If I haven’t been there yet, rest assured it’s on my list.
Konoko Falls is a tourist attraction nestled in the hilly outskirts of popular resort town Ocho Rios. The Arawakan word for rainforest, konoko, lends its name to this 600-feet cascading waterfall and garden, formerly known as the Mahoe Falls and Coyaba Gardens; coyaba is also an Arawakan word meaning heaven. Both names are fitting, even more so given that Taino artefacts have been found here, suggesting that the area was once a settlement.
Continue reading “Konoko Falls, Saint Ann”
Northern Trinidad is home to several beaches, inlets and bays. I beach-hopped at two beaches located roughly an hour’s drive from the capital Port-of-Spain. Maracas Beach is Trinidad’s most famous beach and rightfully so. It’s a long beautiful stretch of coastline touted as the best spot to get bake and shark, a local fried fish sandwich topped with various condiments and popularly eaten at the beach. However, visiting the most popular beach equals a crowd, thus it’s worth checking out its more peaceful and equally as scenic sister a mere five minutes’ drive away, Las Cuevas Beach. Book this excursion to visit both beaches and more (transport included)!
Continue reading “Maracas & Las Cuevas Beaches, Trinidad”
Happy New Year! I hope it’s everything you wish it to be and more. Visiting the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago (well, really just Trinidad and to be specific, mainly northern Trinidad) is a sentimental trip for several reasons. I visited during the festive season and my heart was full seeing all the decorations; their malls come alive at Christmastime, and parang music and culture is amazing. I rang in 2020 paranging and watching the fireworks of Port of Spain from several miles away. That’s enough to make this trip memorable, but there’s more.
Continue reading “Turure Water Steps: A Trinidad Adventure”
As a New Year approaches, I wonder how many Jamaicans and regular visitors to Jamaica know about this 365 days of Jamaica list. Published by jamaicans.com four years ago, this list gives you one new activity to do in Jamaica for every day of the year.
Continue reading “365 Days of Things to See, Do & Eat in Jamaica”
The Caribbean is one of the world’s most diverse cultural and ethnic melting pots for such a relatively tiny geographical space. We speak four official languages, namely English, Spanish, French and Dutch, because of our dark colonial ties to the four main European metropoles of that era. As a Caribbean native, I grew up aware of our common history, origins, economies and challenges but that’s about it. There are a myriad of beautiful subtle differences between our cultures and people which we don’t and perhaps can’t learn about in the classroom.
Continue reading “Why Jamaicans Should Prioritize Caribbean Travel in 2025 & Beyond”
Negril is a resort town in the westernmost end of Jamaica, home to luxurious powdery-soft white-sand beaches and craggy picturesque cliffs. Negril’s Seven Miles Beach has been rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world by several travel magazines for years. Similar to my Dunn’s River Falls post from last April, I may potentially get my Jamaican card revoked by revealing that this was my first time visiting Negril but that’s okay. There’s a first time for everything and I thoroughly enjoyed this daytrip. Not even a flat tire on the way back after falling into one of Jamaica’s infamous potholes could ruin the mood. It was also my first time going parasailing, an experience I’m excited to share with you, my readers.
Continue reading “Negril, Westmoreland”
Ahhh.. off the beaten track, a term which conjures up images of Jamaica’s rolling green hills, sweeping valleys, secluded beaches, serpentine rivers and cold majestic waterfalls in my mind. Jamaica means ‘Land of Wood and Water’ and the island certainly doesn’t disappoint– in fact I’m far from finished with discovering and exploring her concealed treasures. Jamaica’s beauty doesn’t go unnoticed; we receive several million tourists each year but they tend to flock our resort towns of Ocho Rios, Negril and Montego Bay. It’s easy to see why too with the convenience of vacationing at all-inclusive beach resorts. For those with a more adventurous spirit, however, here are seven off the beaten track places in Jamaica which are well worth the trouble of finding. These are the places they forget to print in the Jamaican travel brochures but after this article, they just may end up in one.
Continue reading “7 Off the Beaten Track Jamaican Places Which Are Totally Worth the Effort”
Ahh.. finally I got around to visiting Jamaica’s most western parish. Bluefields Beach in Bluefields, Westmoreland is an easy-to-find stop along the main road which links the St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland parishes. A decent sized beach, Bluefields is a victim of the beach erosion which seems to be plaguing many of our free public beaches. There are also no watersports available at this one either, but it’s worth a quick pick-me-upper for someone craving some waves and salty air in this side of the island, or in transit to other south or west coast destinations.
Continue reading “Guide to Bluefields Beach in Westmoreland, Jamaica”
One mile off the coast of Parottee in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica lies the coolest bar in the Caribbean. The unique Pelican Bar resembles a gigantic bird nest made from driftwood, palm fronds and coconut tree trunks and is perched on a sandbar in the middle of the turquoise Caribbean Sea. The bar is named for the large flocks of pelicans which often rest there. Its owner, a local fisherman named Floyd Forbes, had a dream one night about a bar out at sea where he and his fishermen friends could sit and clean their fish or relax and have a beer.
Continue reading “Pelican Bar: The Coolest Bar in the World”
I hail from Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston, born unda di clock as we say– a colloquial expression which means one was born not too far from this Victorian-style 33-foot tall clocktower built in 1913! This clock marks the very centre of the parish capital, a crossroad between four major streets in Half-Way-Tree which was once the location of a large cotton tree and how the town got its name.
Continue reading “19 Times My Parish (St. Andrew) Left Me Awestruck”
Adventures from Elle 