By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

It’s not every restaurant that offers “Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner – Cold Beer – Hi Grade Hammocks.” But then, Murphy’s West End Restaurant, in Negril, Jamaica, is no ordinary eatery.

Chef Leniel Ennis (aka Murphy) has owned the roadside restaurant for half his life, spending the last 18 years serving up local eats such as jerk lobster, brown stew fish and Devil Chicken (similar to jerk chicken but oven-baked and with a spicy sauce on the side) to a steady stream of locals and curious guests from the boutique hotels perched on the picturesque West End’s craggy cliffs.

When he started he could only seat four people at a time on a shaded picnic bench. Now Ennis can comfortably accommodate up to 36 diners on a pair of outdoor benches and a cluster of four-top tables arranged on a verandah.

But that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily get a table at the cash-only establishment. The restaurant operates strictly by reservation and chef cooks to order, so walk-ins should, well, keep on walking. “I bring in staff only when I need them, and I prepare and cook only for the people I’m expecting.” By doing that – and staggering seating times throughout the day – Ennis says he can focus on cooking his best and giving his hungry patrons the attention they deserve.

Provided you’re able to get a reservation (ask at your hotel front desk), you’ll surely leave Murphy’s full and happy. And, perhaps, with an unexpected purchase: a comfy and colorful cotton hammock, painstakingly made by Ennis himself.

Murphy’s accepts reservations from 10am to 10pm, Monday through Saturday. Call 876-367-0475.

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By Alexander Britell

There are so many different kinds of Caribbean hotels, depending on the time of year, the kind of trip, the budget and the needs of the traveler. But ultimately what we’re always looking for is a hotel with personality, a hotel with a soul. Our latest look at hotels gives you five great options to explore the Caribbean, from hip new city hotels to castaway-style dive resorts at all price points. What do they all have in common? Personality. Here are some hotels to try right now.

Le Guanahani, St Barth

The completion of a four-year, $40 million renovation means this St Barth standout is better than ever, with a terrific beach, a chic air and superb food. It doesn’t get any better than St Barth, and summer here means you have the island all to yourself.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The multi-sectoral citizens’ group Puerto Rico Limpio has sent a letter to Congressman Raúl Grijalva, ranking member of the US House Committee on National Resources, to warn him and denounce the crisis Puerto Rico is living through with 22 of its 27 municipal…

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Dark lighting. High-backed leather chairs. A top-shelf spirits selection. A breadth of cigars.

There’s even a library.

These are the ingredients to a great cigar lounge, and the Avo Lounge at San Juan’s Condado Vanderbilt hotel.

This is the classic cigar lounge, a place that makes you feel like you’re a member of a private club (and there are, naturally, private cigar lockers).

What really puts this lounge over the top is the spirits list, which comes from the hotel’s lobby bar and happens to include a wonderful selection of rums from Puerto Rico to Martinique.

This is a must-visit place in San Juan.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

In what is one of the highest-profile hotel deals all year, Morgans Hotel Group has announced that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by global hospitality company SBE.

SBE will acquire Morgans’ portfolio of 12 properties, and is currently working with lenders to assume the mortgages of the Hudson and Delano hotels in New York and Miami, respectively.

SBE is planning a major expansion in Mexico, with five resort management deals planned.

“Morgans’ Board of Directors carefully considered all of the alternatives available to us and we are pleased to have arrived at a transaction that we believe is in the best interests of our shareholders, while providing a great home for our attractive assets under a renowned hospitality company in SBE,” said Howard Lorber, chairman of Morgans.

SBE had been slated to open a hotel at the now-troubled Baha Mar in the Bahamas, although the fate of that project and its hotels is unclear.

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