Trip Report: Blue Mountains, Boston Bay, Kingston

[mwenvlay]

husband thought great huts was ok. he liked the room and enjoyed the fact that he could walk right out the gate and have street food and a few bars at his disposal.

ti boss's opinion surprised me! he said 5 days was way too long to spend at that place when we coulda spent some of that time at our next hotel in kingston. the specifics of his dissatisfaction were that the internet was garbage, the africana house pool water was cloudy and the cliff pool was too shallow. boston beach, he conceded, was "fire," the bathtub in our tree house was "lit," and he really enjoyed our day out to nanny falls and rock bottom's carving shop, but all in all he felt 3 days woulda been enough at great huts.

[agregory]

I love your reviews and honest opinions on the places you stayed and visited! Especially ti boss's comments

Your thoughts and comments sound very similar to what I think about places, so I feel like I get it. I really wanted to stay at Great Huts during our Portland visit, but I was honestly a bit unsure about the openness of them. I feel like I could handle it now though. I was surprised you didn't mention creepy crawly critters and mosquitoes in your review. Are the toilets in each unit on the ground level? I feel like they are, which is why we didn't end up there... but I could be confusing it with another property?

The cig smoke would have been very annoying! I probably would have handled it the same way you did though and not said anything. I also get what you mean about the types of guests affecting your stay. The types of people you describe can really bring the vibe down

[agregory]

BTW - We really loved staying in the Fairy Hill neighborhood! We were on the side road leading down to Winnifred Beach, so it was an easy walk to it.

[mwenvlay]

I love your reviews and honest opinions on the places you stayed and visited! Especially ti boss's comments

Your thoughts and comments sound very similar to what I think about places, so I feel like I get it. I really wanted to stay at Great Huts during our Portland visit, but I was honestly a bit unsure about the openness of them. I feel like I could handle it now though. I was surprised you didn't mention creepy crawly critters and mosquitoes in your review. Are the toilets in each unit on the ground level? I feel like they are, which is why we didn't end up there... but I could be confusing it with another property?

The cig smoke would have been very annoying! I probably would have handled it the same way you did though and not said anything. I also get what you mean about the types of guests affecting your stay. The types of people you describe can really bring the vibe down

BTW - We really loved staying in the Fairy Hill neighborhood! We were on the side road leading down to Winnifred Beach, so it was an easy walk to it.

oh yeah, i totally forgot to comment on the bugs!

mosquitos were very minimal at strawberry hill. i don't even remember using bug spray when there. strawberry hill has a few very friendly dogs who hang out at the reception cottage and a few cats- we only saw 2 by our cottage. i looooooooove dogs and cats, so i was happy to see them all.

mosquitos were much more noticeable at great huts. i definitely used bug spray there, especially at night. i only saw one (very gigantic) palmetto bug- those cockroach looking things- in the room. it was on the dresser and i ignored it and it went away. there are a couple of dogs on the property, but same as strawberry hill- they chill by the reception area. and there are a lot of cats on property and they will come into your hut looking for food. again, i am a crazy cat lady, so it was all good to me, but i'm sure a lot of people would not be as excited about that.

and the toilet bowls and bathub/showers are on the bottom floor. but our treehouse also had a sink on the top floor (where we slept).

did you stay at winifred breeze? that's a guesthouse located on that side road you're talking about. i think i'd like to stay there next time.

and i'm glad you get what i was saying about the other guests. i feel like a jerk for writing it out, but hey- it's a trip report, so i thought i should comment on my experience with my fellow tourists.

i have a feeling i'd have fun meeting up with you!

[agregory]

Thanks for the extra info on Great Huts. I don't know how I'd feel about walking downstairs to the bathroom 1-2 times during the night, in an open-to-the-jungle house. But the set-up is very intriguing, so maybe I could do it for 3 nights? lol. I seem to be getting used to those Jamaican cockroaches now too because I encountered one in Little Bay and I stayed very calm and collected! They seem to really like to hide in bath towels

I'm sure we'd have fun sharing our travel experiences Jamaica is such a fascinating and amazing country! You really make me want to get to Kingston. I was there on Christmas Day in 1998 or 99 for the day. I honestly don't remember what we did there at that time, but I clearly remember the beautiful drive from Ochi, thru the Blue Mountains and into Kingston. I wish it was easier/quicker to get there and didn't require a layover. Hopefully someday we will decide to do that trip

[mwenvlay]

Thanks for the extra info on Great Huts. I don't know how I'd feel about walking downstairs to the bathroom 1-2 times during the night, in an open-to-the-jungle house. But the set-up is very intriguing, so maybe I could do it for 3 nights? lol. I seem to be getting used to those Jamaican cockroaches now too because I encountered one in Little Bay and I stayed very calm and collected! They seem to really like to hide in bath towels

I'm sure we'd have fun sharing our travel experiences Jamaica is such a fascinating and amazing country! You really make me want to get to Kingston. I was there on Christmas Day in 1998 or 99 for the day. I honestly don't remember what we did there at that time, but I clearly remember the beautiful drive from Ochi, thru the Blue Mountains and into Kingston. I wish it was easier/quicker to get there and didn't require a layover. Hopefully someday we will decide to do that trip

great huts has a gorgeous building called africana house that has proper rooms in them. go onto the website and take a look. i would consider staying there if it were just me and my husband. but the treehouse aspect was fun, plus we were RIGHT on the water.

[johng]

mwenvlay, awesome reports and beautiful photos and video's. You have a very sharp artistic eye for things!!! BTW they offer cabins for rent at Hollywell, inexpensive, safe and clean. Also there are a few people up in the mountain top who offer their property on AirBnB. They vary from really nice to rustic and priced accordingly. Out of curiosity what were you using for a camera for your stills and video?? Some very interesting effects that you captured!!! The absolute beauty of the Jamaicans that you meet along the way is worth the trip itself!! Thanks again for your wonderful trip reports and pics!!

[mwenvlay]

gxb

mwenvlay, awesome reports and beautiful photos and video's. You have a very sharp artistic eye for things!!! BTW they offer cabins for rent at Hollywell, inexpensive, safe and clean. Also there are a few people up in the mountain top who offer their property on AirBnB. They vary from really nice to rustic and priced accordingly. Out of curiosity what were you using for a camera for your stills and video?? Some very interesting effects that you captured!!! The absolute beauty of the Jamaicans that you meet along the way is worth the trip itself!! Thanks again for your wonderful trip reports and pics!!

you know, i really would love to spend a couple of days in a cabin in holywell. i need to make a plan with my husband to do that. we used to do a lot of tent camping in an area outside of port au prince that is identical to that part of the blue mountains. now that he’s comfortable in jamaica and now that ti boss is now a teen (13 in june!!!) i think we can take our focus away from hotel life and do stuff like stay in a cabin in holywell. i know they’d love it. years ago, i stayed at the starlight inn, which is alllllll the way near the top of the mountain, but i think i’d prefer to stay in that cabin.

re: my photo equipment, i have an iphone xr (finally upgraded from a 5s) and i utilize the camera+ app (it’s around $2.99 in the app store) and hipstamatic (which i’ve recently fallen back in love with, after years of neglect). my videos are completely unedited and no manipulation to picture.

jamaica makes it hard to take a bad photo and my guys are photogenic.

[johng]

mwenvlay, You would have a blast up at Hollywell, lots of hiking trails and bird watching, waterfalls, etc... Amazing photos from an iphone!!! Hipstamatic seems like an Irie app. Nice job with your reporting!!! Keep posting a montage after you get settled back in at home. Best johng

[johng]

Hollywell