This is going to be a long post in order to show just a fraction of the beauty that surrounds this bed & breakfast I stayed at in the Blue Mountains. The blue marker on the map below shows the area where this secluded paradise is located.
Rafjam B&B is so remote that the owners offer to meet you in a tiny town called Red Light and guide you in because you might not find it otherwise. It’s owned by Jamaican Susan and her Belgian husband Rafael and from the minute you arrive they are at your service. The following photos are what the property looks like on your way in.
We arrived around 11am and made previous arrangements with them for breakfast which was hot and ready by the time we arrived. Friends of ours who were already staying here raved about their ackee and saltfish so of course that’s what I wanted to try first. There was a private table already set up on the back deck overlooking a waterfall, with ackee and saltfish, fried plantain and some roasted breadfruit ready to serve.
After breakfast they showed us to our rooms. The property is pretty big and they have more than enough rooms to accommodate a large group of people and Susan told me they will soon be adding cottages to the property as well. The rates for rooms vary depending on size and you can check the different rates on their website link at the end of this post. These are the two rooms we occupied. The window in the second picture opens to the back of the property and the sound of the waterfall is what you get to listen to. It was heavenly.
On the back deck where we dined Raf also has a little “Tiki Bar” set up there with almost any refreshment you could ask for from fresh fruit juices to cold Red Stripe, and complete with ambient music playing on the stereo. We spent hours just sitting back here chatting and taking in the breathtaking surroundings.
The most memorable thing about this place for me (besides the outstanding service) was the mountains surrounding us. There is a walking trail directly off the back deck which leads you up and into the mountains. If you hike up for 10-15 minutes you will eventually reach a tiny little town that seemed to only have a barber, a car wash and a little store where we bought some cigarettes, magnum and frozen bag-juice. Then we continued hiking for about 2 hours. All the locals we encountered on the way pretty much just kept to themselves – a sharp contrast from the busy tourist towns where everyone is trying to sell you something. However I also got the impression that if we’d stopped and introduced ourselves we could have chatted with them for hours.
Here is a picture I took from the top of the hill behind the guest house. This is looking down at the entire property. Spectacular and so isolated.
Here is another random shot I took while hiking so you can see exactly how hidden the place is and the lush mountains you can hike in for hours. And once the sun goes down and its dark in the back, if you look up on the hillside you see hundreds of tiny fireflies lighting up the trees. It was spectacular!
After the hike I was worn out and super hot so I decided to take a dip in the little river and waterfall on the property. The water was COLD and so refreshing! What a little paradise this place is! Here I am cooling off with some of the other guests.
For dinner I had saltfish fritters, sorry no pictures of dinner! But it’s worth mentioning that they have an entire menu of dishes you can order early in the day for dinner the same night. All the food was amazing and home cooked, and reasonably priced.
Overall, Rafjam B&B was a super comfortable place to be. Raf and Susan are great hosts who are always around if you need anything. And they even take time to relax on the deck and chat with you about whatever comes up. I only spent one night here and that was just enough to make me want to book back in for a few more. I definitely want to spend some more time here, it was unfortunate that I was on a schedule this trip. And the ultimate seal of approval came from my 18 year old son who said this was by FAR his favorite of the four places we stayed on this trip. It was quiet, relaxing and such a great retreat.
CLICK HERE to view their website for more information.
CLICK HERE to link with Rafjam on Facebook.
A few things worth mentioning about this location: Lime phones don’t get reception up here but Digicel is fine. Also they have wireless internet access for any of your computing needs.
SPECIAL THANKS to Susan and Rafael for making our stay here very memorable!!
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Comments
14 responses to “Rafjam Bed & Breakfast – Blue Mountains”
I checked out this website before and was unsure . Thanks for you post its now on my list to visit!
Love your web site!
That’s great Boogz…sometimes if you’re going into uncharted territory it’s hard to make a decision on a place to stay. I would have never found this place either if not for the recommendation of the other commenter, CSR. We all stayed up here together and the place is WELL WORTH posting about. I hope you enjoy it if you go!
Well, as you know, this area is the ONLY place I truly love in Jamaica. Once I’m on the mountain, I feel a peace and contentment unrivaled at any other spot on the island.
One though though, when we hiked up to Settlement, most people we passed said ‘hi’ at the very least. I found it odd that you said they keep to themselves, as the locals up there are quite outgoing to strangers (since they rarely see any!). The big thing is though, all the interactions are just pure friendliness–nobody asking for money, or offering to sell stuff. It really pays to get out of the tourist areas of Jamaica.
Until we found this B&B though, I was sad that I couldn’t easily share this paradise with anyone, with the lack of local lodgings. Susan and Raf have finally made this area “recommendable” :-).
When I said they keep to themselves I just meant that they are NOT Ochi people LOL. No one bothering us at all unless we initiated it. You were right about coming up here, it’s SUCH a breath of fresh air compared to what most people know of resort towns.
We at Rafjam ensures that our guests feels welcome at all time and to give them the facilities that will make their stay very comfortable and memorable, we were very delighted to have you Kristi, Chris and all our guests we have had this summer holiday
I really love your website kristi, hoping to see you soon
And chris i am really happy you had a good time here, it was well worth having you guys here!
Thanks for this wonderful post Kristi.
It is so easy to be nice with our guests and take care of them when they are as charming and great as you are guys.
We’ll always have a special welcome for you 5. Come back soon.
Thanks Raf! See you soon!
Well guys, we’ve done a lot of improvements over the past three years. We know have a beautiful two bedroom Bedrock Cottage, inside tiki bar, larger deck for lounging, restaurant, spa, private river pools, an even more beautiful garden and lots more. Check us out facebook for pictures, promotions, etc. We would love to see you.
Cell: 358-2001 or 426-3667 for reservations.
We Jammin!!!!
After leaving behind the rat-race of North-American life, RafJam truly reminded us of how to slow down, ignore all gadgets and take time to appreciate life, nature and our health.
The food was so healthy and organic that we actually lost weight (no complaints). Our short stay was phenomenal. Susan and all of her staff members that we came in contact with provided excellent customer care and service. We took our four year old, who enjoyed the natural setting. She still talks about the waterfall that Susan took her to see.
Overall, highly recommended to all nature lovers.
God bless to Susan and her family!
Glad you had a chance to experience the mountains! Unforgettable.
Hi! We, Marije and I (Dutch;-), are staying in your BandB the 21st of august until the 23rd. We would like to make a (private)guided tour on saturday 22nd in Kingston. Not the regular, touristy thing only. Could you provide a good guide? Like to hear! Kindest regards, Patricia
Hi Patricia, you will have to contact Rafjam directly to ask your questions. This is just my travel blog and they won’t see your inquiry here.
Hello. Thanks for the info! I’m trying to access the website but I’m getting an error message instead. Have they changed their website recently? I’d love to get some more info, availability, and pricing. Thank you.
I’m not sure, maybe check Google. I know you can find them on Facebook as well.