Nattali Rize’s Top 10 Jamaican Hotspots
#6 Dub club
Every Sunday night there’s a dub sound system that plays in the hills of Kingston. It’s a place where you can chill and fully enjoy the music with the community and the artists that pass through. They have great vegetarian food and a bar. It’s somewhere I like to go to catch up with friends and get my weekly dose of dub and roots music played nice and loud!
#7 Sugar Pot Beach, Ocho Rios
Sugar Pot is another amazing little beach in Ocho Rios. There’s a great roots restaurant nearby on the beach and it’s a great spot to spend the whole day. I believe the beach is named after an old sugar mill that used to be there. One of the giant steel pots is still in the ground – you can see it.
#8 Life Yard, Fleet Street, Downtown Kingston
This is where we shot the video for my song with Notis and Kabaka Pyramid, ‘Generations Will Rize’. Life Yard is a space run by young Rastafarians who are creating safe spaces for youth to come and be creative, do their homework, play music, and so on. They are real leaders for their community and when you go there you can see why. They’ve reclaimed the walls and public spaces using them as canvases for artists and community to express themselves– it’s a very inspiring place to go. Tourists and tour groups are welcomed.
#9 Blue Lagoon, Port Antonio, Portland
Blue Lagoon is where the ocean meets fresh-water. This spot is pure blue – first time I was there, not long ago, we cooked by the water and swam and watched the sunset. On one side is the ocean and at the other end of the ‘pool’ area there’s a fresh waterfall, so you get this cool temperature meeting a warmer sea. You can also use the fresh water from the waterfall to wash the salt water off, if that’s how you roll.
#10 Etis Cafe
This is an awesome little restaurant and bar on a mountainside on the way up to the Blue Mountains. It’s a great bar with great food – it’s rootsy but also classy at the same time. There’s a view of the mountains out on the verandah and there are even cabins where you can spend the night. I believe they have a yoga studio up there now too!
Nattali will be joining Melbourne Ska Orchestra for a very special New Year’s Eve show at The Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne on Thursday December 31. Tickets are available here, and check out more from Nattali Rize here. New Era Frequency is out now.
