Little Ochie, Manchester

Jamaica is blessed with a tropical maritime climate, so we enjoy easy year-round access to freshly caught seafood. Several mom-and-pop stalls and restaurants will prepare this seafood to order, but a few stops have become cultural landmarks cemented in the homes and hearts of most Jamaican households and are even marketed to foreigners as must-see stops. Like most Kingstonians, my usual seafood stops are Port Royal, Hellshire or Port Henderson Road due to their closer proximity, but I’ve always heard of Little Ochie Seafood Restaurant in Alligator Pond, South Manchester. Why? Well, they are said to be one of the best and the oldest so Little Ochie has become somewhat of a household name. Thus, I was more than excited to turn what was originally intended to be a Treasure Beach stop into dining at this seafood stalwart and quintessential Jamaican restaurant.

Continue reading “Little Ochie, Manchester” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle26 Comments

How I Pulled Off A Successful Blogmas

If you haven’t already figured it out, Blogmas is blog + Christmas fused to form one word which will hopefully get added to the Thesaurus one day. Blogmas is how bloggers celebrate the festive season, dedicating to be more consistent to our craft for the month of December. Posts may be festive-themed or not, daily or on alternate days, but basically there’s just a whole lot more content on our blogs than usual for Blogmas. Blogmas is meant to be enjoyable for both blogger and reader alike, however, the stress of having to create content on a rigid schedule and more frequently than many of us usually post can be stressful, and people often either give up halfway during the challenge or choose not to take it on despite daydreaming about how awesome it would be. Read on for three easy ways to pull off your own Blogmas next year successfully if you’re a content creator, and if you’re not? Well, this post may still be an interesting read for you to understand how I managed to put out relatively consistent content despite my busy work schedule.

Continue reading “How I Pulled Off A Successful Blogmas” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle20 Comments

Discover Christmas in Jamaica: Food, Traditions & Celebrations

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Hopefully you sang that line. I absolutely adore Christmas: the carols, the food, the festive cheer and the religious significance. Without the birth of Christ, there would be no Christianity. Of course, no one knows exactly when on the Gregorian calendar Christ was born, and the date chosen to commemorate His birth may have been to replace a pagan winter solstice feast centuries ago when Rome was trying to Christianize its populace, but nonetheless, the date has taken on a very special meaning for most Christians across the world. How Christmas is celebrated varies from country to country. A few posts ago I’d shared what several bloggers across the world had to say about their favourite part of the holidays here; now I’m sharing what’s unique to Christmas in Jamaica and my favourite parts about how we celebrate the holidays.

Continue reading “Discover Christmas in Jamaica: Food, Traditions & Celebrations” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle37 Comments

What to Expect While Off The Beaten Path In Jamaica

Adventures from Elle was founded nearly four years ago as a creative outlet where I could share my travel experiences with other like-minded individuals who wanted to enjoy Jamaica’s hidden treasures. Since then, I’ve expanded my niche to include more ‘touristy’ destinations because sometimes commercialized spots are easier to visit, but off-the-beaten-path gems remain my first love. In this post I share the good, the bad and the ugly about exploring off-the-beaten-path in Jamaica because it’s really not for everybody. However, if you make the venture, you’ll be glad you did.

Continue reading “What to Expect While Off The Beaten Path In Jamaica” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle29 Comments

Chatting with 5 Creative Jamaican Medics (Part I)

You’d never believe how often I get asked about how do I make time to blog as a doctor. People are often in awe, and I get it. The hours are horrible, but we are human too with other talents, interests and callings besides medicine, ranging from cooking, baking, sewing and more! Today I feature five talented medics who are doing amazing things while balancing their careers in medicine.

Continue reading “Chatting with 5 Creative Jamaican Medics (Part I)” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle21 Comments

Giving Back In Jamaica This Christmas

One of the things I adore about Christmas is the increased service and volunteerism at this time of year. There are tonnes of Christmas drives and I get nostalgic remembering the high school tin food drives I used to host annually by that great institution located at 105 Hope Road for the Mustard Seed Community. Donating our time, talents and in cash or kind shows how much a little, when done consistently, can make a significant impact. There’s a lot to gain from living a selfless life and God blesses the cheerful giver.

Continue reading “Giving Back In Jamaica This Christmas” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle10 Comments

Jamaican Stocking Stuffers

Is there anyone out there that dislikes getting gifts? I hope not. I’m a sentimental person so tiny trinkets are great, but those mostly tend to gather dust. Instead, I’m a sucker for functional and practical gifts. I also enjoy supporting local brands and small businesses, so I thought I’d compile a list of some of my favourite local companies which offer great products that would double as practical gifts. Most of these brands I’ve used personally and enjoyed, and the rest come highly recommended from friends. These items are small enough to serve as stocking fillers so take out those stockings from last Christmas, dust them out and let’s get ready to fill! I’m 100% sure all these gifts will be loved– none of them will end up regifted in the New Year.

Continue reading “Jamaican Stocking Stuffers” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle28 Comments

Where To Enjoy Seasonal Eats & Drinks This Christmas

2020 has been an eventful year and not for the right reasons, but Christmas isn’t cancelled! If there’s one month which can save 2020, it will be December, and not because it’s the only month left. The festive season is my favourite season of the year— the religious significance, the get-togethers and parties, the cheer, the charity, the decorations, the gifts and best of all, THE FOOD! I love the aromas and flavours of the festive season: the rum-spiked sorrel, the Christmas cake made from fruits marinating in red label wine for months, the ham, candy canes, Christmas cookies, egg nog, and knowing that my favourite dishes will be on the Christmas breakfast and dinner table. As if those weren’t already enough reasons to look forward to the holidays, many restaurants and eateries across the country have joined the festivities to deliver delicious seasonal treats on their menus. Here are my recommendations for where to enjoy festive flavours for 2020.

Continue reading “Where To Enjoy Seasonal Eats & Drinks This Christmas” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments

What’s Elle Up To?

I decided to do this check-in post for my consistent readers who may be wondering where I am and how I’m doing. I’m alive and well, just busy, so I haven’t posted all month. I’ve been posting consistently on my blog’s new Instagram account though which is inching closer to its first thousand followers and I’m happy about that. If you use Instagram, and aren’t already following, please go follow right now!

Continue reading “What’s Elle Up To?” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle23 Comments

Rediscover Jamaica at The Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites

The Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites in Montego Bay on Jamaica’s North Coast is a five-star all-inclusive hotel that prides itself on luxury as much as safe and responsible tourism. Jamaica reopened its borders on June 15, but in spite of this, there has been a huge push for locals to explore home and experience the sights, scents and tastes of Jamaica which are not often marketed to us. This campaign by the Jamaica Tourist Board is known as Rediscover Jamaica and has been hailed as a huge success thus far, with more and more locals making reservations at the country’s leading resorts, and is possibly the largest wave of locals exploring yaad. This uptick in ‘staycations’ is also due in part to the numerous deals and specials put in place by these large all-inclusive hotels to appeal to a local crowd, and I’m here for it! Millions of people save for months and years to afford a trip to Jamaica, while Jamaica is our birthright. With that said, if you’re looking for another great location for your next staycation, look no further than Iberostar.

Continue reading “Rediscover Jamaica at The Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites” →

Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle23 Comments