Everyone who lives on an island recognises the feeling of islanditis, that longing to occasionally wake up in a different environment in which to go walkabout, with a slightly a different horizon to follow. Before the credit crunch many living in the Caribbean would take a trip to the US or if an expat back ‘home’, but times are more challenging now, with many instead looking at what is closer to home and exploring a different island or archipelago which only needs a short-haul flight to visit.
Thanks to Cayman Airways direct flights to Kingston, those that live in the Cayman Islands can now be whisked away and within 4 hours of leaving home can  be sitting in the historical Greencastle plantation close to Jamaica’s lush Blue Mountains, planning a dip in the nearby Caribbean Sea at Robins Bay.
After exploring this intimate eco-estate’s 1600 acres with its abundance of hidden trails, you can relax with a 3-course dinner as the sun sets across the Bay and stay in the cosy and comfortable guesthouse ready for an early breakfast and a day of exploring Jamaica that goes beyond simple sun, sea & sand. You can choose from hiking around a coffee estate that offers grand vistas of the mountains and valleys, following a trail banked by wild exotic flowers, with a rich picnic lunch; alternatively you can enjoy a hike to Charles Town via an C18th coffee estate and learn about the Maroons, the runaway slaves who defeated the English and formed their own independent settlements in Jamaica.
After your stay in Greencastle, you will be transferred to Port Antonio to stay at Virgin Holidays & Responsible Tourism’s 2010 international winners for best hotel for the environment, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, where you will enjoy the first of your gourmet dinners at Mille Fleurs, the restaurant that was awarded Jamaica’s Best Kept Secret.
Fresh from your stay in one of the hotel’s superior rooms, indulge in a leisurely breakfast before setting off to the Rio Grande Valley for a short hike through this verdant valley to McKenzie waterfalls where you can luxuriate in secluded waterfalls and take your very own private dip! Your community guide on this hike will also be your raft’s captain, on which where after a traditional lunch at Miss Betty’s or the village pub you can sit back and enjoy an afternoon’s rafting leisurely down the Rio Grande.
Following a traditional Jamaican breakfast you’ll be invited for an invigorating River walk to Reach Falls. Here you can enjoy a natural massage and explore the hidden caves and swim in its pools. During your return journey you can either stop at Boston Bay for some traditional jerk or return to the hotel to have lunch before your taxi delivers you back to Norman Manley Airport to catch the short flight back to the Cayman Islands.
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Prices for 3 nights US$ 1,016.00 per person based on double occupancy in a superior room, all Transfers (car and driver), 2 nights accommodation with breakfast & dinner at Mocking Bird Hill; 1 night at Greencastle, Rafting & lunch on the Rio Grande, guided hike to either the Blue Mountains and McKenzie Falls or the 18th century Coffee Estate from Charles Town
Prices do not include beverages, Reach Falls guide, airfares, gratuities, personal items & additional services