Why Jamaica should be on your bucket list

Discovering new places, I love it. Many will agree with me, and that was one of the reasons why those lockdowns were quite tough for me at times. You really couldn't go anywhere, and that made me quite sad at times. So I made a promise to myself: travel more. Now, I had often been away from home, but I often chose a ‘safe’ option like Spain or a destination I had already been to. Quite a shame, and that's why I added a caveat to this intention: go more out of your comfort zone.

Well, I stuck to it. I took a beautiful trip to Jamaica, and I can't recommend this island enough. Really, what a beautiful destination with delicious food, friendly people, and of course, that sunshine. Where to begin? Because believe me: you want to go to Jamaica this year too.

The island
What surprised me is how green this island actually is. I went there with low expectations, but my previous destination in the Caribbean was Curaçao, and if you've been there, you know: it's anything but green. To be honest, the reason I had zero expectations of Jamaica was that my previous Caribbean island was a bit disappointing. However, this island had everything: incredibly beautiful nature, greenery everywhere, stunning waterfalls (don't miss the Ys waterfalls, they're particularly beautiful), and of course, the Rastafari who live here. We visited the Rastafari Indigenous Village near Montego Bay, and it was so fun and interesting to do. They are incredibly friendly people who can tell you enthusiastically about their lifestyle.

The food
At the resort where I stayed (Sandals), the food was really good (from Indian to Italian, but the Jamaican cuisine is also present), but outside the resort, I also had some really delicious meals. In fact, the tastiest snack we got was from a gas station. It was a beef patty with cheese (which you can also order without cheese or with chicken), which I can best describe as a kind of puff pastry package in the shape of an empanada with wonderfully juicy beef and flavorful cheese. So delicious. But also the jerk chicken (or beef, or fish) that Jamaica is known for is really top-notch. The classic way to prepare this in Jamaica is to place the meat or fish on green wood and then put metal over it. The meat gets a smoky flavor from the steam and the wood when it is cooked.

Of course, I also need to dedicate a separate section to Jamaican rum, because yes, I knew that Jamaica was also known for that. Now, I'm not really a rum lover, but I did taste the best one here. I visited the Hampden Estate (which caused a lot of jealousy among my rum-drinking friends), and that is definitely next-level rum. So if you can, definitely take a bottle with you, because it will make your friends happy, and it's much cheaper here.

The people
The official language is English, which makes communication easy. Personally, I always find that nice in a foreign country, that you can at least always ask for help from the locals. However, you really won't understand a thing of their language among themselves, which is Patwa, a mix of English and Creole. I tried a lesson, but it is quite easy to pick up. Tip: say ‘yes, man’ at the end of every sentence, and you'll feel much more local. It's funny how quickly you pick that up; after two days, we were already enthusiastically saying ‘yes, man’ along.

The accommodations
An idyllic island like Jamaica naturally calls for a paradisiacal accommodation. Well, there are plenty of those. I stayed in no less than two: Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals South Coast. Two five-star all-inclusive resorts (and adult only!) and it was, without exaggeration, truly heaven on earth. Dining at a high level, such friendly and helpful service, and plenty of options in terms of beaches and pools. It is quite tempting to never leave this resort, and that's why I also planned one day to enjoy everything this resort has to offer. Massages, all the restaurants, and of course doing nothing by the pool... Heavenly.