Oniel’s House

On my 2006 Sumfest trip I was all over the place. A few days in Ocho Rios, then Montego Bay, and I had considered hitting Negril for a few days too. As luck would have it I accidentally ran into a guy in Mobay that I knew from YEARS ago in Negril. As it turned out he and his cousin now owned a house up the hill in Negril and had a spare bedroom that he could rent to me for a few nights. Sold! He picked me up the next morning at my hotel in Mobay and off we went.

Verandah at Oniel's house

His house was up the hill in Negril with a similar view of Alice’s house, you can see in THIS POST. But they’re actually not that close together. Here’s Oniel’s view of 7 Mile Beach, and a house being built just below.

I caught these children always playing in between the houses being built. I frequently sat on the verandah writing in my jounal and sipping Rum and coke.

Picture of children in Negril

Oniel’s place was quite nice. 3 bedrooms and very spacious. He lives there with his cousins and apparently rents this spare room out to other international people he knows, when they visit Jamaica. This is the room I got. It was so nice sleeping right under the window because up in the hills there is a constant breeze.

Every day I had these little guys nipping at my heels! I adored his puppies! And they seemed to like to follow me around everywhere I went.

The coolest thing about up where the house is, something I never experienced before, were bike taxi’s. The roads coming up the hill are pretty bad for cars so you can’t catch a real taxi to come up here. But at the bottom of the hill there are guys on motorbikes who take people up and down the hill. I noticed the same thing up where Alice lives. I never had the opportunity to try one though, because my friends all have cars and pretty much drove us anytime we went somewhere. Next time I’ll try one on purpose.

And last but not least, this is where I spent the majority of my time at Oniel’s place. Sitting in this spot writing and enjoying the scenery and relaxation.

This was a popular spot on the veranda. I sat and watched his cousin get his hair twisted one day too. It was neat to watch and visit with the cousin who was doing it. Below you’ll see what she was doing to his hair, and the finished product was his whole head twisted.

Picture of Jamaican hair twists

Lazy Dayz – Negril, Jamaica

I stayed at Lazy Dayz in Negril in 2004, on my third trip to Jamaica. This was the trip I brought my son on when he was 11 years old. The fun of that trip is posted here.  And since this trip was 5 years ago, my info might not be totally current.  You should see their website for the most current rates, etc.

There are several different types of cabins at Lazy Dayz in Negril, and I chose to rent the two smallest ones, one for myself and one for my son.  The two small cabins are identical and are right beside each other on a huge wooden deck complete with picnic tables and a bench swing.  Charming.

Cabin in Negril, Jamaica

In between the two little cabins is a seperate structure with the toilets and sinks, and behind that is an outdoor shower!  This was the part I didn’t know about til I arrived.  At first I thought it was a bit sketchy until I used it for the first time.  Now I wish I could shower outside there ALL the time!  There’s nothing like looking up in the shower and seeing palm trees hanging over you, and little gecko’s on the fence watching you bathe.  Not to worry, its surrounded by a fence so no one else can watch you bathe LOL.

Cabin in Negril, Jamaica

The accommodation here is extremely basic.  Inside each cabin there was only a bed, small fridge, a rod to hang clothing, a chair, and a ceiling fan.  But really, if you’re just sleeping there you don’t really need anything else.

The owner of Lazy Dayz is Canadian which was great for me because she took my money at par, so I paid $50 CAD per night, per cabin.  In hindsight its a bit pricey for what it is since I’ve stayed in full hotel rooms for almost the same, but at this place location is EVERYTHING!  You’re about 50 feet from the best beach on the island…7 Mile Beach.

Negril 7 Mile Beach

Our stay was through the Easter holiday in April and the property was VERY quiet, except for one night.  The property is located right beside Wavez, a popular outdoor spot for live shows or events, and we just happened to be there at the same time as the Ice Cream Festival.  Who knew they’d have one of those!!!  So it was noisy all that day and evening but the noise was just reggae music, doesn’t bother me any.

The next picture is the front of the property from the beach.  This awesome house is where the owner stays when she’s in Jamaica, which she happened to be there when we were.  And I gather from their website that a part of this place is rentable when she’s not there.  Beautiful.

Through those gates and behind the house is where the rest of the cabins are.  The property is great and is in close proximity to pretty much everything and is right on Norman Manley Blvd.  Lots of places to eat on the beach and you can walk to the nightlife from here after dark.  Its close enough to the awesome Jungle nightclub, that you can hear the music from it.

I had no problems staying at Lazy Dayz.  The staff were super friendly, we had fresh towels every day, our beds were made for us, I felt safe, and any of our Jamaican friends could come visit whenever.  We frequently bought food from the street vendors and dined outside on our picnic tables with friends.

I guess the only negative thing was, as usual in Jamaica, the odd large bug running across the floor LOL.  Come on, its Jamaica.  Anyways that’s what the geckos are for and they were always around to keep us company.  My son thought it was the coolest thing to have the geckos at our front door every day.

For up-to-date information on staying at Lazy Dayz, visit their website.

Mama’s House

I “actually” met my second Mama on my birthday in 2006. I “cyber-met” her long before that on a Jamaican travel forum. When we started chatting about 5 years ago she didn’t yet live in Jamaica, but finally she made her move and the timing was perfect for me to visit her.

I flew into Jamaica on my birthday in 2006 and Mama met me at the airport for the first time! It was hilarious to finally meet her and seemed like we’d known each other all our lives. She’s been like family ever since and I’ve stayed with her a couple times now, once when she lived in Montego Bay and once at her new place in Negril.

Her house in Negril

Her house in Negril is AWESOME! She had it built over time and its the cutest place ever! I remember driving into Negril and arriving at her new house at night. Its pitch dark up in these hills and her house with the porch lights on was like a beacon in the night LOL. So adorable! She lives in the upper level here and she rents out the identical lower level to guests.

Lower level veranda...I spent a lot of time on it!

Since I arrived in the dark, I was shocked at the view she had the next morning. Breathtaking. I think she has a million dollar view, one of the best in Negril.

View of 7-Mile beach in Negril, from her house.

Each level of the house consists of 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, dining room and full kitchen. It was perfect for me and the friend I was traveling with, plenty of room even for dinner guests. This night we brought over a bunch of country children for some curry chicken dinner.

Kids over for dinner

Here are some of the neighbor’s homes in the area. Its a relatively new development up here and people are still in the process of completing their homes while they live in them. Beautiful neighborhood tucked up in the hills but only about 10 minutes to the beach. I’d live there in a heartbeat.

Neighbor's house to the left.

Neighbor's house to the right and up further

Its always a pleasure visiting my Mama. Will be seeing her again next month!