Jamaica 2019

Ya mon!

As always, we recommend you avoid the Americanized resorts to fully experience the destination you have chosen. In a addition to Jamaica’s gorgeous 7 Mile Beach there are jungles, mountains, water falls, and diverse island life to enjoy.

Where we stayed

I found a great deal at Travellers Beach Resort at the end of 7-Mile Beach in Negril, Jamaica. Travellers is situated away from the American owned resorts and provided a sense of the culture and relaxed island vibe. The on-site restaurant, open from 7am-10pm, provides stunning views of the sea and sunsets(we think even better than Aruba and Grand Cayman) as well as evening music entertainment. We also found the rooms comfortable, private and affordable for our family comparable to Sunshine Suites in Grand Cayman.

Our trip to Jamaica was in the beginning of June and we didn’t realize until we got there that it was the off- season. One of the guests that we met while swimming in the ocean told us that in February you can not move on the beach. May-November is the off season; the rates are lower and the crowds are thin. It was great to walk out of our resort straight onto the beach and essentially have the entire stretch of white sand to ourselves.

Authentic cuisine

We also had most of the restaurants to ourselves and had fresh made to order meals every time that we ordered. Just be prepared to relax a bit while it’s prepared (like in Italy) – it’s not fast food!

Erica’s Hideaway Restaurant and Bar was one of our favorite places for authentic Jamaican food (recommended by a Jamaican native). They not only cook and prepare the food made to order, they go outside to their garden to pick the veggies. The food is delicious!

One more place that we really loved was Nikki Taco. Their Jamaican twist on tacos was delightful.

Initial shock!

The people of Jamaica love to introduce themselves and interact with you. In fact, when we first arrived it felt like our personal space was being intruded upon initially causing us to second guess our decision to go to Jamaica. Thankfully that feeling didn’t last long! The locals just wanted to get to know us and let us know what products(including ganja) or services they offered. After one walk of the beach they generally recognize you and simply say, “Hey Mon!”. If you are not interested, be polite and say, “No thank-you” and “Respect”. One of the locals explained that there isn’t much of an economy in Jamaica besides tourism therefore folks are just trying to make a living. Aside from this initial culture shock, everything else was fantastic during our stay on the island. Save yourself from the shock and learn about your destination prior to traveling as recommended in Travel Smarter.

Getting around

An employee, Patrick, at the restaurant next to Travellers, offered his driver to us for a set fee which allowed us to explore much more. He told us to be careful that if you do take public transportation to make sure to only take Taxi’s that have a red and white license plate with “P” or “PPV” (Public Passenger Vehicle) before the number to avoid taking a jitney. The main street behind the beach in Negril isn’t very walkable so we don’t recommend it. Negril has poor sidewalks, if any, and cars zipping around each other.

Jamaica adventures:

We walked the beach every day and were very close to other hotels and just a taxi ride away from major sights, like Ricks Café where you can watch the sunset and cliff divers. And speaking of Rick’s Café, it was one of the more touristy places and didn’t live up to the hype. The music was loud and it felt chaotic. Definitely not the type of place that we wanted to hang out – even our teenager wanted to leave! Chris and Elena jumped from the eight foot rocks but didn’t enjoy themselves. The water was really choppy and crowded with people. If you like the busy club scene, then it will be the right atmosphere for you. We decided to leave and watch the sunset from our own stretch of private beach in front of Travellers.

Black River Safari

The Black River Safari takes about 90 minutes and you get to see crocodiles and various wildlife. The river is peaceful and as the boat glides along the water, it looks like glass. Our guide called a crocodile over to our boat, fed him and actually petted him. It was a very cool experience and fun for all ages. However, if you live somewhere like Florida consider skipping this as the experience is probably similar to home.

YS Falls

YS Falls was fun and scary for us! After walking midway across the waterfalls holding the guide’s hand, we stood on the rocks with water gushing around us as we admired nature’s work. The falls created a giant foaming bubble bath for us to play in. There are also canopy rides (we skipped) and a natural spring pool for relaxing when you are done with your adventures.

Floyd’s Pelican Bar

Floyd’s Pelican Bar (one of the most epic things that we did). This bar sits right out in the ocean and you can only get to it by boat. They pan fry chicken and fish and have cold Red Stripe beer for purchase. The music is playing loudly and everyone is in a festive party mood. Take some paraphernalia from your hometown to leave behind. We saw plenty of Terrible Towels waving in the wind! My daughter and I even had our names carved into the deck. The atmosphere will definitely put you in full vacation mode.

Barney’s Flower and Hummingbird Garden

Barney’s Flower and Hummingbird Garden (we are bird nerds) was a small but beautiful garden that allows you to feed and interact with Jamaica’s native hummingbirds. Barney gives you a bottle of sugar water to hold and the flitting hummingbirds will feed right from your hand.

We got some pretty cool pics and videos of the exotic plants and the unique hummingbirds including this close-up feeding.

Blue Hole Mineral Spring – Little Bay

Blue hole mineral spring is absolutely a must see (similar to Natural Pool in Aruba). Chris and Elena jumped but I took the ladder. The Rastafarian had to help me part way down the ladder to get over my fear of heights. He was so nice and wanted me to have a fun experience. Did I mention that it is 25 feet high?! It was amazing once I got in and swam in the cool water. I also had a limestone salt scrub but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Dinner and Sunset at Ivan’s

We enjoyed the atmosphere, food and beautiful view at Ivan’s Bar and Restaurant at Catcha Falling Star in Negril. As you enter, you follow along a lighted pathway that takes you past thatched huts and water features, making you feel like you are walking into your own private island hideaway.

Final Thoughts

Jamaica is fun and festive and as we rode through the various towns on our way back from sight seeing, we saw lots of people hanging outside enjoying themselves with music and food (especially on Friday night). If you book a trip to Jamaica, you will see for yourself that the people have great attitudes towards living life fully. And remember, it only gets better!

Let us know about your Jamaica experiences in the comments below!

Walk Good!