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.