Mo Bay Trip Report

Your comments on Negril are very interesting to me. I've considered going
there myself. The accommodations down there are very reasonable. But I've
never spoken to anyone I know who's been there, and I know that you can't
trust travel brochures to give you an accurate picture of a place. In light
of what you've said, I have to ask - What Caribbean beaches/resorts do you
recommend? I've been to several Caribbean islands and would have to say
that I like Orient Beach on St. Martin. It's a nice beach, great for
swimming, and has several places to get a drink, sandwich etc. How does
Negril compare with Orient Beach?

Thanks.

> Our other day trip was to Negril. I imagined a lovely sandy strip of
> beaches with lovely resorts..it was like the Hampton Beach of
> Jamaica..TACKY, tourista and well, yuck..the resorts cater to the
> masses..all inclusive heaven. The beach was just ok..water clarity was
> poor. We didn't even want to swim. Didn't stay..in fact grabbed lunch
> and Chicken Lavish (conch and chicken) and left..phew..what a dreadful
> place.

Hello Crash,
Keep in mind my opinion is just that..and I am not bashing Negril..I
just expected WAY more.

It prob. appeals to Spring Breakers, younger crowds and people who
love to just sit at their hotel and be catered to in a mass appeal all
inclusive..

There are rows of hotels, vendor stalls and bars. The shops have bars
on all the doors and windows. It is not charming and quaint..there is
not pretty architechure..things are unkept...I can appreciate old
Caribbean..I love it..but this felt dirty and seedy..For instance, I
loved Carriacou..very remote..nothing fancy or modern but it had a
good vibe feel. Here in Bonaire, it's damn ugly but it's a beautiful
ugly..ya know..a good feeling..

I had read about Negril for many years..and well, it wasn't what I had
expected..the water where we were at had a brownish yellow cast to
it..we didn't want to swim at all. And, well, we wanted to get a feel
for the people but they are so tuned in to selling sellling and
selling that it was not fun..

So, nuff said..Irie..

"Crash" <Krakatoa_1@************> wrote in message news:<kGBTc.10220$mD.973@attbi_s02>...
> Your comments on Negril are very interesting to me. I've considered going
> there myself. The accommodations down there are very reasonable. But I've
> never spoken to anyone I know who's been there, and I know that you can't
> trust travel brochures to give you an accurate picture of a place. In light
> of what you've said, I have to ask - What Caribbean beaches/resorts do you
> recommend? I've been to several Caribbean islands and would have to say
> that I like Orient Beach on St. Martin. It's a nice beach, great for
> swimming, and has several places to get a drink, sandwich etc. How does
> Negril compare with Orient Beach?
>
> Thanks.
>
> > Our other day trip was to Negril. I imagined a lovely sandy strip of
> > beaches with lovely resorts..it was like the Hampton Beach of
> > Jamaica..TACKY, tourista and well, yuck..the resorts cater to the
> > masses..all inclusive heaven. The beach was just ok..water clarity was
> > poor. We didn't even want to swim. Didn't stay..in fact grabbed lunch
> > and Chicken Lavish (conch and chicken) and left..phew..what a dreadful
> > place.

windwoman14@************ (JF) wrote in message news:<2bcb474.0408150534.1f2d159a@*****************c om>...
> Hello Crash,
> Keep in mind my opinion is just that..and I am not bashing Negril..I
> just expected WAY more.
>
> It prob. appeals to Spring Breakers, younger crowds and people who
> love to just sit at their hotel and be catered to in a mass appeal all
> inclusive..

I spent a week in Negril before heading to Montego Bay for Sumfest. I
much preferred it and I've never stayed in an all-inclusive in my
life. The hustlers and higglers were much less evident in Negril,
though I was told by many locals a lot of people head to MB when
Sumfest is on, b/c there are so many tourists around - ie more chances
at getting money.

I also found food a lot cheaper at Negril. I didn't find a lot of
"cheap" eats at MB, again, that could've been b/c it was peak season.
There was only one place I went to in Negril that I wouldn't eat at
again, in MB more than one.

I don't recall seeing window bars any more in Negril than I did in MB,
but then I do notice them every time I pass through the US.

The sea water in the area I was at was crystal clear. Maybe the
coming bad weather churned up some muck, hurricanes and storms do
that.

The only downside to Negril in my trip turned out to be spending time
with other tourists, which I usually never do. I'd prefer to return
there than MB.

I was interested in your review, but thought it could be basically
just about any tourist place in one of many countries. To each their
own, though. I met some other Australians in MB, they hated it.
Thought it was extremely run-down, scruffy & thought a lot of people
were rude. They'd just been in Barbados and loved that. Then
side-tripped to Negril & Ocho Rios, liked both places.

Jan in Oz

>
> There are rows of hotels, vendor stalls and bars. The shops have bars
> on all the doors and windows. It is not charming and quaint..there is
> not pretty architechure..things are unkept...I can appreciate old
> Caribbean..I love it..but this felt dirty and seedy..For instance, I
> loved Carriacou..very remote..nothing fancy or modern but it had a
> good vibe feel. Here in Bonaire, it's damn ugly but it's a beautiful
> ugly..ya know..a good feeling..
>
> I had read about Negril for many years..and well, it wasn't what I had
> expected..the water where we were at had a brownish yellow cast to
> it..we didn't want to swim at all. And, well, we wanted to get a feel
> for the people but they are so tuned in to selling sellling and
> selling that it was not fun..
>
> So, nuff said..Irie..
>
> "Crash" <Krakatoa_1@************> wrote in message news:<kGBTc.10220$mD.973@attbi_s02>...
> > Your comments on Negril are very interesting to me. I've considered going
> > there myself. The accommodations down there are very reasonable. But I've
> > never spoken to anyone I know who's been there, and I know that you can't
> > trust travel brochures to give you an accurate picture of a place. In light
> > of what you've said, I have to ask - What Caribbean beaches/resorts do you
> > recommend? I've been to several Caribbean islands and would have to say
> > that I like Orient Beach on St. Martin. It's a nice beach, great for
> > swimming, and has several places to get a drink, sandwich etc. How does
> > Negril compare with Orient Beach?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > > Our other day trip was to Negril. I imagined a lovely sandy strip of
> > > beaches with lovely resorts..it was like the Hampton Beach of
> > > Jamaica..TACKY, tourista and well, yuck..the resorts cater to the
> > > masses..all inclusive heaven. The beach was just ok..water clarity was
> > > poor. We didn't even want to swim. Didn't stay..in fact grabbed lunch
> > > and Chicken Lavish (conch and chicken) and left..phew..what a dreadful
> > > place.

In article <kGBTc.10220$mD.973@attbi_s02>, Crash
<Krakatoa_1@************> wrote:

[...]
> I've been to several Caribbean islands and would have to say
> that I like Orient Beach on St. Martin. It's a nice beach, great for
> swimming, and has several places to get a drink, sandwich etc. How does
> Negril compare with Orient Beach?
>
> Thanks.

Negril beach is much longer that Orient.

There is no problem getting food and drink on either. The bars and
restaurants on Negril stay open a lot longer than Orient. During Spring
Break, Negril is pretty much 24/7 - you had better like reggae - Orient
pretty much shuts down at sunset.

Orient has only one All Inclusive resort and it is not a "compound"
that guests stay at exclusively. Negril has lots of AI's that folk
seldom if ever leave.

Orient has few, if any "higglers" trying to sell you trinkets, ganga or
their sisters. Negril has a bunch - on the other hand they _do_ take
"No" for an answer and seem to learn after a day or two that you are
not a customer (assuming you're not).

Orient has Club Orient - nothing like it anywhere and the entire beach
is clothing optional although many bars/retaurants are not. Negril,
except for some of the AI resorts, has little nudity.

Since you haven't been there, I'd say go to Negril. Pick a "boutique"
hotel (like Firefly, Kuyaba or Charela) not an AI. Take earplugs in the
Spring. If you like Orient, you'll probably like Negril. No telling
which you will prefer.

--
Paul Sperry
Columbia, SC (USA)

I totally disagree with the original poster.
Negril has a beautiful beach and the water is as blue and clear as it
could be-maybe she hit hurricane season and the water wasn't up to par.
The people in Negril are very friendly and warm. If you want to totally
relax and unwind Negril is the place to go. Enjoy!

Thanks for the comments Paul. You addressed my concerns directly.
Interesting that you should mention Kuyaba, because I have looked into it
specifically. It's very reasonable. I do not care for all-inclusives. I
want to be able to walk around and try lots of different places to eat.
It's true that Orient Beach has a nude end, but I don't care about that at
all. Something tells me that I might like Negril. I do like reggae (but not
ganja :)

"Paul Sperry" <plsperry@sc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:150820042325164793%plsperry@sc.rr.com...
> In article <kGBTc.10220$mD.973@attbi_s02>, Crash
> <Krakatoa_1@************> wrote:
>
> [...]
> > I've been to several Caribbean islands and would have to say
> > that I like Orient Beach on St. Martin. It's a nice beach, great for
> > swimming, and has several places to get a drink, sandwich etc. How does
> > Negril compare with Orient Beach?
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> Negril beach is much longer that Orient.
>
> There is no problem getting food and drink on either. The bars and
> restaurants on Negril stay open a lot longer than Orient. During Spring
> Break, Negril is pretty much 24/7 - you had better like reggae - Orient
> pretty much shuts down at sunset.
>
> Orient has only one All Inclusive resort and it is not a "compound"
> that guests stay at exclusively. Negril has lots of AI's that folk
> seldom if ever leave.
>
> Orient has few, if any "higglers" trying to sell you trinkets, ganga or
> their sisters. Negril has a bunch - on the other hand they _do_ take
> "No" for an answer and seem to learn after a day or two that you are
> not a customer (assuming you're not).
>
> Orient has Club Orient - nothing like it anywhere and the entire beach
> is clothing optional although many bars/retaurants are not. Negril,
> except for some of the AI resorts, has little nudity.
>
> Since you haven't been there, I'd say go to Negril. Pick a "boutique"
> hotel (like Firefly, Kuyaba or Charela) not an AI. Take earplugs in the
> Spring. If you like Orient, you'll probably like Negril. No telling
> which you will prefer.
>
> --
> Paul Sperry
> Columbia, SC (USA)

In article <2bcb474.0408150534.1f2d159a@*****************com> , JF says...
>
>It prob. appeals to Spring Breakers, younger crowds and people who
>love to just sit at their hotel and be catered to in a mass appeal all
>inclusive..
>

Negril appeals to my wife an I and we fall into none of those categories.

It has a live and let live character/vibe and has its own special charm,
a very unique place in the Caribbean but certainly not everyone's cup of tea,
thats for sure.

The beach is lovely and so are the sunsets, the people are friendly and the
crime rate is low. The room rates are reasonable and there are many great
places to eat to fit everyones budget.

At night, theres usually a live reggae band playing at one of the bars on
the beach.

john

In article <aUcUc.265042$a24.128070@attbi_s03>, Crash says...
>
>Thanks for the comments Paul. You addressed my concerns directly.
>Interesting that you should mention Kuyaba, because I have looked into it
>specifically. It's very reasonable. I do not care for all-inclusives. I
>want to be able to walk around and try lots of different places to eat.
>It's true that Orient Beach has a nude end, but I don't care about that at
>all. Something tells me that I might like Negril. I do like reggae (but not
>ganja :)

Kuyaba without a doubt...You cant go wrong there, for me its the best place to
stay in Negril and Ive looked at a lot of the properties.

I suggest a deluxe room on the second floor, rooms #7 thru #10 or the honeymoon
suite which is only about $10 more per nite, thats room #5. The food, the
staff, the location, the ambience and the security are all excellent and Capt
Clarke and the glass bottom boat crew out front on the beach will look out for
you while your on the beach and in the water.

john