The Renaissance Man: From My Little Cottage in Negril... Jamaica!

Maybe it's the cloudy afternoon conditions with intermittent showers and the chirping of birds here at Chalet du Stilwell, but for some reason I am unable to explain why my thoughts are continually disrupted by memories of Negril and the words of an old reggae tune 'From My Little Cottage in Negril' by Duane Stephenson. For my readers further a field, here are some quick facts about this piece of paradise on the West-end of Jamaica. Negril is a small beach resort town adjoins two Jamaican parishes, Westmoreland and Hanover. Downtown Negril, the west-end cliff resorts and the southern portion of the so-called "seven mile beach" are in Westmoreland. The beach's length is the stuff of legends, it's actually little more than four miles in length, but tourists and travel writers insist on the "seven-mile" label. The northernmost resorts on the beach are in Hanover Parish. Some may find this little bit of history about Negril quite humorous, here goes: The name "Negril" is a shortened version of "Negrillo," as it was originally named by the Spanish in 1494.

The name is thought to be a reference to the black cliffs south of the village. Another version of the origin of the name Negril is: There was a vast population of black eels along Negril's coast and the Spaniards called the area Negro Eels which was shortened to Negrilo and then to Negril.
Although Negril has a long history, it did not become well known until the second half of the twentieth century. Negril's development as a resort location began during the late 1950s, though access to the area proved difficult as ferries were required to drop off passengers in Negril Bay, forcing them to wade to shore. Most vacationers would rent rooms inside the homes of Jamaican families, or would pitch tents in their yards. Daniel Connell was the first person to create more traditional vacation lodging for these "flower children" when he set up the first guest house in Negril - Palm Grove.
The area's welcoming and hospitable reputation grew over time and the first of many resorts was constructed in the mid to late 1960s. The first hotel in Negril was the Yacht Club by Mary's Bay on the West End. I bet $10, most reading this blog didn't know all that (LOL), don't feel too bad though, I didn't ether thanks to wikipedia and my wondering thoughts about that cottage in Negril today.

For years, Negril's beach has been rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world by many travel magazines. The north end of the beach is home to the large all-inclusive resorts, and to the south are the smaller, family-run hotels. This combination gives the Negril area a large variety of rooms, services and prices. South of downtown Negril is West End Road, known as the cliff area, which is lined with resorts that offer more privacy. These areas offer easy access to waters good for snorkelling and diving, with jumping points reaching more than 40 feet high. That Negril is still fairly underdeveloped remains a significant factor in its undoubted charm. Well enough of the history lesson, meet Elaine Sanrantakos I'll let her take you on a 6mins walk on the '7 mile Beach'.