A Guide to Negril

[Kiknback]

For dinner, there are countless choices ranging from small Jerk Chicken stands to luxery meals. The nicer places you can call up and they will send a taxi for a free pick up. I have a few recommendations for restaurants, but again, feel free to explore the many places we have not had a chance to try!

Rockhouse - http://www.rockhousehotel.com/eat/ro...restaurant.php (1-876-957-4373) a very nice restaurant on the cliffs, beautiful sunset views and good food. We plan on going here on Thursday for a nice meal to celebrate Georgia's Birthday.

Pushcart - http://www.rockhousehotel.com/eat/pushcart.php (1-876-957-4373) owned by the same people as Rockhouse, anothe good choice in a similar location. Their food is considered an upscale version of Jamaican street food, and I very much enjoyed it.

Ciao Jamaica - http://www.ciaojamaica.com/ (1-876-957-4395) Jamaican/Italian fusion. Have not eaten there personally, but heard great things. On the cliffs.

Xtabi - http://www.xtabi-negril.com/welcome.htm (1-876-957-0121) Have had brunch there, which was very good. The lunch/dinner menu looks good as well.

Lingah By The Sea - http://lingahbythesea.com/ (1-876-957-3830) Another one I have not tried, but I hear good things. A very nice place on the beach, reasonably priced.

Kuyaba - http://www.kuyaba.com/dining.htm (1-876-957-4318) Again, haven't tried, but hear great things. On the beach, more expensive.

Norma's - http://www.seasplash.com/norma.htm (1-876-957-4041) Good food, nice location on the beach

Margaritaville - http://www.margaritavillecaribbean.c...me_negril.html - Overpriced tourist trap. However, they do have satellite TV, so the Redskins game will be on, and I suppose they would have a decent Cheeseburger.

Rick's Cafe - http://www.rickscafejamaica.com/ The big tourist trap in Jamaica. Gets packed around sunset. Overpriced food and drinks, but a good place to watch cliff divers and maybe make a jump yourself. I enjoyed it much better early afternoon before the crowds arrived.

Plenty more choices, those are the first few that come to mind for a luxury meal. All of the above will probably provide free transportation there with your meal. There are also many smaller places, more reasonable priced but still delicious.

Sun Beach - This is our local hangout, great bar with very good food. A short walk from White Sands, this is where we plan to have the birthday party at. Nice tables set up directly on the beach.

Canoe - http://www.realnegril.com/canoe/index.htm - Good American style food, reasonable priced. Nice place to go if you tire of Jamaican food. Friendly with a nice rum punch happy hour, as well/

De Bar - We had drinks there, but saw the food and menu and plan on returning for dinner one day. Jerk Chicken, Lobster, and very reasonable prices. On the roadside of the cliffs.

3 Dives - http://www.maherconsulting.com/3dives/ Very good, reasonably priced food overlooking the cliffs.

Mi Yard - Good food, locals kind of place. Open 24/7. Original locatation on the cliffs, apparently they just opened up another location on the beach.

Best in the West - Great chicken, close to White Sands.

Bourbon Beach - Haven't tried it, but heard great things about the Jerk Chicken. One of the only places that still cooks it the traditional way over pimento wood, as opposed to the oil drum grills all over town.

Ossies - Good Jerk Chicken and Pork, just past Margaritaville on the beach road

Just Natural - Great reviews. Purely Vegitarian and Seafood, which eliminates me, but if you enjoy that I would definately recommend it. On the cliffs road.

Ras Rody's Organics - http://www.rasrodyorganics.com/ More of a roadside stand than a full restartant, but seems to be the place to go to try Ital food, which is the vegitarian, natural foods eaten by the rastafarians.

Late at night there are the Jerk Chicken vendors all over the place. Look for the big oil drum grills set up on the side of the road. Our first trip there was one always set up right next to White Sands, which was really convienient, but if he is not there you still will not have to go to far. Last trip, when hungry late at night, I went to the road, found a route taxi, and was able to have them drive to the nearest vendor, pick up half a chicken, and drive me back to the hotel for about $10. In less than 5 minutes I was back at the hotel eating and I didn't even have to get out of the taxi. Delicious!

[Kiknback]

Shopping:

As you probably know from all of the souvineers we bring back (As in, absolutely none, usually) we are not big shoppers. Just not our thing. If you would like to purchase something in Negril, however, there are options. Keep in mind, with just about any purchase, is that everything is negotiable. The ability to bargain is key. You can usually get people to lower the price by as much as 3/4ths with good bargaining skills. Never accept the first offer, and be prepared to walk away, particularly if something is available elsewhere.

You can find many souvineers on the beach. There will be some wandering vendors. Just give good eye contact, and they will most likely come to you and show you what they have to offer. If you like it, make an offer, if not, just say no and they will move on. There are also several small stands set up in various locations on the beach selling clothes, jewelery, and more. Just wander up and down the beach and you will find plenty. Near the center of town, there is a decent size craft market. Lots for sale here, although many of the various stands seem to have similar things, and you will most likely experience a very hard sell. Expect every vendor to try to get you in their shop. More hassle than elsewhere, but if you can manage, you can find some great deals if you bargain right. If you aren't the bargaining type, Times Square shopping center, located about mid way down the beach road, is your best bet. Standard souvineers, and as far as I know, set pricing and a much more relaxed shopping experience.

Be wary of counterfeits. I would be nervous buying any "name brand" things there, aside from at the nicest stores. Cuban Cigars and Blue Mountain Coffee are two common purchases that are frequently not authentic. Friends of ours got great deals on Blue Mountain Coffee from a beach vendor, and although it was apparently delicious, I would seriously doubt it was the real deal, among the most expensive coffee in the world.

For general shopping, there is a small gift shop near White Sands, with drinks, snacks, and souvineers. More expensive than the grocery store but easy , be sure to bargain on the souveneers! There is a large grocery store in the middle of town, the Hi-Lo. Decent selection and prices. We bought some Jerk sauces there, which seemed like a nice idea for a cheap souvineer to bring back, as well as drinks and snacks at decent prices. You can probably get a taxi to take you there, wait while you pick up what you need, and take you back for around $10.



Nightlife:

Negril is probably not as wild as you may be expecting, but there are several nice places to hang out and have a few drinks. There are many nice beach bars nearby, starting with White Sands, where Paul and Tony, the bartenders, will hook you up nicely. Great during the day with the 2 for 1 daily specials. Mud Slide's on Thursday, Dirty Banana's on Friday, and Pina Colada's on Sunday are some of the highlights. Sun Beach is our usual evening hang out, a very nice beach just north of White Sands. Decent prices, great atmosphere. For Real, next door to Sun Beach, used to be the place to go for the cheapest drinks on the beach. However, I just heard that it had closed, and not sure the new owners will open something similar by November. In the other direction there is the Boat Bar, a nice little hangout that we took over one night, and Tony's bar, another nice place with games and things to keep you occupied. These places all usually close around 9 or 10 pm, although will happily stay up as long as customers are there, and we have kept several open until very late in the night at times. We should have a nice enough crowd this trip to take over a bar for as late as we want. Another nice place to get a drink is the C&D Bar on the cliff road, known as "10 Sq. Feet of Texas." This is a small shack, when you enter you will be surrounded by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson memoribilia and listening to country music. The owner, Dawn, is very friendly and it is a nice place to hang out for a few. Lastly, and this is more of a weekday afternoon place for a drink, is the Police Station. Yes, the actual Negril Police station. There is a small bar inside. Not the nicest bar in the world or anything, but a good place to have a drink and be able to say I got drunk at the police station!

After about 10pm, there is always one place in town to see live music until late at night. Rotating between Alfreds, Roots Bamboo, and Bourbon Beach, there is always a live band on the beach and a great time. The show gets started around 10PM. Cover charge is about $5 for the standard house band to $10-15 for more established artists. We saw Yellowman last year, a great show on the beach for $12. Every Tuesday Negril Escape, on the cliffs, is the One Love Concert Series. http://www.oneloveconcerts.com/new/ This is the best chance to see the bigger artists perform. Last year we were hoping to see Maxi Priest perform, although he canceled several weeks beforehand and a more C-list performer, Tony Rebel, took his place. Great time, though, although a bit expensive ($25). Top names such as Shaggy or one of Bob Marley's kids will cost up to $45, very expensive for Jamaica. If you are into dance clubs (I am not), The Jungle is the place to go, particularly on Thursday Night, ladies night. Never been, but if you are into that sort of thing, I have heard great things. Lastly, and I'm not sure I should mention this or not, is the Scrub-a-Dub. Um, interesting place, it is a car wash by day and a strip club by night. After hearing about it, we finally had to check it out last trip. It gets going very late - we were there around 10 pm, and were WAY too early - but is actually much nicer, classier, and tamer than I had expected. Its actually more of a dance club than a strip club. Again, not much into dance clubs, but if you are into it and up late, may be worth checking out.

[Kiknback]

Safety and Hassles:

This is by far the biggest issue people have with Jamaica. The reputation certainly is not good. For example, I have heard of not one person who has been to Jamaica on a cruise ship that has anything remotely good to say about the country. Negril, however, is much more peaceful and calm then the cruise ship madness. While there are issues, as with any tourist destination, I believe people will be pleasantly surprised.

I certainly consider Negril a safe place. It has no where near the violence in the bigger cities like Kingston or even Montego Bay. Crimes against tourists are extremely rare. That said, take the usual precautions. Be careful on the beach at night, and stay with large groups. I believe our part of the beach is safe, with hotels everywhere, all with security staff. Walking to the nearby bars you should be totally fine. There are a few stretches that get very dark, however, and should probably be avoided at night. If walking to the nightclubs such as Alfred's or Bourbon Beach, it is best to stay on the road, where safety will not be an issue.

The other main concern is the constant hassles. Again, much more of a problem for the cruise ship crowd than in Negril. I have said before that I love the vendors in Negril. Friendly, and usually selling things you actually want. Many other places it is the constant hassle with vendors all selling the same crap. On the beach, at least, there is usually one, at most two, vendors selling each type of item, and I look forward to, say, the Patty Man or some of the musicians coming by every day. Rarely, if ever, is anything more than a polite "no thank you" ever necessary. In fact, it is rare there is any real interaction at all. They will simply walk the beach, only stopping if you appear interested. They are, however, trying to make a living, so it is possible there will be more of a high pressure sales job than you will like. Again, just say no. Do not say "maybe later" or "tomorrow" - they WILL remember you. When a local asks questions such as "First time in Jamaica?", "Just getting into town?", or "Where are you staying?", they are not just making polite small talk. If you reply "Just getting into town, first trip, and staying at the super fancy resort", this is a really bad answer. They will see you as a walking dollar sign, and proceed accordingly. MUCH more likely to get hassled and overcharged. Always a good idea to act like you have been before, and come regularly, whether this is true or not. This is not just a Jamaica tip, but any tourist destination worldwide.

The water in Jamaica is completely safe to drink. We usually buy some bottled water when we get there, but this is primarily for convienience, not safety. By the end of the trip we usually re-fill the bottles from the tap in our room, and it has always been just fine. A quick tip with bottled water, we usually put a bottle of water in the freezer at night. When you wake up, it will be totally frozen, and you will have ice-cold water for hours as it melts. Much better than a standard bottle that becomes warm after 5 minutes in the Jamaican sun!

Lastly, there is the issue with drugs in Jamaica. Marijuana is illegal in Jamaice, but highly tolerated. You may see it used openly, particularly in the clubs at night. Do not be surprised if you are offered drugs at some point. Simply say no, and move on.


What to Pack:

The Usuals - Shorts, Tee Shirts, Bathing Suit, Hat, sunglasses, things like that

Formal clothes - Just kidding! Negril is about as casual of town as you will ever come across. Even the nicest restaurants in town will probably be fine with you showing up in shorts and a tee shirt. I may have one collered shirt, but I don't think I have ever even put on a pair of khakis for dinner.

Munchies - Not too much around in the evenings, so I like to have a few things to eat around the room. I'll usually pack things like a can of Pringles, peanuts, granola bars, things like that. You can, of course, buy all these in Jamaica, but if you have room, just as well to bring them from home.

Ipod/Speakers - For the White Sands people. I have no problem with no TV, but don't like it quiet all of the time. Music is nice to have.

Laptop - Not totally necessary, but nice to have, with free wi-fi at many places, including the hotel

Beach Towels - White Sands, if you are staying here, will not provide them! Bring your own from home. Can purchase there as well.

Shampoo/Conditioner - Again, White Sands will not provide, so don't forget!

Sunscreen - Self explanitory

Bugspray - Never had any problem during the day, but around sundown the mosquitos and sand fleas arrive.

Reef/Water Shoes - Not needed in Negril, but if you do the excursion to YS Falls, you will probably want these



Money:

The debate here is how much to take with, and in what currency. The "official" currency here is the Jamaican Dollar(J), currently about 85 J to the US Dollar. However, everywhere you go will readily take US dollars. It seems about half of the restaurants/shops/vendors have prices in Dollars, the other half have prices in J. The optimum situation would probably be to have both, and pay with whatever currency is offered. Any place will take either, but you will lose out a bit in the conversion, either way it is converted. However, for a few day trip it may not be worth the trouble, and simply using US dollars will be much easier and convienient.

We have come to decide that bringing US cash, and stopping at the ATM for J, seems to work well for us. It may not be the smartest move, but we usually bring a fairly large amount of cash with us for the trip. With no stops, and transportation arranged, I feel safe enough to travel this way. When we get to the hotel, we put the money in the hotel safe, and use the safe as an ATM every few days to replenish the money supply. Travelers checks are an option, but seem like a bit of a pain. The hotel will cash them, but at a very bad rate. To get a decent rate you will need to take a taxi into town, which is also where the ATM is located. Not to far or anything, just a hassle that we prefer to not deal with. The ATM in town dispenses both US and Jamaican dollars.

I would recommend bringing plenty of small bills with you. We usually stop by the bank and get $100 in ones, and I would definately recommend doing the same. Change is notoriously difficult at times, and it is nice for tips and things like that. The musicians on the beach seem to be about a dollar per person per song, more I suppose if you are generous.




Other sites to check out:

http://www.negril.com/ - Nice Message board with current events, trip reports, and the like



http://chibbqking.blogspot.com/2009/...egril-mon.html - A very nice Negril Guide, lots of pictures

[Tonyboombatz]

Great stuff...really well done.

YS Falls $15.00 admission and $42.00 to Zip Line (adult) 20.00 (children)

http://www.ysfalls.com/