Abroad, together with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, is dedicated to rebuilding more than 40 homes in the parish of Saint Ann, on the island’s northern coast. HOW YOU HELP: Repair damaged homes by mixing mortar, laying blocks, fixing aluminum roofs, and installing windows; build sanitation facilities such as drains, toilets, and sewage systems. HIGHLIGHTS: Practice basic Jamaican Creole in a language lesson with locals. Visit Bob Marley’s birthplace, the village of Nine Miles, located within the parish. Hike to waterfalls in the eastern Blue Mountains. Relax on a beach by the resort town of Ocho Rios. Projects Abroad, (888) 839-3535, one-month trips from $3,145, including meals and homestay lodging. This appeared in the May/June 2010 issue.
From Jamaica's Treasure Beach, on the island's southwestern coast, we hired a local boat owner to zoom us a few miles north to the Pelican Bar (pictured). About a mile offshore, the Pelican sits on stilts on a sandbar in the Caribbean Sea. The only way to get there is by boat. Under the thatched roof, a group of fishermen were playing dominoes and sipping Red Stripe beers. I ordered a cocktail made from Jamaican Appleton Estate rum and passionfruit-orange juice. Then I laid back in the bar's hammock, felt the warm breeze sift through bar's crosshatch "walls," listened to reggae tunes, and sipped my drink. It was one of the dreamiest travel moments of my life.
This dock is on the property of our hotel, Coyaba, in MoBay. It is a small family owned hotel secluded from the streets but right up on the beach. We felt recharged and refreshed waking up to this everyday!
Served the best fish escovitch by 'Dennis the Menace' the friendliest bar owner in Negril. We weren't big fans of the beach but he made us feel completely at home. Bar prices have not changed in 20 years!
While in Jamaica I stayed at Rockhouse Hotel in Negril. It is a great place to stay as it is right on the water and basically built in the rocks. Each night I would sit by the pool and watch the sunset while enjoying a cocktail (they have a great happy hour special). I definitely recommend staying here if you are ever in Jamaica.
Rockhouse has four different places you can eat and all the food is excellent. My favorite lunch dish was the grilled snapper sandwich from the Pool Grill. The fish was grilled to perfection but it is the bread that really makes the dish. It is some sort of coconut bread that is to die for. I liked this sandwich so much I got it three of the four days I was there!
In Jamaica, my husband Mike, my friend Stephanie, and I hired a small boat to take us up the Black River, a long river made dark from the tannins of decaying leaves. Small crocodiles laid still and Zen-like along the river's banks. Waterlogged trees crouched over narrow channels, making it feel like we were the only people to have ever ventured up the river. A few miles in, past where the large tourist boats turn around, we came across Sister Lou's River Stop, famous for its crab. We got off the boat, went inside the dark building, and ordered two plates of crab and some Red Stripe beers at the small counter. The crab was served stuffed in the shells, belly-up, on paper plates. It was warm, spicy, and delicious. While we ate and drank, I asked our boatman about some of the local lingo and learned "Wagwan" is the way to say "Hello! What's up?" When a man came by Lou's on his bike, I called out, "Wagwan!" and he burst out laughing. Our guide, laughing himself, explained he wasn't used to hearing a tourist speak like a local.
Beautiful views of the Pristine Cove with my morning coffee, ackee and saltfish breakfast @Rockhouse.
We rode a boat to pick up a dozen of these amazing beef patties to bring with us to the airport. Luckily, our flight was delayed about 4 hours and none of them lasted to get confiscated by US Customs.
Deep in the heart of cattle country in the hills above the resort town of Ocho Rios - the home/gallery & workshop of sculptor Laura Facey-Cooper. Her latest exhibit "Radiant Combs" a soul stirring organic collection of sculpture and drawings fashioned from lignum vitae and cedar right on her property. Another example of the extraordinary creativity this little island engenders!!!
I LOVE crepes. In these times of gluten free this and no carb that and sugar free and dairy free…….well, a girl’s got to have a little fun! And these are my idea of fun! There are the savories, like the best selling Smoked Marlin Crêpe w/ Cream Cheese & Pepper Jelly which is outrageously delicious - even though I am usually turned off by cream cheese as an ingredient in anything other than cheesecake and atop my bagel with smoked salmon – good thing I left myself open! But lets cut to the chase, the sweet……. the lemon meringue crepe drizzled with white chocolate is utterly to die for! And as you lose yourself in that sweet sugar haze be sure to have a glass of their frozen mint lemonade in hand……..you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven. ( Photo: Cookie Kinkead )
While staying at Zion Country Eco Beach Cabins in beautiful Portland Parish, Jamaica in March of 2012 we met Captain and his crew of young divers. Every day they take their pirogue 4 miles out into the caribbean off the eastern-most tip of the island and then, breathing from generator-powered air supply hoses the divers reach depths of 90 feet. They stay submerged under Captain's watchful eye for up to an hour at a time, lacing lobster and conch on stringers like the one shown here. An offer for my husband to join the crew for a day at sea was readily accepted, and while he didn't attempt a dive himself he had a great time topside bonding with Captain over fishing stories.
This is one of the greatest places on the planet. The waters are unbelievable shades of blue and green, and the sunsets are equally chromatic. The resort is positioned between two of the most highly rated resorts in Jamaica, but is a cheaper alternative without sacrificing quality. Jump from the bridge and cliff about 25-30 feet above the water. Lounge in the infinity pool. Nap in the hammocks with the sound of the ocean lapping against the coral rocks. Make sure you get the jerk chicken pizza from the on-site restaurant.
Usually the schlep from Amagansett back to the city is a long tedious affair. The train becomes more and more crowded the closer you get. The worst is usually the dreaded "change in Jamaica." The entire train empties out onto the platform and you wait for a connecting train. Since I almost always have my camera on me, I entertained myself with a glorious sunset. Are we there yet?
By choosing to use luggage space for donated school supplies, we took advantage of the "free checked bag" policy in US-to-Caribbean travel when we visited beautiful Portland Parish, Jamaica in March of 2012. The students at Manchioneal Primary school were finishing lunch as we arrived and enjoyed an impromptu recess filled with introductions and requests to be photographed!
Sidle up to the bar, under the fabulous rainbow streak on the ceiling, surrounded by signs of the time, as I like to call them and you can’t help but don’t worry and be happy “ You are so damn precious” “Love it every time all the time”. Be thoroughly delighted and cajoled by the bubbly and ever smiling Cher, who owns and runs this fabby spot named for her husband, Woody, in Port Antonio. Homemade ginger beer and the veggie burger are the classics here. Fresh chopped Callaloo is the veggie in this wonderfully green burger – get it with plantain for even more of an island treat. You’ll leave here with your belly full and a grin from ear to ear – yeah mon!
Scotchies is THE place for jerk chicken in Jamaica. In a ramshackle hut, you'll find the chef cooking jerk chicken or pork underneath a steel drum. We waited for our meal at the wooden bar drinking Red Stripe, listening to Coldplay in the background. There's lots of thatched roof huts inside and booths to hang out. You get your food wrapped in tin foil. The jerk chicken and pork were moist and the sauce was hot. The best surprise, however, was festival, a sweetened bread that we had alongside our meal. This is where all resort staff hang out and I can see why. It was nice to see and taste Jamaica outside of the resort.
Old world traditional and elegance abound. The staff and level of attention to service is impeccable. The gentlemen behind the bar with their starched short red tuxedo jackets, white shirts and black bow ties against a back drop of dark paneled wood harken back to a bygone era. The waiters carrying their trays on their heads, while certainly not necessary, gives you a little insight into how by honoring traditions, Jamaica Inn sets itself apart from the many options on the populated coast of Ocho Rios. The beach is private and tranquil and pretty as a postcard and if you insist, you can bring your iPad or laptop down with you as wireless internet abounds. A croquet lesson with Mr. Rupert is a must! His white shirt and black bow tie, mallet in hand on that perfectly green lawn, popping against the signature dark periwinkle blue of the hotel is other worldly. I have a confession to make, I love being called “Ma lady” especially when it is said with such warm, gentle sincerity as it is at Jamaica Inn. High tea? Yes please! Cucumber sandwiches, potato pone ( a traditional Jamaican cake made with sweet potato ) and the like on the upper verandah overlooking the sea. Cocktail hour means chatting with Lord and Lady so and so and the Ambassador from here or there or the couple that have been vacationing here for 20 years. Repeat clientele, especially in these rapidly changing times, is a wonderful marker of success. Things don’t change rapidly here.......and that’s a good thing.
Having grown up in New York City, I'm no stranger to Jerk chicken, but what I ate in Boston Bay, Jamaica, the birth place of Jerk, redefined the cuisine for me. We were staying at Mikuzi Guesthouse, just 3km west of Boston Bay. The owner offered to drive us down to Boston Bay, claiming we have never eaten "true" Jerk chicken. He was right. Jerk chicken straight off the grill, warm fried bread, ice cold Red Stripe beer... my mouth is watering right now. Located on the north east coast of Jamaicia, near Errol Flynn’s estate, Boston Bay is worth the trip.
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