‘This is the Night’ – Win a Valentine’s Meal for 2 in Jamaica

How would you like to share a romantic 4-course surprise Valentine dinner looking out at the stars with your loved one, warmed by a gentle Caribbean breeze?

Valentine’s Day is already just a short hop, skip & jump away, and plans for 2011’s night of romance could this year be combined with a long weekend break in Jamaica being that it falls on a Monday. Imagine in less than 4 hours from New York, you could be on your way from Kingston to Port Antonio, termed by the NY Times in Nov 2010 as the affordable and less touristy alternative Jamaican destination.

Passion is on our Valentine’s Menu right from the start, beginning with a Passion Daiquiri and including a super cooler to keep that flame in check in the restaurant as well as love cake to take home and perhaps share for breakfast?

We have a twist on traditional Jamaican favourites Fish Ceviche, marinated in beautiful sour orange & passion fruit juice.  We recommend savouring one of our personal loves -  Roast Lamb au Jus  served on a Cho Cho Puree, a Jamaican squash that was a particular favourite of the Aztecs. 

For dessert lovers there will be choice of Passion Fruit Mousse, Cheesecake & even Passion fruit worked deliciously into a Passion Crème Brûlée.

We invite you to enter our competition to win a dreamy gourmet dinner for 2 in their legendary organic and sustainably-sourced restaurant Mille Fleurs on Valentine’s Day, simply by entering their ‘This is the Night ‘Competition.

Winners will be invited to dine at sunset on home-cooked fusion food, cooked with love and passion utilising seasonal ingredients that are guaranteed to surprise & seduce, just take a look at last year's Valentine Menu Afterwards you can sit back and enjoy a starlit nightcap while listening to the chirping of tree frogs and songs of the cicadas, adrift on the scent of Night Jasmin.

If you are looking for a romantic candlelit peaceful 'space', a world away from the large dining rooms, Mille Fleurs sheltered Caribbean terrace with vistas of Port Antonio’s harbour, Jamaica’s forested Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea could be just the venue for Valentine’s Day Dinner.

To Enter

Simply identify & correct the wrong element in the statement below and become a Friend on our Facebook page to enter our prize draw.  Winners will be announced on Monday 31st January.

"Errol Flynn, Port Antonio’s most famous resident, believed the Blue Mountains to be the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on."

This competition has past entries are no longer being received

Share with your friends

Guest’s Feedback via TV

Would you like to watch what one of our past guests thinks of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill & Jamaica as a holiday destination? 

Birdfair TV, part of the UK’s Rutland Bird Fair recently interviewed Carolyn Hall who is the partner of Philip Hall OBE, the winner of our 2010 birding competition.

Hear her thoughts on the hotel, the suitability of the location for non-birders and Jamaica as a safe Caribbean holiday destination from her trip to us in August 2010.

Share with your friends

Summer Fair Fun

Our August Artisan fair proved to be a fun day for all, with visitors coming from as far as Kingston to sample the delights of the very best of the hotel’s 12 artisan suppliers.  There was a wealth of variety on offer, from jewellery to goat’s cheese to pottery and handmade paper and much more in-between.  It was a chance to not just share tips from our producers but to make actual sales, which  each stallholder did; a great confidence boaster in the current economic climate! 

As the day was a little mixed weather-wise, we decided to hold the fair itself on the bar terrace, we are hoping our Christmas Fair will enjoy all the benefits of the dry season and be in the gardens themselves.  Choices from our delicious fusion buffet luncheon included:

Starters
Gazpacho| Wild Hook & Sweet Potato Soup |Bruschetta with Herb Goat Cheese

Mains
Jamaican-style Roast Fish | Jerk Chicken, Pork and Pineapple Kebabs| Tofu and Vegetable Kebabs| Callaloo and Goat Cheese Quiche

Vegetables
Spiced Corn-on-the-Cob with Lemon Cilantro Butter | Tropical Coleslaw, Breadfruit Salad | Two Potato and Bean Salad

Dessert
Carrot Cake with Coconut Icing |  Pineapple Bread Pudding with Rum Butter | Orange Cheese Cake |  Homemade Ice-cream with Fresh Fruit Salad

Here’s  just some of the comments from the day:

“Lovely! Nice atmosphere and wonderful products, it was so good to be introduced to these artisan producers, we should do this more often to support them”

“The Fair was great, I am sure it would do well in December”

“Success is the first word that comes to mind when reflecting on our stall at HMH, as well as the taste of that welcoming glass of cool lemonade” 

Share with your friends

Say a Green I Do & Never Go Hungry

 

Planning a green wedding is difficult enough in today’s economic climate when tying the knot can feel like you are applying more of a financial choker! Additional worries that your travel agency et al might not even still be financially viable when the special day arrives is but one more element of stress you could certainly do without. As more & more companies in this sector go to the wall how can you plan that perfect eco-wedding and ensure that your passionate hopes for a green, luxurious and glorious occasion with oh so lovely finishing touches will even come to fruition, let alone happen within budget?

Hotel Mocking BirdHill in Port Antonio, Jamaica, is the Caribbean’s No.1 Eco boutique hotel. They offer not just a romantic setting, where the Blue Mountains meet Jamaica’s North East lush coast, but guiltless indulgence, allowing you to get married safe in the knowledge that your tailored wedding is as organic & green as you wanted even down to floral arrangements; pesticide-free fresh tropical flowers, handpicked from the hotel’s gardens which is listed as one of the top bird-watching venues in Jamaica by ‘Birds of the West Indies’.  Most importantly, due to Mocking Bird Hill’s scalability and integration with the local infrastructure those organising your big day are guaranteed to be in operation next year and for many many years to come.

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill believes in sustainable tourism where all members of the community benefit from your special day in Jamaica, resulting in a customised and unique wedding for you that comes with no hidden environmental costs. Many large chain hotels import mass-produced cheaper ingredients that need to balance their net profit forecast; this not only increases food miles but has no added benefit for the local community beyond those they employ.  At Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, our bottom line is raised a little higher in not just the requirement of gourmet organic tastiness from our ingredients that are sourced locally wherever possible, but long-term sustainability for all.

Exclusive to Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is not just the bottle of fizzy loveliness and scrumptious wedding cake included within our ‘Intimate Wedding Day’ custom-made package, but a romantic breakfast on the day served up high in this eco-boutique’s hotel ‘Perch’, that has the best vista of the coastline in the area, and a dinner served in the romantically decorated gazebo. For those bringing parents to the wedding, we offer the chance for all members to get to know one another with a free morning’s cooking course before the big day, which provides not just an opportunity to relax and get to know one another but to develop some skills to help you remember the tastes of your honeymoon vacation in Mocking Bird Hill, recreating them effortlessly at home.

US $ 1366 is the cost of an intimate wedding for a bride & groom, which includes all floral arrangements, boutonniere, licenses, photography, wedding planner and our  Artisan Surprise Menu -  a 4-course dinner which can include lobster if it’s in season, and is tailored to your individual preferences using locally sourced seasonal ingredients.

Share with your friends

The Raw Delight of Veg

With the arrival of summer came not just the welcome new addition of ‘raw’ pleasure to our Mille Fleurs menu but also the expansion of our vegetable garden.

Reap What you Sow

Such a phrase abounds or at least occurs in most world religions in some form or another; in 2010 we’re applying it strictly to our newly expanded organic vegetable garden.  When it seems prices are shooting up all around us, our means of ensuring that our prices don’t creep up for our guests is getting stuck into what is actually one of our favourite hobbies – gardening.  So far this season we have planted cucumber, squash, pumpkin & courgettes, tomatoes, radicchio & rocket, broccoli, green beans & carrots, and on the herb front coriander, sage, parsley, basil & rosemary. Not only will you be able to taste the difference but be safe in the knowledge that vitamin rich home-grown veggies aren’t costing either the earth or your holiday budget!

Going Raw

Summer in Jamaica is hot & humid, this is part of why things grow so well here and nothing shrivels up.  However sometimes that summer sun can bring with it a wish for dishes using tasty ingredients that don’t strip your energy whilst trying to digest them, and which are lower in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium.  It is vital that you stock up on these 2 minerals as these are lost via perspiration so do sample our zingy Raw Menu that’s already been so well received:

* Spicy Watermelon Soup
* Two Potato and Beetroot Pate on Green Goddess Sauce
* Fruit Salad

Share with your friends

TODAY is the Day

Mocking Bird Hill have just been featured on the Today Show as one of the featured resorts in their special on affordable hidden beach getaways. We were their sole Caribbean pick. If you would like to re-watch this special feature click on the image below to play, we are 2 minutes 30 into their presentation.

Share with your friends

Full Moon & Tree Frog Chorus at Jamaica Eco-Lodge

There are many things that make staying in an eco-lodge in Jamaica special.  One could be that it doesn’t require “roughing it”; you can still be ‘green’ and enjoy guiltless luxury if you stay at Port Antonio’s elegant Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, voted best Caribbean eco-hotel by American Express.

We believe that an eco lodge should be sustainable and be ‘green’, but that should in turn not affect style or comfort. Therefore all our rooms are large and airy, with cool white tiles, handcrafted bamboo furniture and original artwork.  Each room is ventilated naturally by cross sea breezes, but which keep out the elements in times of rain; in turn they allow you to be serenaded to sleep by an ecological evensong, the tree frog chorus.

More rhythmic chirping than deep bass croaking from these tiny choristers, their calls are made by keeping both their mouth and nostrils closed, whilst they use the muscles in both their body and throat to oscillate the air between the mouth sac and their lungs, a bizarre biological process to create the most perfect lullaby.

The tree frogs love our bio-diverse tropical gardens, and are just part of what allows to keep our lush gardens organic; they keep a check on creepy crawlies and in turn attract birds, which has established this tranquil eco-retreat as one of the” best birding sites on the Island” (Birds of the West Indies).

View Jamaica's Official Eco Hotel & Lodge Rooms & Rates 

Share with your friends

The Girl Guide to Holidaying In Jamaica

Spending some time enjoying the glorious Caribbean seas that surround Jamaica’s lush peaceful North-East coastline of Port Antonio is heavenly and the surest way to chase away a feeling of the winter blues. 

Like many places in the world there are subtle cultural differences that you will encounter when having a break in Jamaica, especially as a woman.  You may share the same language, but in the same way that there are differences between the UK and the US you will encounter some minute differences in Jamaican attitudes to those back home.  This is our ‘Girl Guide to Jamaica’, especially written to ensure that all women get the most out of their holiday in Jamaica.

Chat but Leave out the Details

Jamaicans are ever-so-friendly and will approach anyone for a little chat, this is just part of the national character, to chat and say hello to everyone.  In Jamaica, blanking people is considered extremely rude: it will cause offense and could potentially lead to unpleasantness.  We suggest you always acknowledge and exchange a quick “hi” with a grin to those that greet you.

If anyone does seem particularly persistent in drawing out a greeting into a long conversation and you really don’t want to chat, then we recommend just putting the same questions back that you have been asked, i.e.:

If asked, where you come from, just ask them in return where do they come from?

If they ask you your name, ask them theirs.

They will soon get the message

If you are at the beach and someone shows you their beadwork, or calabashes that have been fashioned into bags or utensils and don’t appeal simply just say “sorry, not today; maybe later in the week”, they will then respect you and leave you alone.

Whilst enjoying the friendly chats do maintain a healthy sense of being streetwise. Do not tell people where you are staying – we have known beach vendors and similar to turn up at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill insisting on seeing guests whose enthusiastic verbal supply of holiday details (hotel &c.) convinced them they wanted to “chat” further…  less is more as the saying goes!

No Problem Maan!

People in Jamaica, like many places in the world, are very quick to promise anything with a “No Problem maan!”, but be very clear about the arrangements being made, and preferably have it written down as a record.

Do not be “charmed” into handing over your credit card to anyone who offers to help you with the ATM machine or whatever. You would not do this at home, so why risk it in a foreign destination?

Mr Cab Driver

Follow our version of this Jamaican saying – “Do not try to penny-wise and pound-foolish when it comes to transportation”!

In Jamaica there are three forms of taxi:

a.)    The illegal ones

b.)    The so-called route taxis that act more like a bus service with people getting in & out and just paying their fare for a particular stretch 

c.)    The fully licensed and regulated taxis which also have full insurance coverage.

We have had to pick up guests who were left stranded on the road side when an illegal (albeit cheap) taxi that was in such bad condition burst into flames.  As a woman this is simply not worth taking such a risk.  When such things go wrong there is no ability to follow this up because they are manned by unknown drivers without insurance, your own travel insurance would not cover you in the case of such emergencies if you were injured.

Route taxis are fine for short stretches, but be aware police are now cracking down on those who do not have the right papers and literally confiscating their cabs in the middle of beyond, forcing their passengers to fend for themselves, so if you use these make it short & sweet not a long journey.

When ordering a taxi to a place, ask for it to pick you up in a nearby restaurant and do not pay the fare till you have arrived back at your final destination.  We have experienced guests who, having ordered a cab in town, paid the fare in the morning and were left stranded when their driver couldn’t be bothered to go back and pick them up.

Bubble Bubble Boil & Trouble

To be on the safe side and avoid upset tummies, stay away from drinks made with the local water or ice. It is preferable to stick to bottled drinks that are chilled without the addition of ice or even better have a coconut chopped fresh for you to drink.  We recommend fresh coconut water as the ‘source’ of what is advertised as ‘bottled water’ can be questionable.

If eating on the road or at informal eateries stay away from salads as one never knows in what water the salads have been washed.

Keep a pack of disinfectant wipes, toilet paper and hand gel to wash without water when traveling. The condition of public toilets (few & far in between) often leaves much to be desired so it best to be equipped with the necessities; for that reason it is best to use the facilities at the airport before embarking upon your journey to your hotel.

Time Out

Do advise your hotel of your expected arrival time and carry their telephone number with you. We also recommend that you keep the hotel posted of your plans – to avoid them worrying about you and sending out a search party for you, which does happen.  Hotels do not want to “control” your activities but they do have a sense of responsibility for their guests and want to ensure their safety and well-being.  Some hotels in Jamaica have a mobile number for you to send an SMS or  of course you can tweet.  

Share with your friends

OK! Recommends Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

It’s been a week of great press reviews this week for Hotel Mocking Bird Hill.  First we were featured by The Independent in their article The Big 6 Caribbean Green Retreats and then on the 2nd November we were recommended by OK! as ‘Great Value for Green Travelers’.  Not only did OK! applaud our green credentials, but this well known ‘Celeb’ mag highlighted the intimate private nature of the hotel.  It’s fantastic to see that all media recognise the importance of green travel and are now running regular travel features that focus on the green credentials of holidays. Click here to read all our recent press.

Share with your friends

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Trees

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is Jamaica's leading environmentally friendly eco-boutique hotel; here we recognised the importance of ‘350’ and the International Climate Day on 24th October by tree-planting in Port Antonio, Jamaica.  For those who maybe yet to realise the global significance of the number 350, today this is the most important number in the world; it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Currently the number is 399 ppm – way over hence the reason for what is becoming catastrophic global warming.

35 trees were planted on the hotel's property as our contribution to ensuring our carbon dioxide levels return to the maximum of 350 ppm. As part of the hotel’s commitment in promoting sustainable tourism without cost we will be contributing J$ 3,500 to the Jamaican Conservation & Development Trust tree-planting event at Hollywell in Jamaica's Blue Mountains.  This amount is part raised by the hotel and by our guests who have enjoyed our Heavenly Honeymoon Package and Birding packages.  To carry forward our belief that every Jamaican should enjoy a ‘green environment’ we will also be planting at the nearby Drapers All Age School.

As a business based in a ’developing country’ in the Caribbean, we have experienced how the island of Jamaica has suffered over the last 10 years by an increase in hurricane weather cycles. Thankfully to date Port Antonio has not suffered in the way so many other local people in Jamaica have in having to start their lives again, rebuilding family homes, small holdings and businesses.  Re-starting your life in affect keeps the poor poor, and anyone with a sense of social justice should realise that this is the ugly fallout of fossil fuel based economies.

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill believes the only way forward to counter and reduce this global problem is for all developed and developing countries to have a commitment to low carbon, sustainable economies, in contrast to the current slash & burn methods of keeping a few rich.  We are holding our collective breath in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference and we hope by the end of it common sense will prevail and we will be able to let out a huge sigh of relief on a positive outcome.

Read more about Sustainable Tourism at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

Share with your friends

Next Page »