Excursions..should we or shouldn't we...

Ok...so I'm not big on tourist excursions. We did hire a private driver with a group of people the year we were at Ocho and went to Dunns River. We managed to bypass all the vendors and had a great day with a group of people we met from Northern Manitoba. So..been there, done that.

We are signed up for the Pub Crawl on February 14th and we are going to Zimbalis. I like to walk the beach and test food and drink 😐

Any excursions some of you regulars have done that you thought were worth it? Would like to get out on the water at least once but I have to admit I saw a video for a "booze cruise" and it didn't really look like my kind of crowd.. Not to say I don't like drinking in boats..just not with 30 or 40 people standing room only.

I think the 2 most worth while excursions are mayfield falls and pelican bar. But depending on how long you are on vacation, doing excursions can pull you away from the beach too long. If you want to get on the water, pelican bar might be a great option.

I second Mayfield Falls.

Yup, Mayfield is much less touristy than the other falls. Very beautiful, natural and refreshing. Great lunch at the original one. It's also only just over an hour away. You get to see part of the area without having to spend a long day traveling. Take cash to tip your personal guide who works for tips only.

Another vote for Mayfield .......... but the Pelican Bar is a MUST! You can easily do YS Falls and the Pelican Bar in a one day excursion.

If your a huge Bob Marley fan, a trip to Nine Mile is pretty much a must. A very cool excursion right at Negril is snorkelling with Famous Vincent. If you like snorkelling, a trip to Rhodes hall looks worth doing and is right next to Negril. Gonna try that myself in a few days. Mayfield Falls (jungle river walk) is very enjoyable and although I wasn't that much of a fan, many people enjoy Pelican Bar. Others enjoy a trip to the market in Sav La Mar on a busy Saturday morning. There are lots of things and also nothing if that's what you want. Sand gravity is enjoyable too.

Sand gravity is been a bit of an issue for me I'm afraid.. Has caused me to miss out on things an area has to offer more then once!

YS Falls & Pelican Bar. That's pretty much all that will drag me away from the beach for a day. That or a ride in the country.

If you want a mini excursion try Rhodes Hall plantation. Beautiful grounds with a great beach and protected reef. Check it out on Negril.com web casts.

The caves at Roaring River and their "Blue Hole Garden" was a great trip for us although I have seen pictures from others of the blue hole dried out. Pelican Bar is definitely something to see. I would try Mayfield over YS even though we have never been to Mayfield. YS is beautiful its just very touristy. We have also done a Black River tour which the alligators are the main attraction but the landscape was more attractive for us.

You could always go to Blue Hole Mineral Spring. It is only about 25-30mins from Negril.

I suggest Abokeuto - I'm sorry, I seri.ously spelled that wrong! - but it's an awesome place. interesting history, lovely staff and people, great food (now, that's IMO - but I am not looking for 5 Star food. That said, the fried chicken was awesome!!!). The pool and views are AWESOME. I didn't do it, but I am pretty sure that if you stick your feet in the pool, the fishies will do a pedicure thing on your feet. It's a lovely, lovely spot! Annie wouldn't let us leave until we at least tried the waterfall thing at the end of the pool. It's like a head and neck and back massage par excellence powered by rushing, refreshing, clear, clean water! It's not expensive, either. Nice ride out too.

I second Blue Hole at Roaring River. Awesome. I could have laid on that bridge for hours just looking at the scenery and listening to the ... well, Roaring River! It's beautiful!

I found Abeokuta Paradise Nature Park on Trip Advisor and FB. This looks like such a cool place...and soaking in mineral water sounds awesome. I had the fish pedicure in Thailand. My friend and I did that in a floral "zoo" in Chiang Mai. I couldn't stop giggling. It is the best thing ever! Some places offered full body treatments but I think a person would die of laughter. I'm putting this one in my list of definite maybes...how's that for commitment 😎

Hi checkout Abeokuta on http://facebook.com/Abeokutajamaica

Regards. Annie

You can always get one of the glass bottom boats to take you out to the cliffs for sunset. Bring your own drinks and make your own "booze cruise".

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Originally Posted by luvmylabs

You can always get one of the glass bottom boats to take you out to the cliffs for sunset. Bring your own drinks and make your own "booze cruise".

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This is a great idea too! I really love meeting people and socializing but we are already travelling with another couple and sometimes it's nice to not be with a whole bunch of people. One if the many reasons I don't like staying in All Inclusive resorts .

[QUOTEchris55;122464]This is a great idea too! I really love meeting people and socializing but we are already travelling with another couple and sometimes it's nice to not be with a whole bunch of people. One if the many reasons I don't like staying in All Inclusive resorts .[/QUOTE]
Glistening Waters is awesome, but a long ride (the far side of Mobay). But it is awesome! It really is!

You are so totally committed, Chris!

If you don't want to go far, come visit us at Sunset on the Cliffs! Awesome view! We are there the 1st to 15th Feb! :)

Thanks for the invite M&G. I'm loving the friendliness and welcome attitude of this board. I've been on other board groups and get fed up with the bickering that occurs....not here :cool:

I'm a pretty laid back person...not to much fazes me.

I've been to Glistening Waters actually...have a story about that. We were at the RIU in Ocho and had bad weather for several days so we decided to check out Glistening Waters. We saw the colours by the prop and he said if you go in when you come out you are a human glow stick..sounded cool to me. I'm not a great swimmer but the Rasta guide said "no problem". You can stand everywhere..it's not deep...yea well..he failed to mention the strong current. I went in and my friends husband and the currently immediately took me far away from the boat.. Stand?!?! It's a silt bottom...ain't no standing. I'm kind of panicking at this point and as cal as I can say I want to get out..I can't swim to the boat because the current is pulling be further away...it's dark outside and all I can think is what an idiot I am for jumping into unknown waters without a life jacket...by now my husband knows I'm freaking and tells the guy to get his wife out...the guide is still very, very relaxed..my husband gets a little more vocal and he finally brings the boat closer to me and I get up...not glowing..another thing we could have thought of is the organisms in the lagoon need sunlight to be activated and it had been cloudy for days..another thing we could have thought of....so...much as I'd like to see the Glistening Waters I think I'll pass :cool:

Like you, we had stayed in Ocho Rios and went to Dunns River Falls before making our way to Negril. Our first trip to Negril, we went to YS Falls and the Pelican Bar with fellow boardie Mamade11 and her group. We loved it. It was a full day but it was great. I don't think it would've been as good if we wouldn't of went with a group. I wouldn't mind doing it again but it's so hard to tear myself away from the beach and cliffs in Negril.

The One Love Bus bar crawl is a definite must do. We will do our 6th bar crawl in April. Lenbert is the best, get to visit a lot of great places, and the people on the bus are always a lot of fun.

I'm looking forward to the pub crawl on Valentines day. I'm thinking that will make the crawl extra fun!

i suggest not planning anything else until you are there --- you may or may not want to do anything else -- especially your first time in Negril --- just walking the beach and stopping for food and drinks is an adventure especially for a first timer

you may want to plan a half day on the cliffs - checking out some of the hotels up there and feeling the cliff vibe

i hate to set an alarm clock on vacation and usually will just get up - find a driver - very easy to do - and go where ever i want

warning: that sand gravity can grab you --- some trips i spend my entire time in the lounger --- bug eyed lol

Chris, whatever your group plans to do, I think you'll really love Negril. Its the best beach I've been on and I've been on lots. Excellant to walk on barefoot, bars and bathrooms everywhere, don't have to pay to sit on a beach chair (at least it used to be like that), the Negril "town" is walking distance, local taxis are cheap.
The only thing that's get annoying (IMO) are the hustlers. I found that if I put my headphones on (even if no music) they leave me alone.
Enjoy !

The Blue Hole at Roaring River dried out?? Say it ain't so.