montego bay in 2 weeks
Jun 18th, 2006, 12:26 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
montego bay in 2 weeks
Hi There,
I am heading to Montego Bay in just over 2 weeks.Me and my partner are staying at Coyaba Resort and just wondered if any one had been to this resort and if they enjoyed it?
Also it's our first time to Jamaica and wondered if any of you had any advice or tips for us?
Thanks everyone!
I am heading to Montego Bay in just over 2 weeks.Me and my partner are staying at Coyaba Resort and just wondered if any one had been to this resort and if they enjoyed it?
Also it's our first time to Jamaica and wondered if any of you had any advice or tips for us?
Thanks everyone!
Jun 18th, 2006, 01:13 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just a heads up. Don't mean to bum you out.
Make sure you watch the weather.
It rained last week and just started again today.
Oh...and it's pretty hot so make sure you pack very tropical clothing!
Make sure you watch the weather.
It rained last week and just started again today.
Oh...and it's pretty hot so make sure you pack very tropical clothing!
Jun 18th, 2006, 03:29 PM
#3
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 10,563
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The best bit of advice I received about Jamaica is what I am about to pass on to you. That is if you are friendly with Jamaicans they will pay you with interest. Yah mon.
As for the rain normally if you get rain it passes quickly.
Have fun. Larry.
As for the rain normally if you get rain it passes quickly.
Have fun. Larry.
Jun 19th, 2006, 01:55 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for that guys..been from the UK im used to a bit of rain..haha
Any other advice would be much appreciated.Also we have booked to do Pelican Bar/Black River while we are there, has anyone seen dolphins while doing this tour?
Any other advice would be much appreciated.Also we have booked to do Pelican Bar/Black River while we are there, has anyone seen dolphins while doing this tour?
Jun 19th, 2006, 04:47 AM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Check out mzambo's post about Pelican Bar.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34818713
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34818713
Jun 20th, 2006, 05:41 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
well...it's still hot...
You'll get a nice good tan! Make sure to bring really good sunscreen.
And a gentle reminder to bring very tropical (cool!!!) clothing!
I wonder where Tiverton is with all his great Jamaican advice?
You'll get a nice good tan!
Make sure to bring really good sunscreen. And a gentle reminder to bring very tropical (cool!!!) clothing!
I wonder where Tiverton is with all his great Jamaican advice?
Jun 21st, 2006, 08:17 AM
#8
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tiv has been 'putting out fires', as it were, with JPS, the electric company on island....
Coyaba is arguably the only 'decent-priced' MoBay area resort and a good
base to explore island from. Margaritaville and the Pier on the hip strip are party-hearty places for teens/twenties, probably best-skipped
unless you like throngs. Good restaurants: The Houseboat Grille,
Richmond Hill, Tapas, Akbar and the
Pelican Bar/Grille, the latter a watering hole for area politicos and a good place to sate a hankering for 50s
diner-style cheesburgers and frappes/milkshakes, as well as JA food.
Hire a good private driver/guide like
Chef Thompson/Libby or Carolyn Barrett
at Barrett Adventures to explore OUTSIDE
the city which, other than restaurants
and the Gallery of West Indian Art (google it online) has few charms.
SuperPlus supermarket in Bogue Plaza
and the Westgate Plaza Shops have good
liquour stores/wine if you need it.
Possible daytrips (aside from Negril):
Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Anchovy/15 min.outside MoBay on A1 from 3pm onwards
where you can feed doctorbirds/hummingbirds by hand;Mayfields Falls in the Dolphin Head Mts, about 40 min; Roaring River
and Esau's Blue Hole Gardens reached
from A1 at Whithorn thru the sugarcane
fields;Mountambrin Retreat (think Watts
Towers eccentricity) and gallery/turn
left up the mountain road at Whithorn.
Horseback riding meadow/surf at Paradise
Park outside Sav/Savannah La Mar/50 min.
with Univ.of Fla Taino archaeological digs;lunch or dinner at Culloden Cafe in
Whitehouse/70 min from MoBay and en
route to Pelican Bar/Black River, a great daytrip. Best advice is get out of the city and explore the countryside with a private guide,not a taximan, for a real sense of non-tourist Jamaica.
Coyaba is arguably the only 'decent-priced' MoBay area resort and a good
base to explore island from. Margaritaville and the Pier on the hip strip are party-hearty places for teens/twenties, probably best-skipped
unless you like throngs. Good restaurants: The Houseboat Grille,
Richmond Hill, Tapas, Akbar and the
Pelican Bar/Grille, the latter a watering hole for area politicos and a good place to sate a hankering for 50s
diner-style cheesburgers and frappes/milkshakes, as well as JA food.
Hire a good private driver/guide like
Chef Thompson/Libby or Carolyn Barrett
at Barrett Adventures to explore OUTSIDE
the city which, other than restaurants
and the Gallery of West Indian Art (google it online) has few charms.
SuperPlus supermarket in Bogue Plaza
and the Westgate Plaza Shops have good
liquour stores/wine if you need it.
Possible daytrips (aside from Negril):
Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Anchovy/15 min.outside MoBay on A1 from 3pm onwards
where you can feed doctorbirds/hummingbirds by hand;Mayfields Falls in the Dolphin Head Mts, about 40 min; Roaring River
and Esau's Blue Hole Gardens reached
from A1 at Whithorn thru the sugarcane
fields;Mountambrin Retreat (think Watts
Towers eccentricity) and gallery/turn
left up the mountain road at Whithorn.
Horseback riding meadow/surf at Paradise
Park outside Sav/Savannah La Mar/50 min.
with Univ.of Fla Taino archaeological digs;lunch or dinner at Culloden Cafe in
Whitehouse/70 min from MoBay and en
route to Pelican Bar/Black River, a great daytrip. Best advice is get out of the city and explore the countryside with a private guide,not a taximan, for a real sense of non-tourist Jamaica.
Jun 21st, 2006, 10:18 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
putting out fires Tiv?
JPS is such a mess.
I second the restaurants. The Houseboat Grille has a wicked banana cake that just makes my mouth water thinking about it. It's a literal houseboat (floating on the water).
You know, since Akbar moved to Half Moon I haven't really dined there. They had some really good Nan though. Must pay them a visit one of these days!
Coyaba also has a restaurant called Vineyard (?) that's worth a try.
Esau's Blue Hole Gardens ? Never heard of that one. Amazing how I live in Jamaica and hardly do anything touristy What's that one like Tiverton?
JPS is such a mess.
I second the restaurants. The Houseboat Grille has a wicked banana cake that just makes my mouth water thinking about it. It's a literal houseboat (floating on the water).
You know, since Akbar moved to Half Moon I haven't really dined there. They had some really good Nan though. Must pay them a visit one of these days!
Coyaba also has a restaurant called Vineyard (?) that's worth a try.
Esau's Blue Hole Gardens ? Never heard of that one. Amazing how I live in Jamaica and hardly do anything touristy
What's that one like Tiverton?
Jun 21st, 2006, 11:14 AM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi everyone..thanks for all the tips so far
Was gonna check Peir One out but i have now decided against it.. im sure my bloke will be very dissapointed...thongs! haha.
how much money is a good idea to take jamaica for 2 weeks for the 2 of us..ive heard reports it a bit pricy..taxis ,eating out etc?
Was gonna check Peir One out but i have now decided against it.. im sure my bloke will be very dissapointed...thongs! haha.
how much money is a good idea to take jamaica for 2 weeks for the 2 of us..ive heard reports it a bit pricy..taxis ,eating out etc?
Jun 21st, 2006, 01:57 PM
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
well we are doint a couple of trips which one is paid for the other is horse riding
then we planned on Doctors Cave beach a cple of times during our stay
Eating out a cple of times..any tips where would be great...
a trip shopping just for gifts for family and a few bottles of rum for me ..of course!
thats it really as the Mr doesnt like to move off the beach..he a beach bum!
then we planned on Doctors Cave beach a cple of times during our stay
Eating out a cple of times..any tips where would be great...
a trip shopping just for gifts for family and a few bottles of rum for me ..of course!
thats it really as the Mr doesnt like to move off the beach..he a beach bum!
Jun 21st, 2006, 02:21 PM
#13
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JA GIRL: Esau's a pretty well-known Rasta herbalist and producer of jerk sauce, chocolate, a wicked 'love potion'
that goes beyond Irish moss/roots. He works with many 'raw food chefs' in US and does workshops on island for them. He's in States in summer, on island in winter. Blue Hole (see our Web site) is on very end of road past Roaring River Caves with a 'blue hole'/best April-December, great botanical gardens and simple ,rustic and very back-to-nature accomodations, cheap.Always did like Akbar and haven't been to their new Half Moon digs (which probably means their prices up,nahso?). What you think of Cafe Aubergine, in Moneague, which is rumored to also
either be opening a Kingston location
or moving there?
that goes beyond Irish moss/roots. He works with many 'raw food chefs' in US and does workshops on island for them. He's in States in summer, on island in winter. Blue Hole (see our Web site) is on very end of road past Roaring River Caves with a 'blue hole'/best April-December, great botanical gardens and simple ,rustic and very back-to-nature accomodations, cheap.Always did like Akbar and haven't been to their new Half Moon digs (which probably means their prices up,nahso?). What you think of Cafe Aubergine, in Moneague, which is rumored to also
either be opening a Kingston location
or moving there?
Jun 21st, 2006, 04:31 PM
#14
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cafe Aubergine...you know Tiverton, I have passed it on my way to Kingston for years and keep saying, "you know...I must stop there one of these days".
You know how "these days" go! I've never gotten around to it. Thing is I'm vegetarian and have seen their menu which...well...didn't seem very vegetarian. So it wasn't on my "must do" list.
Akbar's new location is actually much nicer. The atmosphere is outdoor/indoor with "waterfall" and all. When I breezed by this past Christmas the prices seemed to be the same. But that <i>was</i> months ago, right?
Anyway...back to Esau (hope I'm not threadjacking lou1979's post!). Did he happen to have a little vegetarian restaurant in Negril a couple of years ago across from Rondel Village? They served fresh cane juice which my EH found divine! We'd stop there every time we were in Negril If that's Esau, the food was really good!
You know how "these days" go!
I've never gotten around to it. Thing is I'm vegetarian and have seen their menu which...well...didn't seem very vegetarian. So it wasn't on my "must do" list. Akbar's new location is actually much nicer. The atmosphere is outdoor/indoor with "waterfall" and all. When I breezed by this past Christmas the prices seemed to be the same. But that <i>was</i> months ago, right?
Anyway...back to Esau (hope I'm not threadjacking lou1979's post!). Did he happen to have a little vegetarian restaurant in Negril a couple of years ago across from Rondel Village? They served fresh cane juice which my EH found divine! We'd stop there every time we were in Negril
If that's Esau, the food was really good!
Jun 21st, 2006, 04:45 PM
#15
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,098
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lou1979,
<i>Eating out a cple of times..any tips where would be great...</i>
Check out Tiverton's dining suggestions :
Tapas
Houseboat
Pelican
Marguerite's for seafood.
I add Scotchies for Jamaican Jerk and White Witch Club House for the afternoon views of the White Witch golf course.
Try to have a Jamaican patty before you leave. You can try them at "L'Oven's Best Pastry" at Doctor's Cave Beach when you're there.
For shopping : hmmm...Duty Free: The shops at City Centre offer jewellry & other souvenirs...duty free. As Tiverton said at the Superplus supermarket at Fairview and Westgate shopping centre you can get rum. Make sure to take home a bottle of Tia Maria. (I wonder if Tiv has ever tried Tia Maria plantains? yummy!!
)
You can also get souvenirs and gifts anywhere along the Hip Strip on the days you visit DC Beach.
<i>Eating out a cple of times..any tips where would be great...</i>
Check out Tiverton's dining suggestions :
Tapas
Houseboat
Pelican
Marguerite's for seafood.
I add Scotchies for Jamaican Jerk and White Witch Club House for the afternoon views of the White Witch golf course.
Try to have a Jamaican patty before you leave.
You can try them at "L'Oven's Best Pastry" at Doctor's Cave Beach when you're there.For shopping : hmmm...Duty Free: The shops at City Centre offer jewellry & other souvenirs...duty free. As Tiverton said at the Superplus supermarket at Fairview and Westgate shopping centre you can get rum. Make sure to take home a bottle of Tia Maria. (I wonder if Tiv has ever tried Tia Maria plantains? yummy!!
)You can also get souvenirs and gifts anywhere along the Hip Strip on the days you visit DC Beach.
Jun 21st, 2006, 04:47 PM
#16
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Would you post a little report on Coyaba when you get back? My husband and I were planning to stay there one year but they had some problems with their beach. It sounds like a lovely place and we're still considering it for the future.
Jun 21st, 2006, 08:15 PM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lou1979: If you're a carnivore, definitely Scotchie's for its famed jerk
pork and chicken. Rustic, cheap.If you're vegetarian, look for 'ital', originally Rastafarian
vegetarian food, especially 'rundown' or
stewed vegetables. Avoid 'Rasta Pasta', it's for tourists. Marguerite's is upscale, a tad formal but a great seaside setting. There's great riding up in Orange Grove in the countryside. You can also combine horseback riding at Paradise Point/Busha Clarke's place with a sweet little beach at Bluefields Bay, largely deserted except on weekends when it's a local favorite.Both are on South Coast, about an hour across the mountains, a great scenic drive. En route, stop in Haddo at the 'Jelly Man' for a refreshing cool coconut water/coconut jelly roadside. In Whitehouse, another foodie favorite is Culloden Cafe for lunch and dinner, across the bay from Sandals. Try their Jamaican-Thai coconut ginger soup for starters. A romantic little place to dine under a pergola of passionfruit vines. For massage and spa services for couples, Celestine Blessings at Silent Waters Estate, only 10-15 min.from you, at one of the most luxe properties on island. Esau's has a tiny Ital restaurant (always been there, JA Girl, never in Negril;and yes to Tia Maria
plantains -- much like Bananas Foster.
One of our cooks also does a vegan Jerk Plantain. Aubergine doesn't have anything vaguely vegan).
pork and chicken. Rustic, cheap.If you're vegetarian, look for 'ital', originally Rastafarian
vegetarian food, especially 'rundown' or
stewed vegetables. Avoid 'Rasta Pasta', it's for tourists. Marguerite's is upscale, a tad formal but a great seaside setting. There's great riding up in Orange Grove in the countryside. You can also combine horseback riding at Paradise Point/Busha Clarke's place with a sweet little beach at Bluefields Bay, largely deserted except on weekends when it's a local favorite.Both are on South Coast, about an hour across the mountains, a great scenic drive. En route, stop in Haddo at the 'Jelly Man' for a refreshing cool coconut water/coconut jelly roadside. In Whitehouse, another foodie favorite is Culloden Cafe for lunch and dinner, across the bay from Sandals. Try their Jamaican-Thai coconut ginger soup for starters. A romantic little place to dine under a pergola of passionfruit vines. For massage and spa services for couples, Celestine Blessings at Silent Waters Estate, only 10-15 min.from you, at one of the most luxe properties on island. Esau's has a tiny Ital restaurant (always been there, JA Girl, never in Negril;and yes to Tia Maria
plantains -- much like Bananas Foster.
One of our cooks also does a vegan Jerk Plantain. Aubergine doesn't have anything vaguely vegan).
Jun 21st, 2006, 08:23 PM
#18
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also new: Carolyn Barrett of Barrett Adventures is now ready to do 6-8 hour charter day sails aboard the ketch
'The Adventuress' currently moored in MoBay. fpr 1-12 people. Licensed captain/crew-cook, lunch, drinks, snorkel gear included;she's a veteran sailor, and pro-diver.
'The Adventuress' currently moored in MoBay. fpr 1-12 people. Licensed captain/crew-cook, lunch, drinks, snorkel gear included;she's a veteran sailor, and pro-diver.
