Swimming with dolphins and horses on the beach, Jamaica has an activity for everyone: Eat your heart out Bo Derek

By EMMA WILSON

Horseplay: Emma fulfils her dreams of riding in the surf


I’ve been diving with great white sharks off the South African Cape, herded alpacas on the Paramo in Ecuador and raced camels in the Australia Outback. But one pursuit has eluded me - riding a horse bareback in the waves, with the wind flowing through my hair.

After having had a baby last year, I thought my Ms Adventure days might be numbered. But an invitation to a four-day action-packed holiday in Jamaica meant I couldn't get to Gatwick fast enough.

Virgin flies directly to Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport. Minutes away is Half Moon, a resort that has something for everyone...say, my tricky mother, hyperactive friends, young children and watersport nuts. It even has its own stables.

The accommodation ranges from deluxe cottages to waterfront rooms to self-contained villas with your own housekeeper, cook, pool and golf cart for the 50 acres of grounds. I ran around the golf course in the mornings before the swingers were out, and used a beach bicycle for the rest of the day.

There is a fantastic menagerie area for the children and an expansive spa (that's my tricky mother gone for the day). Every member of my vast, dysfunctional family could be very happy being based here. We could just meet up in the evenings for an alfresco dinner.

So how would I keep them occupied? Well, there's horse-riding for a start. But to be able ride a horse in the surf you first have to take a docile trek in a large group up a mountain.

My steed, an antisocial palomino called Cherokee, is on automatic pilot, but hey, I'm in Jamaica, surrounded by gorgeous lush terrain and with a moving armchair taking me for a stroll.

Back down the mountain, the fun really begins. I change into my swimming costume and remount a pony with a waterproof saddle - Cherokee doesn't do water. The horses wade into the waves and start to swim.


Taken for a ride: Emma is helped along the water by two speedy dolphins


The less glamorous side is that you're in a 'chain-gang' single-file and the horse dung floats by as you circle back. But the incidental balls of poop are worth it. I was too busy thinking: 'Eat your heart out, Bo Derek.'

Next up are the dune buggies, a non-stop adrenaline rush. Chukka Caribbean Adventures brag about their buggies' eco-credentials and yet you feel you're crucifying the environment, tearing up a once placid mountain with your two-stroke engine. Never mind, my carbon footprint from the plane alone should send me to Hell.

Anyway, I love driving and a dune buggy is a go-kart with fat tyres and roller bars. Your 'door' is canvas strapping.

There are sharp corners, and you can create 'doughnuts' in the sand by going round and round, and no one scolds you. Not once, even when I floored it through the river - cue another cheesy grin and: 'Eat your heart out, Steve McQueen.'

Adrenaline fully pumped, the ultimate-girlie fantasy - swimming with dolphins - is not as frenetic, but just as exhilarating. At the resort's own Dolphin Cove, you can jump in with these delightful mammals who will perform and play with you.

The highlight is the 'Dorsel Pull' where you hold on tight and get a tow. Wow, and a kiss from a dolphin to round things off is pretty cute.


From adrenaline to utter relaxation: Half Moon's beaches are truly beautiful


For the truly fearless warriors, there is a chance to cuddle and feed sharks. I bagged the largest, the only female, nicknamed Snapper, and a whopping 8ft long.

Dolphins are bright, but it takes half the time to train a shark - around six months. Their job here is to lie on your lap and let you stroke their skin and drop a fish into their mouths. When you've tired of the heavy petting, on go the flippers and the chance to swim together.

It's actually a bit of an anticlimax, even with the theme from Jaws playing overhead.
The stingrays at Dolphin Cove are less intimidating. They're graceful creatures, happy to rest in your arms. Except this display opened on the day Steve Irwin had his fatal run-in with a wild stingray.

It isn't ideal for any creature to be in captivity, but those at Dolphin Cove are ambassadors for their species. Out in the wild, a shark is killed every four minutes. One type of dolphin is already extinct, and others are on the endangered list.

It would be nice to think the visitors take this to heart. Venturing out of the resort, next up was a tranquil 15-minute chairlift up Mystic Mountain, with incredible views of the sea and the town of Ocho Rios, while your ankles dangle above lush dense greenery.

At the top, you reach a pristine amusement centre. And with one swipe of your barcoded wristband, you're belted into a bobsled, and become the master of your own speed for three minutes of high-octane excitement. Personally, I think brakes are for woosies.

Once you've dodged the pushy T-shirt salesman, it's time to zip-line. I was fitted with an unglamorous helmet and harness - this isn't a sport for supermodels, their long legs would get tangled in the ropes.

Whether on the vertical descent or the suspension bridge, as long as you can drown out the screams from the other tourists, you're ready to create your own Indiana Jones scene, hurtling through the treetops.

Down from the mountain, our final thrill was going to be...dog sledding, synonymous with Jamaica, along with figure skating. Well, maybe not. But you have to hand it to the Jamaicans, when they set their minds on a sport they do it with aplomb.


Peaceful alternative: If you're not holidaying with a difficult family, you can indulge in some other, quieter resorts


The kennel has 30 dogs, strays and lost causes saved from the pound. Fifteen pull a large sled with two people in the back seat and one in the front. We 'mush' through mud and grass, along the cliff tops where Dustin Hoffman was filmed in Papillion.

Don't get me wrong, the Half Moon is a fabulous place to stay but if I was holidaying in Jamaica without my difficult family then I would head for the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, a paradise with its own private soft sand beach.

The rooms here are colonial and classy, the ethos elegant and understated. This is a destination for lovers, a place for room service and breakfast on your balcony - and a sunset massage at the Kiyara Ocean Spa. I've celebrated two anniversaries here.

Next time, I frequently tell my current husband, this is where I'd like to honeymoon, in the White Suite, a favourite of Winston Churchill.

Jamaica Inn offers the romance you read about in books. I wouldn't blame you if you never leave the property for a second. When you feel the urge for activity, there are kayaks on the beach and a sailboat. I've capsized it twice.

You can also be collected from the water's edge for deep-sea fishing or for scuba diving. I love snorkelling below the balconies. There's a family of lobsters in residence and a cheeky little puffer fish that likes to scare the life out of me every time I think it isn't there.

The only downside of Jamaica Inn is checking out.

Travel Facts

Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859, www.virginholidays.co.uk) offers a range of holidays to Jamaica. A ten-night break staying seven nights at the Half Moon, Montego Bay, and three nights at Jamaica Inn (www.jamaicainn.com) costs from £1,669 including return flights with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick, accommodation and transfers.

It also features all six Sandals hotels (www.sandals.co.uk) on the island.

Choose from dogsledding, dune buggies, right, riding or swimming at Chukka Caribbean Adventures (www.chukkacaribbean.com). Swim with dolphins and pet a shark, at Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios, (www.dolphincovejamaica.com). Jamaica bobsled and zip-line at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, (www.rainforestbobsledjamaica.com). For more information, see www.attractions-jamaica.com.


source: dailymail