It was our inaugural Jamaican experience and we didn’t know what to expect. The villa caretakers, Courtney and Annette, were spectacular hosts beginning with Courtney picking us up from the airport in MoBay and driving us safely through the reckless and rugged interior of Northern Jamaica so we could see as much as possible. After two hours, we swerved off a rocky road directly to the beach and saw a spectacular herd of cows lazing in the sun under trees in front of what turned out to be our home for the stay. The villa was delightful, comfortable and had all we needed (Courtney took us to a grocery store in the way in) and the sleepy little location was right on the beach, with perhaps only two or three cars daily and many subdued zooming mopeds. The first night was a little loud; a normally quiet beachside bar/carryout played reggae all night at top volume. But the rest of the stay, the neighborhood reggae was a soft welcome backdrop to our days. There are things to do there but we didn’t do them. It was too perfect to have Annette come and make us breakfast, read in the sun and shade, walk, swim, eat and just unwind completely. Annette came and made a spectacular dinner one night and was delightful to talk with. We saw a few other vacationers once or twice, but the beach was ours. We felt cautious with the villagers we met but also very safe. When Annette was there, villagers would stop or ride by calling her name in greeting. It was both a testament to her good nature as well as a reason to know that she, and by proxy us, were in well-respected and safe hands. People were kind and generous and we intend to come back as soon as possible. On the plane going home, everyone else we talked to came from a big resort and hadn’t, really, seen Jamaica. We just met her, but this amazing and absurdly short first visit had made us fall in love with the country, the people, the beauty and definitely this particular spot on the map.
