Duncan Bay, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica
WHY WE CHOSE IT
Every year, we take a “someplace warm” trip in the cold winter months. For February, 2023, here were our criteria:
In the Caribbean
No big resorts
Close proximity to water
Easy access to bars/restaurants, but not very touristy
Honestly, Duncan Bay was not our first choice. We wanted to stay at a studio beach shack in Runaway Bay, but someone else booked it first. As it turns out, that was a good thing, because what we found instead was Effie’s Place on VRBO, which checked all our boxes.
OUR LODGING
Effie’s Place does not look like a typical Caribbean home. It’s not swathed in pastels and wicker, and looks more like a small suburban American home. It has three sets of doors that allow you to open the entire living area to refreshing Jamaican weather. It boasts an expansive fenced yard with a seaside view and gazebo. Most importantly, the house is about 100 paces from the Caribbean Sea.
The bedrooms don’t have the same seaside view, but they are quiet and the beds are comfortable for restful sleep. There is air conditioning if you need it, although we opted to rely on open windows for the cool breeze at night. It’s a well maintained home, and equipped with everything you need for a stay, including kitchen tools.
The hosts, Effie and Ackee, are Canadian, and sometimes live in an apartment on the backside of the property. We chose to spend a fair amount of time with them, but they make a point of staying out of your way unless needed, so as to respect your privacy and travel.
Included in your stay is Tresha, a fabulous woman who will clean, cook, and generally help out. At first, I wasn’t keen on this idea, as it felt odd to have someone around all day. Our hosts made it clear that she didn’t have to be there if we didn’t need her service, though her wages are included in the rent regardless. With time, we grew to really appreciate her presence. She made us a fantastic meal from some crabs we bought from a local fisherman, and having her there meant it was easy for us to leave the house at will without needing to lock up every time we went to the beach. Mostly, she was just nice to be around and shared helpful information about Duncan Bay and Jamaica in general.
The community we stayed in was primarily filled with Canadian and US expats who’ve been living (full or part time) in Duncan Bay for decades. They are friendly, welcoming, and a great source of information about restaurants, things to do, etc. They seem to live in harmony with their Jamaican neighbors, rather than displacing them.
FOOD + DRINKS
There’s not much on the beach directly where we stayed, but that was just fine by us. Leroy’s Beach Bar & Grill was a great place to hang out. It’s about as far from Margaritaville as you can get—think plywood walls, a handmade bar, and an open deck with no rails jutting into the water and rocks where fishermen clean their day’s catch. Leroy’s wife Cordella makes some of the best fried chicken you could imagine, and the beer is cold and plentiful. The clientele is mostly local.
Nearby is Julet’s, which also had some great food, including a lot of the aforementioned catches of the day. Do yourself a favor and get a breakfast of saltfish and ackee!
In the same area, you’ll find local artists selling their wares. We came home with a great carving of a sun that now shines over our kitchen in North Carolina. On most days, you can watch the artists carving, so you know what wares are authentic.
The community next door, Silver Sands, is more “resort-y.” The beach is raked every day, and there’s a beach bar with fancy cocktails and food. We were able to blag our way past the guard at the gate to have lunch there one day. IT was pleasant, but we preferred the local scene.
The town of Duncan is about a mile and a half up the hill—roughly a 2 minute drive, or a ery steep 30 minute walk (this is a guesstimate, because we surely didn’t do it!). You’ll find a grocery store, a bakery, a butcher, an ATM, and a delicious burger at Angelique’s Cafe.
The Ultimate Jerk Centre is very touristy. The original shop had to move from its spot on a nearby beach to accommodate the number of people who stop in. Now it sits on the side of the highway with a massive parking lot and outdoor dining area that can accommodate busloads of tourists. Nevertheless, the food truly was excellent. There’s even a nice snorkeling spot nearby.
WHAT WE DID + WHERE WE WENT
Blue Hole Falls
We visited Blue Hole over Dunn River on the advice of our hosts and because we thought there would be fewer people. It was still quite busy, and very touristy. The drive from Effie’s took about an hour and was, like all drives in Jamaica, a harrowing experience. The main highway wasn’t so bad, but the twisty, turning road leading up to the falls is narrow and dividing lines are mere suggestions to the local drivers more experienced with this type of traffic.
We were also given a heads up that there would be ‘guides’ along the roads leading to more formal tour companies, and advised to not go with them. Apparently, the falls don’t belong to anyone, so these guys may take you through their own trails. There were MANY of them on the road, and they were at times, very persistent—at times jumping in front of the car to stop you. I will admit being tempted to stop for this wizard selling reggae brownies.
The water was higher than normal on the day we visited, so safety is a consideration. We chose Nature Blue Eco Attraction, and they did a fine job guiding us through a series of trails, many over slippery rocks in shallow parts of the river (that, on this day, were not very shallow), where ropes were strung between posts to help us keep our balance in the fast water. We are reasonably fit 50-somethings, and all of us agreed that this trek was a challenge—not so much physically, but in terms of choosing your steps and maintaining your footing. We really appreciated having our guides there to help with this.
The hole itself was very pretty and interesting. There’s a bar (of course), and plenty of photo opportunities. I’m glad we went, but I wouldn't go again, even on a day with lower water flow. It just wasn’t worth the time spent in the car to me. And, for the record, as challenging as I found driving to be in Jamaica, I’d still rather do it myself than be driven in a van full of other people.
Bob Marley Museum
Maria did some research, and wanted to visit 9-Mile, Bob Marley’s homeplace. Like Blue Hole, it was a harrowing drive around mountain roads, but unlike Blue Hole, this was definitely worth it.
The entire experience was very well done. There are, of course, opportunities for you to buy souvenirs, but it was otherwise a very respectful place. Bob grew up here, wrote a lot of the songs you know here, and is buried here.
Our guide was great—he had extensive knowledge about Bob’s life and music, and that made the whole experience that much better. There are restrictions about where you can take photos and video. Our guide was playful about it, and would remind us with something like, “Pictures, OK. Video, not OK. Marijuana, always OK!” and then he’d always punctuate that with “HA!” If you like the music and history of Bob Marley, go. You won’t regret it.
TRAVEL
Departure Lounge
Maria and I have a tradition of finding a beach bar near our airport when we’re flying home from the Caribbean—we call it our departure lounge. Typically, they tend to be small places owned by locals. Montego Bay didn’t seem to have a quiet little spot, so we took a hard (figurative) left to…Margaritaville. We are both Buffett fans (RIP), but his chain restaurants are not really our scene. Having said that, we had a couple hours to kill between dropping our travel companions off at the airport and when we needed to be there ourselves, so we gave it a shot. Verdict: meh.
We enjoyed the actual departure lounge at Sangster that came with the VIP pass we bought to help us move through security more quickly. There was a nice bartender, who we enjoyed chatting with, and he made a decent rum punch to send us on our way.
PRACTICAL STUFF
Financial
The Jamaican Dollar is the official currency of Jamaica. You can use US dollars in touristy places, but you’ll get Jamaican currency as change and you probably won’t get a great exchange rate. We hit the ATM as soon as we arrived, but found that there were often glitches using our US cards in the machines, so when you find a situation that works, get plenty of currency out. Another consideration: the Jamaican dollar is worth significantly less than the US dollar, so you end up with a comically large amount of money. At the time of this writing, 100 USD is worth 15,533 JMD. My first time at the ATM, I didn’t really know what the exchange rate was, so I took out 3,000 JMD, and it turned out to be less than 20 USD. 😂
Power
Jamaica’s plugs and current are the same as the US: 110 volts.
Safety
Jamaica has a maligned reputation for being unsafe. So much so, that we avoided going for years. I’m sorry we did that. The story you’ll hear is that you should stay on the resort, because off the resort, you may get scammed or mugged…or worse! I can tell you that we never felt our safety was compromised. Well, other than the driving, which certainly increased my blood pressure.
Near tourist destinations, you’ll find many people working a hustle, so be thoughtful about who you buy products or services from in those areas. They aren’t physically threatening, just pushy. We found that a confident and polite ‘No thanks’ with a smile is all you need. You may have to repeat yourself a few times, but it’s helpful if you don’t escalate things by being rude.
While this can be annoying, for sure, I’d suggest you consider the circumstances. As is the case in most Caribbean nations, Jamaica’s travel industry money does not reach most Jamaicans—the average annual salary (in US dollars) is a bit over $5,000. It only makes sense why people try to get their hustle on.
Locals and expats alike have told us that neighborhoods in some of the bigger cities like Kingston can be dangerous. But there are also parts of Raleigh, NC where I don’t want to hang out at night. So do what you do at home: be mindful of your surroundings.