Devon House Jamaica
Devon House is a Georgian style mansion that was built in 1881 for George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first black millionaire. Though having a German Jewish father, Stiebel's mother was black and in photographs, he appears to have more of his mother's color. Stiebel was born in 1820. When he was 20, Stiebel's father, Sigismund, gave him start up money to buy a ship which he used to transport cargo between North and South America. Eventually, he acquired two more ships and became involved…
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5 Reasons to Get Out of Negril and Explore Hanover Jamaica
Hanover is Jamaica’s second smallest parish after Kingston & St. Andrew. It was created out of the neighboring parishes of Westmoreland and St. James on November 12, 1793. Hanover got its name for George I, who was from the House of Hanover. Lucea, its capital has been known as Sant Lucea, St. Lucia, and St. Lucea. There’s an interesting story about Lucea and its clock tower. According to the story, Germany gave a clock to the people of the island…
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Oakton House Jamaica
The Oakton House, a stately wooden structure caught my eye. Located in Half Way Tree, Kingston, it's a stone's throw from the Old Courthouse that I wrote about a few posts ago. It was probably built in the 19th century, during the height of Jamaica's Georgian period (1702-1910), but no records have been found to show who the original owner was. (more…)
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Orlando, Top Family Spring Break Destination
I have a confession: I’m not big on theme parks, but most of my relatives are. So when we had to choose a city to hold our family reunion a few years ago, we looked for a location that had activities that everyone would enjoy. Orlando fit the bill. It was probably the easiest decision we made as a family in all the years we’ve been organizing our reunions, and serendipitous for me as that year, I was running the…
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Jamaica Chosen “Caribbean’s Leading Destination” at World Travel Awards Ceremony
Jamaica was voted the Caribbean's Leading Destination at the 2012 World Travel Awards Ceremony for the Caribbean and the Americas at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa on September 14th. Jamaica took home several other awards including "Caribbean's Leading Airport" (Sangster International Airport), "Caribbean's Leading Cruise Destination," "Caribbean's Leading Villa Resort" (Round Hill Hotel), "Caribbean's Leading Meeting and Conference Center" (Montego Bay Convention Center), and "Caribbean's Leading Meeting and Conference Hotel" (Half Moon). Other winners include St. Lucia…
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Can You Afford Not to Have Travel Insurance?
Having travel insurance should be a no brainer for those of us who travel. But most people don’t think of it until it’s too late. Take my friend, Jessica, for instance. On her first trip to Africa, she arrived at her destination only to find that her luggage had not. For two weeks, all she had was the clothes on her back, a few items given to her by others on the trip, and some personal articles. Her suitcase went…
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St. Andrew Parish Courthouse Jamaica
The St. Andrew Parish Courthouse is located in Half Way Tree and is popularly referred to as the Half Way Tree Courthouse. Built in 1807, this Georgian style building has louvered windows and a closed verandah. It was damaged in a storm and repaired in 1882, then repaired several times after. Miraculously, it escaped damage in the 1907 earthquake. [caption id="attachment_9774" align="aligncenter" width="562"] St. Andrew Parish Courthouse Jamaica[/caption] The Courthouse was the setting for the trial of Alexander Bedward (1859-1930), a…
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The Surroundings Make the Experience at St Ermin’s
Whenever you decide to book into a hotel in London, the first thing you’ll consider is the location. This is everything when you want to be sure you spend as much time exploring and as little time getting from A to B as possible. St Ermin’s Hotel in central London is popular for this reason, situated as it is close to St James’ Park. However it isn’t the only reason a stay here is an experience in itself. [caption id="attachment_9765"…
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In the Shadow of 9/11
Being in New York on September 12, 2001 was like living Hollywood's depiction of the End. The normally bustling city was eerily quiet as if everyone had left in hurry. The World had shifted, and we who were still around were holding our collective breaths, unsure what our next move should be. I took the subway to work, not because I had to but because I couldn't watch any more television, and because I wanted everything to go back to…
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Campari Takes Over Appleton Jamaica Rums
Gruppo Campari, the maker of aperitif, announced this week that it had bought controlling interest in Lascelles deMercado, maker of Appleton Jamaica Rums, from CL Financial Ltd. Campari takes over CL Financial's 81.4% share and will buy the remaining shares by year end. The total deal is worth $414.8 million and is expected to lead to a profit from next year. [caption id="attachment_9736" align="aligncenter" width="537"] Appleton Rums[/caption] This is Campari's third biggest acquisition. In 2009, it bought Wild Turkey from…
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