First, I must tell you that I ended up going there on a vacation as a total fluke. To make a long story short I was planning on going somewhere else in the US (plane fares rose overnight before I confirmed them and I made a comment that I could go to Hawaii for a week for the same price including hotel) well, the travel agent had been there in Jan. and recommended Jamaica. I had never really thought about going there before….so……it was the ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY BEST VACATION I HAVE EVER HAD!!! I went by myself because I really needed to get away…..I stayed at Home Sweet Home (soon to be Reefcliff Resort) in Negril on the West End on the cliffs….The staff there were wonderful….everyone, including the tourists were so friendly and fun……..then I took some tours through S.B. Tours LTD in Negril whose office is located at Travelers Beach Hotel on Norman Manley Blvd….Alex, the owner help set me up on different tours…the thing I enjoyed the most about it was that without really asking me just by listening to what I enjoyed he set up tours so that I would be with people that I would fit in with…in other words for example: I was going to take a catamaran island picnic tour…however, after watching the boats go by filled with HAPPY Spring Breakers I was having second thoughts….I mentioned this to Alex and found out that he already had arranged to be sure I wasn’t on a boat with that was crowded. He also made sure I had hotel pickup and delivery back to my hotel with no extra charge. He was DEFINATELY HONEST AND FAIR compared to a tour rep that I mistakenly went through for a horseback ride. I watched him also set up custom “tours” for people to go shopping, concerts, etc….
Brown Sugar was a “food shack” across the street from the hotel….the absolute best food in Jamaica is from these street side/yard food shacks. “Rose” who owned Brown Sugar’s is a wonderful woman. In fact, I didn’t find anyone in Jamaica who wasn’t friendly except for one tourist. I felt comfortable walking around and even walked down a few chains to a Ziggy Marley concert one night.
In fact, after only a couple days there I had thought about changing my plans on return. After 4 days I called home and told my boss I would be gone a few more days…..changed my tickets and totally enjoyed myself for a bit longer. I’ve been to alot of places in my life but never have I been somewhere where I felt as good and happy as I did in Jamaica. Even the “higglers” were just a cultural experience, as was the driving (or should I say riding, as I wasn’t about to drive there).
The minute I got home I made arrangements to return in 2 months.
