robin@genrad.UUCP (Robin Connell) (06/29/83)
Has anyone out there ever been to Jamaica. How are the beaches, food, etc.?
esj@ihuxl.UUCP (06/30/83)
North shore of Jamaica is superb; don't know about Kingston. Don't eat anything billed as American food, the local cuisine is much better. I highly recommend the curried goat at Marguerite's in Montego Bay. (Sorry this is posted, my mail bounced.)
rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (07/01/83)
My wife and I honeymooned in Ocho Rios (north shore, about 1 and a half hours east of Montego Bay. The beaches were very beautiful, and Ocho Rios has a number of scenic spots, such as Dunn's River Falls, a nice Horticultural park, etc. The shopping in town is pretty varied, with the real bargains in wood carvings, art works, etc. Jamaica doesn't have the bargains of the Virgin Islands, as it is not rreally a duty-free port. For instance, while Jamaican rum is cheap, other liquors aren't. (Pick up some overproof rum (151-190 proofs available), such as Meyers, or Appleton.) The food was usually pretty good, and I can second the recommendation to try some of the goat dishes, as well as the capon dishes (basically a large chicken). The hotels tend to be elegant in the typical Caribbean way, with fancy service, but with rooms that lack some of the amenities that Americans have become used to (usually no TV, sometimes no AC). The hotel rrestaurants tend to be pretty formal at night in some places, requiring jackets, and having separate waiters for each course. You will have to ccontend with street hawkers in the shopping areas, bbut they're pretty friendly about it. Of course, the local bands play some great music, and there's nothing like going to a local bar that consists only of 4 poles, a roof, a jukebox thats chained to the ground, and a tarp to cover the jukebox when it rains really hard. One other kind of strange memory: the local coffee, Blue Mountain, is incredibly good, and I believe is highly regarded by coffee experts (which I'm certainly not, I just liked it). Bob Schleicher ihuxk!rs55611 Bell Labs, Naperville, Ill.