Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Finding vacation beach rentals or just simply a room in Negril is easy enough but finding a cool spot to chill by the beach at an affordable rate year round is a trick unless of course you know Joseph at Westport Cottages right on Norman Manley Blvd. If you know about his international hostel and affordable beach accommodations just across the street from Negril Beach then you know where to go for one of the best values in an inexpensive room in Negril.

Budget travelers from around the world call Westport home during their stay in Jamaica and many have returned annually for many years. Some are simple backpackers looking for a cheap room near the beach for the night but many others are long term guests visiting Jamaica and the Negril area for a month or more. Still others are simply budget conscious vacationers looking for quick easy access the the world famous 7 Mile Negril Beach with it’s pristine white sand , crystal blue seas and year round sunshine.

No matter where they are from I have met some of the most interesting people while staying at Westport Cottages and it seems something about the place attracts an eclectic if not fun crowd of guests to get to know. The place is quiet and clean with daily room preps from none other than “Sista” the head of housekeeping and grounds care. She’s a kind honest woman who makes sure you sleep on clean sheets and a well kept room.

The rooms are rather basic and just what you need if you plan on spending most of your time actually visiting Negril and the beach. If you looking for a plush air conditioned place with tv and lots of other stuff then look elsewhere. If you are looking for an inexpensive beach rental nearby Negril Beach with a laid back and super cool atmosphere then call Joseph at Westport Cottages or use the Contact Us page for more details on where to stay in Negril Beach.

Rooms for rent in Negril Beach at Westport Cottages

Shared kitchen area at Westport Cottages

It was a beautiful start to the best time of year here in Jamaica. Spring Break 2009 was a success and Negril Beach was simply packed with college students and tourists from all over the world but especially the American schools.

Spring Break is always a big party in Negril but this year it seems everyone had a little extra fun. I don’t know if it was the extra heat or the reality of the global economic crisis that had everyone in a party mood but Negril was hot like fire each and every day. Maybe we all just needed a good time and it was easy to do here in Negril Jamaica.

The Spring Break travel services such as StudentCity.com and STSTravel.com brought down plane loads of college kids from all over America on spring break vacations and they drank themselves silly at The Jungle or Margaritaville just about every night. It looks like Monday Madness at The Jungle was voted best Spring Break Party for 2009 and the action was hot and heavy for every week in March.

If you are looking for the Spring Break parties in Jamaica then head over to Negril Beach each and every March for some fun in the Jamaica sun!

Spring Break Negril Pictures

Margaritaville Negril Beach Spring Break 2009

Spring Break girls having fun

Spring Break girls having fun on stage

Appleton Rum Party Spring Break

Drinking Grey Goose on Spring Break in Negril

Spring Break Negril Videos

Jennys and Jackos Favourite Cakes and Restaurant has been in the same spot on West End Road in Negril Jamaica for 30 years. Jennys and Jackos should really be called Dorothy and Jackos. Ms. Jenny passed on many years ago now but that spot was made famous as Jennys so when Jacko and his wife Dorothy took over they ripped down the old building and put in the new place while adding Jackos name to the sign and Mrs Dorothy now answers to the name Mrs Jenny far more often then her own name. Must be kinda weird for Tayon and Jennys other children who still live in the neighborhood to hear mommas name still used so long after she has passed on. I suppose thats a legacy of sorts.

Jennys is famous for its “special cakes” but popular for being the best value restaurant in all of Negril. It’s a locals restaurant that feeds the neighborhood and tourists alike. You’ll most often find the place packed with Jamaicans enjoying such island favorites as Ackee and Saltfish for breakfast and Brown Stew Chicken for lunch or dinner. Jennys has not only some of the most delicious food with generous portions but is down right cheap for the quality. The $200JA plate of Brown Stew Chicken is a heaping helping of vegetables, rice and peas and a chopped chicken quarter smothered in the delectable brown stew sauce. Not into brown stew? It’s all good cause Jennys does a mean Curry Chicken also.

Jennys is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with something on the menu for everyone. I have actually eaten more menu items but I always forget to take pictures for the blog. I know I had the Oxtail Stew and Curry Goat both of which were fantastic but no pics. I do have pics and write ups on each of these below though so enjoy. If you’re in Negril on the West End you should think about stopping by a real Jamaica eatery and dining with locals for the day at Jennys and Jackos. It’s located at the beginning of the cliffs just past Heartbeat Seaside Resort.

Ackee and Saltfish

I have no idea why but I never ate ackee and saltfish until this trip. Now that I think about things it may have been the idea that saltfish would not taste good for breakfast that kept me from ever trying any. I knew it was supposed to be the Jamaican national breakfast and everyone ate it but it was not very appealing to me at all. I forced myself to try it this go around and lo and behold it has become my favorite breakfast. I simply love the flavor and texture of an ackee and saltfish breakfast. The best deal on the menu is you ask me because for $250JA you get a heaping pile of ackee flecked with saltfish that has been deboned as best they can and the rest of your plate is covered in the most delicious steamed vegetables and dumplings. The breakfast plate comes with a mixture of steamed vegetables like green bananas, yellow yam, dasheen, plaintains, dumplings and of course a pile of callaloo. Soak it down with a glass of orange juice and its so sweet. Saltfish for breakfast is a unique flavor and you may better enjoy just a plate of ackee and callaloo if you’re not into fish.

Fish Tea Soup

I just love a cup of fish tea. It’s a spicy fishy broth usually laden with fish bones and odd fish parts that makes a simply scrumptious soup ato me. I really like a well made fish tea and Jennys is a great example. I do wish they would dice the vegetables smaller but thats a personal preference. I like to dice vegetables in a soup and stir it heavily to break up pieces and thicken up the broth. Jennys Fish tea tastes great and has a thicker consistency than most but its still kinda light for my tastes. I like to taste the fish in a fish tea and not have the overbearing peppers and spice flavor. Jennys fish tea is a great balance between spice and fish.

Conch Soup

I’ll start by saying I don’t prefer Jamaica style conch soup but I like it. I grew up in the Florida keys where we had Cuban style conch soup and I prefer the taste and texture of that. Cuban style or Key West Conch soup normally has loads of small bits of diced conch meat and a much different broth and flavor to it. Jamaican style conch soup has much larger and more flavorful pieces of conch meat in the soup but a lighter/waterier broth. I like the Jamaican conch soup and the larger pieces of meat but I think again I personally would prefer smaller pieces of conch diced into the broth and a long slow cook to thicken it up.

Brown Stew Chicken

I had never had brown stew anything until this trip to Jamaica. (I know, no ackee and no brown stew until now) I had also never eaten at Jennys until we arrived at Heartbeat Jamaica and our first lunch on the island together as a family was here. The first meal I ordered was the curry chicken because it was safe but my next meal was the brown stew and its been my favorite ever since. I love brown stew chicken and brown stew fish. I especially like the chicken though as I think it just works better that way. I have had rice and peas before but rarely tasted the coconut milk in the rice until I ate at Jennys. Now I understand how rice and peas are supposed to taste and I love it. I can actually eat brown stew chicken, rice and peas every day and save a fortune over cooking at home while eating better.

Here is the takeout order Brown stew chicken dinner from Jennys and Jackos

Brown Stew Fish

The brown stew fish dinner meal is much the same as the chicken except that the fish is not fresh cooked for you. The brown stew dressing is added to the fish already cooked for that day. It’s the way many Jamaican restaurants do fish, they cook the fish early on in the day and then put it on display for you often in a glass case. This makes the fish dry and hard most often but heating it up in some brown stew sauce actually helps it out. Brown stew is not my favorite way to do fish and I much prefer it steamed. Brown stew is better with chicken I think.

Steamed Fish

What’s not to like about steamed fish? That’s right nothing. What makes a good steam fish? I like the coconut. I prefer steamed snapper to begin with and yellowtail if possible. A steamed yellowtail snapper sounds good even right now. The steamed fish meals are prepared fresh and a great meal for lunch or dinner. Here is the fish I had for dinner just last night. Yes it has taken me over a month to finish writing this article and collect all the pictures of Jamaican food from Jennys.

Jennys Cakes

They say Ms. Jenny made the best cakes and you can still get a great slice of cake from Jennys and Jackos. I have noticed that Jamaican cakes are a bit more dry then I am used to but maybe that’s how Jamaicans like it. Almost every slice of cake I have had here was very dry but it could just be me and the heat during summer. I don’t care much for sweets in the heat but I choked down a couple slices of cake with the kids and enjoyed it. I was told Jennys has the best “special cakes” and you could find a nice slice of ganja cake if you asked nicely and didn’t look like a cop. A likle bird told me for $600 Jamaica you can buy a bigfat slice and have a great trip in Negril. ya unnastan mon?

Many of us will go to great lengths to plan the perfect Jamaica vacation and in most cases it comes at least close. Many of us will not plan properly for medical emergencies. It may have something to do with us not wanting to face the facts that something may happen to you or someone you care for while on vacation. It may be something else all together, no matter what reason you have for not planning for medical care or emergencies it’s not a good one. There isn’t one.

I brought along two emergency medical kits that I loaded with lots of extras. We have lots of bandages, sutures and supplies for minor cuts or bites. We have antihistamines, antacids, OTC pain relievers, cold and cough remedies and more. We brought a lot of stuff with us and I’m glad we did. I never expected we would use all of the stuff we brought but I knew it would cost a lot more here for the same things and I was right. Not only that but we’ve had a hard time finding things to replenish what we have used such as a triple antibiotic and gauze bandages for dressing the nasty bite on my leg. I was finally able to find a tube in the Fontana Pharmacy in Sav La Mar. I could not find any in Negril, Mobay or even Kingston although I only looked in 10 or 20 of the 100 or so pharmacies I’ve seen in Jamaica.

What passes for a pharmacy here should most often be classified as a trinket shop. Many of them don’t carry even basic medical supplies. I stopped in over a dozen shops asking for a roll of medical tape. Not a single one had any until I reached one in Kingston that had some. The Fontana pharmacy in Sav La Mar has some but Negril Pharmacy and Key West Pharmacy nearby have none. You can buy all sorts of other crap but not a roll of medical tape in Negril. The bite on my leg was serious and it hurt like hell. I was in some very serious pain and walking around Kingston to handle some business on the morning it hit me. I went into 4 or 5 different pharmacies in Uptown and Downtown Kingston and most told me that the strongest they had was over the counter and I knew that would do me little good. I was finally able to find one that had Panadiem in stock and he was willing to give me 10 pills to get me back to Negril on the next day. Those worked pretty good and did not make me very drowsy as many medications do for me.

I left Kingston and returned to Negril where my leg drained for 5 days after swelling up so large I could not walk on it. It was over a week of hobbling around on it and not a single doctor or pharmacist I showed it too would do more than an OTC pain reliever. My wife was not so lucky. She got bit by whatever got me also (we still assume they are bites with no real proof). She got two bites on her butt and they were pretty bad. They begin to swell from deep inside and there is only a tiny head on the boil as it forms. I lanced mine as soon as I saw the swelling take off, my wife held off on lancing and she regrets that now I bet. In her case after about 3 days the lumps got hot and hard, they were in such bad shape we knew she needed medical attention and soon but this was actually the day Hurricane Dean was to land and of course we had other things going on. We were deep into moving our stuff and dealing with the weather.

The day Dean hit she was in some pretty intense pain and we decided we needed to do something just afterwards. She contacted a few places but no one was open on the day after the storm. No one was interested in helping me with mine anyway so we felt we’d get much the same for hers. She contacted the hospital in Sav La Mar and they said they could deal with it right away and that they were not even that busy. We decided to drop her off the 2nd day after Dean struck and I left her there alone that morning. I honestly thought it was no more than a local anesthesia for the pain and then they would lance them open and drain them. I was wrong, they admitted her and said she would need surgery to deal with it. She spent the whole first day in the lobby and then waiting in a room with a woman who was apparently dying. The woman kept calling for Jah to come and save her. She said this went on for hours and it drove her nuts. When they came to do the surgery she was relived to get away from that woman. She was not fine for long though as she found out that they were not administering a local anesthesia but would in fact be putting her to sleep for the procedure. Now she was very scared, she just did not trust things to go well and they didn’t go so smoothly. My wife is not a religious person and the anesthesiologist seems to have been. She recited some prayers and even had out some beads and a cross as she administered the drugs to her. She told her that she had had a problem in the past with people underestimating her tolerance and she wanted to make sure the doctor gave her enough to knock her out fully. The doctor kept praying as she fell asleep. Sometime into the procedure she woke up and had to be re-drugged.

She woke the next morning still groggy from surgery but ready to leave the hospital. So it’s been a hectic ew days and we just had a Hurricane. Power was out for much of the island and every ATM we knew of was out of order. We had some cash but who knew how long we would need it. When she called the hospital my wife asked about payment and terms and she says they told her they could not refuse her services and she did not have to pay at time of service. We could pay later or make payment arrangements. We chose the hospital because we were worried about cash flow in the coming days and did not want to lay out a bunch of cash. Heck I had no idea what it would cost but with the way things cost here I expected the worst. I was sure it would cost us a thousand in US dollars or like 60 to 70 thousand Jamaican dollars. We’re not rich but I can normally pull that kind of cash from the bank but I would never have that much money on me for any reason. So anyway I went to the hospital to pick her up with no cash, no credit cards and only my drivers license on me plus about $2500 JA or about $40 US. I thought we’d grab some food in Sav and head back home. No need to carry around all my stuff and it’s safer in the room safe.

We get to the hospital to check my wife out and as soon as we arrive its static. First they won’t let her leave until she is seen by the surgical team to check the work from the night before. Trouble is the surgical team is busy and they may take a long time to come around. According to the girl in the bed next to my wife a lady sat there for two days waiting for them to come around and check her before she could be released. I was not waiting two hours much less two days to get her out of that place. I was there for 10 minutes and I felt dirty. The mosquitoes were thick and the thought of them biting some patient and then me or my children was too much. I tracked down the surgical team myself and informed them they needed to clear my wife as we were leaving. They agreed and about an hour later they came around and did their thing. It took about another hour for them to run the paperwork and so forth before we were handed a receipt and told to go. Since my arrival that morning I was very clear we were leaving and leaving soon. I wanted to be sure we left properly and were discharged in case we ever needed to return. If you leave without being properly checked out they can and will refuse service to you next time. So we waited until they discharged her.

The Sav La Mar hospital is like all other government buildings in Jamaica, covered in steel bars and security guards. The recovery rooms are actually in a multi story building behind admittance and under heavy security. All entrance and exits are locked or guarded by live security officers and each time we came or went it was through one main gate. There are I’m sure other ways in and out but we kept using the one with two guards that carried handheld metal detectors and police batons. As we approached the guards on the way out I was still carrying the bill in my hand and one of them told me that my wife would have to remain at the gate while I went up front to pay the bill. I told them I did not have the cash to pay it but I would gladly make arrangements to pay it soon. The guard told me that was not good enough, I was going to have to pay the bill in full or my wife was not allowed to leave. I told him he was wrong and he needed to check with the hospital because we were told over the phone we did not have to pay for services at that time. We went there for that very reason and did not carry the means to get the money with us. The guards were both pretty nasty with us and honestly I was just over it. I told the guard that I was walking through that gate with my kids in hand and I did not want any trouble. The male guard braced himself between me and the gate and refused us exit. I told them to go find and Administrator to discuss this with but they insisted on pushing me back instead.

I was becoming angry, which is never a pretty scene, and my kids were scared which made me angrier. I moved away from the gate and proceeded through the hospital looking for another way out. I walked through the maternity ward and found a rear exit but as we approached the same guard came running around the corner and slammed me back inside the building. Thats when I lost it. This man tackled me football style and dropped me on my ass. I jumped up and grabbed him. I pushed him and the big female guard bulldog style out the door and into a railing facing the parking lot. I slung my wife and kids out the door and over the railing into the courtyard as the guards regained their footing and starting whooping my butt with their metal detector and baton. The big girl grabbed my hair from behind and dropped to her knees yanking me backwards by the neck until I fell on my head and shoulders. The guy jumped over me and spun us all around as he dragged me back inside and and then placed a knee in my throat as be mashed me into a corner on the floor. The big girl sat on my chest and held my legs wrapped backwards as if to hogtie me. I sat there for a minute to collect my thoughts and figure out how this had happened to me and what to do next. My wife and kids were free. My wife was yelling for me and I told her to just leave, call the embassy and get me the heck out of there. I told her to call the cops because they were beating me and I was scared of what might happen to me. At least the cops wouldn’t kill me right?

So I sat for a minute to catch my breath but I could not breathe because this jerk had my throat blocked. I squeezed out a “I can’t breathe. Please get off my throat” before the jerk ground his knee in deeper and with more force. He actually totally blocked my windpipe and forced me to react. I grabbed him by the balls and yanked as hard as I could. I squeezed him hard and he yelled until the big girl grabbed and choked me. I let go of him and he grabbed his metal detector and proceeded to slam my elbow at least 10 times with some long full swings. I was sure it was broken but xrays reveal they are trained pros. He hit me on the tip of the elbow so it made it seem as if I fell on it but it was not broken. After he whacked me really good I was scared again because I had no idea how serious these people were and if they intended to really hurt me. So big girl starts talking smack and says some things like this is my fault and I’m crazy. She leaned over into my face as she held her arm against my throat and she looked into my eyes. I grabbed her by the ears and jammed my thumbs into her eyes. I actually had my thumbs down alongside her eyeballs at one point and contemplated scooping them out of the sockets but I knew that was over the top and I was going to jail for that. I still had hopes of avoiding jail and just walking away from this all and it would be hard to do so if I blinded one of them. I was still right and I was only defending myself so far. Gouging out eyes is beyond self defense in some peoples view, not mine but some people. Anyway I caused her enough pain to jump up off me and I started wrestling with him again on the ground when I was told the police had arrived. I laid down and waited for them to show.

The cops tried the same crap all pigs try. They start blaming you for everything right away and raise there voices. The lead cop got in my face and told me I was going to jail. I spun around and placed my hands behind my back and said lets go. I can’t wait to see a judge. I can’t wait to call the Gleaner and I can’t wait to meet your boss and the police attorneys when we got to court. Please take me to jail for defending my wife and kids from being kidnapped and held without our will. The cop was surprised to see that I was honestly not scared to go to jail in Jamaica if thats what it came to and I’m not. A jail in Jamaica has Jamaican men in it and I fear no man. So the cop sat me down and told me I was going to jail for damaging government property. I bent some aluminum shutters on a window trying to get out and I was to be charged with the crime. I told him that was fair, I did bend the shutters and it was a crime against the people of Jamaica. I needed to be punished and so did the two guards for kidnapping my family and assaulting me, in front of my children I might add. I would gladly pay for my crimes but I was expecting they would as well. I asked the police officers for the names of my attackers and they told me I was not entitled to them. I asked for a pen and I was told I could not have one. I was told to wait, they were discussing the situation with administration. I said that was great because I was trying to speak with them earlier. I think someone needs to clear up whats really going on. After about 15 minutes the lead police officer walked up to me and waived at the door. He said, “You can go. They can’t hold you and you don’t have to pay”.

I asked about the guards and the cops told me to leave. I told them I wanted to file a complaint and they told me to leave. What else could I do? I left. I got in my van and drove to the Sav La Mar police department where I filed a complaint on the male guard who’s name I was able to retrieve from his badge and Jane Doe accomplice, the big girl guard. I was given a slip and told to report to a hospital for a medical examination. I laughed and went home.

My wife needed to have her wounds redressed every day and the holes they cut into her needed to be packed. We returned to Negril and were advised to go to the Negril Medical Center on Norman Manley Blvd (Beach Road). Not only did they do a great job on her dressings but they had an x-ray machine to look at my elbow which passed inspection after being sent away to a specialist in Mobay. They looked over my arm and the cut I got in my leg and patched me up really nice.

I so wish we had simply waited and gone to see them instead of traveling to Sav La Mar and having the experience we did. If you are in Negril and have a minor medical emergency go to Negril Medical Center. If you have a major emergency and need a hospital go to Montego Bay Hospital and avoid the Sav La Mar hospital unless you’re dying and you want Jah to come and get you.

It’s worth mentioning that we’re staying at the Heartbeat Resort here in Negril Jamaica for long term. We were able to negotiate a very fair monthly rate and we’ll most likely stay right here at least until December anyway and most likely well into next year also. I’m hopeful that we’ll find our own place sometime next year but for now it’s nice to have a stable place and Heartbeat seems like a great choice to us. It’s great having a place to call home and being able to actually unpack and live in a place is better for us as a family I’m certain. The kids are very comfortable here and they have a nice group of local children to play with. It’s been a lot of fun for the kids and parents as well as we have enjoyed having them over to share and play with.

We’re located at the beginning of the cliffs basically and have the advantage of not only the cliffs to enjoy but easy sea access from the small nearby beach. Finding long term apartment rentals in Jamaica is actually fairly easy. All I had to do was ask around and I found that places like TheLTU and Westport Cottages offer great monthly rates for not only summer but even during season as well. You’ll need to contact a few places to determine what you like or you can Contact Us and we’ll be glad to ask around or take a look at any place in the area for you. Need some pics of a place? Hey why not? I’ll be glad to drop in and shoot some shots of any resort or vacation accommodation in Negril. Either way finding an affordable long term rental unit in Negril or Jamaica in general is very easy if you have time to hunt them down and do the research.