Jamaica

When the world gets too much to carry
And when life becomes too bizarre
And all of my friends seem ordinary
As compared to the Rastafar


Oh, Jamaica
Hold me
Come let your arms enfold me
Forever and ever


      Bobby Caldwell "Jamaica"


Jamaica is a special place.  The Land of Wood and Water is spectacularly beautiful, has a great climate and very friendly upbeat people.  Hence it is a great place to vacation.  Bonus for English speaking Canadians and Americans: Jamaicans speak English as opposed to Spanish or French, as locals do on many other Caribbean islands.


The most popular way to visit is of course to book a stay at one of the islands all-inclusive hotels.  This we have done twice and were quite satisfied.  


However, this year we tried something different.  We decided to stay in a B&B inn called the Retreat Guest House in Fallmouth, just east of Montego Bay.  We rented a car and did our own thing for five days.  Surprisingly, we ended up preferring this stay to the subsequent week long stay at the bedazzled 4 star+ Jewel Dunn's River Falls Resort.




For our complete review of our stay at this B&B, see  http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g612473-d1200369-r125375348-Retreat_Guesthouse_Luxury_Suites-Falmouth_Jamaica.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT


What really struck us about this place was its authenticity.  Rather than the bottled up, contained glimpse of Jamaican culture you get at an all-inclusive, we met real Jamaicans trying to survive in a competitive world, who poured out their generosity as well as their hopes, dreams and problems to us, as cherished visitors.


Rather than continue to make this point, I will leave you with a few photos so that next time you visit Jamaica, you too may try and enjoy something different.

D.