It was November 2011 when we took an all inclusive trip to Jamaica! The funny thing about this trip is that we hardly knew each other! In the second half of 2011 I was looking for a short holiday and asked my friends on Facebook where I should go: Jamaica or Cuba? All of a sudden a private message came up. It was Paul! (Who worked at a pool hall I went to quite often) He asked me why he wasn’t invited. So I joked and said that he could come. Not realizing that he would take me up on that offer. So a few months later we went to Jamaica. And that’s where our story begins… ❤ It was a dream come true to finally be there!! 

After seeing the movie ‘How Stella got her groove back’ I dreamed of going to Jamaica and seeing the sunsets with my own eyes, and they were even more beautiful than I could have imagined! This was my second all inclusive and we definitely made the most out of it! Paul never went to an all inclusive resort and he always wanted to go to a resort with a swim up bar, drinking a cocktail (okay, a few) while chillin’ in the pool. It was by far one of the best holidays we’ve had. Even though it was all inclusive we also wanted to see more of the country. So we jumped in the bus and headed down to the beautiful Seven Mile Beach. It was a perfect poster image: Chilling on the beach and playing in the beautiful turquoise Caribbean Sea. 

When traveling, you meet all sorts of people. Some on buses, maybe at airports, possibly in restaurants, definitely at bars and an all inclusive is not any different. However, we met a few locals in Jamaica, two cousins who worked at the resort: Frank and Kemoy. They offered to take us into town on their day off to see their local pub, where they hangout and meet their courier mate Blender, a really funny guy!!!

Paul offered to get the round in, and Kemoy got the drinks for us, while we waited outside. We gave him around $10. It was so cheap, because he came back with 6 bottles of Red Stripe, a pineapple mix drink and a bottle of 63% J.B. Rum, and change!! We had an amazing afternoon with the guys, chilling next to the water, playing pool, enjoying some good rum, listening to Bob and just having a laugh. This is the real Jamaica!!! 

After our afternoon with Frank, Kemoy and Blender at their local bar, it was time to head back to the resort. We were hungry!! Kemoy mentioned that his uncle’s restaurant made the best Jerk Chicken in Jamaica!! How could we refuse that?? So we drove for a bit and pulled in at the side of the road. Turns out his uncle’s “restaurant” was an open oil drum BBQ at the roadside with Smokey Joes painted across it. Joe was just as friendly and happy as the other guys. He told us to go sit down and relax while he was getting a plate of his famous Jerk Chicken. It was spectacular!!!! I don’t have a lot of references, but I’ll happily say it was the best jerk chicken in Jamaica. After finishing our chicken, served with rice, beans and bread, we headed back to the resort, full and very happy!

But we’re not done yet, because a visit to Negril wasn’t complete without visiting the World famous Rick’s Café!! So, the next day we hopped on the bus again and ventured out to see the most talked about bar in West Jamaica, and it was definitely worth it!! First off, the location, it was on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea!! Amazing!!

Second, diving. Yes! Professional divers entertained the people by flipping, and diving from very incredible heights. There’s even a place around 10 meters high that you can jump from yourself. Unfortunately, Paul was feeling unwell that day, so we didn’t jump. Maybe one day! We did enjoy a nice cold beer and nothing says Jamaican beer more than a cold Red Stripe! It was definitely worth the few hours out to see Rick’s Café, admiring the guts of the divers, enjoy a beer and watching the sunset over the Caribbean sea. ❤

Looking back on this trip, I’m happy that we experienced a bit of the real Jamaica, and we can’t wait to go back!

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