Today we went to Dunn’s River Falls. If you have never been there, you need to go. You can climb the waterfall from the beach all the way to the top. Because were staying in Negril, we had to leave early (early for vacation), at 7:45. We then had to drive for three hours, which wasn’t bad because there was a guide who pointed out a lot of information about Jamaica.

Once we finally got to the Falls, we had to join a group. This is the third time I’d been to Dunn’s River Falls, but the first time I had to climb with a group. I wasn’t to happy. I really enjoy taking my time and exploring the waterfall, but for some reason, we weren’t allowed to go by ourselves. The guide moved so fast, that it really felt like he cared more about getting the most groups through as possible, than making sure we enjoyed it. He kept pulling us forward (about 30 people in the group), and people kept tripping and falling because he didn’t give anyone time to test their footing. Then when you fell or took to much time, he started yelling at you and splashing you.

I will never go with a group up the falls again, and I don’t recommend it unless you are too scared to try it by yourself.

After we left, we went to The Ruins in Ocho Rios for lunch.

It is a buffet, so of course I had all the Jerk chicken and pork I wanted. There was also a little three piece combo playing some music.

When we left The Ruins, the guide took us to a small straw market where they had already told someone we were coming and that person took us to their stall and made us look at their stuff instead of wandering around to see what everyone had. I have been to these markets before, but haven’t been treated like I was here and by the guide that took us (I have also never been with a guide before this trip either). We then wen to the Taj Mahal duty free shops. Nobody on the bus was really interested in shopping and they just stayed in the bus (we were waiting for others in the group to finish swimming with the dolphins), but my wife and I went out just to walk around and to stop hearing people complain on the bus.

We finally got home around 7 that night. That made for a long day.

I really was disappointed in my trip this time to Dunn’s River Falls, I like doing it by myself, and this was not fun.

The article says that Grand Turk is a great place to go to get away from the crowds. With a population of 4,500, Grand Turk is a small town feel, except that it has perfect beaches.

Front Street is where you’ll find all the “action” and the pretty-in-pink oceanfront Osprey Beach Hotel. Rubbing up next to weathered wooden shacks and elegant British colonial architecture dating from the turn of the 20th century, the inn’s breezy rooms and tiny courtyard pool overlook the shimmering blue expanse beyond, offering the perfect place to hole up and shun the modern world.

That is a classic description of the Caribbean islands that used to be British colonies. I really need to go to the Turks and the Caicos islands sometime. I always thought that they were a bit expensive, however, the Osprey Beach Hotel mentioned above is $151 in the low season and $169 in the high. That isn’t bad at all.

The Grand Turk has crystal clear water, and some of the best snorkeling in the world. You can go snorkel and see coral and rays, and snapper and grouper then go up the beach and eat that same snapper or grouper in a beach restaurant.

The Grand Turk does have empty areas of undeveloped beach. That is perfect for me. 7 Miles of untouched sand, with almost no people (because they are all having a party at Pillory Beach at Bohio Dive Resort.

Jensen Beach, Florida, is a fun little beach town. The breeze is always blowing to keep the area cool. Lots of sidewalk cafes and unique shops are within walking distance parking. Thursday nights from October to April open air markets, crafts and food draw crowds to the main street.

The causeway to Hutchinson Island, over the Indian River (part of the intra coastal waterway), is nearby. Underneath the causeway bridge are picnic areas, benches, fish cleaning facilities, bathrooms and parking for families and fishermen.

Drive over the Jensen Beach causeway, Rt. 732, and you are at Jensen Beach Park (Rt. A1A to NE Ocean Blvd). Find a parking place in the many park areas, hop out of your car and follow the sidewalk over a slight dune to see the beautiful Atlantic with beaches stretching as far as the eye can see in both directions.

It’s a sunny day in late February with a slight chill in the shade of a 68-70 degree day. We are wearing sweat shirts with shorts and are comfortable even while wading in the surf. Some are swimming and surfing but most are sunning on the sandy beach. Everyone is happy to be out after a long cold spell even for Florida.

The area is gorgeous; the beach is great for children at low tide. The pitch into the water is gradual. But at high tide there is a serious drop off and may be treacherous for children and some senior citizens. Check tide times on the computer or the newspaper.

We stop at the New England Fish Market on NE Jensen Beach Blvd. on our way back home for fresh Mangrove Snapper and salmon to grill at home (the restaurant is great too).

We visit family in Port St. Lucie and never miss making this trip to Jensen Beach several times during our stay.

However, in today’s economic climate it’s not always easy to get to a warmer climate. That’s why I am posting this list of the Top 10 Cheap Beach Vacations from Away.com. I have talked many times about inexpensive and cheap beach vacations, and they are always popular, so here is another.

Top 10 Cheap Beach Vacations

10. Destin, Florida

With over 100 miles of beach on the Gulf of Mexico, there is plenty of room for you to find some privacy. Destin is in the Florida Panhandle, where the fishing can’t get much better. Since you never leave the country, the costs are already lower than other beach destinations.

9. Outer Banks, North Carolina

I was stationed in NC for a few years, and the beaches are great. The Outer Banks is an awesome place to go for fishing and wildlife watching. There are lighthouses, Kitty Hawk (the Wright Brothers first flight), and the North Carolina aquarium. There are over 15o miles of beaches, usually on a strip of land no more than a mile wide. There are also some great seafood places for relatively cheap.

8. Huntington Beach, California

A little bit north of Laguna Beach in Orange County is Huntington Beach. It’s a different crowd than what you would get in Laguna, and is more popular with surfers. It even has the International Surfing Museum. The beach itself is about 8 miles long, but that should be enough since most people will try to show themselves off at Laguna Beach.

7. Cape Ann, Massachusetts

In Cape Ann, you will find the oldest fishing port in America, Gloucester. I have been here and I loved it. I am a New Englander at heart, and this is pure New England. With beaches lined with cliffs and mansions, Singing Beach is similar to the beaches in Newport, Rhode Island. Cape Ann is about 40 miles north of Boston, which itself is worth a visit. Of course, no visit to New England is complete without eating some Maine lobster, but Woodman’s in Essex claims to be the seafood place that invented the fried clam in 1916. That is worth checking out.

6. Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

If you are looking for something outside the US, then you should try Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. I have a map of Costa Rica so you can see where it is (on the right side, the Caribbean side). With beaches all along the coastline, you won’t run out of sand, unless you walk along the beach all the way to Panama.

5. Negril, Jamaica

Finally, we get to Jamaica. I was just in Negril, Jamaica this last summer, and you can definitely save some money in Jamaica. You just have to watch yourself and plan. The beach is around 7 miles long, and is just about perfect. You could spend the entire day on the beach, there are enough people selling food that you would never have to leave. We practically didn’t. My own tip, get a taxi to take you to Sweet Spot restaurant. You will be the only tourist there, but you will be happy when you eat the food.

4. Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil

With 4 beaches (named First, Second, Third and Fourth) you will certainly be able to find the beach that fits you. From luau and dance parties on Second, to quieter Fourth beach, with is good for snorkelers and those wanting to get away.

3. Placencia, Belize

Placencia is one of the most popular beaches in Belize. over 16 miles of white sand beaches are sure to satisfy your winter blues. If you get tired of the beaches (can you ever get tired of the beaches?) you can kayak through Monkey River and see monkeys, manatees and crocodiles.

2. Tulum, Mexico

No beach list would be complete without Mexico. If you don’t want the crowds and parties of Cancun, head south to Tulum, Mexico. Along with great beaches, Tulum also has Mayan ruins that you can explore. It is also one of the cheaper places to stay on this list.

1. Cannon Beach, Oregon

If you want to go to the Pacific Northwest, then try Cannon Beach, Oregon. With the iconic Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach is definitely a picture takers paradise. Ancient Spruce trees, cliffs, beaches and the ocean all make Cannon Beach a very picturesque place.

I’m sure that many of you are freezing this year wishing for the beach, and what better to celebrate Christmas than by laying on a tropical beach somewhere in the Caribbean.

Or maybe you’d like to spend Christmas with Jimmy Buffett on Christmas Island.

On Monday, we did almost absolutely nothing. Sort of. We relaxed.

There are many vendors on the beach selling everything from fruit and beads to weed and mushrooms. So we bought some fruit which was great. There were some small bananas that were fantastic. The vendors have a tendency to be very persistent, and you have to be firm about saying no. If you are halfhearted or say maybe later, they will remember and come again.

We got into the ocean about three times today. It was beautiful. The water was perfect, the weather was perfect, everything was perfect. I’d say we probably spent at least 6 hours total in the ocean.

We went to Margaritaville for lunch, which has pretty good food, but not the best. I’ve said it before, you go to Maragaritaville for the atmosphere.

For dinner we figured we would try Norma’s at the Sea Splash resort. As we were walking down the beach, a guy stopped us and asked if we would like to have the best food on the beach at Norma’s. Since that was were we were going, I said sure, and he gave us a 10% off coupon to go there. At first I was a little wary, but This guy is making a living by getting people to go to Norma’s. After you eat, you sign his coupon and he makes a commission.

We had Jerk Chicken and Coconut chicken. I loved the jerk (of course) but the coconut chicken was unbelievable. It was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten with coconut here in the States. It was sweet without being overly sweet, it was juicy and… I can’t think of how else to describe it. It was excellent.

I would definitely recommend Norma’s.

So ended our first full day in Jamaica. Come back for the next post about our Jamaican Vacation.

We left very early in the morning, about 5:00 AM. It made for a very long day and trip. We also had only about 30-45 minutes in Charlotte airport to get to our second plane.

The driver fom Rondel Village (John) was at the Montego Bay Airport waiting for us when we got there. He drove very fast and passed just about everyone on the road. I was fine with that as I really wanted to get to our hotel to get to the beach.

One thing to remember, not everybody exchanges money at the same rate, so make sure you go to the airport exchange. At the airport we had a rate of 88 Jamaican dollars to every 1 US dollar. At the hotel, it was 80 Jamaican to 1 US. So we actually recieved more money at the airport than we would of at the hotel. The restaurant at the hotel also had an exchange of 90:1. So we saved some money there too. For more information, read my previous post on how to get the best exchange rate.

Once we got to the Rondel Village, we had to wait quite a while for our room. Apparently a big tour bus was in the process of checking out, so our room wasn’t clean yet. We also got there very early, so it was understandable. We ended going to the restaurant before our room because I was hungry.

The music at the restaurant was very loud, although it could have seemed louder that day because we had been traveling all morning and just wanted to relax.

We did get to the beach today, which was my whole goal in leaving so early. I wanted to make sure that I was able to get in the ocean every day of our vacation.

I also got some jerk chicken today, and it wasn’t the last time this trip.

Rondel Village was a beautiful hotel in Negril, Jamaica. It was clean, had great service, and was almost right in the middle of the beach.

These are pictures from our room. You can see that we were right on the beach. Although the entire beach is lined with hotels, Negril the city is actually surrounded by cliffs. This is one thing you have to watch when searching for cheap hotels in Jamaica, if they don’t say beachfront rooms, then they are most likely on the cliffs, and don’t have beaches close.

If you are looking for a vacation or holiday in Jamaica, I would definitely recommend Rondel Village. The restaurant had great food, and there were always people at the bar. However, it wasn’t a party atmosphere, which I liked.

Tours in Jamaica can range in price from cheap to expensive. Going through the hotel is probably not the best idea, rather go through another agency, or ask a taxi driver.

I will be going into much more detail about places we went and things we did in Jamaica in later posts.

See the first day of our Jamaican Vacation here.

Calvert Cliffs State Park, Maryland

Located on the Chesapeake Bay, you can find anything from shark teeth, to snails, to sea glass and even arrowheads.

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

The Outer Banks are a beautiful, and sometimes empty place to be. Because it is such a long drive to the end, you could be virtually alone on Ocracoke Island. There are many types of shells to find including sand dollars, whelks and cowry helmets.

Sanibel Island, Florida

Because of its location by the continental shelf and the warm waters of the Gulf, you can find more shells than you can carry at Sanibel Island. Some of the shells you’ll find are coquinas, scallops, whelks, and sand dollars.

Point No Point Beach, Hansville, Washington

Located on Puget Sound, you can see almost everything from this beach, a lighthouse, whales and Mt Rainier. You can even rent a room at the oldest lighthouse in the sound. The shells you see there are dogwinkles, limpets, and geoducks.

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola, Florida

At the edge of the Panhandle on the Gulf Coast, you’ll find these islands off of Pensacola. They are apparently unspoiled by hotels and such, so you can find just about anything. They have comb bittersweets, coquinas, lucinas, sand dollars, and augers.

Shipwreck Bay, Lanai, Hawaii

Of course, just being in Hawaii is good enought reason to go, but if you are into shelling, then this is one place you can’t miss. You can find shells along with all kinds of treasure from boats and other man made things. Some of the shells you’ll find are violet snails, leopard cones, imperial cones, sea slug shells and even on rare occasions, blown-glass floats from Japanese fishing nets.

Cumberland Island, Georgia

You can take a ferry out to Cumberland Island and rent a bike from a park ranger. You can ride your bike down to Dungeness Beach and find all kinds of shells, even a mansion built by the Carnegies. The shells that are home to Cumberland Island are coquinas, shark teeth, heart cockles, ark shells and moon snails.

Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Just north of San Fransicso, you can find Point Reyes. It is home to many species that are beautiful, but also poisonous. The tidepools catch all kinds of animals and shells, including ocher stars, mossy chitons, razor clamshells, and goose barnacle.

San Jose Island, Texas

Along the islands of the gulf coast of Texas, you’ll find San Jose Island. With no cars, this island becomes a beautiful, quiet, relaxing beach. Add in some shells and phosphorescent plankton at night and you can have a great time. Some of the shells you’ll find are sundials, shark’s eyes, and caramel-rippled lightning whelks the size of your fist.

Silver Strand State Beach, Coronado Island, California

Silver Strand State Beach gets it’s name from the oysters that are littered across the shoreline. But oysters are not all that it has to offer. Other shells include sand dollars, cockles, limpets, and scallops.

I don’t want to write about the beach, I want to lay on it.

I don’t want to write about the ocean, I want to swim in it.

I don’t want to talk about jerk chicken, I want to eat it.

I really don’t have many other plans than that. We will go to Dunn’s River Falls, and maybe over to Margaritaville, but that’s about it. I only want to go to Margaritaville because it’s Jimmy Buffett’s. It’s not about the food, I can get the same stuff here in the States.

If you have any suggestions of what to do, where to go or where to eat, please let me know in the comments. However, I really don’t plan on doing much. My wife and I are not really into partying, we’d rather remember our vacation.

So far, the staff at Rondel Village has been great as far as answering emails and helping us with getting transportation from the airport. I hope it stays as good when we get there. The reviews I read about them were mostly good, but there were a few bad ones. That is normal though.

I can’t wait!