Port Royal: From Pirate City to Sleepy Village

Let’s talk about the Wickedest City of the West during her glory days, shall we? Nowadays, Port Royal is a sleepy fishing village located fifteen minutes away from Kingston’s international airport. There are still tourists who believe that Port Royal is a fictional place even after watching Pirates of the Caribbean. This article covers the rise and fall of Port Royal, how to plan a visit to the present-day town, the Giddy House and Fort Charles Maritime Museum. If you’re staying in another end of the island besides Kingston, consider booking a tour through Get Your Guide (includes transport).

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle15 Comments

Dunn’s River Falls, Saint Ann

Dunn’s River Falls and Park is a state-run tourist attraction featuring a natural waterfall, beach, park and hiking trail along Jamaica’s north coast. It has been minimally modified with cement to create footholds, making it safer and easier for tourists to climb but that’s about it. The waterfall is not man-made. If the tiers seem too perfect to believe that they are natural, that’s because Jamaica’s limestone richness and our abundant rivers create magic when they meet, carving out thousands of caves and dozens of perfectly tiered cascades throughout the whole island which are a sight to behold. They didn’t name Jamaica from the Arawakan word Xaymaca meaning ‘land of wood and water’ for nothing. April 2018 was my first visit to Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, Saint Ann, and now you can accomplish your own Dunn’s River trip with Get Your Guide.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle13 Comments

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, Saint Andrew

Jamaica’s Tourism Linkages Network through the Ministry of Tourism is on to something big with this one. The inaugural Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival is a three-day weekend affair with the main event taking place on Saturday March 24 at the cool historic military training centre of Newcastle in the Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP).

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle10 Comments

Cecil Charlton Park, Manchester

Mandeville is one of Jamaica’s more developed towns. The town is peaceful and laid-back compared to Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica’s two cities. I’m sure the residents like that a lot since Mandeville and by extension the cool cool parish of Manchester is a popular settlement for Jamaica’s returning residents. Named for former Mayor of Mandeville the late Cecil Charlton, the park’s transformation has been an ongoing initiative of the Manchester Parish Council since 2012. In these few years, the park has transformed from a mere refuge of the homeless to one which is worthy of civic and even national pride. Lying smack in the middle of the town square, this tiny attractive park brings a breath of fresh air and offers a great opportunity to learn more of Mandeville’s history. If you’re ever in this neck of the Jamaican woods, take a stroll here and even a seat for a few minutes.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle11 Comments

Empowerment Park, Clarendon

If you’ve ever taken a south coast Jamaican trip, you should know of the Juici Patties Restaurant in Clarendon Park. It’s the perfect stop for a bathroom break and for grabbing food and drink on the go. However, just behind the restaurant is Empowerment Park, a verdant well-tended space which I’ve never noticed before! That’s what happens when you’re hurrying too much in life. I wasn’t hurrying today so I noticed the park and thought I’d share it with you. Much like Emancipation Park in the city of Kingston, Empowerment Park enjoys a similar ambiance. Empowerment Park was officially opened on Sunday July 10, 2016 with the aim of promoting peace and providing a chill spot in this side of the island.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle13 Comments

Trench Town Culture Yard, Saint Andrew

Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston pulsates to the beat of reggae music and its raunchier cousin, dancehall music. Both genres originated here so opportunities to enjoy and learn about their origins in Kingston are endless. Bob Marley is indisputably the world’s most famous Rastafarian and reggae’s most celebrated son. Born in the rural district of Nine Miles, St. Ann, Kingston can’t take credit for his birthplace but it can for his rise to fame. Bob Marley and his immediate family relocated to Trench Town, Kingston at age 12 in search of a better life.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle4 Comments

Self-Care Manifesto | 100 Ways to Self Care

I promised Rochelle I’d be her biggest supporter for 2018. This started as 5 simple resolutions with my best friend; one goal: self-care as she accurately documents here. A lot were resolutions I’ve already had in the past and things I usually did well with, but of course, it’s only human to fall from the bandwagon sometimes and drift towards less than optimum habits.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle11 Comments

Bath Mineral Spring, Saint Thomas

The rural community of Bath in St. Thomas is teeming with history and beauty, home to Jamaica’s oldest botanical garden and a mineral spring by the same name. Legend has it that the bath was discovered in the 1600s by a runaway slave with leg ulcers. He stumbled across the spring, used it to wash his wounded limb then noticed the next day that his leg was rapidly healing. He shared the good news then stories of the fountain spread, soon attracting visitors from islandwide. 

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle27 Comments

Bath Botanical Gardens, Saint Thomas

Established in 1779, the rural community of Bath in Saint Thomas is home to the Caribbean’s oldest botanical garden after the botanical garden in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Two and a half centuries later Bath Botanical Garden may not be as well-kept as it once was but it’s certainly a beautiful national treasure worth visiting. Many foreign plants which we have since made our own were first planted here. These include flowers like the croton, jacaranda and bougainvillea, and foodstuff like cinnamon, ackee, otaheite apples, jackfruit and breadfruit– the delicious Jamaican staple which I couldn’t imagine our cuisine without! Jamaica has four public botanical gardens. Last year I visited Hope Gardens’ newest addition of the Harmonious Enjoyment Garden and also explored Castleton Botanical Gardens, Jamaica’s second oldest botanical garden. Thus, Cinchona Botanical Gardens in the hills of St. Andrew is my only garden left to visit.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle7 Comments

James Bond Beach: Ian Fleming’s Favourite Getaway in Jamaica

I’ve never read nor watched a James Bond book or movie but living in Jamaica, the character is familiar because of locations like this beach immortalizing his name. James Bond Beach is found along Jamaica’s northeastern coast in the quaint scenic town of Oracabessa, St. Mary. This beach is part of the late Ian Fleming’s estate, writer of 007. He lived nearby in Goldeneye, now an exclusive luxury resort, so James Bond Beach was one of his frequented swimming spots. The beach keeps its affiliation to Fleming and his series rather low-key but for true fans, swimming where your idol once did should be thrilling enough.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle38 Comments