When Jamaica is mentioned in America, most people’s minds immediately take them to that pristine beach, in a hammock with a coconut in your hand and a little cocktail umbrella sticking out of it.
This spot does certainly exist in Jamaica, but if you are planning a tropical vacation, I must implore you to blaze your own trail and loosen the grips of the All Inclusive Resort around this poor Islands windpipes. While these resorts do employ many Jamaicans at a terribly low pay scale, the environmental, social, political and economic impacts of these places are too far reaching for this blog post. Plus, you’ll never see the roots of this Island nation I’ve come to love so much. Supporting small business is the most important contribution a tourist can make while touring this small impoverished island.
SO, if you’d like to tour the Island, quench a sense of adventure and maybe save some money, step 1: buy The Lonely Planet Guide: Jamaica, step 2: read this blog post and step 3: also check out simplyintentional.wordpress.com, my partners in crime here in Westmoreland.
Recently, I had the pleasure of taking a lot of vacation days with family and friends who rented a car. If you are not an anxious driver, I highly recommend that and a road map. If you can’t bother and prefer to look out the window, there are LOTS of local drivers that you can charter for a day, an hour or 5 minutes. The route taxi system is easy IF you are traveling with less than 3 or 4 people. I’d recommend this mostly for city-city travel, anywhere you stay will have their go-to list of taxi men that they will set you up with for whatever tours or destinations you are seeking.
When I traveled with my family, we had less room for meandering since we were accommodating 5 very different minds. We started in Westmoreland with coffee on my veranda and breakfast on the beach down the street (when renting a car is useful). We opted to relax for the morning, mingle with my community members and then set off to stay the night in Kingston. The next day we drove the windy Junction road from Kingston to Port Antonio in Portland. We stayed two nights at Great Huts, an eco resort overlooking Boston Bay (home of the best jerk chicken on island). If you need air conditioning and solid walls and floors, Great Huts is not for you, but if you want to feel like you’re living in a secluded jungle tree house with wireless internet, this place is awesome. I loved it. We stayed in Boston Bay two nights, laid on the beach and climbed Reach Falls* and moved to a hotel outside of Ocho Rios for the last night.
Some Pics of Great Huts
When my friend Ian visited, we did a great deal of meandering accompanied by a good chunk of planning. We spent a lot of time in country and very little time in any major city. Starting in Beeston Spring, we took a day trip to YS falls and Appleton Rum Estate where we missed the last tour of the day but bought rum anyway. We stayed in Treasure Beach for two nights punctuated by a half day trip to Lovers Leap and Little Ochi and a good chunk of beach time. We then got a little lost in the mountains of St. Elizabeth, after a detour through Bamboo Avenue, which taught us a valuable lesson: If mass public transportation doesn’t take the road, it’s probably a bad road.
Next we stayed at Time N’ Place outside of Falmouth in Trelawney Parish. We saw Luminous Lagoon at night and the next day went on a shoreline hike to find World Beach… Not sure if we ever found it but MAN, that was some of the most beautiful untouched beach I’ve seen in Jamaica yet (no pics due to sand/water danger).
My Reviews
Treasure Beach, Lovers Leap, Little Ochi
If you want good seafood, laid back vibes, cheap lodgings and beautiful beaches then Treasure Beach is a great place to be. While the main road in town is really quite terrible, most everything is walkable and the community is very safe and well lit at night. Locals don't hassle, and are quick to help with directions or recommendations. There is a large population of expats as well who frequent the shore side bars and local hotspots. I recently stayed at the Waikiki house, which was rustic and simple (35 US for a 2 bed room), but had a cheap restaurant on site and was located on the edge of a beautiful bay. We had all we wanted right at our doorstep. If you want AC and a mosquito free sleep, the Treasure Beach Hotel was on the same cove, and has a pool overlooking the ocean.
If you rent a car and buy a road map, a day trip to Lovers Leap and dinner at Little Ochi is a great way to see the Island. Lovers Leap has an entrance fee of $3 US and it's a pretty quick viewpoint (we spent maybe 25-30 minutes taking pictures and musing in the gardens), unless you opt for a tour or a hike down the cliff. The road to Little Ochi has some winning views, though it’s quite windy. The restaurant itself is less picturesque, but you won't get better seafood anywhere else. Chartering a taxi is also always an option, outings are easily arranged through wherever you stay.
Luminous Lagoon
In the two years I've lived here, I've never had a reason to stop in Falmouth, Trelawney until I heard about the Luminous Lagoon. Accommodations are spread around Falmouth to the east and west, and of course Montego Bay is also about 35 mins away. Ask the concierge (or hostel manager) about chartering a taxi to Luminous Lagoon after dark. We organized the trip from a hostel, so our tour was quite amateur: from a small local marina in a personal boat led by a 20-something year old tour guide. None of that matters once you jump in the brackish water and everything you touch lights up with a brilliant luminescence of phosphorescent algae. We were not the only boat on the water that night, but the experience was singular and breathtaking.
YS vs Reach Falls*
If you are exploring the Island from Westmoreland to Portland and want to play in an amazing waterfall, wait until you reach Portland and see Reach Falls. We organized a local tour for $5 US a person through a small eco resort called Great Huts (Which I highly recommend if you're a nature loving hippie like myself). We drove a rented car (though charter is an option) to the meeting point about 10 km east of Boston Bay and met up with a very knowledgable Rasta man, who secured our backpack high up on his back and led us on a "hike" through the falls and pools of lower Reach Falls. IT WAS AWESOME, but certainly a bit of exercise. This is a cheaper tour for a few reasons 1) it's much more physical 2) it follows the lower falls and the end point is Reach Falls proper. Technically the entrance of the proper falls has a $10 US/person fee, but the hike is on land, and must not be strenuous since many of those relaxing in the upper pools were overweight and smoking cigarettes. Since we didn't pay for that experience, we just took pictures of Reach Falls proper from the property boarder. I don't think we missed out at all.
If you don't make it to Portland though and you want to see a waterfall like Reach (a "step" falls with small falls and pools throughout), then opt for YS which is a more built up tourist destination, but beautiful and well equipped for diverse family dynamics. There is a zip line option, a bar, gift shop, food and a rope swing over a pool that makes you feel like Tarzan.
Roadside Stops (from Westmoreland to St. E)
Roadside shops and food shacks are a cultural norm in Jamaica and a few are certainly worth a short detour. Near me the border of Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth is home to a famous stretch of fish and bammy shacks. Bammy is a grated cassava patty often lightly pan fried or roasted to crispy perfection and is traditionally served with fried, steamed or roasted fish. Just pull over and roll down your window for quick service or sit at a picnic bench and enjoy a meal. For directions, ask for “Border” or “Border Fish n Bammy”.
Not far down the road is Middle Quarters of St. Elizabeth, famous for “pepper shrimp”: crayfish boiled in scotch bonnet pepper, pimento and other local seasonings. I’m not a fan of anything involving pepper, but it’s a common stop for locals and visitors and Ian even went back for seconds. It is most common to just pull over and wait for the ladies selling to crowd around your window and shove shrimp into your face. You’ll get a good idea of the Jamaica In-your-face tradition here- be decisive and kind and no one will get hurt 
Nearby is a famous jerk hut that also sells fish and cups of soup. I’ve never stopped but it’s right on the road you turn off for YS falls/Appleton and I’ve heard great things.
And finally, Bamboo Avenue. I certainly took this regularly traveled portion of road for granted until I saw it with new eyes. 2 miles of road lined with bamboo, bordered by a expansive sugar cane field and dotted with stands selling fresh peanuts and cold jelly coconut water, it’s a nice cool stop to quench your thirst, grab a snack, have a pee in a bamboo grove and take some pictures. The people selling at the stands are kind and willing to answer any questions you may have about the area and help you eat your first jelly coconut like a local.
