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Travel review: Shaken and stirred in Jamaica
GREAT SUNSETS: Negril Beach.
Roger Crow heads to the Caribbean for some movie magic and a chance to follow in his hero’s footsteps.
Remember that moment in Dr No when Ursula Andress emerges from the Jamaican surf in a white bikini singing Underneath The Mango Tree?
Of course you do. It’s one of the world’s most iconic movie scenes.
For a film fan like myself it was hard not to be reminded of countless 007 references while holidaying in Jamaica, the birthplace of James Bond.
Ian Fleming penned all of his classic spy novels there at a time when many of us were mere twinkles in our parents’ eyes.
As my wife and I travelled by coach from Montego Bay to the coastal resort of Negril for the start of a few days in paradise, I had my first cinematic flashback to Roger Moore driving a bus around the island in Live And Let Die.
Jet-lagged and more than a little saddle-sore, our 50-mile journey came at the tail end of an epic trek from Yorkshire to Jamaica, via London and Miami.
You can fly direct to Montego Bay, but a mixture of trying to get the most economic flights and flying on a certain day due to work commitments meant going round the houses.
However, the mammoth jaunt was well worth it, because Negril is a jewel in the Caribbean crown.
My desire to visit Jamaica came, not from a lifelong obsession with Bond’s birthplace, but my brother-in-law’s wedding taking place at a neighbouring resort.
Admittedly my knowledge of the island was modest. Home to Fleming’s writing retreat Goldeneye, music legend Bob Marley, Island Records, Red Stripe lager and rum just about covered the bases, but I was keen to find out more.
Lofty
On arrival at Breezes Grand Resort & Spa, an idyllic holiday destination, we briefly marvelled at the lofty marble entrance hall, before heading to our luxurious suite for a well-deserved rest.
I always like arriving at new places by night to sustain the suspense of my new surroundings until dawn.
So following supper on our apartment’s patio, we collapsed in a hugely comfortable bed for a good night’s sleep.
The following day was a welcome revelation. What we’d thought had been a wave machine lapping a few feet from our front door (it had been pitch black out there) was the bay itself, offering a stunning view that looked like something from a travel brochure.
Recovering from our immense journey was a treat. Grabbing a beer from the fridge and jumping into the hot tub on the open-air patio, we soon began to enjoy life, and while I could have easily spent my days lying there, or on the resort’s trademark sandy beach (carefully raked every day at the crack of dawn to remove detritus), the chance to emulate scenes from Thunderball was too good to resist.
Of course, in the 007 movies Commander Bond slips on an aqualung as easily as a dinner jacket and makes flippers look cooler than Italian shoes. But although I was surrounded by a backdrop worthy of any glamorous spy, making the leap from pool swimmer to amateur ocean diver was a little harder than I expected.
I’d never worn an aqualung, let alone a weight belt or emptied a flooded face mask underwater, so trying to juggle that lot and not fall over in clown-style flippers had me looking more Austin Powers than Bond.
In all honesty, I probably could have done with longer than half an hour’s training in the resort’s swimming pool, but as my stay in paradise was brief, I decided to sample the wonders of Jamaica’s hidden depths as soon as possible.
Sub-aquatic
Whisked off by boat to the middle of nowhere, my fellow divers (all seasoned Americans who looked like they’d trained with Jacques Cousteau) vanished beneath the waves a few minutes after the boat’s engines stopped.
It was clear I wouldn’t absorb any of their sub-aquatic skills by osmosis so, with my heart in my mouth, I took the plunge.
For the brief time I did spend underwater, the view was stunning; like some high-definition documentary. But it didn’t help that the movie Open Water (a low-budget shocker about a couple of scuba divers accidentally abandoned by their absent-minded boat crew) was unspooling in my head.
‘This is incredible,’ I thought, as I held my nose to depressurise and followed a guide rope to the ocean floor.
Alas, as water rose inside my face mask and my weight belt headed south toward my knees, I realised I was in over my head, in more ways than one, and extracted myself as quickly as possible.
But even sub-standard aquatic endeavours deserve a reward, so once safely ashore I headed in the direction of food.
Of the six restaurants on site, Munasan was a rare treat. This teppanyaki and sushi restaurant featured a top chef preparing mouth-watering food on the cooker before us and his theatrical pyrotechnics enlivened the dining experience no end. That good old takeaway staple, egg fried rice, has never tasted so good.
With great food, drink and pampering on tap, it’s little wonder so many visitors spend the duration of their stay in this all-inclusive resort. However, a wealth of wonders on your doorstep are also worth checking out.
You can visit Appleton Estate, a local rum production outfit, or join plenty of other tourists in climbing Dunn’s River Falls, a famous waterfall nearby, which acts like a rocky staircase. It’s worth booking tours early as they tend to sell out fast.
My favourite was Rick’s Cafe, a famous tourist attraction a few miles from our hotel that has been pulling in the punters for decades, due to its incredible cliffside location and stunning views.
We could have hired a car and driven there, but aside from the dangers of getting lost I prefer a running commentary from someone who knows the area.
Luckily we were driven by Denton Wright, an eloquent 50-something local driver whose knowledge of the island was enviable and enhanced our journey no end.
While en route, he pointed out vendors selling hand-crafted goods. No mass-produced trinkets these, but works of art. Their sale helps to feed local families so you’ll get a warm feeling inside with each purchase.
I’d recommend getting to Rick’s Café a couple of hours before sunset, dining at the restaurant and having a tipple while watching local daredevils diving into the crashing surf, listening to great music and mingling with other thrilled sightseers.
Also, the light in this region is extraordinary, so by the time the sun goes down it becomes one of those sights you never forget, especially if, like me, you’re obsessed with photographing great sunsets.
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