Celebrities are drawn to the Caves Resort in part because it is owned by one of their own, legendary music producer Chris Blackwell (who also hosts the Flashpoint Film Festival here).

Accommodations at The Caves consists of 12 individually styled cliff top cottages and suites. Our favorites are those with the viewpoints the highest above the water, like the one-bedroom Butterfly and the two-bedroom Moonshadow and its glorious blue rooftop balcony (see pic below).

All rooms at The Caves are designed with guest privacy in mind. Loads of lush vegetation creates a sense personal space and provides that in-the-middle-of-a-garden vibe. But there are plenty of mingling areas around the resort too. Coolest among them (both literally and figuratively) is the Rum and Cigar Bar located inside an open-ocean cave underneath the resort.

The whole of the Caves Resort, in fact, is built upon limestone cliffs and a honeycomb network of caves. Which may have you asking yourself: Why anyone would stay at a high-end Caribbean coastal resort that doesn’t have beach access?

The answer is that the cliffs of The Caves are arguably better than having beach access. Perched so above the water, the Caves Resort has more dramatic views and cooler breezes. Caves guests are never far from a Caribbean swim, either by climbing down to sea level or, for more adventurous souls, jumping in from the cliff top. The resort also has a saltwater pool, a cliffside jacuzzi and a private hot tub located inside a cave. For guests still craving sand, Negril’s main beach is about a 10 minute taxi drive away.

All that said, Spot Cool Stuff does not recommend The Caves for a honeymoon stay. The villas, while beautiful and comfortable, are not air conditioned and a bit too close-to-nature for some. There’s also the possibility that the resort will be taken over by a magazine doing a photo shoot during your stay.

As a choice for a romantic indulgence with an unusual cave twist, though, the Caves Resort is brilliant. And who knows? You may have a brush with fame during your stay.

Money saving tip: Want to stay at The Caves but can’t afford the $550/night price tag? Consider the $80/night quirky Blue Cave Castle instead; its a Spot Cool Stuff favorite.

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The exact coordinates of The Caves Resort, derived from an igot-U Travel Blog Master GPS device:

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Here’s a rundown of our three favorite hilltop hotels in Jamaica. At each a swimming pool, a peaceful environment and an amazing views will await guests.

Strawberry Hill, Irish Town

cutting-edge colonial luxury

Strawberry Hill is easily the most luxurious (and, not coincidentally, most expensive) property of the three in this review. It is also arguably the most luxurious of any non-beach hotel in Jamaica.

The five-star guest experience here starts with Strawberry Hill’s friendly and professional staff, extends to the property’s excellent restaurant and spa (where we’re partial to the Lemon Grass Wrap, which uses Caribbean botanicals) and envelopes the guest accommodations.

Guests at Strawberry Hill stay in one of 12 Georgian style 19th-century villas. Our favorite is the 3,000 sq. foot (280 sq m) Highgate—the two floor freestanding house includes a large wrap-around balcony and is a wonderful value at US$395/night. The relatively basic Timbuk rooms at $195/night and has a charm similar to the Highgate packed into a 400 sq. foot space. For all accommodations a three night stay is required.

Strawberry Hill is a 75 minute drive from Kingston’s international airport though the really cool way to arrive is via the hotel’s helicopter.

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Shafston Estate Great House, Bluefields

laid-back Caribbean views

Looking for a basic yet comfortable place to hang out with a Red Stripe on a hammock while gazing down upon the Caribbean? There’s no place better than the Shafston Estate Great House.

Admittedly, during Spot Cool Stuff’s visit the Shafston felt like a property a bit past its prime. The billiards table, while playable, has seen better days and some of the furnishings were in the first phases of dilapidation. But the proprietor, Frank—a German native who’s lived in Jamaica for 20 years and has an accent to match—has grand plans for the Shafston. The coolest among those: a series of zip lines to fly travelers down to the beach!

As it is now, Frank has already made the Shafston one of the most environmentally-friendly accommodations in Jamaica. A newly installed solar panels provides of all the property’s electricity needs. There’s also a rain catching system and a healthy dose of locally-sourced food on offer. That food is part of the Shafston’s all-inclusive deal. For $100 per night guests get a home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner as well open bar access.

So walk behind the counter and fix yourself a fruity rum drink. Grab a beer from the cooler at your whim. Hang out on the deck or in the communal bar area for as late as you like. The Shafston is the sort of place where you can make yourself at home.

If you go: Various guidebooks (including the excellent Lonely Planet) and websites (including, at the time of writing, the Shafston’s own) claim that a four-wheel drive is required to navigate the road from the A2 highway. It is not. Spot Cool Stuff managed to get to the Shafston in our crappy and very much two-wheel drive Toyota hatchback. Turn off at the dirt road just east of the Bluefields police station and follow the Shaftson signs.

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The view from the Shafston garden

Tamarind Great House, Oracabessa

jungle-surrounded English elegance

Jamaica was once a colony of England. Stay at the Tamarind Guest House and you might think it still is.

Run by a couple from England, the Tamarind is a trim and proper European-style house with immaculately manicured grounds and an impeccably furnished interior. Its the sort of place where every art work is hung perfectly straight and all the table settings are placed just-so.

The formality of the Tamarind is almost out of place with the environment of this somewhat wild corner of northern Jamaica. It certainly induces a bit of culture shock if you come here from accommodations with more of a local Jamaican vibe (like My Time ‘N’ Place, for instance). Still, the atmosphere here is friendly, and far from stifling. Especially down by the garden-surrounded swimming pool.

If you go: Get a room on the top floor with a semi-private balcony. That’s where the Tamarind’s best views are to be had, especially around sunset.

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A Review of the Jade Mountain Resort ← the hotel room view in the Caribbean

In a lush jungle filled with beautiful birds and red rhododendron, crystal waters cascade along smooth sculpted rocks until finally splashing upon a bone white beach and a stark blue Caribbean Sea. The planet has more dramatic waterfalls (Iguazu and Victoria come immediately to mind) but per square meter none may be more beautiful.

And none is more crowded.

On a typical day counting the number of visitors to Dunn River Falls would easily require four figures. During the high season, and when cruise ships dock at the nearby Ocho Rios port, five figures are needed for the visitor count. With an admission price of US$15 per person the Dunn River Falls is Jamaica’s single most profitable tourist property.

The appeal, besides the beauty of the place, is the chance to climb the falls. It is a precarious, slippy endeavor to climb up through the rushing water’s current.

The way starts at the beach, a 20 minute walk from the parking lot. There climbers meet up with a guide and form a sort of aquatic conga line, holding hands to pull and push each other up.

Between guides alternately yelling “You can do it, come on!” and whistling to get the attention of their stray charges, and everyone loudly milling about (many under the influence of multiple Red Stripes), the atmosphere at Dunn River is a surreal mix of boot camp, frat party and scene from FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

Many people who start the waterfall climb give up part way through. More than a few end up at the first aid station. But for those who make it to the top there is a real (and deserved) thrill in the accomplishment of it.

The Dunn River Falls is worth a visit even if you don’t make the watery climb to the top. The waterfalls and the chaos of the throngs trying to climb it can be observed from an adjacent paved path. Along the way are several observation platforms where you can stay dry and take in the view—if you can see over the people in front of you.

If you go: For any semblance of solitude get to the gates as Dunn River opens at 8am.

By rule, the climb up the falls must be made with some sort of footwear. The grippier the better. Vibrams are ideal (buy / review). A decent pair of Tevas will work too. Water shoes of dubious quality are sold and rented at Dunn River inside the entrance gate.

Getting there: Dunn River a few kilometers taxi ride from the center of Ocho Rios. For drivers speeding along the A3 it is clearly signposted. But the cool way to arrive is by water. Sandals runs an brilliant catamaran booze cruise (for guests only) from their nearby property. Several area resorts and travel agents can help you arrange more meager boat transport.

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My Time ‘N’ Place owes its existence to the move industry. And to its gregarious and entrepreneurial owner, Tony. It all began when Tony built a cabin to rent out to the crew of Passion and Paradise, which was being filmed on the parcel of beach next door to his. After the movie crew left, Tony rented out his single cabin to tourists. And so it was until the location scouts for How Stella Got Her Groove Back came calling. Tony’s property was perfect for Stella, they said, though the script called for a resort with four cabins. And so Tony built three more. A fifth cabin will be completed in mid-March 2010.

In the years since Stella was filmed the beach east of My Time ‘N’ Place has seen significant development. An FDR Pebbles Resort is next door and a Breezes Resort is a 10 minute beach walk from that. Breezes has a little islandet (photo, below) that you can walk out to and kick back with a Red Stripe (even if you aren’t a guest). Otherwise, neither resort has much to recommended it. (One guest described the rooms at the Breezes as “grim and moldy.”)

My Time ‘N’ Place is the antithesis of those—and most any—high end resort. The accommodations here are all built from wood and mostly constructed by Tony himself. Cabins are clean and practical, though hardly luxurious. The doors and windows aren’t flush when they close. The supposed hot water isn’t. Your bed might or might not come with a top sheet.

Breakfast, included in the price, consists of Tony inviting you to his ramshackled sand-floor home. There he has a pot of coffee, a toaster, a gas stove and a refrigerator full of eggs, milk and cheese. There are makings for pancakes. There’s fruit on the table and cooked porridge. Whatever you want to eat you prepare yourself. Make yourself at home. Shirts and shoes are strictly optional.

As for dinner, it is served outside on the beach by a bond fire. When the cook is working, that is. Optionally, a My Time ‘N’ Place staff member will drive you to a beach front joint frequented almost exclusively by Jamaicans. It is a sort of place where the whole community gathers–kids playing football/soccer in the parking lot, old men hovering over backgammon in the corner, young couples flirting at the tables. A meal of “fish tea” (a sort of soup with conch and other seafood) and an entire freshly caught fish stuffed with spices will set you back a whole US$3.50.

If you come expecting western standards you’ll be disappointed. But stay here with the intention of kicking back, going with the flow and getting sand between your toes and you’ll find that My Time ‘N’ Place is a place where you can get your groove back too.

Getting there: My Time ‘N’ Place is about a 30 minute taxi ride from the Montego Bay International airport—transport booked through Tony costs US$50. For a more local (and much less expensive) experience take a shared taxi to Falmouth and then another to any point east on the A1/A3 (eg. Ocho Rios) and tell the driver to drop you at My Time ‘N’ Place.

Cabin options: Absolutely stay in the “Bird’s Nest,” a treehouse-esque cabin above the beach, if it is available. The beach-front cabin #4 is your second best option, and then the garden-surrounded cabin #2. Nightly rates start around $80 in the high season, $60 low.

What to do: Sit back and enjoy. The beach directly in front of My Time ‘N’ Place is a bit seaweedy. Walk west along the shore for 90 seconds and you’ll likely find an idyllic stretch of sand to have all to yourself. Tony will help you arrange local excursions including a cave walk and a night time boat trip over glowing waters of the Luminous Lagoon (see below).

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One of the deserted beaches west of My Time 'N' Place

The view from the Bird's Nest cottage

John's Key, the islandet walkable from the nearby Beezes

The exact coordinates of My Time ‘N’ Place, derived from an igot-U Travel Blog Master GPS device:

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Read more Jamaica posts

This trip will be the first we’ll make with an i-gotU GPS Data Logger, a surprisingly small and simple gadget that not only tracks the route of one’s travels but also geo-codes photos.

Currently published posts from Spot Cool Stuff’s most recent Jamaica trip:
Beach Cottages For Getting Your Groove Back
Dunn River: The World’s Most Beautiful, Crowded Waterfall
3 Hilltop Hotels with Wonderful Views Upon Jamaica

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See all our current Jamaica travel posts

The Adrere Amellal is the single coolest eco-resort on the African continent!

Set within a scenic oasis, at the foot of a dramatic rock-mountain, amidst the desert in Egypt, the Adrere Amellal has the feel of a place time forgot. The local Berbers here still live much like they’ve done for centuries, wearing their traditional clothing, speaking their native Siwi (not Arabic) and harvesting the bountiful dates and olives by hand.

The resort itself has an atmosphere that reminds us of the casaba in Star Wars—except without the space aliens and bar fights. It is a truly other-worldly vibe.

What’s most amazing is that the entire hotel was built exclusively with materials available within 20 miles of this desolate location. There’s not a single metal nail or imported anything in the entire construction. The pool is fed by an underground stream. The furniture is carved from local trees. There’s no electricity, but you’d hardly notice: The rooms are well lit with oil lamps and the whole hotel is kept cool as a result of the ancient construction techniques used.

The resort’s service is superlative too, up to the standards of any internationally renown five-star property. The staff is attentive, but not suffocatingly so, and extremely knowledgeable of the local area. The room rate includes excellent meals, made with organic and locally produced products, and a selection of activities. Go on a jeep safari into the desert, visit the town of Siwa or The Temple of Arun (an oracle constructed by Alexander The Great), take a dip in a hot springs or simply marvel at the brilliant night stars—a stay at the Adrere Amellal will amaze and memorize.

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Spot Cool Stuff can’t do anything about the workings of the airline business. But we can recommend seven items that can help take some out of the stress out of air travel. Or at least help make the experience of it seem to go by faster.

No single item has the potential of improving an airport experience as much as a Priority Pass card. Membership in Priority Pass grants you and those traveling with you access to all of the 600+ airport lounges that are part of the program.

So, let’s say you are flying out of Frankfurt. With Priority Pass you can head to the airport early, clear security and then kick back in the American Airlines business class lounge in Terminal 1 or in the Delta Sky Lounge in Terminal 2. Watch TV. Enjoy the complimentary bar. Get some work done at a quiet desk with a computer and internet access. You needn’t be flying on Delta or American Airlines. You needn’t be flying in business class. You need only have your Priority Pass card. Kind of magical, really.

Read our full review of the Priority Pass program

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Lost luggage has long been the bane of air travelers. Sadly, these two items won’t reduce the chances of the airline loosing your bag. But they will increase your chances of finding it again:

The Trace Me luggage tag is imprinted with a scanable bar code that’s unique to you. If your bag is found by an airline employee (or by a good samaritan in cases your bag really goes astray) the finder can either scan your bar code or type your identifying number into the Trace Me website. You’ll then get a text message and/or email informing you where your bag is.

The PocketFinder is a device that will keep track of your bag’s location via GPS. Simply activate the PocketFinder, charge its batteries (they last for a week) and then place the tiny device someplace in your bag where it won’t fall out. You’ll be able to see exactly where your bag is using an internet-connected computer or a smartphone like an Apple iPhone or BlackBerry. Unlike Trace Me (above) there is a monthly fee for PocketFinder’s service.

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Unless you’ve experienced a plane trip with a good pair of noise canceling headphones you may not be aware of the negative effect that the persistent roar of airplane engines has upon your body. Noise canceling headphones greatly reduce the effects of the stressful sounds of travel—by doing more than passively keeping noise out of your ear by covering it up, we mean. These high tech headphones produce an audio signature that is the opposite the ambient noise around you; this inverse signal cancels out external racket to produce . . . quite.

Because the technology involved is complex, cheap noise canceling headphones are almost uniformly disappointing. In fact, there are only a handful of noise canceling headphones at any price point worth getting. Our favorite: the suberb QuietComfort 15 by Bose. They are relatively small, comfortable to wear, and reduce the clamor of air travel to a whisper—see our full noise canceling headphones review for more details.

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Trying to make your way through an airport with a rolling suitcase and a handheld bag and a cup of coffee? With the Tugo you need not attempt a potentially coffee-spilling juggling act. This little rubber item straddles the pull poles of your rolling bag and provides a secure holder there for your coffee cup or travel water bottle.

Out of the box the rubber Tugo tends to be a little stiff; loosen it up and it will hold your drink perpendicular to the ground no matter how the angle of your rolling bag changes.

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We recently included Core Spun on our list of great gifts for travelers. Their coolest feature: Core Spun socks help prevent Deep Venous Thrombosis, referred to colloquially as “Economy Class Syndrome” because long periods of time sitting in cramped quarters causes the insufficient blood circulation that leads to DVT.

Every long haul traveler is at risk of DVT, a potentially life threatening condition that commonly results in the swelling of legs and ankles in its early stages. Those who are elderly, overweight, smoke or who recently had surgery are especially susceptible.

There are a number of items that can help reduce or eliminate the effects of DVT including specific drugs, seat cushions and blood circulators. One of the cheapest—and most effective—prevention items are Core Spun socks. These socks gradually compress the foot and lower leg, placing the greatest pressure around the ankle and then gradually decreasing pressure towards the top of the sock, thus promoting blood circulation. Core Spuns are also comfortable to wear and are durable for travel.

LEARN MORE & BUY | OTHER DVT PREVENTION ITEMS |

Skooba, one of Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite luggage manufacturers, has a series of bags designed to help speed you through airport security. Our favorite of these is their Checkthrough Messenger (see photo, below). It was developed in conjunction with America’s Transportation Security Administration to allow the bag to be screened without the hassle of removing a laptop from it. The Checkthrough Messenger can also be carried with the top open so you can easily prepare for an airport screening (eg. removing your keys, cell phone, etc. from your pockets and placing them in the bag) while still standing in line. Exterior pockets keep passports and boarding documents handy.

Traveling with a computer and already have a carry-on bag you like? Consider Skooba’s checkpoint-friendly laptop sleeves. We travel with the Neo-Sleeve (photo above, to the right). It is water resistant and perfectly fits our 10″ Asus Seashell netbook. Because the Neo-Sleeve has been TSA certified your computer does not need to be removed from it to go through screening.

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Air travel inherently involves a lot of sitting and waiting. Fortunately there are several gadgets that will help you use that time productively. Or, at least help keep you entertained.

The Amazon Kindle is one of our favorite travel gadgets, especially for air travel. In a device that’s smaller and lighter than one book you can store over a thousand! Plus you can download the latest newspapers and magazines. For more see our comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 and Kindle DX.

The Apple iPod Touch is perhaps a too obvious item for this list. Many people reading these words already know the sort of trusty travel companion an iTouch (or iPhone) can be. Listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks is merely one of its uses. Also watch videos (or even live TV), surf the ‘net via wi-fi and run apps that allow you to, for example, track a flight and make on-the-go hotel reservations.

The Sony PSP is known primarily as a portable video game playing device—many of the more popular games for the PlayStation 3, like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed, are available for the PSP as well. One engaging game alone can make a flight seem to fly back. (Pun). It so happens that Sony’s Portable PlayStation is also arguably the best handheld devices for watching videos; its high resolution screen is easy on the eyes and its batteries can power five hours of video play. Further, many major airports in North America and Europe have stores where you can rent PSP movies—pick up a selection before your outbound flight and then return them upon your return. InMotion is one such in-airport rental service in the U.S.A. (click here for their airport locations).

Netbooks have dropped in size and price such that it can make sense getting one of these ultra-portable computers for travel purposes even if you already have another laptop at home. Use your netbook to surf the net at the airport, or do work (or play games or watch a movie) on your flight. Our suggested netbook for travel is the Asus Seashell 1005PE-PU—it is ruggedly built, weighs a mere 2.8 lbs (1.3kg), features a beautifully bright screen and is capable of running up to 14 hours (!) on battery power.

LEARN MORE & BUY: KINDLE / NETBOOKS /SONY PSP / iPOD TOUCH |

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But of all those accommodations options the Bamboo Treehouse is the coolest.

So what’s the Bamboo Treehouse like? Imagine where you’d sleep if you were stranded in a deserted section of jungle and then built yourself a shelter without any tools and with limited architectural knowledge. The Bamboo Treehouse is only slightly less primitive than that.

Yes, there’s a composting toilet nearby and sporadic electricity generated by a wind turbine above jungle canopy. But the basic wooden plank floors, bamboo walls and simple queen-sized bed covered by a mosquito net is very basic. Certainly it is a lot more austere than the $70 per night price tag would suggest.

But then what you are paying for at the Rosalie is not the construction quality of the treehouse. What you are really paying for is the seclusion.

Simply to getting to the Rosalie Forest Eco-Lodge reception center entails a rough car ride through the jungle. From there, the Bamboo Treehouse is a 15 minute hike through the virgin rain forest.

Once/if you find your way to the Bamboo Treehouse you’ll see no other signs of human life—you can’t hear any other guests or see any buildings. It is you (and perhaps your travel companion) in the middle of a flower-laden jungle, surrounded by birds and wildlife. Hang out on your little veranda or explore amongst the wonderful lakes, rivers and waterfalls that dot the Rosalie’s property.

As readers have probably worked out for themselves, a visit to the Rosalie Forest Eco-Lodge requires a sense of adventure. And booking yourself into a nice beach resort after your stay here is recommended. But any post-treehouse beach resort stay will likely fade from your memory in time. A night at the secluded Bamboo Treehouse—now that’s unforgettable.

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