Negril vs. Ocho Rios

Mots · Post by **Mots** » September 14, 2007 8:19 am

Let the debate begin:

TikiTammy · Post by **TikiTammy** » September 14, 2007 10:59 pm

Love Negril. Very laid back- Love the locals. Love the beautiful beaches on seven mile beach. Love the snorkeling at the cliff end. We have stayed on the beaches there and at the cliffs. Love them both equally but for different reasons. I like to split week up and and stay at both. You can get driver to take you to any of the excursions on the island. They can help you with WHATEVER you want. Nothing like the sunsets on the west side of the island. JUST MAGICAL. Ochi is a little more commercial with more nightlife shopping etc.. It is the rainforest side of the island. Very lush pretty beaches - water a little more choppy on this side-fun to play in. Still can get a driver to take you anywhere from there too. If it were me- I would stay in Negril and take excursions to a few places Ocho Rios. How can you go wrong mon? One Love. Have fun!

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Pineapple Jack · Post by **Pineapple Jack** » September 17, 2007 9:34 pm

I have never been to Ocho Rios. But I have been to Negril on many occasions and will be returning there in February. We just love it there. However, if you like to do a lot of excursions and touristy things, it might not be the place for you. Sure, there are some things to see. But, by and large, I find it is better if you just want to kick back in the sun for a few days on the fabulous white sands of Seven Mile Beach, enjoy the beautiful turquoise water, watch the sun set over the ocean every night, enjoy some outstanding Jamaican food and drink lots of Rum! If this interests you, I highly recommend you check out <font color=blue> <u> Country Country</u></font>. It is a wonderful place to stay and, best of all, it is about 100 yards away from Margaritaville Negril.

Mots · Post by **Mots** » September 18, 2007 7:32 pm

I think that sealed it Pineapple. We are looking to basically hang out and enjoy the beach and weather. We are going to book an AI at RIU Negril for our honeymoon.

blackjacks wife · Post by **blackjacks wife** » September 21, 2007 1:44 am

Mots,

We love Negril. Bloody Bay is our favorite!!!

May I suggest hopping onto tripadvisor.com? They have a great Jamaica forum for you to ask questions about everything and anything Jamaica related.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1 ... maica.html

We stay at the Grand Lido in Negril and love every second.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding! Good luck planning.

Pineapple Jack · Post by **Pineapple Jack** » October 3, 2007 11:51 am

Mots wrote:I think that sealed it Pineapple. We are looking to basically hang out and enjoy the beach and weather. We are going to book an AI at RIU Negril for our honeymoon.

Just a word of warning about the all-inclusives -- most of them are located at the end of the beach that is farthest from Negril. That might not matter to you. But they are kind of isolated from where most of the restaurants and bars are located.

When we go to Negril again in February, two other couples are going with us. Their original preference was to stay at an AI (they like to drink alot and felt that it would be cheaper in the long run at an AI). We were willing to go along with that. So, what I did was put together what turned out to be a 50+ page booklet comparing all the AIs in Negril, and then a section on Country Country, where we stayed. They decided unanimously on CC. Not only is it centrally located on the beach, but when you compared the cost for an AI to CC, CC came out way ahead, even though only breakfast is included there and one would pay extra for drinks and dinner.

Another thing I like about staying somewhere that is not an AI is the freedom one has to explore different restaurants and not be confined to just the ones available at the resort where you are staying. Take a look at some of the TripAdvisory reviews that people have written and you will begin to get a sense of some of the restaurants people favor. We liked Norma's and Kayuba, to name a couple. We also found Margaritaville to be a good place to eat (and ya can't beat the atmosphere).

The only word of caution I would offer is that vendors selling both legal and illegal items comb the beach all day. That bothers some people as they constantly come up to you asking if you want to buy anything from cigarettes, to orange juice, to contraband. It never bothered me as I simply viewed it as part of the culture. However, I suspect they are less of a nuisance at the AIs simply because the resorts likely have a better security presence. Mind you I have never stayed at one of the resorts so I don't know this for certain.

I hope you have a wonderful time in Negril. Be sure to get to the cliffs one evening to watch the cliff divers and catch the sunset. Rick's cafe is one of the most popular.

blackjack · Post by **blackjack** » October 3, 2007 12:26 pm

If you are looking at the Rius, I would suggest Riu Tropical Bay over Riu Negril. The beach is better at RTB even though they are just a short distance from each other.

However, both are family resorts and I would highly recommend either Grand Lido Negril or Couples Negril over the Rius. Adults only and more romantic. If you want to be in the middle of things, (per Pineapple concern) you should check out Couples Swept Away. It is in the heart of the Long Bay section of 7-mile beach nearer to the nightlife and bars.

Either way, congrats and Enjoy!

Mots · Post by **Mots** » October 4, 2007 9:27 pm

Thanks for all the info people. We decided to book a week at RIU Tropical Bay but fully intend on checking out some hot spots in Negril.