Where To Sleep, Eat & What To Do In Jamaica
From mountaintop wellness retreats to the music hotel global rockstars frequently bed down in, The Handbook’s Fashion & Lifestyle Editor, Astrid Carter, takes you through her top picks for travelling to Jamaica.
What sets it apart
For a small country, Jamaica has impacted and inspired the world more than most. Its cultural identity is recognised all over the globe, from the revolutionary music of Marley to its sprawling white sandy beaches, Rastafarian roots and its signature dish of jerk chicken. But it’s also so much more. If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve and bypass the brilliant – but very much already done – tourist locations of Montego Bay and Negril, Jamaica offers endless options for the curious, intrepid traveller. Read on for where to sleep, what to do and where to eat on this island with a heart that beats louder than most…
Best things to do
It would be a sin to visit Jamaica without dipping your toes in that turquoise clear water or on the white sandy beaches of the island, but if you want to avoid the tourist spots of Negril and Montego Bay, head north-east to Portland’s Winnifred Bay. Accessed off the beaten track, through rugged woodland, you’ll find a beach peppered with rickety rum shacks shadowed by trees with dapples of sun coming through the canopy. Beyond the rum-filled bars and smoking jerk drums, the vista opens to a postcard-worthy beach of white sands and hypnotic blue waters. This is where locals go to chill and reap the benefits of their beautiful island and there is little wonder why. Its instant shoulder-dropping powers will have you feeling beyond chill.
On the shoreline sit a few local boats, one of which belongs to ex-boxer-turned-tour guide Captain Norman ‘Boxer’ Livingston. There are a few things Boxer doesn’t know about the area or Jamaica’s rich agriculture. He will take you on his boat around the stunning coves of the area, each corner bringing a hidden surprise, from the beach where Tom Cruise bartended in Cocktail to the iconic bay featured in No Time To Die.
Beyond the rum-filled bars and smoking jerk drums, the vista opens to a postcard-worthy beach of white sands and hypnotic blue waters.
From here, you can head on to Monkey Island, AKA Pellew Island, an uninhabited tiny island (no monkeys FYI, despite the name), where you can while away an afternoon on the tiny patch of beach and hanging swing shaded by lush forest. Pack a picnic, a book and an ice box of beers, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more chilled spot in the Caribbean Sea. There’s also a natural basin that has been carved out of the rock face to access the ground’s natural limestone – use it as an exfoliant to descale and brighten your skin before washing off in the clear blue waters for a perfect moment in nature’s very own spa.
Back on dry land and further west along the north coast of the island you’ll find Sun Valley Plantation in Ocho Rios. This is a must-visit if you’re interested in the abundance of natural produce Jamaica boats. At one time it was a slave plantation, but today is a beautiful sprawling garden of mother nature’s most potent and wonderful products, from coconut to nutmeg trees, coffee to sleeping hibiscus.
The plantation offers a 90-minute tour of the property, delving deep into its incredible plants and vegetation, the island’s history and allows you to taste, feel and smell some of its incredible offerings. Oliver, one of the tour guides, was utterly charming and undeniably passionate about the place, pulling fruits off of trees, chopping up coconuts and pointing out the gardens’ resident hummingbirds, who offered sugar water on tap from hanging feeders on the trees, flutter up close and personal in a somewhat surreal experience.
Surreal experiences are a running theme of Jamaica and one such example is a visit to the rural Rastafarian community, School of Vision. For many outside Jamaica, Rastas will conjure up the image of Bob Marley, a colour palette of red, green, yellow and black, a one-love ethos and a penchant for the sacred plant. But like all religions, Rastafarianism falls on a scale, from more liberal, modern-day followers to those really quite radical in their views.
At the top, you’re met with a village painted in a burst of red, green and gold Rastafarian colour,
The School of Vision falls into the latter. Headed up by priest Dermot Fagan, the camp is a self-sustaining, super-secluded Rastafarian community that lives 3000 ft up in the Blue Mountains. So secluded is it, that you will have to take a half an hour trek off-road to get to them. It’s by no means a hard climb but you will have to be in good health to climb up the rickety path.
It’s well worth it, though, passing banana trees and avocado pears hanging from above, wildlife aplenty and the most breathtaking views overlooking the island’s capital, Kingston. It’s also worth hiring a guide through the Jamaican Tourist Board, not only to point out birds and plants on the way, but to keep you on track to find the sheltered commune.
At the top, you’re met with a village painted in a burst of red, green and gold Rastafarian colour, small buildings drenched in sunshine yellow shades and depicted with hand-painted murals from their sacred Bible texts.
The community is warm and welcoming and open to discussing their way of life. There does seem to be a sense of peace up here up in the hills, but it is a stark contrast to life in the UK and much of the world, and expect to hear some extreme, but nonetheless, fascinating views on world news and social issues.
Take a look inside their temple and try to visit on the first Saturday of the month, where they celebrate their Sabbath with dancing and beating drums; pick up some handmade jewellery or wellness drinks in their shop (maybe don’t take them back in your luggage); and see their abundance of marijuana plants growing amongst the colourful pebbles and huts of the community. Entrance is $20 to visit but you can also stay in their Airbnb accommodation for a more authentic experience. Either way, it’s a fascinating trip and you may even come back with the plumpest, richest and tastiest avocado you’ve ever seen, picked just minutes before from one of the community’s residents and kindly gifted just for being there.
Rastas are synonymous with the island but despite the community being such a strong cultural representation, it’s thought that only 5% of the population lives by Rastafarianism. One who is bringing a refreshingly modern take to the culture is Chef Vita AKA Oshane Warren. With over 130k Instagram followers, the 32-year-old is the millennial/Gen-Z answer to Rastafarianism, offering nature-cum-foodie experiences that are something a little different and will certainly clock up the likes on social.
Book in for one of his Riverside Experiences where Vita will cook up a five-course vegan meal, with highlights of pumpkin coconut and scotch bonnet soup, locally called a sip; veggie skewers heady with jerk sauce; and sticky sweet potato cake, all washed down with the best beetroot and ginger juice you’ll ever try.
The experience is far from rum-soaked beach parties also popular with tourists visiting the island, but Chef Vita’s service offers a wholesome and healthy day out, with local produce and nutrient-packed food, sandwiched between refreshing dips in the famous White River – “Come for the food, stay for the river,” as Vita says himself.
Finally, you can’t visit Jamaica without a stop at activist, musician and all-round icon Bob Marley’s house. Even if you don’t make it inside his former home-turned-museum at the famous 56 Hope Road, Kingston address, it’s worth a pitstop outside to see the many murals of Bob and his band, the famous lion statues prowling outside the front door and meet Bongo Herman, one of the remaining musicians to have played with Bob himself, at his stall that sits alongside the property.
Where to stay
Gee Jam Hotel, Port Antonio
Best for: Rockstar-worthy treetop cabins and private villas overlooking the waters of Port Antonio.
This truly special hotel is where some of the world’s biggest recording artists go to work and play. Mainly because of their world-renowned recording studio that sits on-site, but also for the relaxed, bohemian feel of the place.
Book into one of their jungle cabins or go big and rent out one of their private villas (we can but dream) where the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Keith Richards have stayed.
The mood here feels very cool; you can almost feel the talent that has walked its winding jungle trails, and it just feels like a very special place. Unsurprising given that everyone from Harry Styles to The Rolling Stones, Florence & The Machine to Alicia Keys have recorded here. It was also the place where Amy Winehouse recorded her final music before her tragic death.
Rates for Cocosan Villa (six bedrooms) start from US$4,500 per night, plus 10% tax and a 10% service charge. Rates for Geejam Hotel start from US$395 per night, plus 10% tax and 10% service charge.
Jamaica Inn, Ocho Rios
Best for: Old-school glamour at its finest, you’ll never want to leave the hotel.
From the pastel blue and pink interiors to the no-TVs in the bedrooms rule, Jamaica Inn comes with charm and old-school glamour like no other. Nestled on a private beach in Ocho Rios, the 52-suite hotel has been family-run for 66 years and was where Marilyn Monroe chose to honeymoon – we can see why.
There is a certain magic about this place, from the drive up to the hotel at sunset with a perfectly framed vista of the silhouetted palm trees over the Caribbean ocean to the friendliest staff, the treehouse spa rooms to the live Reggae nights.
The beachfront rooms are something special, with outdoor living rooms that go right onto the beach. Take a dip in the crystal clear waters as the sun comes up, before ordering one of their incredible traditional Jamaica breakfasts of salt fish and ackee – the best we had on the island – right from your personal oasis.
Rates from $512 per night, excluding taxes and fees.
Serendipity Holistic Resort & Spa, Blue Mountains
Best for: Luxury eco-travel deep in the Jamaica jungle, to switch off and reconnect with nature.
This is the place to book before the eco-hotels and wellness retreats really take hold of Jamaica. Take a winding road up the iconic Blue Mountains before turning onto a precarious dirt track that feels like it’s leading to absolutely nowhere other than a thick jungle. Eventually, you will find the serene holistic resort and spa of Serendipity. Built into the jungle, the treehouse-style cabins and central villa are set to a hypnotic soundtrack of the gushing river that runs alongside unceasing jungle bugs.
This is a place to switch off from tech and reconnect with nature, whether you’re laying in your room’s outdoor hammock, taking a yoga class by the river or having a massage outdoors amongst thick jungle foliage.
The food here was some of the best we tried on the island, from spicy goat curries to sticky sweet potato puddings, breakfast banana porridge full of Christmassy flavours to moreish fried chicken.
The hotel feels intimate and personalised and you’ll soon feel like you’re holidaying with the talented chefs Denise and John, and the barman/general big bro of the property, Hanif.
Rates start from approx. $189/£150 per night for a cabin.
serendipityholisticresortspa.com
Where to eat (& what to order)
O’Shea’s 876 Kitchen, Port Antonio
Practically impossible to find on GPS but persevere, kick off your shoes and eat right on the beach at O’Shea’s 876 Kitchen amidst the calming sound of waves and spoons chiming against plates.
Order the sharing platter of slow-cooked oxtail, garlic butter-drenched lobster and grilled snapper, with sides of rice and peas and local deep-fried ‘festival’ to mop up all the juices. As well as the seafood soup, flavoured with crab legs, root veg and nose-running-inducing heady heat.
Scotchies, Montego Bay
It would be criminal to leave the island without sampling some jerk chicken and Scotchies is amongst the best. Place your order with the waitresses dressed in ‘60s-style powder pink uniforms and watch the chefs cook the meat over giant trays of coals, before sitting al fresco amongst rows of plants, flower and palm trees, or takeaway and eat on the go.
Be sure to order the jerk chicken and the jerk pork – the latter the real star of the show – neither of which is that spicy but full of flavour. The homemade hot sauce, however, will blow your head off.
EITs Cafe, Blue Mountains
This family-run restaurant is headed up by the charming Robyn who took the mantle from her father who ran it before her. The food is traditional Jamaica fare done well, but it is the location that is the real magic of this place.
Nestled on the mountain edge, with disco balls hanging above your head, this treehouse restaurant boasts some of the best views to accompany fresh lobster or jerk chicken.
Don’t leave before getting your name printed on a little gold plaque and added to the walls of the restaurant – a sweet touch.
Jamaica is synonymous with so many cultural references but its magic goes much further.
The verdict
Jamaica is synonymous with so many cultural references but its magic goes much further. There is a warmth to the Jamaican people and a spark to the island that is impossible to manufacture. Their hospitality warmed my heart and the island’s incredible scenery blew my mind. Jamaica feels electric and totally relaxed all at once – surely the makings of the perfect holiday.
How to get there & book
Regular flights from Lond Gatwick to Kingston, Jamaica run with British Airways. For more information on visiting Jamaica, head to www.visitjamaica.com
