I had been to Jamaica once before and although my experience was positive and my memories were fond I didn’t leave there with the desire to go back.  I’m so glad I had this opportunity to go back and really explore this little country because as I found out, once you get away from the luxury resorts Jamaica has so much to offer friendly people, delicious food, gorgeous scenery and outrageous adventures.  Making this one of my favorite places that I have been.  So, my second trip to Jamaica was an incredible experience.  Not only was it action packed and adventurous but I also felt like I really immersed myself in the culture getting to know some of the local people and living the Jamaican lifestyle.  

Ocho Rios
Golden eye resort is a beautiful exclusive resort.  Any description I try to give will never do this resort justice.  It was incredible.  When I first walked into the resort/house I thought I was in the lobby and I remember thinking…why is my room directly attached to the lobby?  Immediately we were greeted with frozen concoctions that were cool, refreshing, delicious and potent!!  Then it was explained to me that this was Ian Flemings home and this “lobby” was not a lobby at all it was actually my living room for the next few nights.  Ian Fleming was a spy turned writer and wrote 13 books while living in this home.  You may have heard of a few of his works Dr. No,  Octopussy, licensed to Kill or perhaps his fictional lead character…Bond, James Bond.
The house was amazing with huge shutters that line the entire front wall and open up the whole house to a dramatic view of the ocean.  A private pool and beach complete with a cave.  They prepare all of the food for you fresh daily and it was delicious, including the seafood, which I’m always a little leery about.   And the landscaping around the resort was lush, tropical and dense.  Everything was just gorgeous.  I had an outdoor shower and bathtub, it felt like I was bathing in a tropical rainforest and incredibly romantic.  Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records and the man who discovered the talented Bob Marley and is credited for bringing the sounds of reggae music to the rest of the world and also the owner of Golden Eye resort, was very sweet and hospitable and made us feel right at home.  Although you can’t always expect to find him there we were lucky enough to be at the resort at the right time.
Bobsledding is a pride in Jamaica.  The Jamaican bobsledding team is heroic and revered here.  It was so fun and exhilarating to get a little taste of that type of adventure. Speeding 40miles an hour down a track through the dense foliage of the mountainside was a fun rush and I couldn’t get enough. I was a little nervous at first, but it was so much fun I did it over and over again.  And, insisted that the rest of our crew do it as well.
Swimming with dolphins is something that I had always wanted to do.  I had heard of people doing it and even seen it being done but never had the opportunity to do it myself.  Dolphins have such unique personalities and are very special creatures.  It was an amazing opportunity to be able to spend an afternoon watching them, learning about them and ultimately getting in the water and interacting with them.  They sing, dance and do crazy flips in the air.  This was an unforgettable experience.

Once our time was over for playing with the dolphins…the trainers pointed out something else we might like…snorkeling with sharks!!!  There are three things that I fear…heights, sharks and diving underwater.  So, to snorkel with sharks was a bit intimidating.  They were Nurse sharks and they actually put one on our lap as they told up about the shark.  We fed the shark’s small baitfish and to feel the power of their body to lunge their jaws at the fish was incredible.  We felt their skin and it was rough and gritty like sand paper.  We then watched the sharks swim around as we put on our snorkel gear and got in with them.  The sharks were docile and eventually just rested on the bottom of the lagoon.  I felt better about sharks after my first controlled shark encounter.

I’m a picky eater but Jerk chicken…can I say yummmmm.  I could have eaten at the jerk chicken shacks everyday.  The food was soooo good.  Spicy and unique

Climbing Dunns River Falls is incredible.  It is clearly the most famous waterfall in Jamaica and for good reason.  Eight rivers converge to make and powerful surge down the mountainside into the ocean.  It is magnificent show and if you are adventurous like I am you can actually start at the beach and climb the 650 feet up to the top of the falls.

Another thing that must be done while in Jamaica, is paying homage to the King of reggae music Bob Marley.  To get to his legendary home in 9 mile, it is a hair-raising bus ride up a very narrow, curvy and cliff-defying mountainside but it is worth the trip.   Do what I did and take a reggae bus to get your mind off the treacherous road.  Then enjoy the historical tour given by one of the knowledgeable guides that live the Rastafarian lifestyle.

Negril

Negril is on the other side of the island and has many amazing resorts.  One of which is called the Rock House these are seaside resorts built right on the cliffs.  Each room is on its own private terrace built into the cliff with its very own diving platform.  What an amazing experience to be able to wake up in the morning see the sea, open up the French doors and jump right into the ocean.  Just a little further down from the Rock House is a place called Rick’s Café where lots of people go to jump/dive off the cliffs and if you are lucky some of the locals will be there showing off their amazing diving skills.

Another amazing resort on the Negril side of the island is called The Caves.  Built into the cliff as well…this resort offers something amazing that I have never seen anywhere else.  They actually have a bar set down in a cave with the ocean pounding into the rocks all around it.   They even have private caves that you can reserve for the night and have a romantic dinner prepared for you and brought to you in the caves.  It was a super cool place to see.

Alfred’s is a great place to go to get a lot of local flavor.  It is right on the beach with jerk chicken and a live reggae band.  It is definitely a place to go for a great dinner and night of dancing.

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