By Luchina Fisher, The New York TimesJACKIE'S ON the Reef spa is on a rocky plateau in Negril's West End, where the dramatic cliffs and coral reefs are the main attraction.
A simple stone-and-concrete building, the spa resembles a Buddhist temple surrounded by bougainvillaea and hibiscus, cactus and aloe plants. Incense and soft music lured me down a dark hallway to a veranda with a soaring wood-beam ceiling and tin roof. The veranda, with tables, daybeds, hammocks and comfy chairs, is the centre of activity where classes, meals and some spa treatments take place.
Pamela, who manages a staff of seven, showed me to my room. There was no TV or radio and no air conditioning. But the room had been designed for maximum ventilation, with open space between the rafters and the roof and screened windows on three of the four walls. It got so cool on my last two nights that I had to sleep with a blanket. There were three other identical rooms in the main building, which can accommodate eight in double occupancy.
When I showered, using a wonderful herbal soap called sweetgrass, I could feel the warmth of the sun and watch the small birds darting in and out of the hibiscus trees.
Built by Jackie Lewis over 14 years, the spa has been opened to guests for seven years. At 62, tall and thin with white-grey hair and a regal bearing, Lewis is intimately involved in every aspect. In her former life, she modelled in Paris and owned a clothing boutique called Grand Hotel in New York. She still has a home and office there and seems to know what city dwellers most need: a total change of scene, a chance to slow down, let go and cool out.
Besides a morning class (yoga and meditation, mainly), there is no structured program. There are no exercise machines, but there are plenty of New Age and self-help books and tapes. As for the traditional spa treatments, I decided to follow her recommendation and have an aromatherapy deep-tissue massage with Nadine on my first day. With the sun on my back and the sound of the waves crashing nearby, I relaxed into Nadine's strong, capable hands. She seemed to know where every knot and kink was. I just wished she could have spent a little more time working them out.
About halfway through the hour-long massage, I drifted off to sleep, and when I finally woke up, she had finished. With my body lighter, I sat on a chair at the edge of the small, rocky coral cliff and watched one of the spectacular sunsets that Negril is famous for. The water was rough, but when it is calmer, Lewis puts out a ladder so that guests can swim and explore the coral reef beneath the surface.
Dinner, served at a small table on the veranda, was an intimate affair. We feasted on conch curry, pigeon peas and rice, vegetable succotash with okra and corn, and a beet and carrot salad with pineapple dressing, all arranged artfully on our plates. With the delicious meal, we drank limeade, a sweet, thirst-quenching drink made from the same Key lime used in Key lime pie. I had some when I arrived at the spa and quickly decided it was my new favourite drink. Jackie's does not serve alcohol with dinner, but guests can buy Red Stripe, the Jamaican beer, from the kitchen.
The next morning, after tea and coffee, we five guests took an hour-long yoga class with Gaby, a German expatriate. She took us through poses from two different yoga styles, challenging both the beginners and advanced students. By the time we finished, I was starving again. Breakfast was served under the trees. We had banana pancakes with a compote of papayas and pineapples, surrounded by an arrangement of fruit.
After breakfast, Lewis gave me an herbal body scrub. First, she applied a clay mask to my face; then I lay in one of the saltwater pools while the sun baked the clay. Then Lewis led me to another hut by the reef, where she applied fresh aloe to my feet and massaged various points on the soles. Next, she applied a mixture of herbs to the rest of my body and gently brushed my skin with a bundle of rosemary leaves. Finally, she scrubbed me down with an herbal soap using exfoliating gloves. Over the next two days, my face broke out, my left eye became red and irritated, and my allergies kicked up. Again, Lewis said my body was detoxifying. I was sceptical, but eventually the food, the fresh air, the extra sleep, the body scrub and the massage seemed to have a positive effect.
For the remaining three days of my stay, I was content to stay nestled in the spa's cocoon and read, nap, soak in the saltwater pool and, at night, sit by the fire and gaze up at the night sky.
THINGS TO DO
The daily morning classes are mainly yoga and meditation, but tai chi, African dance and drumming are also offered.
Occasionally, the spa offers workshops in yoga, writing and "tapping your inner power."
For the mind and spirit there's reiki (energy balancing) for US$58 and "past-life regression" for US$100.
WHAT IT COSTS:
For a day of pampering Jackie's offers a day-spa package, which includes a massage and lunch, for about US$70.
To get away for a few days the spa charges US$150 per person a night, double occupancy, from December 15 to the end of May and US$125 the rest of the year. A minimum four-night stay is required. Jackie's accepts only cash (US or Jamaican dollars) or travelers cheques. Guests have to pay half of the total rate before arriving and can do so on a credit card.
Included in the price are accommodations, breakfast and dinner, and a morning class. Lunch is extra and costs US$9 to $12. Spa services also cost extra A gratuity of 10 per cent of the total nightly rate is added to the bill and divided among the staff.
Getting there: Jackie's on the Reef, P.O. Box 2608, Negril, rests alongside a coral reef in the west end of the resort town. It's about 90 minutes from the Montego Bay airport or 20 minutes from the Negril airport.
-Excerpted from the web site of the Sun-Sentinel newspaper
