The Bite Magazine Issue 17

where tables are set up on the beach with the pathway lit up with tea-light candles and food served by your per- sonal waiter. The resort has a wide range of entertain- ment for guests including exercise classes and beach volleyball, as well as evening barbeques and music performances and film screenings. There is also a casino and on some evenings there is a street-mar- ket selling an array of traditional gifts. Secrets Resorts also has links with a travel company and offers a variety of excursions including day cruises on a cat- amaran with opportunities for swimming as well as a fully-stocked cocktail bar; a trip to a coffee and pineapple plantation; a tour visiting the Bob Marley Experience and Dunns River Falls; and, a tour includ- ing a safari on the Black River, a visit to YS Falls and a visit to the Appleton Estate Rum Excursion. The Black River, YS Falls and Appleton Estate Rum Excursion takes you towards the beautiful south coast of Jamaica, trav- elling through a lush green countryside, where you can catch glimpses of the real Jamaica as you go past through roadside dwellings and villages before arriving at Black River. Here you’d board a boat for an exciting expedition along Jamaica’s longest river and the largest wetland area on the island. On our trip, the captain of the boat was a knowledgeable local guide who passed on facts and back- ground information about this beautiful island’s history and ecology. He was par- ticularly an expert in the hiding places of the crocodiles inhabiting the banks of the river and often cut the engine so that you can drift along and try and spot the creatures amongst the reeds. Each crocodile has its own territory and the Safari company plays an active part in their conservation, including running a sanctuary for injured animals. Although the crocodiles are the highlights of the river trip you will also see a variety of birdlife (cattle egrets, little herons) as well as impressive mangrove trees. The next stop on the tour was YS Falls with its magnificent cascading waterfalls and pools of water. The venue is an activity centre where you can swim in the cool refreshing waters, ride a zipwire over the falls, swing on a rope and drop into a pool, or just relax and enjoy the scenery and plants at the fall’s edge. The journey then continued with a visit to Appleton Estate Rum Factory, the soul of the finest rums in the world.The visit included a tour of the distillery where you can learn all about the distilling process from the production of the raw sugar cane juice through the distillation process and onto maturation in wooden barrels. At the end of the tour you get to taste a range of rums from white rum through to 21-year old and you get a (small) complementary bottle to take home. To get to Secrets ResortsWild Orchid in Montego Bay, you can fly Virgin Atlantic to Sangster International Airport on Economy, Premium Economy or Upper Class flights. Once you have reached the island, pick-ups and drop-offs are arranged by the resort. Preferred Club SecretsWild Orchid Resort Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica www.secretsresorts.com/ wild-orchid-montego-bay bite travel