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We'll be there without the kids starting next week. We're staying 3 nights at Sandals Royal Carribean (Montego Bay) then 4 nights at Sandals Whitehouse (South Coast). I booked a private transfer between the resorts, heading along the coast and stopping for lunch in Negril.

We've researched online but we've never been to Jamaica. We may do an excursion or 2, I'm thinking maybe Dunns River Falls from RC or YS Falls / Pelican Bar / Appleton Rum from WH.

What would you recommend and why?

Without kids...?

I suggest room service.

The Pelican Bar is a very cool place. We had the phone number of a guy in Black River who'll taxi you out there. There must be a bunch of them, and Black River is not the nearest point either, but it was fine. We had the place to ourselves for an hour, at least.

I've done Dunn's River. Very touristy. Once was enough, but if you like water and rocks, go for it. Combine it with lunch in Ocho Rios, at the waterfall place (someone's "diner", I think... part of a standard excursion) or at M'Ville.

I wish we had gone to the rum places, but maybe next time....

Enjoy!

Mr Play wrote:We'll be there without the kids starting next week. We're staying 3 nights at Sandals Royal Carribean (Montego Bay) then 4 nights at Sandals Whitehouse (South Coast). I booked a private transfer, heading along the coast and stopping for lunch in Negril.

We've researched online but we've never been to Jamaica. We may do an excursion or 2, I'm thinking maybe Dunns River Falls from RC or YS Falls / Pelican Bar / Appleton Rum from WH.

What would you recommend and why?

I heard that YS falls is better than Dunns.....less of a tourist trap. They also have Ziplining in the Whitehouse area. I did ziplining in Kauai, dont know if you have ever done it before, but that was SO fun!!!

They do have a Bob Marley bus tour too!!! I may be going back again in August. Great choice in resorts !!

If you go to the Sandals website, they will list some of the available tours under the information for each resort. They do usually have more available at the tour desk than what is listed online though.

Rick's cafe and of course Margaritaville in Negril are good stops! They do the cliff diving at Rick's.

Oh, when I go back I definitely want to tour Rose Hall in the Mo Bay area...... drove by it last time and really wanted to stop!

When you get there, make a reservation for the Thai restaurant on the island. It's awesome! The Italian restaurant and Tokyo Joe's at Sandals Montego Bay is also very good! It's a five or ten minute bus ride between the two resorts. There will be cab drivers available at the resort. We usually hire one for a half day to go to Margaritaville & a shop that has an awesome rum selection (and of course, free taste testing samples). Take your suits because they have a water slide, water trampoline and tubes to hang out in. The first time we went, we had the driver take us to the Straw Market, but I was the only one ready to shop- everyone else was scared and running back to the car. It is an experience! He also took us to the duty free shops, which were not anything to write home about. We have gone on the booze cruise/snorkeling excursion. It was cool, but probably not something we would do again. The snorkeling off the resort was just as good. Our friends went to Whitehouse for their honeymoon and can't say enough about it. Have fun! Don't be afraid to ask the staff for anything- romantic dinner on the beach, champagne and fruit in the room, etc.. They really do cater to you!

Mr Play wrote:We'll be there without the kids starting next week. We're staying 3 nights at Sandals Royal Carribean (Montego Bay) then 4 nights at Sandals Whitehouse (South Coast). I booked a private transfer between the resorts, heading along the coast and stopping for lunch in Negril.

We've researched online but we've never been to Jamaica. We may do an excursion or 2, I'm thinking maybe Dunns River Falls from RC or YS Falls / Pelican Bar / Appleton Rum from WH.

What would you recommend and why?

What dates are you going to be there??? I have a huge wedding group going down on the 26th to Sandals Mo Bay.

Have an AWESOME trip Bill and Debbie!

Never been but just wanted to wish you a safe and happy trip Bill and Debbie. Will look forward to the pictures when you return!!!

alaura1974 wrote:What dates are you going to be there??? I have a huge wedding group going down on the 26th to Sandals Mo Bay.

Royal Caribbean 6/17 - 6/20
Whitehouse 6/20 - 6/24
We booked Concierge level at both resorts, which makes reservations easy and puts alcohol in the room.
I read that Sandals took Red Stripe out of the rooms and replaced it with El Caribe though. They do still have it on tap at the bars.

We'll probably do Rick's for lunch and Margaritaville for drinks on the way through Negril. I think we'll pass on Dunns River and do YS Falls and the Pelican Bar from Whitehouse. We thought about the Bob Marley tour and we'd probably do it if we were staying in Ocho Rios, but I think we're going to skip that too.

Thanks for the feedback so far. We're looking forward to this trip.

Mr Play wrote: We'll probably do Rick's for lunch and Margaritaville for drinks on the way through Negril. I think we'll pass on Dunns River and do YS Falls and the Pelican Bar from Whitehouse. We thought about the Bob Marley tour and we'd probably do it if we were staying in Ocho Rios, but I think we're going to skip that too.

Thanks for the feedback so far. We're looking forward to this trip.

The Pelican Bar is great, particularly if you are a beach bar aficionado. When we were there we had the place to ourselves. We drank, danced, and swam on the sand bar. Great fun.

Ricks is beautiful, but is a gigantic modern tourist center (shops, restautants, bars etc.) Have a drink for sure, but consider stopping at one of the smaller local places for a bite to eat.

For an "Adventure" tour check out the Roaring River Park for caves and underground swimming holes.

On the Seven Mile Beach the Margaritaville Cafe has great burgers, but funkier local places with wonderful jerk chicken or pork line the beach. Try Bourbon Beach.

For rum tasting have a drink of the cheap and dangerous local hooch, "JB Rum". It's a clear 100+ proof pure cane alcohol. Mix it with something (fruit juice, coke) like the locals do to avoid tha long burn down the throat when you swallow. The intials JB supposedly stand for a local slang term meaning Buzzard's Butt!

We have a trip report of our visit to Negril with a great photo of the Pelican Bar at: http://playazone.wordpress.com/2008/01/ ... maica-mon/

Have fun.

Tony and Cheri
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Luna Blue wrote:We have a trip report of our visit to Negril with a great photo of the Pelican Bar at: http://playazone.wordpress.com/2008/01/ ... maica-mon/

That's an awesome trip report and your hotel in Playa Del Carmen looks kickass too!
I think you sold us on the Bourbon Beach Bar too.

Thanks!

I didn't get in and swim with them, but this was pretty cool to see.

Martha Brae River, near Montego Bay, offers an excursion for those looking to commune with nature; outdoor activities for all ages; and some exciting folklore to entertain those who visit. The river is located in Falmouth, Trelawney, and offers two main attractions—the thrill of bamboo rafting and the stunning Luminous Lagoon of Glistening Waters.

The river is home to a rare phosphorescent microbe that lives in the shallow warm place where salt and freshwater meet. Visitors will discover the Luminous Lagoon, where the river meets the Caribbean Sea. The constant flow of the river moves the microbes and causes them to glow. The water’s movement, along with the activity from boat tours and swimmers, enhances this effect. Luminous Lagoon has been named the best place on earth to view this rare occurrence, among only four other locations that host this phenomenon.

What an amazing week! At Royal Carribean the private island was awesome, so we spent most of our time out there. Another highlight was the private candlelight dinner, on the beach outside our room.

On Saturday a driver took the 2 of us to Sandals Whitehouse along the coast through Negril. He recommended a local place on the beach called Cosmos Cafe, and it was really cool. From there we went to Sandals Negril to have some drinks and check out that resort. Then onto Rick's for a couple of drinks where we jumped off the cliff and swam in the cave for a few.

When we got to Whitehouse, it was so nice we decided we didn't want to leave for any excursions. People went to YS Falls and said it was cool, but we were having too much fun to go anywhere. We had some time to kill after checking our bags at the airport, so we took a taxi over to Sandals Montego Bay for lunch. After being to all 4 I'd put Whitehouse in a different category from the rest of them. It's on par with some of the higher end all-inclusives we've been to in Mexico the last couple of years.

All in all it was a great tirp and we'll definitely be doing it again.

Gotta do Dunns River. Yes, it's touristy, but wicked cool.

Dunns is a must! We have a few inside tips about Dunns River Falls on our Ocho Rios review - www.twentytravel.com/ochos.html

Maybe you'll come home with a tattoo that says, "Welcome to Jamaica, have a nice day!"