Jamaica--Negril Highlights

Rock House

Perched on the edge of a cliff, the Rock House in Negril offers amazing views of the ocean and nearby cliff divers. We stayed in one of the individual stone huts with a private terrace overlooking the water and pretty much did not move from our deck chairs all day.

These rooms have private baths with outdoor showers. The bed faces the water with beautful views.

The Rock House has a great restaurant and bar which gets packed at night. The hotel offers several perches and ladders to access the water although it was a little bit scary when the water was choppy. There's also a nice pool for the more risk adverse.

Idle Awhile

We split our time in Negril between staying at a hotel on the beach and staying at the Rock House. I recommend this low-key boutique beach front hotel, Idle Awhile if you want to feel the sand between your toes. It's also easier to swim from the beach than jumping off the cliffs. There is a private beach area where you can stake out a chaise lounge for the day. The hotel guard keeps the peddlers away if you aren't interested. We kept our eyes peeled for the juice man every day.

The hotel has nice big rooms with a private terrace in a garden setting. When you stay at this hotel you get free access to the Couples Swept Away sport complex, although we were so lazy we did not take advantage of this perk.

Sips and Bites

Right next door to the Rock House in Negril was a little roadside restaurant with amazing food. Our taxi driver recommended this place and we were just sad we didn't find it sooner. Perhaps even better food than we had in some of the nicer restaurants this place was a great deal. I really loved the soursop juice here as well as the daily specials.

Patty Shack

Another great meal in Jamaica was to just stroll down the beach for a couple of pattys. I loved the curry chicken patty with flaky crust. Great meal for less than $2!

Soursop

For a taste of Jamaica back home I really recommend SunTropics soursop juice. Also known as guanabana this juice tastes like pineapple, strawberry, and banana all rolled into one (with a little bit of citrus thrown in). Almost as good a fresh, this juice is not from concentrate and no high fructose corn syrup.

We were told in Jamaica that soursop is good for stomach ailments and parasites. I just like the taste of it.

I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks good and I may try it this summer:

Ginger Soursop Sorbet

3 cups frozen soursop pulp (available in asian markets), thawed

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Spiced Rum

3 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Process the soursop pulp in a blender or food processor. Pass through a sieve and return it ot the blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and puree. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions