Directions from Negril to Ochio Rios please

[jasperpso]

the problem is tic toc, not to be redundent.. but i dont believe there is such a thing as a rental in jamaica without a 1200 OR 1500$us deposit.. and it is also my understanding that insurance or not -if there are ANY damages - they WILL take the first 1200 or 1500$ directly ffrom that deposit.. and the insurance doesnt kick in tell it goes over the deposit amount.. so that $50 a day COULD cost you $1550us.. now - if you have a credit card and can afford to take the risk - go for it.. but it sounds like a couple hundred bucks is TOO much?! i wouldnt think gambling $1500 would be your style..

correct my thinking about this deposit thing if i am incorrect..

also, i hired my driver for a similar trip for $250 - not even haggling.. i am sure you could do at least as well.. probably less.. if it was me, i would talk to drivers once you arrive for your month - youll find the best deal when they know your serious and ready to roll..

[Rob]

Tic,

To be with 5 people in a single car, you would need something like a Corolla at least. According to OneStop, lets check the price. The car is us$59. The Personal Accident Liability would be $3. The DVW would be $12 a day for a us$750 deductible or $25 a day for no deductible. The deposits would be us$750 or us$250 respectively for this coverage. Most, if not all companies would expect you to pay this with a credit card, so cash may not work. Make sure you have a credit card. Tyre coverage would be another $2 a day.

Gas is over us$5 a gallon, so with a car with 5 passengers getting around 20 mpg would cost about $15us from Montego Bay to Negril. Use this as a gauge.

So, for a daily cost, figuring you are traveling 50 miles a day, you would be spending $90 to $103 a day not us$50, and that would be to be in a cramped car, not a big van...

Dont forget you would have to pay that desposit - please be sure to ask if you dont need a credit card - as I stated, most everyone does require a credit card these days....

[TiCtOc]

yes 90 with gas is about right the $50 I calculated was without gas I think I saw they had a $38 per day car so $90 would be about right.
Jasper If I pay the higher insurance that has nil liability surely they will not need any money as I will be insured it will come out of the insurance not any of my money?I thought that was what nil liability meant?

They cannot have a credit card from me as I will not be bringing one but 2 people have mentioned that one or two places may rent without the card.It's not like I am going anywhere I cannot drive the car home to England!

[suzengrace]

I'd work with the airport transfer driver....Negotiate. To be honest,though it can be done, Route taxis would be a pain in the ....
Thats great your trying to instill some good values into your family I commend you... As a last resort I'd do car rental-get ALL the insurance an yes, try to stay on the major highway roads- country roads are not really for the un-experienced (IMHO)

[brownsd54]

Driving in Jamaica is not the easiest thing to do especially driving all day. You can drive yourself to Ochie no problem but to do it in a more relaxed way, hire a driver and enjoy the scenery. This will also help out a local driver as well. Be sure he is a licensed red plate driver and negotiate the price before hand. If you are doing it yourself it is easy. Drive north from Negril along the A1 highway until you get to MoBay. Stay on the A1 until you get to Ochie. It will be a long day though.

[beachgirl66]

Tic, this is just another option, have you thought about 'sharing' a hired driver.... often when I travel to JA and hire a driver I see if there are any other tourists that I meet at where i'm staying and ask if they would like to join us ... this cuts the cost alot. For example, two weeks ago when I was in JA my son and I got a quote for $140 for the day for the two of us.. that included pick up at out resort in MoBay, travel to and around Negril all day and return that night. He brought us where ever we wanted and was ours for the day. My son and I met three lovely young women that wanted to go to Negril as well so we shared the cost ( the cost was raised to $170 ($10 for each additional person).... so.... instead of paying $70 each we got it down to $34 (plus a tip). When you get to JA you may want to see if there is anybody that would like to go to Ochi.. they can go off and do their own thing (maybe Dunns River Falls) while you see your friend. May be a win win situation. Just a thought.

[wrtiii]

Rather than attempting to find tourists going to Ochi on your own, you might check with the drivers who do tours whether they have a party going to Dunns River Falls during your stay, and see if you can share the ride.

Or just schedule with the drivers doing airport transfers for a ride Negril-MBJ then MBJ-Ochi, and back the same way.

This becomes much simpler if you're not trying to arrange a party of 5.

[ohliz]

Thanks Ohliz looks like we will rent a car for the day.I do not have the $1500 deposit though so not sure what deal I can come to about that.
Which is the correct insurance to purchase?
What if there is a car accident?My travel insurance would cover me wouldn't it?Or does the car insurance cover it?

99% of the time your insurance, be it travel insurance you bought, something that comes with a credit card or your own car insurance at home, will NOT cover you renting a car in Jamaica.

If you don't have the deposit then you can rent from Island - they offer a full insurance rate that covers you for all but about $250. Higher per-day price but no liability at ALL, thus no deposit required (beyond $250 in case you return the car late or whatever). That no-liability coverage costs $27 a day plus the rental.

However, they will charge you a pickup/dropoff fee for getting the car in and returning it in Negril. That's $40 each way. So you'll still pay like $150 for one car for one day. Plus gas. I'm not sure a private driver would charge much more than that, might even be cheaper.

If you get the car in MoBay and return it there also, then it's pretty reasonable - $70ish for 24 hours with the insurance.

(edited to add, OneStop seems to be quoting Island's rates so they might be able to save the pickup/dropoff fee - maybe ask them directly).

[ohliz]

i dont believe there is such a thing as a rental in jamaica without a 1200 OR 1500$us deposit.

correct my thinking about this deposit thing if i am incorrect..

Island has a plan that requires only a $250ish deposit. It's an extra $25 a day, but you have zero liability in case of an accident. Unless of course you've been drinking or anything like that...all bets are off with any rental company if that's the case.

[TiCtOc]

Yes there are quite a number of car rental places in Jamaica that do not require credit card deposit,I know people that use them some of them are Jamaicans and some tourists both not having used a credit card.
The 250 usd deposit is just incase the car is not brought back on time it will not be touched for damages if the nil liability insurance is paid for.
Thanks ohliz for all the little extra bits of advice and wrtiii and beachgirl they are definately other options to consider which you have suggested.