1st trip to Jamaica, suggestions?

My wife and I are leaving in two weeks for our first trip to Jamaica. We are staying at the riu palace tropical bay in Negil. Any suggestions on must do's or see's would be appreciated. Also best food/restaurants (jerk Chicken) . Any items to bring that we may not be thinking of?? When we went to Cuba and Dominicain I brought baseball cards of famous players from the area and they were a huge hit with the staff and the vendors. I am not sure of any famous Jamaican baseball players so am open to other suggestions. Thaks in advance to all who reply.

Gary

Hey Gary best advise I could give is just get out and move around. so many good places to eat.

Hi. If you go back to page three you will see at least three threads that you might find interesting..."what are your must do evening meals" ."best drinks on the beach" and "new to negril." It's fun and informative to poke around as there is a wealth of info and passion for Negril on this site.

Will do and thanks to both of you

My advise would be to hook up with someone who has been to Negril before and don't feel that you need to do everything. Go to the cliffs on the west end and stop at the Canoe on the way. Go to Redground for their jerk pork. Walk the beach. The biggest thing is to kick back, relax and take in the vibe. It will come to you. You will meet alot of very nice Jamaican people. Choose your friends wisely. If you want to take a day trip or two the best thing you could do would be to get a good driver that can take care of you during your trip. A good driver is a great tour guide. He will show you some sights, take you shopping or escort you to a show if you are into nightlife. You could get many good suggestions for good drivers on this board. I've got two drivers that I have used for many years and both of them are great friends. It's going to be a great experience for you but don't force it, let it come to you. A famous saying in Jamaica..once you go, you know. Have fun.

well said bossman...agreed!

Do the pub crawl to the west end. Get out let the vibe take you away. Leave the bling at home, packless clothes and take more cash. Enjoy

The best suggestion is to check in daily until you arrive and read everything. You will learn from both vets as well as newbs on all the chill places to visit. Take in a few webcast on various dates and do not go without asking many questions. If you are more descript of what you are looking for you can get answers better tailored to your liking.

Oh, and when you have a random thought use the search function at the top right of the page. You can find info on pretty much anything.....

^^^^^ What Pooper said! I took my first trip to JA back in July & everything I learned, I learned on this board! I asked a ton of questions got the best answers & the "met" some pretty freaking awesome people! Take it all in & experience the country you are visiting... it definitely has more to offer than a nice resort!

We're going there as well - not until april though.

Having been to Jamaica 4 times (once to negril) - all I can say is get off the resort and explore!

Get a ride to Margarita at about 11AM and then head south on the beach until you reach town.... Stopping everywhere that tickles your fancy.

Relax & have fun :-)

Go to Xtabi and explore the caves, while drinking their famous dirty banana! Wear your swimsuit, you'll want to jump in!

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Welcome to the board.

I would suggest you go to www.realnegril.com and check out the schedule for LIVE webcasts from Negril. You can join in the chat and ask questions. The advantage of the LIVE webvcast is you see popular spots in Negril that aren't INSIDE the gates of the All Inclusive on Bloody Bay. As others have said "Go outside the gates and explore". I liked Bossman's idea of hooking up with someone who has been to Negril before.

FYI, look for the Red Dragon Restaurant in Red Groud for Jerk Pork. The Canoe Bar is on Mary's Bay on the West End Road or One Love Drive.

Enjoy,

VVHT

There are several favorite Taxi Drivers around Negril. Many have had posts regarding them on this site. Contact one of them for a day drive around the countryside. No destination in particular, just a drive around and hit a few of the little bars and sites in and around the area. You won't regret it.

I would say follow the board daily for trip reports, responses to threads, I know I've picked up alot since reading it.

Pub crawl is a must. Dont forget sat nite at the seastar....they will pick you up and take back.
Get outside the confines of the RUI. Meet the real Jamaicans.

Check out the original Office of Nature, up the beach towards the RIU Club. I'd also highly recommend the One Love Bar Crawl - try and do it early in your stay so you can go back to some of the bars if you want!

I stayed at RIU Club Negril last year and took a few walks down to RIU Tropical Bay since my aunt and uncle were staying there at the same time. Apparently Tropical Bay guests have exchange privileges with both properties because they were able to move freely, order drinks and eat between the 2 properties. This was nice because we walked back and fourth with them often!

On your walk you must have the fresh caught lobster (their lobster crates are sitting in the ocean with the live lobster they caught that morning) and a cold Red Stripe at the Original Office of Nature! But don't confuse it with the "new" Office of Nature which is right next door. :D Still fun to stop and chat at each spot with the locals. Also bring a large thermal travel mug. Those Pina Coladas melt really fast in the small plastic cups they give you at the RIU, plus it's easy to go to the bartenders and ask for an extra shot of rum to top off your drink.

Have fun!!

Thanks to all for the replys, I am so looking forward to this. So what I have read on the forum. 1 USD per person shound get us a cab to the round a bout from the Riu palace and then another $1 USD per person should get us to the clfiffs. Is that right or am I reading wrong. I am coming from Ottawa, should I get US or JA dollars? thanks all, love this forum.

you'll want to exchange for some JA. Also you are referring to route taxi fare for your routes to town then to the cliffs which is fine although being it is your first time you may want to hook up with a driver to make it easier on yourself. Having some small US bills will also be usefull but knowing your JA exchange will be important. Have fun.

A route taxi is $100 Jamaican dollars per person per route. I agree that if it is your first time you might want to avoid the confusion and charter a red plate taxi instead of using a route taxi.

Last Dec I paid a guy on a scooter 1,000J to bring me from Seastar to the Hilo and back...It was SO cool,the driver had a Red Stripe in one hand and a smoke in the other screaming down the hills and beeping at his friends with the white guy on bck. Passing the beer & smoke along the way !!!!!!!!

If your'e on Long Bay beach and say want to go to Bloody Bay I ask ithe jet ski guys for a price and use them as a water taxi.....Tell them to come back in 2 hours....

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Originally Posted by Fred Stripe

Last Dec I paid a guy on a scooter 1,000J to bring me from Seastar to the Hilo and back...It was SO cool,the driver had a Red Stripe in one hand and a smoke in the other screaming down the hills and beeping at his friends with the white guy on bck. Passing the beer & smoke along the way !!!!!!!!

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My Jamaican friend from Nirvana took my GF and I to see her board house up in the hills overlooking Negril. We went up by route taxi and to go back down she hired 3 guys with motorcycles. Now that was fun! Zipping down the hills, seeing the beach from that perspective, holding onto a ripped young jamaicans body, I think that was the BEST part. :p

Dear Gary, Limo Mon suggested you leave the bling at home, bring less clothes and more money! Good suggestion! Perhaps you can fill the empty space from less clothes with more clothes--for St. Anthony's Kitchen. We have a thrift shop at The Kitchen and are always looking for clothing! Just a thought! Have a great time here with us! Peace and all good and safe travel. --Fr. Jim

When are you flying out? If we are on the same flight (6/Apr) we would be happy to share our experiences and guide you through the arrival process. Our gang flys out of Ottawa on 6/April.

We flight out of Ottawa on April 3rd - going to Riu Palace. Eight of us going, 6 are jamaica/negril newbies.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice and suggestions. We are flying out of Ottawa this Sunday Feb 17th, super pumped and really looking forward to it. Will try to post reports while there and throw on some pics when we get back.

Jim- I will see what I can round up for extra clothes