I have been to Negril 4x and am now giving Ocho Rios a whirl and need advice badly.

[Ohio_Buckeye_1]

I did similar to what you are planning - love Negril but want to check out what the rest of the island offers.
To answer your question directly - I think if you are in Ochi, Dunn's River Falls is a must do. Granted it's not as "natural" as Mayfield Falls - but it is spectacular. Kind of like Rick's in Negril - you have to experience it once.

Try to go on a day when there is not a cruise ship docked - as others have said.
Bring your own water shoes, and one of those disposable, waterproof, cameras - otherwise you will be paying for their shoe rental and a guide to take pictures from the bank with your camera.
Also, because Dunn's takes a good bit of time to do at a fun pace, I'd suggest you just take a regular taxi there.
Save the "hired driver for the day" for another day. Why pay him for the whole day, then have him sit in the car for several hours while you're doing the Falls?
A good trip to combine with the Falls, I thought, was Mystic Mountain. We did Dunn's in the morning, and MM in the afternoon. If you are staying at a hotel in downtown Ochi, MM is on your way back from Dunn's.

[alycat]

My experience in OCHO is that the food is spicy, completely different from Negril , patties & jerk are completely different ( but Great ) ... the funny thing is the locals from Negril have never been to OCHO ... so close but so far away . definately worth the trip , but its a long day - mostly travel

[Ohio_Buckeye_1]

Sorry, I think I mis-interpreted your original post as asking about what to do while staying a couple days in Ochi, not a day-trip there from Negril. I would advise NOT trying to do as a day-trip from Negril, because the trip is so far - you will drive most of the day and just get to do 1 activity. Instead, I'd suggest you stay there a few days, then as others suggested, combine it with another few days in Port Antonio - since from Ochi it is so close by, relatively speaking.

The one thing I liked about Ochi over Negril, was that the attractions were all close by - not the 1.5hr drives like from Negril to YS Falls, Appleton Rum Factory, Black River Croc tour, Pelican Bar, etc. Besides the Dunn's River Falls morning/Mystic Mountain afternoon combo-trip day I suggested in earlier post, there are also several other things you can do close by Ochi. Chukkha offers a variety of things - we did the horseback ride with part in the ocean. There is also Dolphin Cove, Fern Gully, Prospect Plantation, to name a few.

Finally, I can't talk about a trip to Ochi without recommending Evita's Restaurant. I mainly do places along the lines of Red Dragon, 3 Dives, Bigga's, De Bar, etc for the local food/vibe/price - but once during a trip I like to splurge on a fancy place. In my trips to Jamaica, I have yet to find anyplace I liked better than Evita's in Ochi. They do a unique blend of Italian and Jamaican, all with a great terrace view from the hills overlooking Ochi.
http://www.evitasjamaica.com/guests.html

[Jamaica Joleen]

Thank you so much for your repolies!! Really looking forward to the trip. Can't wait to see Port Antonio, eat at Scotchie's and climb the falls.