No Snow in Jamaica!

I don't know about anybody else, but the snow and ice in Britain at the moment is getting me down! Cars sliding around everywhere, heating on full blast, layer upon layer of clothes needed just to take some rubbish to the bin! The thermometers are hitting as low as -20 degrees celsius, and whilst the snow might look picturesque, I know where I would rather be!

The staff and guests at Emerald Seas are reporting back to me that the sun is shining gloriously down on the villa and the temperature is a lovely 30 degrees celsius. This means that they are all enjoying beautiful sunsets, the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and various fun activities such as river tubing, a climb up Dunns River Falls and scenic helicopter flights along the island's north coast.

Forget the winter blues in the UK and USA, the Caribbean is where the winter is best spent!

Caribbean Cuisine - Luxury Villa Style!

The Caribbean is home to some of the world’s most exciting culinary delights. From spicy jerk chicken and pork to some of the world’s freshest and tastiest seafood, Caribbean food is delicious, fresh and very healthy. Caribbean cuisine originates from a mixture of many different cultures including Spanish, British, African, French, Indian, Chinese and Dutch and the fusion of cooking from these different regions has led to dishes which are now unique to the Caribbean.

What makes Caribbean cuisine so special is the incredible array of colourful and exotic ingredients available fresh on these islands. Vegetables including callaloo, okra and pigeon peas are all staples of many dishes in this wonderful region, and are used to help ensure a balanced diet is consumed by residents and visitors alike. Many exotic and delicious foods are grown in the Caribbean and are eaten on their own or as part of many dishes including breakfasts and desserts. Fruits such as mango, papaya, pineapple, plantain and the Jamaican national fruit, ackee are grown in abundance and are a large part of a Caribbean diet. Where Jamaican and other Caribbean cuisine comes truly comes into its own is in its use of herbs and spices. From the ubiquitous pimento berry (or all spice as it is commonly known) to thyme, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, the Caribbean is home to a heady blend of spices that permeate many of the dishes created here. From a savoury goat curry for lunch to the Jamaican national breakfast dish of ackee and saltfish, the ingredients mentioned are used in many different ways to create dishes which are unique, delicious and nutritious.

One of the best ways to sample Jamaican and other Caribbean cooking in a healthy and exciting way is to stay in a private, luxury villa. Most of these villas are staffed and one of the more prominent members of staff is the chef, who will always work with the guests dietary requirements and culinary tastes to ensure that a balanced, healthy and above all tasty diet is served. Staying at a luxury villa not only means that you can eat freshly prepared Caribbean food whenever you wish, it also means that the setting in which you eat the food is stunning and luxurious. Why not enjoy a breakfast of fresh fruit picked from the gardens of your luxury villa, whilst overlooking  the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea? Or maybe enjoy a sumptuous three course evening meal, painstakingly prepared by the talented staff, in front of a natural indoor rock garden before retiring to the deck for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee under the clear skies of the Caribbean? The choice is yours when you stay in a luxury villa in Jamaica. All of this and more is possible at Emerald Seas Villa, one of the best kept secrets in Jamaica. It is a luxury villa with a full complement of attentive staff, situated near Ocho Rios on the north coast of Jamaica.

New Emerald Seas Villa website coming soon!

The final touches are being put to the new Emerald Seas Villa website as we speak. The site will be up and running in all its glory within the next week. The new site will feature a host of new photos, many helpful ideas for excursions and trips in the local area and a guide to the wonderful staff at the villa who do so much to make every guests stay so remarkable and unique.

Don't Get Stuck in a Resort - See the Real Jamaica

The temptation to go away on a well-earned vacation and spend the week holed up in a flash resort lying by a sparkling swimming pool sipping cocktails is all too strong in today’s hectic and stressful world. Make no mistake, this style of vacation sounds idyllic to most and the idea of a week doing nothing but relaxing is very appealing, but discerning travelers these days want more from their break and from their well earned and costly vacation.

Ocho Rios is the gateway to a number of authentic and rewarding experiences and excursions on Jamaica’s north coast and surrounding areas. The most famous attraction in the whole of Jamaica is that of Dunns River Falls. Starting on the beach at the base of the falls, you can experience a thrilling climb along rocks and through the crystal clear waters whilst surrounded by tropical plants and wildlife. For the more sedate, spend an afternoon exploring the serene beauty of Coyaba Gardens and Falls or Shaw Park Gardens. These lush tropical gardens feature many varieties of native flora and fauna, and allow visitors a relaxing couple of hours strolling through water gardens and enjoying stunning viewpoints of the bay of Ocho Rios. Further afield is a cultural Mecca for all visitors to Jamaica, the village of Nine Mile and the birthplace and final resting place of reggae legend Bob Marley. Hiring a car rather than taking an official tour allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Fern Gully and hidden villages where locals go about their lives without the distraction of the mainstream tourist crowd. The journey inland is punctuated by places to stop to sample traditional Jamaican food and to get a glimpse of rural Jamaican life not available from a resort or an official tour. How about an early morning fishing trip to see how Jamaicans use the Caribbean Sea as a way of making a living? Watch and participate as local fisherman catch tuna, barracuda and snapper amongst others using traditional methods and near telepathic knowledge of where the fish are to be found on any given day.

Jamaica and specifically its utopian north coast is just begging to be explored from beyond the confines of a luxury resort. Renting a luxury villa such as Emerald Seas, for example, enables you and your family and friends to enjoy the trappings of a five star resort with the added benefit of the staff’s local knowledge and the ability to explore the surrounding area. It is easy to rent a car and explore this fun and laid-back country. You will fall in love with the place and its people and will have made your hard earned vacation truly worthwhile.

Affordable Luxury at a Jamaican Villa

The Caribbean is one of the most desirable holiday destinations in the world and perceived as one of the most expensive. This destination conjures up images of soft, white sand, long sunny days and sparkling turquoise water, and people associate this kind of holiday with a large price tag. Wouldn’t it be great if all this and the added bonus of your own private, luxury resort were affordable and attainable? The good news is that it is. You can get all of this by staying in a luxury villa in Jamaica.

Luxury villas in Jamaica typically have around 5 bedrooms and sleep anywhere up to twelve people. The high end luxury villas will be superbly decorated and well appointed with en-suite bathrooms and large living spaces to ensure their guests total comfort. Villa amenities often include large swimming pools, extensive grounds with sea access, and inside will frequently have high-specification computers, DVD players and high-speed internet access. To complete the high-class luxury, Jamaican villas also have a full complement of attentive and skilled staff to cater to your every whim. A chef will cook gourmet meals using local ingredients at your request, and at times that suit you. Meals include jerk chicken, rice and peas through to French onion soup or a lobster dish. The butler or head of house will cater to every need of you and your party. From booking excursions and arranging transport to providing fresh lemonade and tasty snacks whilst you enjoy the sun around the villa’s pool, the butler will go that extra mile to ensure the guest’s vacation is perfect.

Further benefits of renting a luxury villa for a vacation include the absolute privacy and seclusion that no resort or hotel can offer. Absolute privacy is guaranteed in what is practically a home away from home for you and your family or friends. Meals can be taken whenever you request, the pool is never cluttered with noisy and impolite people you don’t know and there is no waiting in line to get that refreshing cocktail you require. It truly is an affordable paradise to stay in a luxury Caribbean villa.

All of what has been outlined above is eminently affordable with the right research and the right villa. As an example, prices at Emerald Seas luxury villa in Jamaica start from $6,000 per week for ten people, which works out at $600 per person for accommodation. Once you have added in flights from the United States, food (purchased and cooked by the staff on your behalf and at your request) and staff tips, the price of a luxury holiday in paradise is within reach. Emerald Seas luxury villa even has excellent special offers which can be taken advantage of such as “Book Seven Nights and Pay for Five or “Book Four Nights and Pay For Three”. These offers coupled with already competitive prices mean that a week in a luxury villa can provide great value for the money.