The days of a budget vacation in Jamaica, especially Negril, are a thing of the past. Gone are the days of cheap flights and inexpensive digs on the beach. Although I understand after Covid and now Melissa that the "locals" need to make quick money but what they don't understand is that tourists have many destinations like Cuba that offer as much if not more than JA for much less.

I have no idea how airlines operate other than squeezing their crews while the CEO's gets huge packages so how they can charge $1500 for airfare is absurd!!

Way back when Negril was true Paradise I flew RT from NYC to Montego Bay for $150 and pitched a tent at Gloria's Sunset Cottages for $4 USD per night. Greed hadn't entered the equation, yet.....

5 bucks bought a huge brown paper bag full of Collie Weed and Red Stripes were 85 cents a pop. A full Ital feed of veggies, rice and peas was less than $4USD.

Long gone are those days when teenagers and twenty year olds were the "Crowd" at The Wharf Club, The Yacht Club, Rick's Cafe. No American chains like BK or KFC were even a figment of the imagination. We went there to escape that scene. Key West had grown restrictive and Negril offered 7 miles of white sand, plenty Ganja and Irie cheap Red Stripes.

Those of you who were lucky enough to visit back then know exactly how fortunate you were!!