rentals at Silver Sands
 

Has anyone used the house rentals at Silver Sands near Montego Bay? Looking for somewhere to go with family of 2 adults, and kids 20, 22, and 18. Or any other suggestions. I'm so confused!

I just returned from a 2 week tour of Jamaica. I spent three nights at Silver Sands in the Queen's Cottage. Wonderful place to stay with helpful office staff. We had a great housekeeper named Angela.

We have two villas at Silver Sands, one simple, one luxe. It's a private gated beach community with a great beach, but it may be a bit quiet and confined tho for your children. See jamaicaescapes.com for our full roster, especially villas in Treasure Beach which may hold more interest and have more things to do for your older children.

I also stayed at the Calabash House in Treasure Beach during my tour. From TB walk to nearby bays, snorkle, go fishing or take a tour up the Black River. TB is a lovely quiet area. Would not hesitate to return to either local.

The Treasure Beach community Web site --which really shows how community-oriented this small gem of an area is -- is www.treasurebeach.net. There's a forum, sections on accomodations,diversions, food,people,FAQs, history and lots of photos. It's probably the best way to see if St.Elizabeth and the South Coast
are right for your family vs. the North.

ttt..for Becky Sue

Dave,

Did you feel 3 days at Silver Sands was enoough? We are staying there and thinking of cutting a couple days off our stay to go to Treasure Beach. We like the off the beaten path places. Did you rent a car or use priviate taxis? How were the roads? Thanks!

I could have stayed at Silver Sands for longer than 3 nights but we were there at the end of our 2 week tour so staying longer really wasn't an option. However, we would not have hesitated staying longer if we had had the time nor would we hesitate to go back. It really was a wonderful place. I posted a trip report upon our return. Do a search on my name (or simply click on my name here). Treasure Beach is a real treasure. I think it would take you 3-4 hours to drive to TB from Silver Sands. The road from SS to Negril is great. Between Negril and TB the roads are a little rougher but not difficult to nagivate. We rented a car for the full 2 week tour.

Dave,

Thanks for your reply. Was this your first experience driving on the left and was it difficult? We are traveling with a seven year old and also thinking of doing a loop, Negril (4 nights),Treasure Beach(2 nights), Mandeville(2nights), Silver Sands(4 nights). Our other option is to skip Treasure Beach and extend Silver Sands. Do you think it is worth going there for two nights and one full day? I think it is only an hour from Mandeville. How did you like staying at Calabash house? Was it very child friendly and was there much smoking? Any other suggestions on where to stay in Treasure Beach that is child friendly? Thanks!

I didn't do any of the driving, I left that up to my friend who is well acquainted with driving in Jamaica. The only problem I have ever experienced as a front seat passenger (wishing I was driving) is the proper way to negotiate the round-a-bouts (who has the right-of-way). So you have 12 nights and I assume you are arriving in MoBay and then proceeding directly to Negril. I would suggest only spending 3 nights in Negril and add the extra night in TB so you can get a real appreciation of how different TB is from the normal tourist areas. Even if you only do as you now have planned TB if definitely worth the visit. Now since I don't know much about the Mandeville area and it's local attractions I might be tempted to skip the 2 nights there and add 1 more to TB and 1 more to Silver Sands. Calabash House was fantastic. Dawn (the housekeeper/cook) and Joceyn (the caretaker) made our stay there memorable. It is certainly child friendly. The house is quite airy with an open hallway from back to front. For additional information on TB accommodations I would suggest going to www.treasurebeach.net for a wealth of information.

Thanks again Dave! I think you might be right about cutting one night off Negril. One of my concerns -is there a lot of smoking out in the open? Did that happen at Calabash house and Treasure Beach in general? I don't really want to expose my son to it. I think some whiffs going by in the breeze would be okay but I am worried about it being done right in front of him. I guess thats why I was thinking silver sands but I like the idea of experiencing more of the culture and being off the beaten path.

most of the "smoking" I have observed is very discreet in nature. Don't get the idea that it is a big spliff or bong fest. If you didn't know that it was a popular "activity", you might not even know that it existed. Depending on the wind, of course. ;)

Julie has left for the summer, but Elizabeth, one of owners of Calabash House, lives on property. Talk to her
directly about your concerns via the rental agent, Rebecca Wiersma. Silver Sands is pretty much a ganja-free zone
(tho what some villa renters do in their villas is their business). Tho
hardly Negril which can be blatant to some, ganja smoking can be seen in Treasure Beach, most often discretely.
If it's a major concern, I'd recommend
going to MAR BLUE (non-smoking of any
type, with spectacular food and 10 min.
walk or mt.bike ride into Calabash Bay, the 'in-town' center). Ganja, on island, is the poor man's Prozac and
rarely indulged in by women.

As others have indicated, most smoking in Jamaica is discreet. Yes, when you are walking on the beach in Negril you will get the odd whiff but I did not see anyone smoking out in the open. Calabash House is a private villa..no locals just drop by to smoke nor did Dawn or Jocelyn. Unless you or an invited guess light up your son wouldn'be exposed. I also did not observe anyone smoking while out for our walks through Calabash Bay area. The only 'signs' of ganga around Silver Sands was at the 'wood carvers' village next door to the SS property but even then it was just a few of lads kind of off in the bush.

Thanks so much for all your help. I think I have a better picture of how things work and can make a better decision. Holly