Confirming Jamaica

Beyer and Rabey were right on the money in their March 17 discussion of Jamaica. My wife and I spent three weeks last summer at the Hibiscus Lodge, two minutes from “downtown” Ocho Rios. It was a lovely time in a beautiful place. We also confirm the quality of the Almond Tree restaurant in the lodge, the setting of the Ruins by night and the quality of the spicy patties in its roadside snack bar by day. (They are terrific with the non-alcoholic ginger beer served at the stand.)

We would add something that Beyer-Rabey didn’t mention: The Couples resort down the road, where we spent one week before moving to the Hibiscus Lodge, is the most accommodating and best-run resort we have ever seen. It is a jewel of a location for those who want a vacation in which one price covers lodging, food, entertainment and the beautiful sea.

Regarding the Cecil Smith piece on Santorini in the same issue: I wish he had mentioned the marvelous digs at Akrotiri at the end of the island. One can visit a Minoan village just as it was when the great explosion in about 1500 BC brought an end to the fascinating Minoan civilization--ceramic works are shown as interrupted in their creation--and created the Santorini we see today.

GORDON COHN

Long Beach