Orientation

Visitor Information

Regrettably and to the surprise of many visitors, the Jamaica Tourist Board has shut down its offices in Negril. Seekers of information are referred to the office in Montego Bay, which is hardly a practical solution for most visitors.

Orienting Yourself in Negril

Of all the resorts of Jamaica, Negril offers the simplest geography. Many visitors view Negril as one long street.

The South Negril River divides the resort in two, with Long Bay and its beaches lying north of the river and West End lying to the south of it.

Set inland from the beach about 91 to 137m (300-450 ft.), Norman Manley Boulevard begins near the Norman Manley Sea Park, close to the point where the South Negril River empties into Long Bay. This two-lane highway, flanked by hotels and restaurants, continues north to Long Bay Beach Park and eventually the airport.

Negril Village (the heart of Negril) consists mainly of two unimpressive shopping plazas, a bank or two, some tacky stores, and some housing developments in a distant section known as "Red Ground." (Most of Negril's local population lives here.)

The two main squares, Negril Plaza and Coral Seas Plaza, lie south of the traffic circle fronting Negril Square. At the parking lot here, you can hail a taxi to take you where you want to go. This sector marks the beginning of Sheffield Road, the main highway leading out of town to the city of Savanna-la-Mar. Here you'll find the most convenient gas station in Negril, along with a health clinic and the police station.

South of the South Negril River is a rock-studded limestone plateau. When American hippies arrived back in the 1960s, they settled here, calling the place "the Rock." Hotels here are intimate, attracting an independent backpacker clientele.

Eventually, West End Road leads to the West End and becomes Lighthouse Road as it winds its way to Negril Lighthouse, some 5km (3 miles) south of Sunshine Village at Negril Village. The lighthouse stands 30m (100 ft.) above the sea at the westernmost tip of Jamaica. The West End is the only sector that evokes the Negril of old, though it becomes increasingly congested and developed with each passing year. As you travel beyond the lighthouse, you'll find a few places to escape the madding beach crowds.