The Jamaica Tourist Board recently introduced a new program
called ‘Insiders Jamaica’ and if you’re tired of the standard All-Inclusive
Mega-Resort, this program is for you. It combines a five-night (or longer) stay on at one of more than 40
intimate resorts, hotels or inns with the freedom to experience the real
Jamaica. The accommodations range from
mountain hideaways and gracious old estates to family-run beachside inns and
tropical villas. These are the place
you’ll find the rich and famous hanging out to avoid the crowd.
If the prospect of being off the beaten path appeals to you,
you’ll love the Meet-the-People experience this program provides. You’ll have the chance to visit with locals
in their homes and I can tell you from experience, they not only treat you like
royalty with sumptuous meals but they really show you how to party ‘Jamaican’
style. The music is loud and the
dancing is spontaneous. Grab a cold Red
Strip Beer or some Rum Punch and join in. Nobody can sit still to the sounds of island grown Reggae music.
Meet-the-People
In
Negril, on the northwest coast of Jamaica, we were hosted
by Vincent and Jean Gaynair in their beautiful, remote, home in Westmoreland on
the west end of the island. Our
Regional Meet-the People Coordinator was Norma Lalah and she introduced us to a
number of ‘locals’ that came to party. We were served an endless supply of jerk chicken, escoveitch fish, rice
and spinach pasta, curried goat and other Jamaican delicacies. Our introduction to the local cuisine was a
soup called ‘Mannish Water’ and it was very good. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what was in it.
You’ll have to try it for yourself.
Long before the meal was over, the music started. Loud and rhythmic, it went straight to your
hips and before your feet knew it, you were dancing to the music of old and new
performers that had one thing in common; Reggae! Norma’s smile was infectious and so was her dancing.
We were all danced our way out onto the
patio next to the pool, moving way too fast for the mosquitoes to get a good
grip. Despite the steamy night, we
danced to the beat of the islands, fortified with liquid refreshment to replace
the fluids lost to the humid night.
We had such a good time, we were invited to come the next
night to dinner and a party at the home of one of the local guests, Lilly-Mae
Jolly. Lilly-Mae is building a large,
open architecture bed and breakfast called Oceanview, not far from the
Gaynair’s in Westmoreland. Her
beautiful tile floors were the shiniest I had ever seen and were perfect for
the post dinner dancing. Her cooking,
if you decide to visit, won’t disappoint you either.
The Properties
The properties are all unique and small by hotel standards
but are not small on charm and hospitality. The number of rooms ranges from 8 to 50 and come in all sizes and
amenities. The casual atmosphere of Negril, the laid back isolation of the South Coast and the shopping and
business atmosphere in Montego Bay were all on the itinerary when we arrived.
Negril
Charela Inn – 24 Rooms located on Negril’s famous 7-mile
white sand beach.
Rondel Village – 16 Rooms, 1 and 2 bedroom deluxe villas
with private whirlpool spas.
Sea Splash Resort – 15 spacious one-bedroom suites on 7-mile
beach.
180 degree panorama of Seven Mile Beach
South Coast
Treasure Beach Hotel – 18 Rooms on 6 acres in the hills of
Christiana.
Jakes Place – 10 rooms in a cove near Treasure Beach
Montego Bay
Reading Reef Club – 28 rooms on Bogue Lagoon near Montego
Bay
Royal Reef – 19 Rooms on the border of St. James and Trelawny.
There are over 100 properties in the program that
includes Negril, South Coast, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios and
Kingston.
Dining
It's impossible to describe Jamaica without describing the food. A term
you will see repeated everywhere on the island is 'jerk'. Jerk chicken,
jerk fish, jerk goat, jerk beef, every menu offers jerk meat and if that isn't
enough, there are roadside stands anywhere you travel offering 'jerk' to go.
Jerk consists of marinating the meat in a special sauce of pimento seeds,
scallion, thyme, nutmeg and plenty of Scotch Bonnet peppers and then slow
cooking it, usually on an open grill. This method of cooking has been
around since the time of the Maroons, the descendants of escaped slaves of the
Spaniards. It is the signature dish of Jamaica and I can honestly say I've
never eaten anything jerked that wasn't fantastic. Of course, every
restaurant has it's own secret recipe for jerk sauce and the secret is closely
guarded. Just buy some pre-made sauce in any store and don't worry about
it. It all tastes delicious.
Of course, fresh fish is also on every menu and I've never seen lobster
prepared so many different ways. Just about any seafood will be delightful.
Breakfast for a Jamaican will usually consist of Ackee and
Saltfish.
Ackee is a fruit that was brought into the country by the British to feed the
slaves working on the sugar plantations. It closely resembles scrambled
eggs when cooked but tastes nothing like them. It's one of those dishes
best described 'as you have to taste it for yourself'. I grew quite
fond of it and looked forward to a traditional breakfast of fresh fruit, ackee
and saltfish.
Finally,
there's the rum. You can rum drinks in almost any configuration you can
imagine. The most popular of course is the Rum Punch. It's served
almost everywhere and makes a very refreshing pause while seeking refuge from
the afternoon sun. At the Meet-the-People parties, the punch had been
fermenting for about 6 months and was exceptionally tasty. Rum is also one
of the bargain to pick up before your trip home.
Some great places to eat away from your resort are...
Negril
The
Happy Banana II
Red Snapper
Sweet Spice
Pickled Parrot
South Coast
Natania's
Culloden Cafe
International Chinese Restaurant
Montego Bay
Town
House
Walters
Margeuritaville
Pier One
It's hard to eat away from the resort restaurants because the food there is
incredibly good and convenient but venture out for lunch or dinner and you'll
find the variety and quality of local cuisine far exceeds your expectations.
Of
course, there is food everywhere. Every road has food vendors in hastily
built shacks selling everything you can imagine. Certain areas have
specialties and if you are passing through Middlequarters on the west end of the
island, you'll see vendor selling pepper shrimp. The shrimp are cooked in
a pepper sauce and dried and are eaten as a snack. Some are much hotter
than others but all are very tasty. You break the shrimp just behind the
head and remove the meat. The flavor is unique and was a big favorite with
our group. The only hazard is trying to buy some without getting mobbed by
the vendors. An open window is an invitation to aggressive vendors.
Shopping
There
are craft markets near every tourist area and you can purchase jewelry, local
clothing, wood carving, paintings and other typical Caribbean crafts at any of
them. There isn't much variety from vendor to vendor. Everyone has
very similar goods. Once you find something you like, bargain politely and
if the price is still too high, move on. You'll find the same thing
somewhere else. Prices start out very high but patience and common sense
can result in excellent bargains.
One
of the local products you will be offered during your visit will be the ganga
grown in abundance all over the island. Make no mistake, drugs are illegal
in Jamaica. You will see it being smoked conspicuously but the risk isn't
worth ruining your vacation. A polite 'No thank you' is usually all that's
necessary for them to say 'No problem mon' and move on.
See
Katie Cooney's great article on Bargaining
Abroad for more information on how to get a good deal.
Attractions
If you get tired of laying in the sun drinking Rum Punch, adventure out and
see some of what makes Jamaica so interesting.
The
Black River Safari isn't far from Negril or Montego Bay and is a very
pleasant boat ride up the Black River. Our guide Ricardo was fun and
informative about the flora and fauna found in and near the river. The
highlight of the trip was when he would stop the boat and 'call' a crocodile.
The animals are not aggressive and even allowed Ricardo to pet them. Not
something recommended for tourist.
On the South Coast, the place to visit is Lovers Leap. There is
a legend of two slaves who to prevent separation from each other, jumped from
the 1700' cliff. Be sure to stop at the Toby Bar for a 'Lovers Punch'
while you ponder the leap.
Jamaica
was once covered with huge sugar cane plantations and the owners built 'Great
Houses' high on the hills to over see their domains. Many of the great
houses have survived and some are public museums. My favorite was the Greenwood
Great House and Antique Museum in Montego Bay. The house was built by
Hersey Barrett, a relative of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and covered over 84,000
acres. The guided tour through the house helps you to appreciate the
immense wealth gathered by the early plantation slave owners.
Also
in Montego Bay, not far from Margueritavlle is the MoBay UnderSea Tours.
The boat has a comfortable undersea cabin with windows onto Jamaica's only
Marine Sanctuary. The reefs of Jamaica were over-fished for years and
almost died out. There is a movement underway to restore the reef and
there are signs it is may be returning to it's original glory. There are
still no large reef fish but the smaller species seem healthy and abundant.
I hope to return to Jamaica one day to find the program was completely
successful.
Discounts
I've saved the best for last. When you book an 'Insiders' vacation, you
are enrolled in a discount program that give you a 25% discount at attractions,
15% discounts at restaurants and a one class upgrade on car rentals.
The Insiders Tour of Jamaica really is a special program that offers you more
than just a great vacation. You'll not only make a lot of new friends but
you'll see a side of Jamaica reserved for the 'insiders'.
Contact Information:
Jamaica Tourist Board (876) 929-9200 Montego Bay
(876) 957-4243 Negril
(312) 527-1296 Chicago
(213) 384-1123 Los Angeles
(305) 665-0557 Miami
(212) 856-9727 New York http://www.jamaicatravel.com jamaicacatrv@aol.com
TM
The Jamaica Tourist Board recently introduced a new program
called ‘Insiders Jamaica’ and if you’re tired of the standard All-Inclusive
Mega-Resort, this program is for you. It combines a five-night (or longer) stay on at one of more than 40
intimate resorts, hotels or inns with the freedom to experience the real
Jamaica. The accommodations range from
mountain hideaways and gracious old estates to family-run beachside inns and
tropical villas. These are the place
you’ll find the rich and famous hanging out to avoid the crowd.
If the prospect of being off the beaten path appeals to you,
you’ll love the Meet-the-People experience this program provides. You’ll have the chance to visit with locals
in their homes and I can tell you from experience, they not only treat you like
royalty with sumptuous meals but they really show you how to party ‘Jamaican’
style. The music is loud and the
dancing is spontaneous. Grab a cold Red
Strip Beer or some Rum Punch and join in. Nobody can sit still to the sounds of island grown Reggae music.
In
Negril, on the northwest coast of Jamaica, we were hosted
by Vincent and Jean Gaynair in their beautiful, remote, home in Westmoreland on
the west end of the island. Our
Regional Meet-the People Coordinator was Norma Lalah and she introduced us to a
number of ‘locals’ that came to party. We were served an endless supply of jerk chicken, escoveitch fish, rice
and spinach pasta, curried goat and other Jamaican delicacies. Our introduction to the local cuisine was a
soup called ‘Mannish Water’ and it was very good. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what was in it.
You’ll have to try it for yourself. 
Long before the meal was over, the music started. Loud and rhythmic, it went straight to your
hips and before your feet knew it, you were dancing to the music of old and new
performers that had one thing in common; Reggae! Norma’s smile was infectious and so was her dancing.
We were all danced our way out onto the
patio next to the pool, moving way too fast for the mosquitoes to get a good
grip. Despite the steamy night, we
danced to the beat of the islands, fortified with liquid refreshment to replace
the fluids lost to the humid night.
We had such a good time, we were invited to come the next
night to dinner and a party at the home of one of the local guests, Lilly-Mae
Jolly. Lilly-Mae is building a large,
open architecture bed and breakfast called Oceanview, not far from the
Gaynair’s in Westmoreland. Her
beautiful tile floors were the shiniest I had ever seen and were perfect for
the post dinner dancing. Her cooking,
if you decide to visit, won’t disappoint you either.
It's impossible to describe Jamaica without describing the food. A term
you will see repeated everywhere on the island is 'jerk'. Jerk chicken,
jerk fish, jerk goat, jerk beef, every menu offers jerk meat and if that isn't
enough, there are roadside stands anywhere you travel offering 'jerk' to go.
Jerk consists of marinating the meat in a special sauce of pimento seeds,
scallion, thyme, nutmeg and plenty of Scotch Bonnet peppers and then slow
cooking it, usually on an open grill. This method of cooking has been
around since the time of the Maroons, the descendants of escaped slaves of the
Spaniards. It is the signature dish of Jamaica and I can honestly say I've
never eaten anything jerked that wasn't fantastic. Of course, every
restaurant has it's own secret recipe for jerk sauce and the secret is closely
guarded. Just buy some pre-made sauce in any store and don't worry about
it. It all tastes delicious.
Breakfast for a Jamaican will usually consist of Ackee and
Saltfish.
Ackee is a fruit that was brought into the country by the British to feed the
slaves working on the sugar plantations. It closely resembles scrambled
eggs when cooked but tastes nothing like them. It's one of those dishes
best described 'as you have to taste it for yourself'. I grew quite
fond of it and looked forward to a traditional breakfast of fresh fruit, ackee
and saltfish. 
Finally,
there's the rum. You can rum drinks in almost any configuration you can
imagine. The most popular of course is the Rum Punch. It's served
almost everywhere and makes a very refreshing pause while seeking refuge from
the afternoon sun. At the Meet-the-People parties, the punch had been
fermenting for about 6 months and was exceptionally tasty. Rum is also one
of the bargain to pick up before your trip home.
The
Happy Banana II
Town
House
Of
course, there is food everywhere. Every road has food vendors in hastily
built shacks selling everything you can imagine. Certain areas have
specialties and if you are passing through Middlequarters on the west end of the
island, you'll see vendor selling pepper shrimp. The shrimp are cooked in
a pepper sauce and dried and are eaten as a snack. Some are much hotter
than others but all are very tasty. You break the shrimp just behind the
head and remove the meat. The flavor is unique and was a big favorite with
our group. The only hazard is trying to buy some without getting mobbed by
the vendors. An open window is an invitation to aggressive vendors.
There
are craft markets near every tourist area and you can purchase jewelry, local
clothing, wood carving, paintings and other typical Caribbean crafts at any of
them. There isn't much variety from vendor to vendor. Everyone has
very similar goods. Once you find something you like, bargain politely and
if the price is still too high, move on. You'll find the same thing
somewhere else. Prices start out very high but patience and common sense
can result in excellent bargains. 
One
of the local products you will be offered during your visit will be the ganga
grown in abundance all over the island. Make no mistake, drugs are illegal
in Jamaica. You will see it being smoked conspicuously but the risk isn't
worth ruining your vacation. A polite 'No thank you' is usually all that's
necessary for them to say 'No problem mon' and move on.
The
Black River Safari isn't far from Negril or Montego Bay and is a very
pleasant boat ride up the Black River. Our guide Ricardo was fun and
informative about the flora and fauna found in and near the river. The
highlight of the trip was when he would stop the boat and 'call' a crocodile.
The animals are not aggressive and even allowed Ricardo to pet them. Not
something recommended for tourist.
Jamaica
was once covered with huge sugar cane plantations and the owners built 'Great
Houses' high on the hills to over see their domains. Many of the great
houses have survived and some are public museums. My favorite was the Greenwood
Great House and Antique Museum in Montego Bay. The house was built by
Hersey Barrett, a relative of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and covered over 84,000
acres. The guided tour through the house helps you to appreciate the
immense wealth gathered by the early plantation slave owners.
Also
in Montego Bay, not far from Margueritavlle is the MoBay UnderSea Tours.
The boat has a comfortable undersea cabin with windows onto Jamaica's only
Marine Sanctuary. The reefs of Jamaica were over-fished for years and
almost died out. There is a movement underway to restore the reef and
there are signs it is may be returning to it's original glory. There are
still no large reef fish but the smaller species seem healthy and abundant.
I hope to return to Jamaica one day to find the program was completely
successful.