Advice list for newcomers to Negril

[booger]

Lots of cool Bic lighters, open red stripe bottles well and last much longer, and can give to people, get ones with your country city or hockey sports teams.

I usually show up with roughly 10 and am lucky to have one when I leave. Bics are the way to go.....

travelers checks are the way to go and periodically exchange at a cambio for cash..do not use credit cards

Maybe 15 years ago. Plenty of functioning ATM's to use. I can think of 8 off the top of my head. Travelers checks are not widely accepted like they once were.

MikeyNYC,

#3) cooler - I always bring a collapsible cooler and gift it to someone at the end of my trip.

As do I and it works out great. Bring those blue things that you throw in the freezer to keep the beer cold. Bring two sets, that way you can swap them out as needed. Water in zip lock bags that you can freeze works well too.

Don't rely on credit or debit cards. Always have enough cash on hand to get by on for at least a day or two just in case electronic payment systems go down.

On a rare occasion the ATM's will be out of cash. Nothing kills the vibe more than wanting to go out and party and not having the funds to do it.

Oof. Almost got stuck last trip. Three days left and I was down to my 7000J (I easily could have made it stretch but what fun is that?) I tried to go to the ATM; my card wouldn't work at the two near the roundabout. I had called my bank prior to my trip to let them know where I would be so they wouldn't freeze it, so that wasn't it. I called customer service and the woman tells me that she doesn't see any holds and that I should *just* try another ATM. I'm thinking to myself "lady, I just tried 50% of the ATMs in town."
She continues, go ahead, I'll wait on the phone with you, just go to the one next to it. I said to her "uh, it doesn't really work that way where I'm at." She then promised me that it *should* work the next time I tried.
I walked to Times Sq the next day and it worked out.

Moral of the story - it's no fun counting your J and rationing what rum you have left, so plan ahead.

I like the way you roll......

[Comforts of Home Nursing]

no matter where u stay....keep laptop electronics purses and anything valuable under your bed mattress cant get out window/out of site I use window/door alarms try not to walk anywhere at night....red plates cheap 120JD pp beach 130JD pp westend Progressive foods place to shop in Mobay now. Bring BRITA water bottle Bashko in Sav sells bakery items from MegaMart I shop SAV grocery near Fontana pharmacy and LIKE to ride to SAV for 2200JD and get out at corner across grocery store Hilo and Valu Master and Icon HIGH in Negril except some snacks , less than 100JD to go down to Bashko for household items or market downtown for produce chinese ad kentucky fried there if needed hahaha western union cambio area OK rate...bring your money down or go to NCB bank cambio inside bank. ATMs people hang around at sorry for rush typing...gotta call and gotta go!

[wrtiii]

red plates cheap 120JD pp beach 130JD pp westend

This is route cabs, which work like buses do in the US. Taking a cab from where you are to where you want to go works entirely differently. Search for "route cab" here and you'll find plenty of information. But do stick to the licensed cabs that have red license plates - you can also search for that.

[Mfreizin]

1). Water is fine in Negril, super clean and nice tasting.
2). yes Club MoBay is totally worth the money. They greet you and whisk you through customs which is great in busy season and it was great for me because I didn't raise the attention of customs with all my luggage containing christmas presents for jamaican friends! free rum punch and red stripe, cool water, snacks before your trip to negril, clean bathrooms.
on the return, lots of yummy good, wireless, our plane was delayed so we hung out there, free booze, food, tv, music, and they keep up with flights..yes a hundred times to club mobay.
3). Progressive or Hi Lo in MoBay has almost everything you need. Value Master and Hi Lo in Negril also great.
4). Bug Spray a must. We buy citronella candles at Hi Lo. We also buy Vapes.
5). music wireless waterproof speaker
6). dominos
7). baggies
8). lanyard for keys
all the other tips were great as well!

[madcam94]

All great tips. I personally don't like to carry all the cash I'm going to need for the duration of my stay which is usually 3 weeks. I think the most important tip for someone going to Negril is to SLLLOOOOWWWW down. Island time is a wonderful thing on vacation. Never get to a restaurant when you are totally famished as "everyting soon come", sometimes that is an hour or more. Slow down, enjoy all the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and culture that Jamaica has to offer. One of my favorite activities for the day was shopping at a local store (not HiLo, but a store owned and run by a local) on the way to the Marchtown basic school, grabbing snacks and essential supplies for the class and visiting the kids. You have to arrange this so they know you are coming but by far the most rewarding experience of my entire lifetime. Don't be surprised if you hear a bunch of kids in unison say "white people" when you get there. They don't make it out of their neighborhoods often and don't see that many white people. When we heard them it gave us a chuckle.

[541lion]

Why wouldn't they be allowed in checked luggage ???

[wrtiii]

Why wouldn't they be allowed in checked luggage ???

"Why" is always a difficult question to answer, especially when it works one way southbound and the other way northbound. But the rules are very clear.

[TAH]

"Why" is always a difficult question to answer, especially when it works one way southbound and the other way northbound. But the rules are very clear.

Huh, that's strange. I've always put a few in my check bag, never a problem. I also always carry at least two on me or in my carry on since they relaxed that rule several years ago, and haven't had any problem since that time, going or coming.

[541lion]

Oops I took a big pack last time packed away in my checked luggage!! That's a good link o have thanks you!! Guess I'll be bringing the enail instead of the torch

[541lion]

Yeah I think last time I went you couldn't have them in your pocket?? So confusing!! You'd think they'd prefer you to not have access to your lighters while sitting on the plane