Respect, mon
I'm having an incredibly strong nostalgic longing for Negril, the
little Jamaican village where we got married, and where we've had some
wonderful vacations.
Negril is a beautiful little village on the west end of the island of Jamaica, about an hour west of Montego Bay. In the 60's and 70's it was primarily a little hippy hangout, and was discovered by tourists in the 80's - but somehow managed to remain small and to retain its color and flavor. Facing west, you can imagine the incredible sunsets that draw visitors and inspire awe.
Negril consists of a 7 mile stretch of white sandy beach, and a few miles of cliffs in an area called the West End. The beach area is home to most of the luxury resorts, as well as a few smaller hotels, and tends to be where the party is. The West End is the more mellow area, where one is less likely to be hounded by vendors, and more likely to be simply lolling about by the water or strolling along the (formerly dirt) road that winds its way through the town.
Hubby and I always stay on the West End at a hotel called Xtabi. It's a beautiful little place, with buildings and rooms spread on both sides of the road. In total I believe they have about 20 rooms, plus 4 or 5 cabins. The main restaurant and bar is right on the water, on top of the cliff wall. Stairs are cut into the cliffs, and lead down to some caves, and a little bridge to a large rock that sits in the perfect depth for jumping, diving, or snorkling. The owner's wife, Yasmine, is the hands-on manager, and her adorable children are always playing along the paths that wind between the exotic flower garden or around the little pool. There are two bartenders named Donavan, and while they're both great, one stands out as a truly memorable and wonderful guy, who also happens to make the best Dirty Banana one could hope to drink. Kingsley is a sort of general contractor who does odd jobs for the hotel (some years as a full time employee, and other years just working now and then) and also takes guests on excursions to other parts of the island like YS Falls, or Treasure Beach.
Next to Xtabi, on the cliff side of the road, is the best restaurant in town, called Three Dives. This little shack is just a small wooden structure with a lot of picnic tables, and a big grill. Lydie and his girlfriend Paula run the kitchen, and Lydie is known for making the best Jerk sauce in all of Jamaica. After ordering a dinner of a quarter of half a jerk chicken, with rice and peas, callalloo and bread (for about US$4), one can sit and drink Red Stripes for US$1 each while Lydie prepares the chicken from scratch, and cooks it long and slow on the grill. The wait is totally worth it. Christmas lights stretch around the building, and reggae or dancehall music play from a little radio.
On the other side of Xtabi, on the non-cliff side of the road, is the other best restaurant in town - Just Natural. Paula and her sister Christine run the kitchen here, and make the best Jamaican breakfast (ackee and saltfish with homemade dumplings and homemade banana marmalade) not to mention delicious omlettes, and serve everything with a generous side of exotic tropical fruit. Just Natural also makes an amazing dinner - lobster pasta, pumpkin soup, and beet cake are some the tasty items offered. As are all the best dining places in Negril, the dining is all outdoors, in this case in the midst of a beautiful garden where one can watch exotic lizards and colorful birds scamper up the stalks of various plants. Did I mention that a full dinner costs an average of $7 a person?
Of course the beach has its allure as well, and we generally go spend about half the day just lying around on the sand, near one of the bars selling Red Stripe for US$1. Friendly cabs will take you from the West End to the beach, but never admit you're a newbie or they'll try to charge you about $10 - $15 for the ride, when in actuality they'll do it for about $4. We always enjoyed hanging out near the bar at Rondel Village, where the bartender is named Crazy, and they make an amazing lobster and shrimp pizza. My favorite dining at the beach is always to find wherever Miss Sonia is located at the time - she makes the best Jamaican patties (similar to a Calzone, but no tomato sauce) from scratch, and cooks them in a pan over a wood fire. Once again, not a fast meal, but a damn good one, and dirt cheap. Of course while you're sitting on the beach, the fresh fruit lady is likely to come by with a basket on her head carrying whole pineapples and coconuts, which she'll happily machete into small pieces for you. There's nothing like fresh pineapple along with spicy jerk pork to give your tastebuds a little festival of fun. At night there are always live bands on the beach, and it's fun to walk around and meet people.
My only complaint about Negril is that in the last few years they finally paved over the abysmal dirt road that once ran through the village. You might think, but isn't that a good thing? No more potholes that could take out a Suburban? Well yes, but now that traffic isn't having to dodge mud and pits, the cars tend to zoom through a little too fast. The last time we were there, in March of 2004, the traffic seemed a bit more copious, and a lot more noisy. And keep in mind that most drivers are stoned. This is, after all, Jamaica.
But I don't care. I still love Negril.
We're hoping to go back to Negril in November for our 5th wedding anniversary, and will be once again inviting friends to come and join us, as they did for our wedding. The only possible wrench might be if my body cooperates and gets pregnant - I don't mind going if I'm a little pregnant, or have a baby, but I wouldn't want to be in a third world country when I'm past the first trimester, only because I know women with PCOS can have complications.
I'm trying to talk hubby into going on a quick little jaunt, just the two of us, in the spring, but he's not biting - wants to wait for the big November trip. I don't blame him, except that I'm really jonesing for some Three Dives jerk sauce and banana marmalade from Just Natural.
.
Negril is a beautiful little village on the west end of the island of Jamaica, about an hour west of Montego Bay. In the 60's and 70's it was primarily a little hippy hangout, and was discovered by tourists in the 80's - but somehow managed to remain small and to retain its color and flavor. Facing west, you can imagine the incredible sunsets that draw visitors and inspire awe.
Negril consists of a 7 mile stretch of white sandy beach, and a few miles of cliffs in an area called the West End. The beach area is home to most of the luxury resorts, as well as a few smaller hotels, and tends to be where the party is. The West End is the more mellow area, where one is less likely to be hounded by vendors, and more likely to be simply lolling about by the water or strolling along the (formerly dirt) road that winds its way through the town.
Hubby and I always stay on the West End at a hotel called Xtabi. It's a beautiful little place, with buildings and rooms spread on both sides of the road. In total I believe they have about 20 rooms, plus 4 or 5 cabins. The main restaurant and bar is right on the water, on top of the cliff wall. Stairs are cut into the cliffs, and lead down to some caves, and a little bridge to a large rock that sits in the perfect depth for jumping, diving, or snorkling. The owner's wife, Yasmine, is the hands-on manager, and her adorable children are always playing along the paths that wind between the exotic flower garden or around the little pool. There are two bartenders named Donavan, and while they're both great, one stands out as a truly memorable and wonderful guy, who also happens to make the best Dirty Banana one could hope to drink. Kingsley is a sort of general contractor who does odd jobs for the hotel (some years as a full time employee, and other years just working now and then) and also takes guests on excursions to other parts of the island like YS Falls, or Treasure Beach.
Next to Xtabi, on the cliff side of the road, is the best restaurant in town, called Three Dives. This little shack is just a small wooden structure with a lot of picnic tables, and a big grill. Lydie and his girlfriend Paula run the kitchen, and Lydie is known for making the best Jerk sauce in all of Jamaica. After ordering a dinner of a quarter of half a jerk chicken, with rice and peas, callalloo and bread (for about US$4), one can sit and drink Red Stripes for US$1 each while Lydie prepares the chicken from scratch, and cooks it long and slow on the grill. The wait is totally worth it. Christmas lights stretch around the building, and reggae or dancehall music play from a little radio.
On the other side of Xtabi, on the non-cliff side of the road, is the other best restaurant in town - Just Natural. Paula and her sister Christine run the kitchen here, and make the best Jamaican breakfast (ackee and saltfish with homemade dumplings and homemade banana marmalade) not to mention delicious omlettes, and serve everything with a generous side of exotic tropical fruit. Just Natural also makes an amazing dinner - lobster pasta, pumpkin soup, and beet cake are some the tasty items offered. As are all the best dining places in Negril, the dining is all outdoors, in this case in the midst of a beautiful garden where one can watch exotic lizards and colorful birds scamper up the stalks of various plants. Did I mention that a full dinner costs an average of $7 a person?
Of course the beach has its allure as well, and we generally go spend about half the day just lying around on the sand, near one of the bars selling Red Stripe for US$1. Friendly cabs will take you from the West End to the beach, but never admit you're a newbie or they'll try to charge you about $10 - $15 for the ride, when in actuality they'll do it for about $4. We always enjoyed hanging out near the bar at Rondel Village, where the bartender is named Crazy, and they make an amazing lobster and shrimp pizza. My favorite dining at the beach is always to find wherever Miss Sonia is located at the time - she makes the best Jamaican patties (similar to a Calzone, but no tomato sauce) from scratch, and cooks them in a pan over a wood fire. Once again, not a fast meal, but a damn good one, and dirt cheap. Of course while you're sitting on the beach, the fresh fruit lady is likely to come by with a basket on her head carrying whole pineapples and coconuts, which she'll happily machete into small pieces for you. There's nothing like fresh pineapple along with spicy jerk pork to give your tastebuds a little festival of fun. At night there are always live bands on the beach, and it's fun to walk around and meet people.
My only complaint about Negril is that in the last few years they finally paved over the abysmal dirt road that once ran through the village. You might think, but isn't that a good thing? No more potholes that could take out a Suburban? Well yes, but now that traffic isn't having to dodge mud and pits, the cars tend to zoom through a little too fast. The last time we were there, in March of 2004, the traffic seemed a bit more copious, and a lot more noisy. And keep in mind that most drivers are stoned. This is, after all, Jamaica.
But I don't care. I still love Negril.
We're hoping to go back to Negril in November for our 5th wedding anniversary, and will be once again inviting friends to come and join us, as they did for our wedding. The only possible wrench might be if my body cooperates and gets pregnant - I don't mind going if I'm a little pregnant, or have a baby, but I wouldn't want to be in a third world country when I'm past the first trimester, only because I know women with PCOS can have complications.
I'm trying to talk hubby into going on a quick little jaunt, just the two of us, in the spring, but he's not biting - wants to wait for the big November trip. I don't blame him, except that I'm really jonesing for some Three Dives jerk sauce and banana marmalade from Just Natural.
.