Jamaica Anyone ?

AngelEyez

AngelEyez

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So me and a couple of girlfriends are looking into Jamaica for an all inclusive relaxing getaway in October. Not looking to party it up - just want to relax and have access to good spa, amenities and beautiful beaches.

I have never been. Already did Dominican and Mexico and friends have already done Cuba, none of us have been to Jamaica yet. Not sure where to go, we are looking at no less then 4-5 stars, leaning towards 5 ... seems like Negril has the best beaches ?

Anyone been before? Can you make any recommendations? Reviews of your experience there? Where and what to stay away from ? Any advice is appreciated.

If you highly recommend an alternative carribean getaway besides Jamaica, I would like to hear about it as well, we are not completely set on Jamaica yet, however Mexico, Dominican and Cuba are off the table.

We're looking at an upper limit on price range of 1800 ish per person all inclusive, not including spending money while there.
 
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AngelEyez said:
So me and a couple of girlfriends are looking into Jamaica for an all inclusive relaxing getaway in October. Not looking to party it up - just want to relax and have access to good spa, amenities and beautiful beaches.

I have never been. Already did Dominican and Mexico and friends have already done Cuba, none of us have been to Jamaica yet. Not sure where to go, we are looking at no less then 4-5 stars, leaning towards 5 ... seems like Negril has the best beaches ?

Anyone been before? Can you make any recommendations? Reviews of your experience there? Where and what to stay away from ? Any advice is appreciated.

If you highly recommend an alternative carribean getaway besides Jamaica, I would like to hear about it as well, we are not completely set on Jamaica yet, however Mexico, Dominican and Cuba are off the table.

We're looking at an upper limit on price range of 1800 ish per person all inclusive, not including spending money while there.
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I stayed in Riu Negril in March (all inclusive package). It's around the price point you're looking at. Definitely relaxed atmosphere there. You fly into Montego Bay and bus it to Negril. The beach is very nice, the water is warm and calm as it is inside a small bay. The hotel has good amenities - the resort is clean, the staff is friendly, the restaurants are good, the pool is clean. There is a spa there, but I did not use it, so I can't help you there :)

In terms of staying away, this is more an advisory than a warning. Locals like to hang out just off resort property to get to do buy cheap touristy stuff, braid your hair, or sell you drugs. There are also some watersports activities some try to sell you (skidoo rides for example) that are not endorsed by the hotel.

Alternatively, the hotel does provide some water activities (snorkeling, scuba). There are also off property excursions. I did zip-lining.

Another thing: in Jamaica, tipping is key. If you tip, they will make your stay even more pleasant. Go to the bank and get yourself some $1 bills USD.

Now, Riu's beach itself is nice, but resorts on 6-mile beach have a better beach. As an added bonus, you can see the sunset unblocked on the horizon. I can't give you much info though on what resorts are on 6-mile beach.

Hope this helps.
 
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enjoy, I haven't been, but it seems anyone that has gone either loves it there or hates it there and will not go back.
 
RockerGuy said:
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:lmao:

Thanks for the feedback Chaos! I've been reading about 6 mile beach so I will look into those resorts as well as Riu Negril.

Suzuki - I've for the most part only gotten very positive feedback about Jamaica, fingers crossed we wont hate it lol.
 
I stayed in the Gran Bahia Principe a few months ago for a week and it was absolutely beautiful. Here's a few pix I took:

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Resort staff were extremely friendly, the place was lively, great weather and beautiful beaches. Lots of Bob Marley lol. Also lots of penis sculptures.

Few things to be aware of:

-locals are VERY AGRESSIVE and will do ****** to you and demand money for it. They will also demand tips. You just have to be firm and say NO and walk away. Honestly, I've never experienced sellers like them at the marketplace.
-Dunn River Falls - Amazing hike up a waterfall. Buy water shoes. Sometimes there's a dude there who will walk along as you go up and take pictures. Well worth it imo, paid him $20 USD or so. You can't bring a camera in yourself cause you will get soaked
-do not go to luminous lagoon...waste of money
-mystic mountain is alright, you can go fairly cheaply bundled with dunn river falls. make sure when you go to the top to go straight to the zipline/trekking area and reserve a spot or you will miss you bus later or wait around for a while.
-tip the right people..especially your bus drivers. They are the ones who will come and save your *** when you're alone in the marketplace getting mobbed by merchants
 
was in Negril last year at couples swept away, it was superb. Couldn't ask for more. You pay a few bucks extra over other resorts, but value-wise it was worth it. Its not like Sandals all-inclusive where it's not really all inclusive. The intro to scuba diving, waterskiing and wakeboarding were included, you only go down 30 feet, but it was very cool. They had a catamaran cruise that went to Rick's cafe (with an all-incl bar on the boat) and to some caves which was neat. Other places charge pretty big for any motorized water sports/diving or cruises. Had a great time, going back to the west end again this year. Not big on night life, but after drinking all day, wasn't a big deal. Some peddlars on the beach, but if you say no, they left you alone. 7 mile beach was very very nice. This place was strict no tipping, the help would get fired if they found out. The last day you leave a little something for the room service, which was excellent. No complaints other than I wished the bar was 24/7 and they had more than a snack bar open in the wee hours.
 
Bboy awesome pictures. I actually stayed at the same chain in Dominican... well manicured resort and great service there as well. I might consider it again but am leaning towards trying a different chain this time. Amazing pictures!! Thanks for the tips on excursions!

Smergy I've been hearing and reading a lot about 7 mile beach - will try to probably book a resort on this beach strip somewhere. I like the no tipping policy. I've looked into the couples swept away but it seems this resort caters to couples and im going with a bunch of girls so not sure if thats the right resort for us ?

Appreciate all the feedback.
 
Another nod for Negril. Beautiful place! Also stayed at the Riu. Can't ask for better resort than that, the food was superb and the the atmosphere was very relaxing. They have a Club Pasha on premise so you can strut your stuff if you want to, but it's not super loud or annoying. We were able to rent bikes (dirtbikes) and rode around Negril and surrounding area. The area is safe but if you do rent a bike, there would be guys following you trying to get you to hire them as tour guides. Just politely ignore them.
 
+1 for the beach at Negril, close to Rick's cafe, but it's long exciting bus ride away from the airport at MoBay.
 
Stayed at the Gran Bahia a few years ago. The beach sucked big time and the staff were not that great. I"m always friendly and repectful when I travel but when I asked my waiter one day "how are you?" and he responds "not as good as you mon" it kind of summed up their attitude. Hey if you're a big girl all the staff will falling all over you. Maybe Negril would have been better and I shouldn't judge the whole island based on my stay.
 
At first it sounded like you were looking for some male company for you and these girlfriends... What a let down!
 
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