Negril is the westernmost and fastest growing resort area, located 80 km from the airport and Montego Bay. This resort is famous for its almost 11-kilometer strip of white sandy beaches, excellent hotels and exceptional ecology. There is not a single industrial enterprise around, and all the buildings are no taller than palm trees. In addition, Negril is considered the best diving spot on the island. Check jibin123 for customs regulations and visa requirements of Jamaica.
Fall in love with Negril. Once in this heavenly and truly carefree place, every traveler gets lost in time, wanders with a happy smile from palm tree to palm tree (and not at all because of the aroma of grass), admires the reflection of the sun in the azure water and never forgets its colorful sunsets, which here they love even more than the ubiquitous reggae sounds in Jamaica.
History
Tourism in Negril is the only industry. Back in the 1970s, only backpackers and tourists who were “in nirvana”, walking around naked at every free minute and living in tents, knew about this place. However, the “hippie Negril” disappeared, and the resort was divided into two parts. The first, Long Bay and its luxurious white sandy beaches, is the realm of wealthy tourists. The second, the West End, is home to miniature boutique hotels and offbeat entertainment for former flower children who now own platinum credit cards and ultra-thin laptops.
And yet, despite the fact that Negril turned from a small paradise into a big money resort, it is still one of the best places in Jamaica for a “hedonistic” vacation. Let your hair grow, taste the local pleasures and let Jamaica exist all around you. That’s what everyone who’s been to Negril says.
- Places in Jamaica associated with Ian Fleming
How to get there
Negril has its own airport, Negril Aerodrome, which is located 11 km north of the resort, in Bloody Bay. It accepts domestic charter flights from AirLink Express – a kind of air taxi for wealthy tourists who want to get to Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio or Kingston. Flight cost from 170 USD per person between Negril and Montego Bay.
In addition, minibuses and taxis connect these two resorts. An hour and a half trip will cost about 350-500 JMD (by taxi 12,000-15,000 JMD), a transfer to Lucea is possible. Minibuses also connect the resort to the airport at Donald Sangster in Montego Bay (fare is negotiable, about 1200-1800 JMD). It can also be reached by bus tour companies for about 5000 JMD.
Finally, buses, which, due to the stuffed wallets of vacationers, are perhaps the last most popular mode of transport. They leave from the transportation center (Sheffield Rd, 1km east of the big circle) to Montego Bay (390 JMD), Savannah-la-Mar (390 JMD) and Kingston (1500 JMD, about 4 hours).
Transport
Negril stretches along the sea for about 16 km, so walking from one end of the resort to the other is not a good idea. Some luxury hotels at the northern end of Long Bay offer shuttle buses to the center of the village, some West End hotels offer shuttles to the beach.
Minibuses run along Norman Manley Blvd and West End Rd. You can catch them with a wave of your hand, the fare, depending on the distance, is no more than 150 JMD. You can also rent a car from Jus Jeep (West End Rd) or one of the Vernon’s Car Rentals offices (Plaza de Negril and Norman Manley Blvd). Also on Norman Manley Blvd and West End Rd there are plenty of motorcycle rentals (5000-6000 JMD per day), scooters (3000-4000 JMD) and bicycles (1200-1800 JMD). Look for the latter at Wright’s Bike Rental (Norman Manley Blvd) or Negril Yacht Club (West End Rd).
You can also travel around Negril by tourist taxis (red price tag), the fare is approved by the government – about 500 JMD per 3 km, but only a small part of taxi drivers use meters, so it is better to negotiate in advance. A taxi rank can be found at Negril Market or in front of Coral Seas Plaza, or call 957-9197 (JUTA).
Shopping
In Negril there is an excellent market where you can buy souvenirs and crafts made by skillful hands of Jamaicans. Bargaining is appropriate if you take more than one item. Most merchants also take a calculator with them to calculate the cost of goods in dollars (not to be confused with Jamaican).
The beaches of Negril
Negril has many beaches, the most popular being Seven Mile Beach in the south. Less crowded, peaceful atmosphere, powdery sand and charming picnic tables are found at Long Bay Beach Park. Another heavenly coastline is Bloody Bay Beach, with little to no infrastructure, except for a couple of Jamaicans who are enterprisingly selling drinks and snacks. Locals also like to spend time here, stubbornly hiding from work.
Entertainment and attractions
In the intervals between swimming, sunbathing and diving, you can visit the town of Appleton (Appleton), which is considered the main place of production of Jamaican rum, take a boat to get to the coral reef, and also go canoeing to the Great Morras – wetlands that are a natural reserve.
Diving in Negril
It will not be superfluous to repeat that Negril is the best diving spot on the entire island of Jamaica. Around the resort there are a lot of worthy dive sites, which are easily accessible by boat. At hotels, as well as in dive centers, you can order from one dive to a full-fledged dive safari. For example, to the miniature coral island Booby Cay, which is located 1 km from the coast of Cape Rutland (Rutland Point). Walt Disney used his scenery in his adventure film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The name of the island comes from the boobies sea birds. You can rent a boat to the island for only 3500 JMD in both directions.
