I've vacationed at Home Sweet Home for the last four years. One year I went twice. That's 5 times. One week each time. It's an intimate little 60's modern style collection of two story concrete buildings situated around a garden-like coutyard that includes a small, emaculately clean, kidney shaped swimming pool and problematic hot tub.

There are about 13 rooms. The best rooms are #12, the penthouse (Mick Jagger is supposed to have stayed here in the 60's) and Suite #11. Suite #11 sleeps four (we paid $100.00 US per night!)comfortably on two levels and has a big veranda from which the foolish can dive straight off into the shimmering blue Carribean. It's a dream.

The attitude here is very laid back but the staff is as attentive as you ask them to be. However, the towels are rough. I usually take a few of my own.

Most of the other rooms are singles and doubles, the upper rooms, #s 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 12 (The Penthouse) have a private veranda with great views but you have to go up stairs at the back of the buildings to get to the doors of these units. It's OK in the day but kind of dark at night. The other rooms (1,2,5,6,7) have little - short sidewalks that lead up to the porches. It's all very cozy. Suite 13 is right in the middle, above the kitchen (you won't notice) and sleeps 4 very well. The place has so many private places where one can sunbathe nude that getting a tan all over isn't a problem or join your friends at the small bar/dining area. Explore the place!

Need a ride to the airport? Just ask the staff.

Home Sweet Home is on the West End Road, cliffside. The cliffs here have been carved and leveled out into a series of sunbathing and diving areas and there's a nice ladder for entering the water with less of a splash and for climbing out too. We went swimming in the ocean at night and was it spooky!

Unlike many places, HSH usually keeps it's gate open during the day and locals often stop by to eat or just visit. When the sun sets it's a favorite for neighbors. have you seen the sun set in Negril? Sheer heaven... If you like meeting locals you'll like HSH and it's hassle free. After 10pm it's usually all locked up. I can't promise that the security is always on site but I've never had a problem and I'm always leaving money and CDs laying around my room and the door open. No problem, ever.

There's a small restaurant/kitchen but the prices are a bit steep for the neighborhood. There's a little place 50 feet up the road called "Some Ting Different" that is cheap and usually good but many of the rooms have a small refrigerator and there are several small snack shops and jerk shops and Ital places further up the road that sell beer and snacks plus lots of jerk chicken and vegetable dishes but to really eat well, eat at "The Blue Horizon" just down the road towards town a piece. It's not cheap but it's not expensive and it's always great food.

The walk from HSH to the beach takes about 20 minutes. It's an easy walk, the road is new and very flat but the cars drive very fast up and down the road so be careful. Don't get run over!

The weather in Jamaica is hard on everything so the level of maintenance at HSH is sometimes lacking with respect to plumbing. If you go you will want to pack a coffee pot and a coffee grinder, filters and an extension cord. These items cannot be reasonably found in Negril. Finding coffee will not be a problem. Take lots of candy for when you get the munchies!

Jamaicans may grow the best coffee in the world but there it's typically a drink for children. They need a pick-me-up before school I guess... This means that the adults don't drink coffee and don't know how to make it either. They also don't take kindly to criticism with respect to their coffee prepairing abilities. To make matters worse, the old percolating coffee pot in the dining area is capable of giving you a nasty electric shock. It's fun to watch everyone getting their coffee in the morning with a little shock, ha ha.

This January I took several kites down with me and what a joy that was! The first three days my parafoils flew themselves! When one broke free it wasn't a few minutes before a local brought it back and ran off without time for a thank you! I love Home Sweet Home...

Also, mosquitos are out at night and they are very small. Netting helps but you'll need tacs and sissors to hang it. If you stay in Suite #11 pack one big suitcase full of $3 cotton rag rugs. The floors are tile and do they get slippery if you're tracking in water. Leave them, the staff will love you for it.

Negril is a great place to vacation and the level of harrassement is down significantly. When walking the road or beach always wear sunglasses and avoid all eye contact with the sales people. If someone bugs you too much just ignore them. If they give you a hard time just get hard right back. "Respect" is the word.

The place to party at night is the beach, which is beautiful, and everyone will know where to go on any particular Friday or Saturday evening and everyone who's anyone will be at that one place. Tourists are usually outnumbered by locals 3 to 1. I've discovered that most guests tend to stay in at night, reading, playing games and just enjoying the serenity of HSH so don't feel compelled to party. Relax, it's Jamaica. No TVs or phones.

See my pics at http://www.jamesasbury.com

P.S. Jamaica is beautiful but always looks better in photographs. If you want perfection go to an all inclusive.