Ain’t no worries about a thing when you plan a fantasy vacation in Jamaica. It’s the perfect getaway. Locals eat Bammy cake, laugh as they cast their makeshift fishing rods into the waters, and grin wildly as they chat in front of their beach-facing brightly colored homes.  There’s nothing quite like it.

You’re best bet is renting a house.  The Silver Sands Villas, located on the north shore of Jamaica, is a perfect secure community of vacation properties and private homes.   It boasts a peaceful beauty, direct access to an exclusive white sand swimming beach and plenty of activities for the whole family.  There’s a small Club House, Bar (piña colada a must!) and Grill, and tennis courts.

You’ll be provided with a staff and cook.  They’ll make you breakfast, lunch and dinner. Local fisherman will pop by your front door in the morning with crates of live lobster.  Make the purchase at least once.

Visit the local market to pick up Bammy cake and have your cook fry them up.  It’s so tasty you will crave its savory sweetness long after you return home.

There’s a spa on the premises and you can book the masseuse to set up her table at your rental.  A massage overlooking the ocean? Count me in.

Must do:

• Take a midnight boat tour of the Glistening Waters in Trelawny and swim out into the Luminous Waters.  The lake is filled with tiny organisms that, when agitated, light up and glow.   It is a once-in-a-lifetime swim.
• Check out St. Peter’s Anglican Church, the oldest building in Falmouth.  The ceilings are over twenty feet high.  The pews are crafted in mahogany and surrounding all sides of the Church are graves that span 200 years and goats meander freely across your path. 

 -Arianna Schioldager