Thursday

I’m sitting by the splashing pool at Moon Dance Villas in Negril, Jamaica, watching Wesley darting around and thinking about my grandfather. More precisely, the stories he used to tell, stories which always had to have a moral. I’ve been in Jamaica two days now, and the parable that keeps popping into my head was one of his favorites?about blind men describing an elephant.

“It’s thin like a snake,” said the one on the trunk. “No, it’s thick like a tree,” said the one on the leg.

Jamaica is kind of like that elephant. Quiz any gaggle of yachties and Muu Muu draped travelers and you’ll hear that this beautiful island floating in the heart of the Caribbean between Cuba and Central America is a perfectly safe Rastafarian Shangri-la or suffers from unemployment and crime, has wild forests and beautiful beaches or is overcrowded and poor.

Welcome to the elephant. Yes, Jamaica (along with other populated islands and destinations) deals with security issues. But, as one long-time Jamaica fan said to me at the airport: “Why is it that whenever people travel they leave their common sense at home?” So here we sit, common sense in tow, enjoying one of the most beautiful islands in the Antilles. And our vantage point, the splendid Moon Dance Villas in Negril, couldn’t be any finer.

Moon Dance is one of those true gems we’ve found over the years?a boutique resort that manages to distinguish itself from 60 or more high-rise uber-resorts that share Seven Mile Beach. The things I like about Moon Dance are easy to tick off. The elegant architecture (the wood paneling needs to be oiled every three months!) of the six spacious villas (all with a patio or balcony) gives the property a private-estate feel, something enhanced by the lush private gardens (I even found a koi pond). One of those minor-but distinguishing details-Moon Dance is set back from the ocean just enough to allow easy access, but far enough to keep down vendor traffic.

Service is one of those phrases bantered around so much that the real meaning sometimes gets lost. At Moon Dance it still means something-a private chef who comes to your villa like some sort of culinary magician. When we arrived late yesterday the concierge immediately took our order and voile, our own chef appeared, apron on, to whip up some of the best Jamaican home-cooking we’ve ever had-plates of grilled snapper, shrimp salad and jerk chicken. The best restaurant in town, it seems, is right here on our patio.

Sunday

I know we’re having fun when I look back and realize I haven’t written for over two days. So here’s a quick catch-up before we pack for the airport.

We have seen much of Jamaica before, so instead of doing the typical thing-hiring a local guide to see the waterfalls and go poling on the river-we explored this little strip of Rasta heaven fondly known as Negril, only an hour and a half from Montego Bay.

We discovered Seven Mile Beach to be quite stunning-a long golden strand book ended by rocky ramparts where cliff divers perch and practice. Our Moon Dance Villas personal chef experience was definitely our favorite, but we did find it had some stiff competition from Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, with its laid-back atmosphere and water trampoline (next door to Moon Dance Villas), and also the Rock House, which had good food and was inexpensive ($80 for four of us, drinks included!).

As Shawna notes, this is a great place for several couples or families to travel together-a relatively inexpensive island with great places to stay and fun activities. And as grandfather would have said with a wink: “There’s more to the elephant than meets the eye.”

Moon Dance Villas:
Azure Sky
Bay Whisper
Dream Walk
Ginger Breeze
Lilac Mist
Star Song