No longer our happy place.

[OUV11112]

The good, the bad, and the ugly!

This was our seventh trip to Negril and I have posted trip reports before.

I am just going to share this one as a summary using the headings above.

The Good.

Club MoBay - Although they have the new entry form available on line and kiosks to check in we would have been at least an hour and a half without it. Some on flight got through okay but by the time we got off the plane the lineup was down the hallway before entering the main ramp down to immigration. Customs was also 20-30 people deep. Well worth the money. Leaving was also well worth it. Great lounge with all you can eat and drink. Clean and well staffed. Blows the Toronto Terminal 3 one to bits.

Michael On-Time Taxi - I would trust my daughters to tour with Michael. I think that says enough.

Green Grocer - Nice new store with decent prices considering the amenities and location.

Idle Awhile Cliffs - Cheap garden side room that was great. Excellent staff. Goof food and not overpriced for the location. Amazing views. They have a nice large raised cabana that is great for getting out of the sun. The ladder into the sea was a bit daunting for me. They even allowed us to use the beach shuttle to move to our next hotel.

Just Natural - Good food, great people and very inexpensive. The grounds are amazing.

Country Country - From the front security, to the groundskeeper, and the entire bar and restaurant staff we could not have been treated better. For the price you pay, which includes a full breakfast, you can?t go wrong. Lots of shade on the beach and the loungers are all matching and in good condition.

Hi-Lo - Convenient and well stocked. Right across the street from Country Country.

Colletta's, Sweet Spot and Kamara's ? In no order of appearance. All great local places with friendly service, great food and great prices.

CocoLaPam - 2 for 1 drinks and good food. Service is some of the best on the beach. They get it.

Xtabi- Good food, service and prices. Great spot to spend time. Easy access for snorkeling. We recommended it a number of people who also had a great time.

RastaAid - We did not get a chance to eat there however; the vibe and mellow reggae played was much appreciated while dinning at Kamara's. What Negril used to be like.

Seaside Gift Shop - Beside Negril Palms. Better prices than Hi-Lo and a great selection of everything that you need on the beach or to take home as a souvenir. Rick and Nina are great people that deserve the support of everyone that goes to the beach.

Norm the patty man - Hard working man keeping people fed cheaply on the beach.

Yardy Tours and Taxi Services - Michael Anderson is another great driver in the area. He spends time across from Country Country. Great driver and vehicle ? 876-895-9546

Ryan the Paddle Board Guy - hangs out at Country Country and has kayaks and paddle boards. He can also book water sports etc. Great guy with no hustle or pressure.

Easter - Got to have bun and cheese! Meeting and spending time with different people from all over Jamaica. So good to see locals out having a good time.

The Bad.

Vicitini's -Food and service were lacking especially considering the beach pricing.

Murphy's - Not customer service oriented.

Boat Bar - Bad service but has been addressed by the owner.

Country Country - Front desk, bar prices, pillows and beds.

Hi-Lo prices. Definitely aimed and getting the most tourist dollars they can.

Sleeping at night - Almost a venue per night playing reverberating music until all hours.

The Ugly.

The water situation. The Jamaican Government should be ashamed. No water for months for some.

Chances - Private parties for two nights in a row. Ground shaking, window rattling bass until 4.00 AM. The people at Idle Awhile were tortured. Slept in their bathrooms on the mattresses pulled from the bed. Then to boot on tear down day they did the same thing from 1.30 until 6.30 in the afternoon.

The Airport - not designed for the volume of travel. Luggage belts broken. Check in scanners not working. Also, security is lacking due the time constraints to push people through at departures. I could have had a gun or knife on me and they just waived me through even though I set off all metal detectors.

The end.

We love walking the beach and interacting with vendors, locals and even the higglers. When I see someone selling weed I go up and ask if they want buy some really good stuff from Canada. We have a laugh, chat and I wish them luck with their sales for the day. They generally just give a fist bump when we see them from then on. PS. We can buy better and cheaper in Canada, go figure.

Sadly this will be our last trip to Negril. They now cater to masses and that is fine. If your idea of Margaritavile is a good time than you will be happy. Prices are very high for us due to the Canadian dollar and the costs in most places in US. There used to be a "Vibe" that hit you while in Negril. Now it is "BOOM BOOM". I get that the world has changed and so be it. We will have to search for another happy place. The cliffs certainly fit the bill but we need a beach and places to walk safely.

[fargoman]

You made some valid points. There still are many affordable places to eat and drink at and stay but one has to do some research. There is nothing like the shock of a $7.50 US priced red stripe to get your attention. Everything has gone up but values still exist. The one thing that may hurt Negril the most is the water situation. I will not pay for a flight and a hotel room if I have little to no running water. The worst thing is for people living there and to not have a basic thing such as water is crazy. The bad press this is giving Negril is not good.

[BethAnn38]

Oh no. Your comment about Chances blasting the music is freaking me out. We?re staying at Idle Awhile Villas july 3-8. Praying this won?t be an issue as I?ll have two small children with me. Updated to add: just heard from my contact at the Villas and Chances apparently had an event over the weekend of Easter I believe. Edited to add just read your comments regarding the private party.

[MBJ]

Thanks for your report. After 30 plus years of visiting Jamaica, we’ve experienced nearly all of these good and bad incidents and we were there in February…that was ugly.
We’ll return next month to our
“Happy Place “

[OUV11112]

Oh no. Your comment about Chances blasting the music is freaking me out. We?re staying at Idle Awhile Villas july 3-8. Praying this won?t be an issue as I?ll have two small children with me. Updated to add: just heard from my contact at the Villas and Chances apparently had an event over the weekend of Easter I believe. Edited to add just read your comments regarding the private party.

Sorry to scare you. Idle Awhile should have cancelled reservations or done something else to help the guests. With kids there you would have been terrified.

[Nurse Marcia]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were there during Easter, right? That is not the way things usually are in Negril. Maybe take a year off from Negril, and then try again during a quieter time. You will fall in love with Negril again.

[Corey K]

The good, the bad, and the ugly!

This was our seventh trip to Negril and I have posted trip reports before.

I am just going to share this one as a summary using the headings above.

The Good.

Club MoBay - Although they have the new entry form available on line and kiosks to check in we would have been at least an hour and a half without it. Some on flight got through okay but by the time we got off the plane the lineup was down the hallway before entering the main ramp down to immigration. Customs was also 20-30 people deep. Well worth the money. Leaving was also well worth it. Great lounge with all you can eat and drink. Clean and well staffed. Blows the Toronto Terminal 3 one to bits.

Michael On-Time Taxi - I would trust my daughters to tour with Michael. I think that says enough.

Green Grocer - Nice new store with decent prices considering the amenities and location.

Idle Awhile Cliffs - Cheap garden side room that was great. Excellent staff. Goof food and not overpriced for the location. Amazing views. They have a nice large raised cabana that is great for getting out of the sun. The ladder into the sea was a bit daunting for me. They even allowed us to use the beach shuttle to move to our next hotel.

Just Natural - Good food, great people and very inexpensive. The grounds are amazing.

Country Country - From the front security, to the groundskeeper, and the entire bar and restaurant staff we could not have been treated better. For the price you pay, which includes a full breakfast, you can?t go wrong. Lots of shade on the beach and the loungers are all matching and in good condition.

Hi-Lo - Convenient and well stocked. Right across the street from Country Country.

Colletta's, Sweet Spot and Kamara's ? In no order of appearance. All great local places with friendly service, great food and great prices.

CocoLaPam - 2 for 1 drinks and good food. Service is some of the best on the beach. They get it.

Xtabi- Good food, service and prices. Great spot to spend time. Easy access for snorkeling. We recommended it a number of people who also had a great time.

RastaAid - We did not get a chance to eat there however; the vibe and mellow reggae played was much appreciated while dinning at Kamara's. What Negril used to be like.

Seaside Gift Shop - Beside Negril Palms. Better prices than Hi-Lo and a great selection of everything that you need on the beach or to take home as a souvenir. Rick and Nina are great people that deserve the support of everyone that goes to the beach.

Norm the patty man - Hard working man keeping people fed cheaply on the beach.

Yardy Tours and Taxi Services - Michael Anderson is another great driver in the area. He spends time across from Country Country. Great driver and vehicle ? 876-895-9546

Ryan the Paddle Board Guy - hangs out at Country Country and has kayaks and paddle boards. He can also book water sports etc. Great guy with no hustle or pressure.

Easter - Got to have bun and cheese! Meeting and spending time with different people from all over Jamaica. So good to see locals out having a good time.

The Bad.

Vicitini's -Food and service were lacking especially considering the beach pricing.

Murphy's - Not customer service oriented.

Boat Bar - Bad service but has been addressed by the owner.

Country Country - Front desk, bar prices, pillows and beds.

Hi-Lo prices. Definitely aimed and getting the most tourist dollars they can.

Sleeping at night - Almost a venue per night playing reverberating music until all hours.

The Ugly.

The water situation. The Jamaican Government should be ashamed. No water for months for some.

Chances - Private parties for two nights in a row. Ground shaking, window rattling bass until 4.00 AM. The people at Idle Awhile were tortured. Slept in their bathrooms on the mattresses pulled from the bed. Then to boot on tear down day they did the same thing from 1.30 until 6.30 in the afternoon.

The Airport - not designed for the volume of travel. Luggage belts broken. Check in scanners not working. Also, security is lacking due the time constraints to push people through at departures. I could have had a gun or knife on me and they just waived me through even though I set off all metal detectors.

The end.

We love walking the beach and interacting with vendors, locals and even the higglers. When I see someone selling weed I go up and ask if they want buy some really good stuff from Canada. We have a laugh, chat and I wish them luck with their sales for the day. They generally just give a fist bump when we see them from then on. PS. We can buy better and cheaper in Canada, go figure.

Sadly this will be our last trip to Negril. They now cater to masses and that is fine. If your idea of Margaritavile is a good time than you will be happy. Prices are very high for us due to the Canadian dollar and the costs in most places in US. There used to be a "Vibe" that hit you while in Negril. Now it is "BOOM BOOM". I get that the world has changed and so be it. We will have to search for another happy place. The cliffs certainly fit the bill but we need a beach and places to walk safely.

I'd suggest checking out Treasure Beach or somewhere in Portland such as Port Antonio.

[brownsd54]

Sorry about the "bad" and the "ugly" part of your trip report OUV11112. Perhaps you could cut and paste the "ugly" part and send it to Minister Bartlett via the "Negril needs your help" thread. I'd also include the last para where you say that you won't be back. Just a couple of quick thoughts. As far as I know HiLo prices are the same at every store, so they are not collecting from the tourists, the price is the price for everyone. Sometimes pays to check out the non tourist grocery stores. Secondly, if you do come back, consider renting an Airbnb at The Point Village. Far removed from the boom boom boom down the beach and most importantly, far enough separated from the road that you hear very little road noise. Oh!!! the truckers with their Jake brakes, would drive a guy to drinking.

[BethAnn38]

I appreciate your report. I often ask myself if I would be tied to Negril if not for my marriage to a native for 14 years or my two half Jamaican children. I feel most comfortable when I am not in tourist settings. Because I know for a fact that Americans are seen as a ?big source of money? especially white ones. They will take advantage of you if you?re not saavy. I love my Jamaican friends and family but I know what goes on. But this isn?t different from other Caribbean islands. It is what it is.

[tahrheel]

Although we will return again, I have to agree about the boom, boom, boom. It seems worst on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. We enjoy music and dancing but the decibel level doesn't need to be off the charts! In February, one of the party catamarans anchored off of Wavz park and boom, boom boomed all afternoon. Made lounging on the beach unpleasant.