Trip Report! March 5 - 9

Hi Guys! Just wanted to add to this wonderful forum and give some info for those of you who are going to go on a trip to Negril in the upcoming weeks.

My friend and I are in our 30's, live in Manhattan, and although it was my friend's first time in Jamaica, this was my 2nd time in Negril (back in 2006). I stayed at Idle Awhile previously and loved it and tried to get a room there again, but it was all booked! So I decided to stay close to Idle and got a wonderful 2 double bed room at Cocolapalm. The room was HUGE, with a little terrace and a mini kitchen (sink/counter/minifridge). The decor was a bit dated and there were ants to contend with (we brought back a lot of Jamaican fruit to our room), but I loved the amount of space. I recommend room 416 highly if you are in a group of 4 or 2 (don't want to share beds).
For transport, we used Michael's on time car service. Unfortunately, we came out of customs late (the line was quick but we took our time in the bathroom after landing). We walked out of the airport and couldn't find our driver for 20 minutes. One kind cab driver offered us his cell phone and I got a hold of Michael. One of his drivers had waited for us but after waiting 30 minutes (he got there early), decided to get a bite to eat at one of the nearby restaurants. Before getting a hold of Michael, I thought of using one of the many taxi drivers at the airport terminal but it was quite expensive. I believe I was quoted US$80 one way to Negril. Luckily, Jason came arrived shortly after the phone call and off we went! He was very apologetic. We told him if there were any good road food stands, to please stop so we can experience Jamaican cuisine. He did that a few times and it was such a great experience!

When we arrived at Negril, I asked our driver to stop by the grocery/chinamon store so I could exchange my Us$ to Jamaican money. My friend didn't bring cash so she had to go to the Scotia bank. She totally got ripped off as the bank fee was high (I think around $5?), and she couldn't get more than $150 US dollars per transaction! Crazy. At the chinamon, the exchange rate was very favorable J$113 to US$1. We also got water, rum, and other miscellaneous things at the shop.

After a fairly brutal winter, our main objective was to lounge around, eat a lot of delicious Jamaican food and fruit, and relax. We did do the One Love pub crawl which was a lot of fun and we got to experience a different side of Negril. We were driven to the Cliffs and drank at bars really off the beaten track. There was one practically in a shanty town and catered to the locals. You could see the poverty that a lot of Jamaicans lived in. Pretty eye-opening. I met a lot of people all over the US and a few from Europe from our group. It's something I would recommend to do at least once while you are there. Don't forget to tip Lembert at the end! (we were a little buzzed and almost did, oops!)

Some people complain of all the vendors on the beach, but I personally love it! I got aloe from the aloe guy, coconut water, cooked lobster from the lobster buy (didn't get sick!), wood carved bowl from an artisan, juice from the juice guy (did that EVERY MORNING; soursop and watermelon were da bomb), rum cake from the baked goods guy, and of course beef patty from the beef patty guy. We also got wonderful exotic fruit everyday as well, fruit I've never seen or tasted before. My friend grew up in a tropical region in Asia and was so excited to see star apple in Jamaica. I highly recommend searching for this fruit! So yummy. We got a knife at the chinamon ($1.50!) and were able to cut up the fruit at the beach. The mango and papaya were SO sweet. They were so much better than the ones we can get in NY.

As for restaurants we tried:

Spice Spot - curry lobster and oxtail. Both were solid. Walking distance from CoColapalm

Sweet Spice - oxtail and curry goat. SUPER GOOD. We also had conch salad which was def NOT good. They used this sweet mayo dressing which was not to my liking. Cab roundtrip was J$1000 plus tip.

Ivan's (Cliffs) - So romantic! There was a 45 minute wait and so we waited at the bar. Drank a pina colada (the best one during our stay) as well as a dirty banana (delicious). The food was solid. We ordered lobster pasta, whole fish, and a trio app.

Cocolapalm - I always ordered the national breakfast (ackee and saltfish) and callaloo. So yummy. I had it at Idle Awhile at my last trip in Negril and although they did it better, this wasn't bad either.
Dinner - goat curry. Way too salty. It wasn't on the menu and so we had to ask for it. If they hadn't put so much salt, it would have been a good dish.

Thoughts:
I've been spending my recent beach vacations at Tulum in Mexico and realized I got spoiled by the relatively empty beaches. I found Negril to be quite crowded. I love Jamaica for its culture and food and people but next time I may try to find a more quiet beach town. Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you had a great experience.

I'm surprised to hear that you experienced a delay with Michael's On-Time Taxi. We used him quit a few times and never had an issue. However, it sounds like you rode with Jason instead of Michael, himself. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. I always keep my driver's phone number handy, when we get off the plane. Even if you don't have a local phone, there should be an airport employee nearby managing the taxi drivers, who will gladly call your driver.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ambrosianyc

Thoughts:
I've been spending my recent beach vacations at Tulum in Mexico and realized I got spoiled by the relatively empty beaches. I found Negril to be quite crowded. I love Jamaica for its culture and food and people but next time I may try to find a more quiet beach town. Any suggestions welcome!

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Many people go to Negril for the activity and excitement on the beach. However, if you go during the slow season, you will find that it is less crowded. Personally, I prefer staying on the cliffs to escape the hustle and bustle of the beach.

For a more quiet beach town, try Treasure Beach.

Great report -- I will be thinking all day about freshly picked star apples. This my favorite fruit in the world (in season Feb-April) especially when made into an oldtime Jamaican dish called Matrimony , a marinated mixture of star apple flesh and freshly cut orange pulp (without any pith or outer skins) and served Immediately after adding milk and a sprinkling of grated nutmeg. The flavor is amazing!

Check out Treasure Beach on the south coast and just a few hours from Negril. Two good sources for information are the South Coast message board on this website, and a community website for the Treasure Beach area at: http://www.treasurebeach.net/guide/

Mike do NOT tell about Treasure Beach~~~Just keep it a secret~~SHHHHHH...LOL

BCBud- That star apple dish sounds amazing! I will have to look out for it next time I'm there.

Mike / Jim-Donna : I've been to Treasure Beach back during my first visit to Negril and I loved it! I remember Dennis the boat guy giving me a ride around the water for dolphins and to Pelican Bar. Maybe I will have to have a stay there instead of a day trip. I'm already looking forward to my next beach vacay! Darn this weather!

Treasure Beach is nice, and not crowded at all, but doesn't hold a candle to Tulum. I actually prefer the beach and surf in Tulum to Negril, but they have priced themselves out of my budget.
Regards,
Bob

great t.r.thanx, by the way you do not have to buy water, the ja tap water is the best, soon come

The Star apple was described to me as an "Ethiopian" apple at a farm in St. Elizabeth by the Rasta farmer.

Lol.....to quote the OP "When we arrived at Negril, I asked our driver to stop by the grocery/chinamon store so I could exchange my Us$ to Jamaican money. My friend didn't bring cash so she had to go to the Scotia bank. She totally got ripped off as the bank fee was high (I think around $5?), and she couldn't get more than $150 US dollars per transaction! Crazy. At the chinamon, the exchange rate was very favorable J$113 to US$1. We also got water, rum, and other miscellaneous things at the shop."

Either you are bull$hitting about only 2 trips, are the opposite of clueless, the daughter of Smith 744 (research his travels)....marry me....kidding but if this is your second trip...WOW...off to a great start. I gotta ask since I'm a fan of buying everything possible from the chinaman.....what/who clued you in that you can exchange money there? The rates are great, no need for passport, open longer hours.....but nobody openly talks about them/dem.

Where is this Chinamon store is it in time sqauare?