lane,
Everything rings true from your trip report. The water was warmer in the afternoon from solar warming of the water pipe running along the ground!! My digs with The Jackson family was up the hill to Red Ground. After the roundabout in Negril heading towards the West End the first road on the left (where the Negril Wharf Club Restaurant was located). Heading up the hill there was a church on the right side of the road. The Jackson family lived directly across from the church. I had a very small but clean room in their house with a bed, a table and chair. Outside across the yard was the outhouse. Virtually nobody had a flush toilet and some still didn't have pipe water. I can't remember but it was a couple USD per night. I spent most of my time on the beach and met a bunch of cool Americans staying at Gloria's Sunset Cottages located about a half mile north of town on the beach. Her spot ran from the sea to the road a narrow piece of land like most properties. Miss Gloria had a thatched roof A-Frame directly on the beach which had front and back rooms. The front had two big beds and a loft with 2 more beds. The back room was small and was situated below the loft. Towards the road was Miss Gloria's personal rooms for her, her boyfriend and grandson Barry. Additional there was another guest building with four separate rooms for rent. Outdoors was a cold water shower enclosed with zinc roof panels and like lane said when taking a shower in the afternoon the solar gain was such that for a few minutes it was a hot shower. Gloria also had a bathroom for guests that had a flush toilet which was a real luxury!! There was a large grassy area between the buildings and the road that was used for tents and usually it was quite full. Right by the road were two additional block buildings where Gloria's daughter Maureen and grandson Carl resided. After my first trip to Negril Gloria's became my go to spot for probably 15 or 20 visits thereafter. It was one of the best spots on the Negril Beach with a wide waterfront and a safe and enjoyable yard!!