JTB Bloggers Linkup: A Third Day of Fun!

Rose Hall Great House

After a fun filled Friday, I was looking forward to yet another day of fun on the North Coast. Saturday had two major events that I was looking forward to, a tour of the Rose Hall Great House and a party ride on the Catamaran in Negril! After yet another healthy breakfast at Secrets Resort it was time to head on our tour bus for another day of adventure and fun!

Our first stop of the day carried us again eastward to the neighbouring parish of Trelawny to do a tour of the famous Rose Hall Great House, the former home of the infamous Annie Palmer, also called the White Witch of Rose Hall. I have read the stories about this rich part of our Jamaican history when I was in primary school but have never been to the stage where this story had played out in in real life. From the highway the the house stood imposingly over the lawns of what was once a huge estate supported by slaves. The tour is a brief one, yet the house and the legend behind it was eerie enough to make the length of the tour negligible. The old style look of the furnishing, the soft light entering the house from the overcast skies and the awfully loud squeak of the wooden floors made the building look like somewhere you wouldn't want to be at the fall of night. I did manage to get quite a few photos of the interior of the great house, which was like a step back into the dark past of our island.

Me at the Rose Hall Great House

The Dining room of the Great House

Annie Palmer's bed room

A sitting room in the Great House

After the tour it was time to head back west again, but pass our accommodations in Montego Bay to another tourist destination, Negril. Our Negril visit started with a small stop at Margaritavlle, where we stayed long enough to wet our feet until our host Sandals Negril was ready for us. After a short tour of the Sandals Negril property, it was time to board the catamaran to set sail for Rick's Cafe! Budding with excitement I quickly changed into my swim shorts and waded in the water to board the boat fun some fun on the high seas! The boat was stacked with a tasty assortment of finger food and a bar with a bar tender willing to mix you up a drink or two... or three! The boat ride to Rick's Cafe was filled with chatter, music, food and the occasional chanting as we went over the larger waves. We docked at Rick's Cafe for a while was we watched the brave dance with danger as the take the 30 feet plunge of the jagged cliff to the deep blue water below. A few of our guests on the boat faced their fears and also took the plunge while the others, including myself watched from the safety of the catamaran. But the fun was just only beginning on board as our trip back to Sandals Negril was a party on the sea, as we all danced... some tried to dance and rocked to the beat of the music and just having a grand time.

Bloggers on board the catamaran

The food and liquor on board

The cliff at Rick's Cafe

Bloggers partying

Yes we party hard like a Rock Star!

When we returned to Sandals Negril, our group was split in two as both Sandals property wanted to give us a taste of what they had to offer for dinner. One set stayed at the Sandals Negril property while the set I was in headed to Beaches Negril. At Beaches Negril we we treated to a feast on the beach, which climaxed with surf and turf for the entree.

Surf and Turf at Beaches Negril

This brought down the curtain on our day as I can't even recall the bus ride back to Montego Bay since I was out cold from a fun, exciting day.