@JohnNYC - that's right. Still looks the same though I'm sure it's been repainted a few times!
@Beachbums - yes they were. Wish they were still there! Kuyaba doesn't have swings at their bar anymore either
@JohnNYC - that's right. Still looks the same though I'm sure it's been repainted a few times!
@Beachbums - yes they were. Wish they were still there! Kuyaba doesn't have swings at their bar anymore either
ask about our summer specials, stay for 7 nights pay for 6
info@nirvananegril.com
Mirage/Le Mirage Then (1978) and now.
Last edited by Integrity; 06-10-2017 at 06:15 PM.
Rick's Cafe - Then (1978) and now.
Wow Integrity, those are neat! What was Mirage called in '78?
"Le Mirage" used to be simply "Mirage."Originally Posted by ohliz
Mirage was built by Lauro and Michela Grandi. My mom's friend, Jack Dillenberg was a dentist fresh out of Harvard Dentistry school. He lived in an open-air house and office and worked as a dentist in Negril in the 1970s. I had never seen anything like this before. Jack was friends with Lauro and Michela. The first year, we stayed a house in town, then Jack took us up to meet Lauro who let us stay in one of their cottages at Mirage.
They were among a few other Europeans who discovered Negril in the 1970s and built small businesses. Laura and Michela lived in a house in a garden on the other side of the road. They had several three-room houses (three round rooms, two bedrooms with a kitchen/living space in the middle) built in the garden. The cliff side was simple--poured white concrete created little places for lounge chairs, and access to a ladder for swimming. There were private houses on the cliff next door. There was also hammocks under the gazebo. Michela would teach yoga each morning. Clothing was optional. It was very peaceful and spiritual.
My first year at Mirage (1977) there was no electricity. We used "home sweet home" lanterns. Lauro had the houses built with electrical outlets and light fixtures, anticipating the arrival of electricity on the West End. When I returned in 1978 there was electricity. Before there was electricity, Rick's Cafe used a generator to run music and blend drinks. Whenever someone asked for a dirty banana, they'd turn off the music to run the blenders. The West End was very dark and quiet at night. Of course, you could still hear the bass from music at some of the cliffside resorts. We'd walk from Mirage to Mariner's (I think it is now Negril Escape) for dinner. It took about two hours to get served food at most places, a bit less time at Mariner's. At first I was nervous walking the road at night, it was so dark, but Negril felt safe in those days, everyone was friendly, and there really weren't cars at night on the West End road. Actually, we rarely met people walking on the road at night. There just weren't many people. Sometimes someone would suddenly appear out of the darkness, and we would mumble "hi mon."
Lauro and Michela left Negril and moved to Paris. I got to know them well when I moved to Paris in the early 1980s. They sold Mirage to the Grizzles. The Grizzles were building Charela. We rarely went to the beach because it was far and we had no money for a taxi, but I visited Charela to check it out after the Grizzles bought Mirage (then a smaller version of the current Charela). There was a french restaurant, a nod to Mrs. Grizzle) at Mirage for awhile, but it was never opened when I was there, usually in March. At some point, I can't recall the year, I stayed in the one house at Mirage, cliffside. It was the only accommodation at Mirage that was on the cliff side of the road, so it was super private. Mostly, college students, and hippies stayed on the West End back then. Mirage was one of the nicer spots. Most of my friends stayed in people's homes. I'm not sure what is going on with the Mirage garden now, or if the Grizzles still own the land across the road.
I loved Negril then, and now. Will be back there in about a week.
Soon come
Mirage, then and now.
Last edited by Integrity; 06-21-2017 at 09:39 AM. Reason: adding comments.
Airport in Montego Bay. Then and now.
Thanks for the history lesson, Integrity! Le Mirage is one of our favorite places to stay and its great to learn about it's past. I actually recognize that spot pictured in your 1978 photo of the Mirage cliffs.
I, too, had heard about the garden-side cottages that belonged to the Mirage and wondered what became of them today. The past few times I stayed there, I watched construction across the street on what appears to be a 2 or 3 story guest house. (maybe it will be Le Mirage Gardens?) There was a corrugated metal fence up, so I could see any further onto the property to see if any old houses or cottages were still there. I will investigate on my next trip.
Integrity,
The round house is across the road from Mirage and looks pretty much the same today.
You can still rent it from our Market section!
http://negril.com/market/
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
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