Negril Tour and Vacations Guide

Original content from Jamaicamax.com

Start your day in Negril Jamaica with Selinas Coffee and Eatery

We stopped it for the Sunday Brunch and Webcast at Selinas Coffee Bar on Negril Beach recently and had a great start to a fabulous day with Big Roys pancakes and some fresh roasted Blue Mountain coffee. The food is always great at Selinas and we ate so fast I never even took a pic of the beautiful spread before us. I’ll have to go back again soon for some better pics of the delicious pancakes.

We we’re still on US time and arrived when things we’re supposed to start at 10AM but found the band still pulling together after 11:30AM. The kids we’re ready for the beach and so we’re we so we missed the live show but we’re glad to catch up with the crew from RealNegril.com and be a part of the show there.

If you’re on your way to Negril beach and need a bite to eat or a cup of coffee and the best hand squeezed orange juice in the world then stop by Selinas for breakfast.

Selinas is at Norman Manley Blvd on Negril Beach

Join the Live Webcast and Chat each Sunday Brunch

Enjoy local Jamaican food and the best cup of Blue Mountain Coffee in Jamaica

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Traveling around Negril is actually fairly easy if you don’t mind hopping into a taxi cab. The number of taxi cabs and drivers baffles when you think about it sometimes. I would say over 80% off the traffic in Negril is Route Taxis and Private Cabs racing back and forth across the beach and cliffs searching for someone to give a ride too. If you chose to walk anywhere be prepared for every car that passes to honk their horn at you as they attempt to pick you up. Just ignoring them works fine on most occasions unless the driver stops alongside and chats it up. Your chose how to proceed but the easiest way to get off is tell them you have no money. Does not work well when you leave the bank, grocery store or a restaurant. I’ve told them I only ride in cars that I can drive and they leave with a puzzled look or laugh it up with you.

Route Taxis follow set routes around Jamaica and rates are normally $50JA for a short leg of any route. A trip from the roundabout to say Ricks should not be more than $100JA but $50JA would be a fair rate for a local to pay. You’ll find lots of cab drivers want to charge considerably more for trips around sunset but don’t be fooled into it. Route taxis can’t charge more than the standard rate for any route unless you hire the car as a private charter which is completely different. All route taxis are prominently marked with red license plates and white letters and should be considered safe as long as the proper driver is driving. Private taxi cabs usually offer a competitive rate for slightly nicer cars that bypass other pickups and carry you direct to your destination for a higher price. Always make sure to set the price and destination before you set off on your trip. Once you’re in the car and moving is not the best place to negotiate pricing for a ride. Make sure the driver is clear on where you want to go and confirm they know where it is. Don’t be surprised for a cab driver to tell you he knows the route to a destination when he has no idea where it is. He plans on finding out as he goes along and you may find yourself lost searching for your destination with a driver who has never been to the place you seek. Private cab drivers are most often entrepreneurs of all sorts and into many other side businesses. One recent ride in a private car with a guy had us witness him sell a dozen bootleg DVD movies from a rather healthy collection of what he called “di best movies in Jamaica mon”. I was tempted to grab a copy of the latest Harry Potter for $100JA but chose not to for some reason. He was offering a 6 for $500JA on that friday that was popular it seemed. He sold three sets from the beach to the room or about 10 minutes. He also had $400JA worth of Digicell phone cards for $300JA which was also very tempting but

Walking in Negril is a great way to get around but caution is advised. The roads all over Jamaica are pretty fast paced and narrow and walking on a road with no shoulders and traffic flying by you and your young ones may not be the way to go for everyone. Jamaican drivers are normally very skilled and taxi cabs, mini vans and even tour buses run around town like Formula One Racers but you’ll need to be careful on roads such as West End Road in the Negril Cliffs which twist and turns leaving a few blind corners where cars come pretty close to you when passing another car and you at once. The rain gulleys and unfinished shoulders make walking a hazard without the endless parade of vehicles on a busy day and getting around some areas is best done off hours or by car.

For those with the heart and legs for it riding a bicycle around Negril is just perfect. I brought a used dual suspension Pro Flex mountain bike, which I purchased for $200US in Ocala Florida, on the plane with us and was it worth the effort. I ride everywhere now and can shoot from the Lighthouse near the top end of the cliffs to the beginning of Negril Beach in just a couple short minutes. 24 speeds, big fat shocks and a semi cushy seat makes for some sweet riding anywhere in Negril and I’ve been off road and breaking new ground with the bike this trip. Sadly my camera is not keeping up and the SD card I brought has failed me so not so many pics as I would like right now but soon come. I’m on my way to Kingston for a shopping trip and the SD card is top of my list. Riding a bike is great but keep aware of the cars and impatient drivers on roads in Negril at least. it seems cyclists are frowned upon. I’ve used the bike to run trips to the beach and grocery. I also use it for exploring the many side streets and for getting to know the area a little better. I suggest to anyone that can bring a bicycle to Negril Jamaica and enjoy some great riding conditions and a super way to enjoy the city from a different view. Bringing a bicycle on AirJamaica was very easy for me and I even overloaded the box with a total of 72 lbs weight for one overweight charge of $75US. I brought the bike, my tent, my dive gear, a full size fishing pole and tackle box in one cardboard box and was glad I did.

Taking a bike back is easy enough but leaving one to some needy kid in the area would be an even better way to get to know people. I’ve been letting some of the local kids use the bike and I’m making friends with it. I don’t suggest you do so with anything you really care about because it can very easily be stolen from them or even by them. Understand a $200US bike is worth a lot to a hungry family and even the most honest kids can be tempted into things they would not normally do. It’s a calculated risk I take as I try to open relationships with some of the people around me and not for everyone. Some people can start to expect things from those that give often and it can be difficult to say no when you need to.

Now getting around Jamaica is another scene and I think maybe we’re going to look at buying a car in Jamaica as a tourist. I think for us to see all we want to see it will help for us to have our own car and with the prices of things it looks promising we’ll buy a car in Kingston soon. If so then we’ll be doing much more traveling and I’ll have lots more to show you about Jamaica and Negril.

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This is our view from the front porch on the first morning in Jamaica. We’ve been in Negril for just over ten days now and it’s time I got some new photos and stuff up. These would be some of our first pictures here in Negril. It’s summer time of course and although the sun is hot the city life is pretty quiet. Not many tourists in town for the heat of summer so things are extra slow right now. Often times we find ourselves the only patrons of an establishment and some times they open up just for us. There is a good and a bad to that in that we are met by friendly faces but times are tough and everyone wants to make something from us.

We’ve gotten used to it quickly and a firm “No Thank You” covers almost everything. We got beat over a few meals because we didn’t think to ask about the price before we ordered some places. They’ll hit you hard at the end if they can and don’t be embarrassed to negotiate any check handed you. Times are tough all over and my money is best kept in my pocket. Jamaicans actually appreciate a good barter but have no love for a cheap person. If you can’t settle a deal they will probably curse you for wasting their time as if it were more valuable then yours.

Negril Beach in the summer is a beautiful thing and the sun shines down on us all day long here. The beach and water are our favorite spots so far and it’s been a lot of relaxing and chilling in the sun for us since our arrival. We’re slowly moving out and about and I have loads of more stuff to post about but a big part of our stay was the water fun for the kids. Our room at Heartbeat in Negril has an awesome view and the easy access to the beach and seas makes snorkel trips and frolicking in the water an easy activity for us all.

Our room does not have direct beach access and we are not on the famous Negril Beach. We’re currently at the base of the Cliffs of Negril and about a 2 minute cab ride at $150JA for the four of us. We do have a beach we can use that suits us just fine and it’s been a lot of fun for the kids to spend hours playing with some of the local boys on the beach. It’s behind a restaurant that seems more a late night bar but the day time crew at “On The Rocks” has been great. The beach here at Heartbeat is great but we much prefer the Negril Beach for a nicer cleaner beach with more activity and things to see. This beach is not maintained and some odd things are washed up on shore.

A Picture Perfect Day at Heartbeat in Negril Jamaica

One of the best things about Jamaica is all the natural beauty around us. On our 3rd morning in I got up a it earlier than usual and was able to catch a great Sunrise from the rocks outside our room. I was able to get a decent shot of the sun rising over the Negril Beach with the Mountains in the background that was just an awe inspiring thing to witness live. No camera can do the colors any justice and my amateur photography is not up to the task yet. I’m still learning the new camera and whats best to use in conditions like this but man it was worth waking up early thats for sure. It turned out to be a picture perfect day. I caught the sunrise, a trip to the beach for some fun in the sun with the kids, some beautiful snorkeling along the coast of Negril after a fabulous lunch of local cuisine and ended the day with a perfect Sunset from the vantage point of our room and the porch out front.

After the sunrise and a likkle brekfast we ran down to Negril Beach so the family could finally see the famous beach. It was pretty hot and we had things to do like hit the Hi Lo so we we’re not there very long. After the trip to Hi Lo we decided to have lunch at Jennys Restaurant just up the road from us as no one wanted to cook or wait for something to be cooked. We took the Brown Stew Chicken because it was ready and we wanted to try it. It’s become a favorite meal especially for the low price of $200JA per plate. A full meal consists of healthy portion of chicken served with rice and peas, cabbage and vegetables. My review of Jennys comes soon.

Later in the day the kids hit the beach and dad did a little snorkeling off up the coast and around the rocks near the hotel. The water s great and the kids are taking to the sun and sea better than expected. They both have a few extra bite marks from the bugs but we’re controlling it. The beach is close by and easy for them to swim and me to explore while still watching them. This is nearly the same spot as the sunrise pictures but looking back towards the beach.

The sea life around Negril is awesome and the short dive I took on our third day was great. The biodiversity near shore is still strong although I was disappointed in the number of game fish to be found. There are tons of tropical fish of all flavors and the pictures above are a small sample of the underwater photos I have been able to take. I’ve see a lot of things on snorkel trips around the cliffs here in Negril and I’m looking forward to taking the camera on some bigger dive trips as we go further off coast and into some deeper waters on a glass bottom boat soon. Their seem to be loads of juvenile tropical fish in the area with lots of small butterfly and other damsels. I was surprised to see a few Rock Beauty Angels and a Juvenile Queen Angel but my shots on those are shoddy. I need a weight belt for better motion control and shot consistency.

Juvenile French Angel off the coast of Negril Jamaica

Juvenile Banded Butterfly Fish

Pair of Banded Coral Shrimp

Large Snail off Negril Jamaica

I took a little nap during the afternoon showers which are very common here in Negril. It was nice to wake up to a cool refreshing breeze whipping through our room as it raced in from the ocean in front of us. The ocean breeze is really nice when we have it. Right now it’s hotter then heck in my room tonight as I type this blog post. It’s 11PM and about 85 C and I’m sweating like a pig in my bed. Theres a decent breeze tonight so I bust open the windows and hope for no mosquitoes. The afternoon showers make for some great cloud formations and leads into a perfect sunset and an end to a perfect day.

It looks like we’re falling in love with Negril Jamaica and I thinks Heartbeat has someting to do wit dat mon. A far I concerned we cyan stay here f’ever.

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