June 2004

Dear Readers,

Jamaica--it doesn't get much more romantic than this lush island. One of the first places we traveled together, the island gets more and more romantic each time we visit--even when the occasion of our visit is a tourism conference.

Last month, we traveled to Jamaica for the annual Jamaica Product Exchange or JAPEX conference, an event that brings together hoteliers, wholesalers, travel agents, and journalists. Last year, we attended in Kingston but this year the event was held at the beautiful Half Moon resort in Jamaica. Like any conference, it was fun to see old friends again at the three-day event, including hoteliers we knew from previous trips and fellow journalists from the US, UK, and Jamaica.

We stayed in a beachside cottage at Half Moon. These cottages were the original heart of the resort, winter houses owned by part-time residents who started the resort by renting out the facilities during the summer season. Today the resort has grown tremendously, from new, stylish suites to expansive villas fit for a king (and where you shouldn't be surprised to see the rich and famous.)

Our itinerary was a busy one. Along with press conferences and time on the floor talking with vendors, we enjoyed high tea at the Ritz Carlton resort just down the road.

One morning, we took golf lessons at Half Moon before exploring their world-famous course, one that's soon to get a facelift. The resort arranged for some putting practice for each journalist, with the help of the resort pros.

If you're familiar with the history of Montego Bay, you probably know about its most famous greathouse: Rose Hall. The greathouse was the home of Annie Palmer, called the White Witch of Jamaica, and is said to be haunted. Nearby stands Cinnamon Hill, the estate of the late Johnny Cash.

But there's another nearby great house that you may not know: Greenwood Great House. We took the opportunity one morning to tour the historic house that once belonged to the family of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Today the greathouse is a great option when you're ready to take a break from the beach. Guided tours give you a peek back at the history of this island. We also learned that Greenwood is available for destination weddings; more on that in coming issues!

We also enjoyed several evening parties, including one on the private island of Sandals Royal Caribbean and another at the shopping village of Half Moon. For the event, the open-air shopping plaza had been transformed into Carnival, complete with fire eaters and mocko jumbies.

After the conference, we took a quick post-trip to the island's South Coast, a completely different experience from the busy North Coast. Here life moves at a much slower pace and tourism is primarily centered around mom-and-pop hotels, villas, and guesthouses (although the new Sandals Whitehouse will premier here next winter. We had a peek at the property from the road and it's going to be beautiful.)

We traveled overland to the South Coast, stopping for lunch at Appleton Estates, home of the world-famous Appleton Rum. We toured the beautiful grounds of the facility before heading off to the community of Black River for a boat tour of the crocodile-infested river. The day was good for sighting the toothy residents; we saw over half a dozen!

Our final stop was our night's accommodation: Jake's. You might recognize this funky boutique hotel, part of Island Outpost, from its many fashion photo shoots. We were the ones taking the photos this trip, though; we wandered the grounds and photographed the unique accommodations which make this intimate property special before having dinner with the resort's co-owner, Jason Henzell.

All too soon, we were headed back across the island for the airport in Montego Bay. We're looking forward to writing about all the destinations we visited including details on what makes Jamaica such a top spot for romantic getaways and destination weddings.

Happy travels! Paris and John

Archived blogs