Bluefields Bay -- Activities

Manager’s Cocktail Party:  On Monday afternoons at 5 PM, our management team arranges a cocktail party for the guests at our homes.  It is held at our beach pavilion, The Treehouse.  We try to include some members of our local community, and there is often a representative from the local community organization (the BPCA) and the local kindergarten.

The Treehouse:   Our beach pavilion provides a location where guests from all five homes can spend time, have drinks at its beautiful Jamaican-marble bar, enjoy a waterfront lunch next to the beach, read books and magazines.  The lit waterfront path means that guests can use The Treehouse in the evenings as well.  This facility has a powder room, changing area, and outdoor shower, and it is also the site for our Jerk Chicken Luncheon typically held every Wednesday.

Thai Massage:  Patrick Hickey, an American with training in Oriental medicine, lives in Montego Bay and comes to the villas to offer Thai massage. Treatments are deep-tissue, highly therapeutic and we highly recommend him!! His rate is US$100 cash for 1½ hours.  Please make your reservations via our website and please realize that he requires two massages to drive this long way.

Other Massage Services:  If you wish for other spa services or a more basic massage, our managers can usually arrange for facials, manicures, pedicures, scrubs, hot stone treatments, and massages to be done in your villa by practitioners from our area.  Please realize that we accept no liability or responsibility for any persons offering their services on our premises or outside.

Snorkeling:  Please let your waiter know if you wish to borrow some of our large collection of snorkeling gear.  Snorkeling is excellent right along the shoreline, or a local boat can take you to nearby Moor Reef for US $30/hour.  The boat holds 6 or 7 passengers, and should be scheduled the previous day.  Please go early to enjoy calm seas and to avoid the hot midday sun.

Sea Kayaking:  Our area, the leeward side of Jamaica, is ideally suited to sea kayaking.  We currently have seven sea kayaks (1 two-man kayak and 2 one-man kayaks at San Michele, 2 one-man kayaks at Milestone Cottage, 2 one-man kayaks and 1 two-man kayak below Mullion Cove, 2 one-man kayaks at our beach area).  These are ideal both for exercise and for use as water taxis in order to view the coastline and travel to and fro. 

Scuba Diving:  Negril (40 minutes from Bluefields) has several certified dive centers.  The Negril Scuba Centre (telephone: #876-957-4425; www.negriljamaica.com/negrilscubacentre.html) offers scuba-diving trips, dive instruction, equipment rentals.   Diving at the Chalet Caribe in Montego Bay also gets an excellent report.

Tennis, Croquet:  Our night-lit competition-size Laykold tennis court is for our five homes. Please bring racquets and tennis balls, although we often have balls for US $7.50/can.   San Michele and Cottonwood Cottage have the best lawns for croquet.  Please note that you are responsible for returning any and all equipment in perfect condition after usage.

Golf:   Negril Hills Golf Course (18-holes, 35 minute drive, phone #876-957-4638) has greens fees of $57.50, carts are $34.50, caddies are $14, clubs are $18. Championship golf course, Tryall Golf & Country Club (one hour away), is the best in Jamaica. Greens fees are $150, carts are $27, caddies are $22.50 (all fees subject to change and in US$). Website: www.tryallclub.com.

Hiking:  Walking up the Bluefields Mountain behind our villas is a fine way to get exercise, learn about the area and meet its welcoming local residents. Philip Gosse wrote his defining treatise, Birds of Jamaica, while living in Bluefields -- so there are usually many species of birds and plants to view as you hike. The best route is to go up the lane next to our tennis court and then proceed up the hill after turning west for a short distance along the Retirement Road. You will arrive to an overlook with fabulous views of Bluefields Bay where you can take some great photographs. On the way down, you can either retrace your steps or travel east along the Retirement Road and return to the villas by walking along the beach. Since you may feel more comfortable walking in the local community with someone who knows the route and its residents, our manager may be able to get someone on the staff to accompany you as a complimentary service, and not at an additional cost. The walk is best done in sneakers as you will encounter loose rocks along the way. Please take some water, and someone should have a cell phone in case of difficulties. The journey up and down can be done in about an hour, the longer route takes about 1 ½ hours, and this is recommended for early mornings before it gets too hot.

Canopy Tour:  Chukka Caribbean Adventures (www.chukkacaribbean.com) now offers breathtaking canopy tours.  The rate for the 2 1/2 hour adventure is $67 and the minimum age is 6 years old.

Horseback Riding:  Busha Clarke and staff offer trail-riding on his huge 2000-acre seafront property, Paradise Plantation.  You ride through the Sweet River, along the shore, and into the sea for breathtaking vistas of the coastline.  This ride features much tropical foliage (mangrove, water hyacinth, etc.) as well as excellent views of a working plantation (cattle, dairy, lumber).  It costs about US $30 for a 90 minute ride and riders must be over 6 years old.

Jogging & Walking:  The old road running by the Bluefields Beach has been closed except to vehicles going to the beach parking lot, so this is an ideal spot to jog or walk.  As you reach the Bluefields Police Station, cross the main roadway, and take the narrow road that travels up the hill.  Make the first right onto the quiet Brighton Road, which runs for miles and has an appealing country surround.  For a shorter jog, follow the old road and then form a circle on the new road behind the wetlands.