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Just outside the Negril town centre and nestled along the iconic seven-mile beach, the Charela Inn stands undisputed as one of the best hotels anywhere on Jamaica’s west coast. 

Amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and its impact on tourism large- and small-scale, the resort’s in-house restaurant, Le Vendome, is a true culinary delight and a mainstay for food enthusiasts the world over.

Le Vendome, a gastronomical adventure, offers exciting cosmopolitan cuisine heavily influenced by France, Italy and Jamaica—with a soul of experience and pleasantness that is rich, calming and satisfying. 

The eatery is an old-world wonder with new-world charm; the brainchild of managing director Daniel Grizzle and his late wife Sylvie Aicha Grizzle. 

The respected Jamaican hotelier, who invited Our Today on a personal tour of the 46-year-old property, said the 59-room hotel and Le Vendome was built on love, hard work and sacrifice all while staying authentic as a luxury Jamaican resort. 

Le Vendome, while five years younger than the property itself, was inspired by the young couple’s European travels as well as the previous Café Au Lait in West End—a play on their decades-strong interracial marriage.

Open seven days a week, the establishment is freshly sourced by Grizzle’s family farm located in the neighbouring parish of Hanover, which supplies meat and dairy, fruits, vegetables and quality spices. 

Le Vendome’s carefully crafted meals achieve the perfect balance between the true tastes of Jamaica and French-fusion cuisine that is bound to please every fancy and palate.

Paired with the exquisite menu, the restaurant also boasts a magical bar home to the Charela’s signature rum punch. Le Vendome also specialises in an award-winning list of wines imported directly from French vineyards, a locally sourced beer collection and stands as the sole distributor of Pol Roger champagne on the entire island.

Over the two-night, weekend stay, the Our Today team was treated to a refreshing experience filled with spices; perfectly presented and delivered with a smile. 

The elder Grizzle refused to take all the praise, however, adding that his daughter and business partner Sophie Grizzle, the welcoming staff and even his late wife all play pivotal roles in making the Charela Inn a world-renowned hotel.

“Maybe we’re not very good business people but we see Charela Inn as like having a big house and having friends and family come to visit you. We take pride in treating Charela as a home more than a hotel,” he explained.

“You can’t run a place like this without the goodwill of your staff. People say ‘Your staff are your biggest asset’ and they use it in a general sense but it is true. We have people here [working] for 15, 20, 30 years because you have to treat people good. I see the staff as shareholders in the business,” the Charela Inn proprietor added.

Grizzle told Our Today that he loves representing Brand Jamaica but for him, the experience needs to mean something more than ‘just a visit’ for the Charela’s guests. 

To this end, all furniture, including the Charela Inn’s beds, are specially crafted by Jamaicans or local companies—a standard Grizzle rejects any compromise on.

“Mostly foreigners come to the hotel and I feel quite proud of being a Jamaican; I want when they come here they don’t get a room as they have in New York or Miami, [the tourist] must not get a copy of the Holiday Inn,” Grizzle told Our Today.

“They (the furniture) may be more expensive but to me, it gives me a certain amount of pride; I like the feeling of representing my country and these are the little things that are different and reminds me that we are Jamaican, first and foremost. We don’t need to sell that short,” he continued.

“Negril, Jamaica is the brand, not a five-star hotel. I don’t think people understand the power in our name. Brand Jamaica should be cherished, respected and maintained,” the French-Jamaican said.

Like many Jamaicans, Daniel Grizzle came from humble beginnings. 

The Hanover native was born to livestock farmers and later moved to the United Kingdom in his teens to study. 

In England, Grizzle met the love of his life, Sylvie, and was just about ready to start life in Tanzania when his wife convinced him their place to live a meaningful life was in Negril. 

The two, embarking on their new journey together, opened doors to their first business venture, Café Au Lait, in March 1977. 

As he served and Sylvie cooked, Café Au Lait grew in popularity and then business got a big boost when they hosted prime ministers Michael Manley and Pierre Trudeau, father of current leader Justin Trudeau, in 1978. 

Immortalised in a picture, the café was incredibly popular among visitors from Canada, who asked to sit where the elder Trudeau famously ate.

The Grizzles bought the “perfectly square” Charela Inn in 1980 from retired British couple Charles and Pamela Mucklow.

Back then, the Charela was a small 10-room guesthouse, but the Grizzles loved its central location along Norman Manley Boulevard and decided to keep the name while putting their personal, distinctive touch on the charming estate.

Over 40 years later, and on the passing of Sylvie in 2019, Grizzle said he enjoys running Le Vendome over the wider Charela Inn. According to him, he owes his success to Sylvie’s love for food, their mutual respect for the difference in culture and acceptance not to try to change each other.

“She’s not physically here, but her presence is still felt. Le Vendome is still part of her,” he explained somberly.

We know you’re dying to hear all about the food and that’s coming up next in part two of our Le Vendome feature.

In the meantime, check out the Charela Inn’s Facebook and Instagram pages, @charelainn as well as social media platforms for Le Vendome @levendomenegril.

Stay tuned!