A Jamaican Guide to Villas and Hotels

Planning a vacation in Jamaica, in the Caribbean? Here are some useful tips before you check out all the villas and hotels available.

1. Organize your trip so that you are there before June or after November. June-November is the official hurricane season in the Caribbean, though they frequently occur in August-October. May, and October-November can be rainy. Reserve rooms at villas and hotels well in advance if you are planning to go at Christmas time because it’s peak season.
2. While making reservations for villas and hotels, check if the hotel receives large groups of students, particularly if you are traveling during spring break. Pools, beaches, and restaurants are likely to be crowded in resorts during these times. Villas usually have their own pools.
3. Opt for villas and hotels in Montego Bay, famous for its beautiful beaches and fantastic seafood. Don’t miss a cruise on Calico or visiting the witch of Rose Hall before heading towards other parts of the country.
4. Another option would be to choose villas and hotels in Negril, and enjoy water sports or walk along Seven-Mile Beach
5. Ochos Rios is choc-a-block with villas and hotels like RIU Clubhotel Ochos Rios, particularly if you would like to try rafting in the White River, swimming with dolphins or visit water falls like Dunn’s River Falls and Mahoe Falls.
6. Reggae fans might want to visit the Bob Marley Centre and Mausoleum near Alexandria.
7. From the historic town of Port Antonio, you can visit a working plantation or go rafting on Rio Grande. While in Port Antonio, taste some mouth-watering Jamaican food at Norma’s on the Marina.
8. Don’t forget to set your taste buds alight with the fiery Jamaica Jerk chicken/pork/fish cooked in charcoal pits, be it from seaside stalls and in some of Jamaica’s finest restaurants.

Horse Riding Holidays - Back to Our Roots

Horse riding holidays take us back closer to our roots and probably that is one of the reasons why they are becoming so popular. It is only a century since noisy motor vehicles began to pollute our atmosphere and it hasn’t given mankind time to really evolve enough to adapt to this radical change in travel. Air travel is even worse and more recent, resulting not only in jet lag, but in total disruption of the human psyche. Riding holidays give one time to adjust to different climates, time zones, altitudes and local habits.

There is another tremendously beneficial aspect of horse riding holidays and that is the exercise involved. It insures a good appetite and helps with sound sleep at night. It also helps keep us fit and usually gives us a longer life expectancy than sitting in a car would have done, especially if you happen to be one of the 50,000 or so people in the US who get killed every year in car wrecks. The therapeutic effects of riding are certainly good for the back, the legs, the lungs and the heart, but it doesn’t stop there: it is wonderful for the human sense of well being. Horse riding increases one’s confidence and conveys a sense of companionship and belonging. A horse riding holiday is just what the doctor ordered.