Things To Do in Negril

The chief attraction of Negril is Seven Mile Beach. Many beach buffs visit Negril and don't care to see much else. There are actually a few sights, though Negril has none of the multifaceted or historical attractions found in a place like, say, Montego Bay.

Royal Palm Reserve

The 122-hectare (300-acre) Royal Palm Reserve recreation site carved into the Great Morass is the easiest part of the massive local wetlands to explore. To reach it, take the road to Savanna-la-Mar at the southern end of Negril, turning left at the signpost and going along a dirt road to reach the beginning of the reserve. Here you'll find much wildlife, including sea hawks, ospreys, and the Jamaican woodpecker. The swamp is also home to egrets, butterflies, doctor birds, herons, and the endangered Jamaican black parakeet. Wooden boardwalks enable you to walk 2km (1 1/4 miles) or so into the wetlands for a close encounter with it all. Take along plenty of mosquito repellent.

The showpiece of the reserve is Cotton Tree Lake, home to numerous waterfowl, including wild ducks and the Jamaican pond turtle. A nature museum informs about the plant and animal life of the reserve. There is also a riverside bar and another lakeside restaurant and bar specializing in natural juices and Jamaican dishes.

The visitor center (tel. 876/957-3736) is open daily from 9am to 6pm, and tours cost US$15 for adults and US$7 for children 12 and under.

Kool Runnings Water Park & Anancy Village

This is a fun amusement park with a focus on watersports such as the Jamaica bobsled ride. You can ride alone in a single tube or take two or three of your family or friends in a double or triple tube. In all there are 10 water slides, including a quarter-mile long "Lazy river." Captain Mike's Coconut Island is just for kids, with food and games. At the Anancy Village, there are such attractions as a bungee trampoline. An entertainment stage also features amusements for the family. You'll find the park on Norman Manley Blvd. (tel. 876/957-5400; www.koolrunnings.com). Admission $28 adults; $19 for kids (under 48 inches tall), $17 seniors 65 and up. Tots 2 and under free. Jan 3-Apr Wed, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm; May 1-15 Wed, Sat-Sun 11am-7pm; May 16-Aug Tues-Sun 11am-7pm.

In the Environs

Should you wish to escape and discover that Jamaica is not just a beach, you can take a day off and head for Rhodes Hall Plantation, especially if you like to ride horses. Both neophyte and champion riders are catered to here. A 2-hour ride takes you through banana and coconut groves and high into the hills. A crocodile watch is one of the highlights of the tours. You can also tour the 202-hectare (500-acre) plantation and go scuba diving or fishing.

Horseback riding is available Sunday to Friday 9:30am to 1:30pm, averaging US$60 per ride. For more information, call tel. 876/957-6334. The location of the plantation is 5km (3 miles) north of Negril at Green Island.

Green Island

You can explore the area north of Negril on your scooter or in a rented car. Follow the main highway, the A1, as it passes through the wetlands of the Great Morass. A good stop along the way is at the shady Hurricane Park (you'll see a sign) with a bar. You can order a rum punch here, a cold soft drink, or perhaps the grilled catch of the day.

Another recreational site is reached by traveling 914m (3,000 ft.) or so to the west of Hurricane Park. Here you'll come to Half Moon Beach, which takes its name from sands likened to "crushed diamonds." Expect to find a thatched dive serving some Jamaican dishes, most often seafood the local fishermen brought in.

Continue 3km (1 3/4 miles) west of Green Island Harbour to Rhodes Mineral Springs and Beach, with several thatched bars aggressively seeking to slake your thirst. The beach is small but inviting. It's the site of a spontaneous beach party most Sunday nights.

Mayfield Falls & Mineral Springs 

Another intriguing excursion takes you to Miskito Cove, 6km (3 3/4 miles) east of Lucea on Bamboo Bay -- an idyllic spot discovered by yachters who often anchor there. If you're there at noon, you're greeted with the smell of jerk chicken cooking in various shacks.

Rising south of the cove is a series of green hills called the Dolphin Head Mountains. Reach them via the A1 road to Mayfield Falls & Mineral Springs (tel. 876/610-8612, or 876/457-0759; www.mayfieldfalls.com), at Mayfield. This is a working farm near the village of Pennycooke, 16km (10 miles) south of Miskito Cove. Take in the waterscapes as you walk through a bamboo village. There are more than a dozen waterfalls, and you can swim into an underwater cave. The full-day tour is US$85 including transfers.

The easiest way to enjoy the experience without the hassle is booking a half-day excursion through Caribic Vacation (tel. 876/957-3309; www.caribvacations.com in Negril). You're transported to the site and fed lunch for a total cost of US$95 per person; this daily tour lasts from 9am to 1pm.

At long last, Negril has a shopping mall to equal the ones found in Mo Bay or Ocho Rios. It's the Time Square Mall (tel. 876/957-9263), lying on Norman Manley Boulevard across from the much-frequented nightclub Bourbon Beach. More than five duty-free shops and souvenir stores await you, including a courtyard cafe.

This mall offers Negril's best selection of watches (from Chaumet to Patek Philippe), jewelry (including some from the collections of Chopard and Mikimoto), and gifts and accessories such as a wide assortment of pens and writing instruments. Crafts are sold here, along with perfumes, books, cigarettes, cigars, film, liquor, dresses, and Blue Mountain coffee. The first and only cigar store (Cigar World) in Negril is also here, with a walk-in humidor, selling genuine Habanos or Cuban cigars. Jamaican cigars are also sold.

If you're staying in a housekeeping or self-catering apartment, you can pick up groceries at the Hi-Lo Grocery Store in the Hi-Lo Shopping Centre on West End Road. Here's your chance to enjoy Blue Mountain coffee, Jamaican spices, and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Just off Norman Manley Boulevard, as you head south into Negril Village, you come upon the Negril Crafts Market. A collection of shacks, this is the largest center for crafts in the area, though they're sold virtually everywhere, including along the beach. Woodcarvings, beds, jewelry, and other items fill the market. Haggling is expected; begin by offering half the price you're quoted.

The worst shopping is at the overpriced boutiques found at first-class hotels, especially the all-inclusives. But they come in handy when you're seeking postcards, souvenirs, suntan lotion, or swimwear in a pinch.

Other vendors can be found at Fi Wi Plaza on West End Road, between a traffic circle and "Sunshine Village." The most expensive (but not always best) crafts are sold at Rutland Point Market in the north of Negril.

Some of the best reggae bands in Jamaica, often from Kingston and often Bob Marley wannabes, show up in Negril. Alfred's and Risky Business are both major venues for reggae performances. All establishments listed below are located on Norman Manley Boulevard unless otherwise noted.

Negril is not without nightspots, though you're likely to spend most evenings enjoying the entertainment in your own resort. Fun places are easy to find, as nearly everything is on Norman Manley Boulevard, the only major road in Negril.

The Jungle, in Mariner's Negril Beach Club (tel. 876/957-4005; www.junglenegril.com), is the most crowded, exuberant, and famous dance club in Negril, with a penchant for attracting sports and music-industry celebrities. Its slogan? "Unleash the Animal." The scene gets so mobbed during spring break that movie crews have flown in from the U.S. to film it. Most of the perspiration here is spilled on the ground level, where four bars and dance floors rock 'n' roll with music that varies according to the night's theme. Head for the upper level for the much-needed "cool-downs" that, at least here, have developed into a laid-back art form all their own. Red Stripe and rum punches are the drinks of choice for a crowd that really seems to enjoy their estrogen and testosterone highs. Fortunately, security at least appears tight, with a prominent sign in front that declares, NO PROSTITUTES OR GIGOLOS, NO DRUGS, NO SOLICITING, NO MISCONDUCT and a forbidding-looking bar that locks the place up tighter than a jail during off-hours. The cover charge is US$10 for men (referred to on signs at the entrance as TARZANS) and US$8 for women (referred to as JANES). The Jungle Arcade is a gaming room with around 100 slot machines. The club is open Wednesday to Saturday 8:30pm until the last patron staggers back to his or her hotel.

Alfred's Ocean Palace, Norman Manley Boulevard (tel. 876/957-4735; www.alfreds.com), draws mainly locals, but visitors are welcome. Set directly on the beach, it attracts primarily a young party crowd, but if you're 80, you'll still be warmly embraced, your cold Red Stripe waiting. The $7 cover is for shows, and in addition to grabbing a drink, you can order a bite to eat until midnight. Particularly interesting is the beach-party area, with a stage for live reggae and jazz acts. You can also boogie on the dance floor inside, shaking to hits you'll hear at clubs stateside.

Risky Business, Norman Manley Boulevard (tel. 876/957-3008; www.riskybusinesses.com), sits a few feet from the waves. It can be sleepy or manic, depending on the music. In season, you can order burgers and sandwiches, and the Red Stripe is cheap year-round. It's mostly a young hangout with parties Monday, Thursday, and Saturday beginning at 9pm. There's no cover.

Rick's Bar has long dominated the after dark scene in Negril. But it has some serious competition. Pirates Cave Bar & Restaurant, at Pirates Cave (tel. 876/957-0925), is carved out of a 30-foot tall sea cliff in the West End. In the 1970s, Steve McQueen leaped from the cliffs here to make his escape from Devil's Island in the prison classic Papillon. In the 1950s, parts of the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea were also shot inside the rocky hollow. Today's barflies still jump off the cliff, calling it a "McQueen off the rocks." When not cliff jumping, guests drink rum punches and sample such dishes as grilled lobster or chicken in a homemade jerk sauce, even "rasta pasta" if you want to veg out.

Mary's Bay Boat Bar & Grill, West End Road (tel. 876/454-2284), the brainchild of a U.S. ex-pat, William H. Miller, is about a 10-minute walk west from the center of Negril. This popular bar opens onto a panoramic sweep of Negril's Seven Mile Beach. It has a wide selection of drinks and serves an array of hot, tasty Jamaican dishes. Live reggae music is presented on Tuesday night after 9pm. The bar is also a magnet during the day, with showers and lockers, chaise longues, and an Internet cafe. Boat charter services -- featuring fishing, snorkeling, and sunset cruises -- also operate out of here.

Another watering hole gaining renown is Ivan's Bar, at the Catcha Falling Star Resort in the West End (tel. 876/957-0390), named after the infamous Hurricane Ivan that struck Jamaica in 2004. Because of limited seating, the bar is open only to guests of the inn -- and their friends -- or else those who called and made dinner reservations. The bartenders make the best soursop martini on island. The kitchen turns out such delights as coconut pimento chicken or seafood linguini. Sometimes the heavy drinking lasts until the sun comes up over the drunken revelers.

Bourbon Beach (tel. 876/957-4405; www.bourbonbeachnegril.com) is the most popular and versatile hangout on Negril Beach. The club features live reggae 3 nights a week. The rum and Red Stripe flow freely through the day and night -- at least from 9am to 11pm (and often much later). The club also serves food, including jerk chicken or fresh fish and lobster.

Norma's on the Beach at Sea Splash (tel. 876/957-4041) is the bar that's associated with the most famous independent restaurant in Negril, linked as it is to the most famous restaurateur (Norma) in Jamaica, and recommended separately. But even if you aren't particularly hungry, you might have a merry and rollicking time hanging out at the lattice-trimmed bar here, looking at the waves, the moon, and the other clients. The venue, at its best, can be convivial and even festive, with hints of Jamaican chic and occasionally, humor. The bar is open daily 7am to 11pm.

Cosmo's Seaford Restaurant & Bar (tel. 876/957-4784) is also popular after dark. Located on the beach, it offers recorded music, everything from old hits to soca. You can play pool, drink, and mingle.

For the hottest night in Negril, don a toga and head for Hedonism II (tel. 876/957-5200), the most notorious all-inclusive in Jamaica. It's known for wild and raunchy parties. Nonguests are allowed entrance if they purchase a US$100 night pass. At first this might seem steep, but it's really not when you consider that for this fee you are allowed all the food and drink you can consume -- plus the entertainment. Fellow guests in thong bikinis and bondage suits are just part of the scenery. On-site is the resort's hottest disco, where action begins at 10:30pm and often goes on until 2am.