timshelly

Help - My husband & I are booking 6 nights in Jamaica. We will be spending 3 @ RUI in Ocho Rios for a friends wedding. We want to spend the remaining 3 in an area more low key & not AI. We typically opt for beach-front thatch roof cabanas & enjoy experiencing the local restaurants on foot. We also prefer not to be near a real loud/club section. Not sure if we should opt for a spot on a) 7 mile - which we'd love but are concerned w/ the noise & "salespeople" on the beach we've read about. b) cliffs - looks great but we wonder if we'd miss access to the beach & not be able to walk to other places or c) TB - can we walk to other places? And would we spend too much time in a vehicle getting there & then to Ocho Rios after our 3 nights? HELP! Beach - Negril Tree House? Country Country? Idle Awhile? Whistling Bird? Rondel Village? Kubaya? Cliffs - Catcha Falling Star (Sagitarius is available)? Banana Shout? TB - MarBlue (Pricey & AI)? TB Hotel? Jakes (Pricey). Any & all advice would be most appreciated.

CaribbeanSoul

Hi timshelly! For your remaining three nights, I'd highly recommend Idle Awhile on Negril beach. It is located on the nicest stretch of beach, in my opinion with a pelethora of restaurants within a short walk on the beach. IA is the nicest non AI hotel on the beach. Enjoy your trip and your planning!

tivertonhouse

With just 6 days and 3 in Ochie, travel distance might best determine your next move (unless you take the new helicopter
service from Ochie, always a good option time/price-wise over private
car/driver). Negril is a good 3-3.5 hours drive back to MoBay and around the coast. Same distance to TB across
the mountains (and a far more interesting drive). Same distance to Port Antonio. Recommended in Negril:
Idle-A-While. In TB: Mar Blue, meals optional there, not an AI (guests last week, an adman and a cookbook editor called it 'truly outstanding'.)
Recommend in Port Antonio: Goblin Hill.
Negril will be the most 'beachy' and will also have the most people thrash
and noise, depending on when you go
(springbreak time best avoided in late
Feb thru March in Negril). TB and
Porty will be the opposite of RIU and
Ocho Rios; Negril much the same.

timshelly

Thanks for the info! I was thrilled with such quick replies. I have a few more questions/thoughts. Idle Awhile does look very nice - does anyone know what rooms we'd need to get to be beachfront? We really enjoy being right on the water & typically "splurge" for that when we vacation. I should mention we'll fly into Montego Bay & then go to either Negril Beach, Negril Cliffs or TB. From what I read, I thought it would take about 1 hour from MoBay to Negril & then about 3 hrs from Negril to Ocho. And if we went MoBay to TB I thought it would take about 2 hours & then 4+ hours from TB to Ocho? One of you also brought up Port Antonio & I can't remember why I ruled that out but I guess I should consider again. We'll stay for 3 nights & then head to Ocho for the wedding we need to attend at RIU. If we had our way, we'd probably never go to Ocho, as the AI places are typically what we avoid. During our 1st 3 nights we want to experience local culture, but not crazy parties/clubs etc. My husband would like to fish for a morning & we'd also like to snorkel. We also enjoy hiking, birding etc. but I'm not sure we'll have time for that. Other than that, we want to be able to walk to restaurants for lunch/dinner. And unfortunately, we'll be there in mid-March on Mon-Thurs which I'm sure will be a busy time! So...given all of that, now what do you think? Can you give me some more pros/cons of the different locations. Idle Awhile is on Negril beach & I thought of maybe going for the cliffs area as I assumed it would be quieter? But then I've read about it being dangerous to walk to restaurants in that section because you're on the road. TB sounds beautiful, but I worried about a long drive from MoBay & then to Ocho & I also wondered about walking to other restaurants? Thanks again for all your advice. I must book in the next day as I have an agent holding an airline ticket for me until tomorrow! Thanks.

tivertonhouse

If you've 3 days before the wedding in Ochie, getting to Porty via car is 6 hours or so from airport; TB is 2.5;
Negril is 1. So Negril seems your most logical choice (it's also just 3 to
Ochie for the wedding). And you can
explore Port Antonio on a day trip from Ocho Rios if you've time off from wedding (worth it to make sure you do).
Idle-A-While, Rockhouse, The Caves good choices (you'll want to cab it regardless in Negril at night wherever you are).

tivertonhouse

Check out Tensing Pen, while you're at it in Negril, on Cliffs.

timshelly

You recommend cabbing it if staying at the Cliffs area? Or at the beach area as well? We envisioned being able to walk - similar to what we did in Placencia, Belize and Tulum, MX. Is it just not safe in this area to walk at night at all?

tivertonhouse

Cabs from Cliff area -- the distance is too great to walk to main beach/entertainment/restaurants.

liza

In mid-March I'd choose the cliffs as that is the height of spring break and they mainly stay on the beach.

Sagittarius at Catcha is BEAUTIFUL, we stayed there this past April. You can't be closer to the water, your porch (where the included breakfast is served) is right on the cliff edge. Nice snorkeling and swimming right there too, no sand but we didn't miss it. You can walk to eat at several good spots...LTU, Lighthouse Inn, Seastar Inn, Hungry Lion...and the infamous Rick's is two doors down - that you can watch from your porch at sunset and not even have to go over there . Rick's sunset party noise (live music) is over by 8PM.

liza

PS: We loved Mar Blue as well. it is close enough to several things to walk though when we stayed we had a car and used it to get around.

If you are interested in seeing the interior, the ride to TB from MoBay is lovely, and the ride to Ochi could be a great all day trip with some interesting stops on the way...hand feed hummingbirds at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, go horseback riding, beach hop...with a private driver/guide you can stop as you like to take pics or eat by the roadside or whatever interests you.

timshelly

If it's 2.5 hrs to get from MoBay to TB, do you know how long it would take to get from TB to Ocho?

tivertonhouse

3 hours thru Christiana from/to Ochie-TB
cross the mid-part of island, not thru
MoBay

liza

...and a heck of a pretty drive that way too....

ltilson

I would also recommend the cliffs in March....Spring break can be rowdy, to say the least, on the beach in Negril. I love Tensing Pen (next to Catcha Falling Star)...I was just there a few weeks ago. New pool and bar area were wonderful additions. Couldn't pick a prettier spot. Breakfast is included in the rate and they serve dinners for the guests.

timshelly

Well, we're narrowing things down based on add'l reading & availability. My husband is a little freaked out by the reading of crime, rape, pestering etc. I think that makes it even more important that we opt for the least busy areas. So...we're down to Negril Cliffs or Treasure Beach. At TB, MarBlue is available & I'm confirming details with them. Is there anywhere else you recommend I look into before going with MarBlue if we choose TB? I also have an inquiry into Taino. And for Cliffs, Catcha is available. I don't know yet about Tensing. And the Caves is definitely above our pricerange (starting @ $500/nt). Anywhere else you'd recommend pricing?

tivertonhouse

Taino is new, good -- but lacks the
panache and the food/style of Mar Blue
which also offers a nightly rate with breakfast and 3-course dinner. Papaya
suite has its own pool/Star junior suite in original Domicil building has balcony overlooking pool/sea; the groundfloor junior suites Checkers and
Nautilus are priced the lowest. From
Fort Charles to Billy's Bay to Frenchman's, Calabash and Great Bays there are 5 beaches, countless coves to explore within 20 min via mt.bike/moped
or local guides. The fairly unknown and private/you need guide to go in area
called Backseaside is a great walk --
surreal fields of tallgrass and thatch palm with Taino pottery shards sometimes emerging from ground after a rain.

timshelly

Dear Tiverton - How do you know so much!!?? Do you live in Jamaica? We sure appreciate all your help. O.k. so it sounds like @ TB, Mar is our best bet. And right now that's where my husband is leaning. Although Negril Cliffs still isn't out of the question (decision will come tonight!). Any comments on cliffs options I mentioned? If I recall, they quoted $160 for bottom floor & $200 for top floor & I think both included the dinner - although the bottom floor may not have. Do you know much about the room s& is the top floor worth the extra $? We also saw the little personal pool room, but would probably pass on that given the added cost & the fact that we'll probably be off exploring or just enjoying the rest of the grounds.

You mentioned all the coves to explore. Can you comment on how much walking you can do (on the coast) from MarBlue? Can you walk a long ways or is it too rocky? And you also mentioned mtn bikes, do you know where we can get them? And in terms of a guide, would you recommend having a guide for ANY exploring in that area? Or is it safe etc. to explore a ways on our own?

And is the area - Backseaside - on the coast & you're saying we'd need a guide to find that?

Thanks again!

timshelly

One more thing....We were trying to get MarBlue with JUST breakfast so we could try Jakes, MarBlue & another place for dinners. Does that seem like a realistic plan if we'll be on foot? We just know we'll be pretty much staying at the RIU once we get to Ocho & we really want to see/experience all we can during our other 3 days!

timshelly

Had another place get back to me this a.m. & it turns out, Jakes isn't really unreasonably priced either. Any thoughts on Marblue vs. Jakes? Marblue seems to have better food (although we'd like to try several places anyhow) & they like you to utilize their bar rather than bringing drinks of your own. And Jakes seems a bit pricier, but almost looks like it has more "character". So hard to tell from online....

tivertonhouse

Unless/or even if you go for the US$395/night + 20% tax/service Octopussy units,Jake's, imho, is vastly over-rated and over-priced for what you get, and in no league with Mar Blue on food/service/creature comforts factors.Hot concrete mosquitoey rooms in shabby-chic style might be character to some; others find it unpleasant -- opinion is split, about 50/50. Jake's is best for drinks at sunset, checking out the scene, which can have lots of tykes running around during high season...and not the most privacy.
In Calabash Bay, there are a number of small cookshops, little restauants around. Jack Sprat, run by Jake's
and a few chain up from its main
compound, is good, if limited menu.
Wild Onion is good. Chefie, cooking up at Sunset Resorts is good. Little Ochie, a famed and funky (now this one really IS "the chicest shack in the Caribbean&quot restaurant in Alligator Pond/about 60 min.drive or boat ride is not to be missed. Neither is Sister Lou's up Black RiverCulloden Cafe in
Whitehouse en route from MoBay is also definitely foodie territory/lunch or dinner. Dinner is Axel's specialty and shouldn't be missed ,but you can always
go a la carte. The pricier upstairs suites and junior suites have more privacy. You can walk without qualm/or mt.bike or moped anywhere in TB;the roads are mainly marl and considerably pot-holed but traffic is minimal at best. Mt.bikes can be rented from Stephanie Genus at Viking's House in
Great Bay which will deliver to you;
mopeds from Gairy Brooks in Frenchman's, just after Heart of Love Bakery. Best to do both in advance.
Guides are best for the boat trip to Pelican Bar/Black River, Little Ochie/Guts River/Milk River Bath, and YS Falls/Bamboo Avenue. Since the land is private, you need permission and/or a guide to go into Backseaside. Otherwise, everything in TB is open and doesn't require a guide.