Event Update: Jamaica Restaurant Week 2010 (Part 2)Thousands of foodies flocked towards numerous Jamaican eateries during Restaurant Week 2010 (November 13-20) and Island Buzz was there to capture just a portion of the treats served up on the menus for your viewing pleasure. Jamaica is already well known for its own unique brand of spices and savory dishes but it might be a lesser known fact that the island is also home to a number of restaurants boasting cuisines ranging from Greek to Italian, Asian and Mediterranean. It is for this purpose that once a year restauranteurs offer discounted meals to the public to introduce those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of tasting it to the many cuisines available on the island. We visited Gimbilyn Restaurant at Alhambra Inn in Kingston for a peek at a superb twist on classic Jamaican food. From there it was on to The Grog Shoppe at Devon House to meet up with local and international travel and food bloggers, radio personalities and print media journalists invited by the Jamaica Tourist Board just to sample the collection of scrumptious cuisine available during restaurant week. November 30, 2010 at 4:45 pm | Jamaica Events, Jamaican Food, Where to Eat | No comment Vacation Themes: Off the Beaten Path: Scatter Falls and Fox CavesArguably the most beautiful and scenic part of Jamaica, Port Antonio in Portland was founded in 1729, and was many years ago the heart of Jamaica’s tourism industry. In recent years visitors have more frequently flocked towards the island’s West Coast for a taste of the wide spectrum of sights and activities to be found there, leaving Port Antonio free to stake its claim as one of the best “off the beaten path” destinations in Jamaica.
Here one gets a feel for the culture, the people, and the natural attributes of the real Jamaica. With it’s navigable rivers, twin harbors, waterfalls, freshwater blue holes and so much more presenting ample opportunities for snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, river and sea rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, biking, hiking, boat tours and deep-sea fishing (to name a few) Port Antonio is almost like an island all to itself. The Rio Grande River and the river valley, lying within the Blue Mountain range, are among the region’s natural assets and it is in this valley that you will find the Scatter Falls and Fox Caves. November 30, 2010 at 1:58 pm | Off the Beaten Path, Vacation Themes, What to Do | No comment Event Update: Jamaica Restaurant Week 2010 (Part 1)Jamaica’s sixth annual Restaurant Week 2010 (November 13-20) was a culinary dream come true. Showcasing the extensive range of creative cuisines available on the island the event spanned across Jamaica’s three major cities; Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay and saw a massive 60 restaurants relishing the opportunity to offer delicious discounted three course meals to lucky diners across the island. We decided that while we couldn’t cover all 60 participating restaurants we would still visit a few just to give you all a taste of what you may have missed. Here’s Part 1 of our coverage of Jamaica Restaurant Week 2010, for your viewing pleasure: From Gourmet Ackee and Saltfish Pizza to Blackforest Cheesecake Jamaica’s chefs are filled with creative ideas for the thrill-seeking palette. We visited Raffael’s Gourmet Pizzeria to see what cheesy savory goodness they were serving up on their specialized Restaurant Week menu. Then it was on to Susie’s Bakery to see what delicious desserts they had in store for those with a sweet tooth during Restaurant Week 2010. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our coverage to see what other great Jamaican restaurants were featured. November 28, 2010 at 6:01 pm | Jamaica Events, Where to Eat | No comment Events: Reggae Marathon 2010The Reggae Marathon & Half Marathon is Jamaica’s premier International Marathon Event and has seen participants from over 21 countries flying in just for a piece of the action. Each year marathoners, sports enthusiasts and even beginners, converge in Negril, Jamaica’s capital of casual, for a fun event characterized by good vibes and lots of Reggae Music.
Set for December 3-5, 2010 this year’s 10th Anniversary celebrations include live bands on the course, an internationally rated gourmet Pasta Party, a 3 Day Marathon Expo featuring the best of Jamaica’s art & craft along with runner related products and The Village Bash & Victory Party to cater to the party goers. Both the Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K start at Long Bay Beach Park situated along Negril’s famed 7-mile white sand beach. The course loops into the town of Negril then heads north towards the town of Green Island. The course is an IAAF certified marathon, half marathon and 10K course and is described as flat. The course is also open to runners and walkers for seven hours. November 28, 2010 at 3:03 pm | Jamaica Events | 1 comment Travel Resources: The JAMNAV GPS Navigation MapPerfect for locals and tourists alike. JAMNAV is a GPS navigation map developed and released by Mona GeoInformatics (MGI) at the UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica, developed for use in the island. It offers users real time, street-level, turn-by-turn voice-assisted navigation across the island. A great tool especially for the spontaneous, off the beaten path back-packing tourist. Simply choose from a wide variety of Jamaican points of interest and head out on an authentic adventure. It’s convenient and completely eliminates the need for those giant fold-away maps!
With detailed coverage in rural as well as urban areas covering over 9,000 miles of roads and 46 major towns travelers are able to move around with a greater sense of security and confidence. There is data on 15,000 named locations across Jamaica, arranged in 68 categories. The extensive list of locations includes hotels, attractions, restaurants, lighthouses, libraries, embassies, museums, parks, bar, nightclubs, gas stations, shopping places, banks, ATMs, hospitals, police stations and much more. November 26, 2010 at 8:46 pm | Travel Resources | No comment Fan Friday: The Top 5 Facebook Fan Comments of the Week!Today marks the first installment of our weekly “Fan Friday” feature! Each week we’ll be selecting five of the best fan posted comments on videos and articles posted to our Visit Jamaica Facebook Fan Page and publishing them right here on Island Buzz just to let you all know we’ve been listening and we appreciate all your great feedback.
The 17th webisode of Jamaica’s number one travel series “Pon Di Road in Jamaica” featured a very popular, savory Jamaican treat found in Junction St. Elizabeth; Peppered Shrimp. Here’s what some of you had to say about “Pon Di Road # 17 – In Junction“: Elizabeth Benjamin: “Memories of trips to Westmoreland for summer holidays with family at Frome and getting this special treat, then family bringing this north to me…..freezing it and rationing a few daily while still frozen. shrimp popsicles my nephew calls it.” November 26, 2010 at 6:52 pm | Fan Friday | No comment What to Do: Dolphin Cove, JamaicaIf you’ve ever wondered what it was like to swim with dolphins or sharks, then Dolphin Cove in Jamaica is the place to find out what a thrilling experience that is. With two locations (in Ocho Rios and in Lucea, Hanover) Dolphin Cove is Jamaica’s number one marine attraction. It has all the makings of a great family adventure; offering the excitement of interacting with not only bottlenose dolphins, but stingrays, snakes, iguanas and a host of colourful tropical birds as well!
Adjacent to the world famous Dunn’s River Falls, Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios is an idyllic 5 acre tropical retreat, set against the backdrop of Jamaica’s picturesque North Coast. Here, in addition to swimming with the dolphins, sharks and stingrays, guests can also captain their own mini-boat or go glass-bottom kayaking to explore the fascinating underwater world of the Caribbean Sea. The 20 acre property in Lucea is the largest natural dolphin lagoon in the world. Dolphin Cove is tailored to your tastes, offering various programs which feature different levels of interaction with the dolphins, from touching the dolphins as they swim pass your feet to being dragged through the lagoon, holding on to their fins. The dolphins really communicate with you, even allowing you to hug them and rub their bellies. November 25, 2010 at 8:02 pm | What to Do | No comment News & Updates: Grammy Award Winning Pop-Rock Band Maroon 5 To Headline Jamaica Jazz & Blues FestivalGrammy award-winning pop-rock band Maroon 5 is set to headline the 15th anniversary of the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival. The event will be held from January 23 – 29, at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, located just east of the island’s tourist capital, Montego Bay. The popular Los Angeles-based quintet, which this fall released its third studio album, Hands All Over, has built a growing industry and fan base since 2002, selling over 10 million albums in the United States and 15 million worldwide.
The three-time Grammy award-winners Maroon 5, who are set to grace the stage of this world-renowned music festival, captured the attention of audiences worldwide with Songs About Jane, a record filled with hybrid-rock, funk and R&B. The multi-platinum album spawned the Billboard hits, “This Love,” “Harder to Breathe” and “She Will Be Loved.” The band’s second critically acclaimed album featured collaborations with Rihanna and Mary J. Blige, and produced the smash hits “Makes Me Wonder” and “If I Never See Your Face Again.” November 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm | Jamaica Events, News & Updates | No comment Pon Di Road Weekly Roundup: Pon Di Road #17- In JunctionCalee and Stephen are an eccentric pair of travel enthusiasts hell bent on uncovering just about every Jamaican travel treasure and sharing their adventures with the whole world. With so many wonderful things to experience on this deceptively small island we can’t say that we blame them (or that we mind). The “Pon Di Road” webisodes keep rolling in and a new one premiere’s tomorrow! Just in case you missed their last adventure, here is the roundup of “Pon Di Road #17 – In Junction”: Fresh from parasailing at Cosmo’s Beach and a relaxing couple’s massage atop the limestone cliffs of Negril’s scenic west end at The Caves Resort. Calee and Stephen head for Junction in St. Elizabeth, on Jamaica’s South Coast. A more laid back, eco-friendly environment the South Coast is a haven for travelers looking for a blissful off the beaten path vacation. Junction in particular is known for its tasty roadside peppered shrimp (crayfish) caught in Jamaica’s longest river, the Black River; home to numerous wildlife including the endangered American Crocodile. November 24, 2010 at 11:36 am | JTB TV, Jamaican Food, Where to Eat, Where to Visit | No comment Vacation Themes: Family: Coyaba River Gardens & Mahoe FallsJust 1 1/4 miles outside of the bustle of central Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on the hill overlooking the Bay is a place literally called ‘heaven’; Coyaba River Gardens and Mahoe Falls. Named after the Arawak word for paradise, these spectacular tropical gardens feature a beautiful limestone waterfall, panoramic views of the coast, exquisite Jamaican/Spanish architecture, guided tours, a natural aquarium, and a museum of island history to boot! With so much to offer there’s no wonder it’s such a great setting for everything from a quiet picnic for two (or twenty) to a blissful wedding ceremony surrounded by the natural beauty of Jamaica’s interior.
You can choose to keep yourselves busy climbing waterfalls, or take an interactive, expertly guided walk through time with the kids in a museum displaying pre-Columbian Arawak and Spanish artifacts. Built on the grounds of a historic farm (the Shaw Park Plantation) that dates back to the earliest days of Britain’s colonial age in Jamaica the gardens are also home to an aquarium with visibility to koi carp, mullet, snappers and turtles swimming in their natural habitat. There’s even a wide spot in the stream that visitors can use as a “swimming hole” if they’re so inclined. It’s perfect for anyone who appreciates flora, fauna and natural beauty combined with the serenity of a genuine water garden. A wonderful place for a family vacation, the change in seasons are marked only by newly flowering plants and trees and the proud peacocks strutting around will only add to your child’s delight. November 23, 2010 at 6:40 pm | Vacation Themes, What to Do, Where to Visit | No comment |
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