I'm trying to plan a short vacation - 3 nights. Obviously, I won't want to spend precious time traveling from the airport to a resort. How far are Negril and Ochos Rios from the airport in Montego Bay? (we're looking into the Grand Lidos Resorts in both places). Thanks!

Been to both. Drive is about 2 hours, flight 30-40 min. Take the plane- less exhausting.

If you go to Negril, take the plane! Wish we had heeded that advice.

While I personally enjoy the (car) ride from MoBay to Negril, for a 4 day trip I'd probably fly too, one way at least. It's only $55-60 per person each way.<BR><BR>On the other hand, if seeing a bit of Jamaica interests you (and since your trip is short you may not go on any tours), have a driver pick you up and take you through the moutains to Negril. It's only about an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how often/long you stop. Ours meets us with a cooler of red stripes and ting and we make a party of it.<BR><BR>That mountain route is really beautiful, you do the coast a short way then up and over the mtns, passing through small villages, then you reach the sugarcane fields of the southwest, then the south coast, and on through Savannah-la-Mar into Negril.<BR><BR>The coast road is pretty too, lots of nice little bays and a couple of towns, but it is under construction so kind of slow (we made it in 2 hours with a quick stop), also the scenery is not as varied and you don't get the same look at not-touristy Jamaica.<BR><BR Liz

If you take B4, the mountain route from<BR>Reading to Ferris Cross on the South Coast either way into/outta Negril, there are some interesting diversions, aside from the vistas. At Anchovy/Rocklands, one can feed hummingbirds by hand at Lisa Salmon's Bird Sanctuary, just a short drive off the main. You'll pass through citrus country--most of it bank-owned plantations. Stop at any roadside stand for fresh citrus (ortanique is the pebbly orange/green ORANGE to look for since it's the sweetest on island, a cross between tangerines and sweet oranges). You'll also see bags of sweet oranges, grapefruit or the sweeter pomelo or shaddock, limes, breadfruit and plenty of small shops for a cold Red Stripe. The Lethe Estate is also just off the road, as near Whithorn, the road to the Blue Hole Gardens in<BR>Roaring River. Also at Whithorn, the road straight up the mountain has a private road off it, after some hairy,twisy airplane-turn climbs ,that leads to the ruins of Caledonia Great House, and the private Mountambrin estate (lunch available as are accomodations with advance notice--see www.mountambrin.com),the former retreat of Alex ('Roots')Haley. A marvel of eccentric sculptures and structures, the main house is a Frank Lloyd Wright-style beauty built by a 1930s overseer of the sugarcane plantation that stretches out 2 miles below in the valley out to sea. The quiet, the botanical gardens, the views here are mind-boggling. Once you hit the South Coast at Ferris Crossing, Tony Clarke's Paradise Park --look for the classic guardhouse and twin palms -- offers horseback riding through the huge grounds and beach/surf. The Univ.of Fla has ongoing archaeological digs here for early Taino cultures. If you want to experience a real market town, the hot one long street crammbed with sellers Sav/Savannah La Mar has a huge covered market at the very end at left<BR>(with a very good shop selling 'patties'in the alley just before it). You'll find numtmeg with the mace still on and homemade graters, baskets, meat,fruit,veg -- everything here fresh. Sav was the setting of Ian Fleming's book 'The Man with the Golden Gun' and has a certain scrufty hurry-hurry charm amidst all the noise. En route to Negril, you'll see large farms for tilapia/nile perch/pond fish for both the local and export market. In Negril, order it as an escoveitch, fried first, then bathed in a vinaigrette sauce and served warm or cold. Fly in from MoBay, give yourself plenty of time on final day to drive out--or exploring while you're there as well might be the best plan...

Tiverton, you ahave made me hungry and anxious for April to come all at once!<BR><BR Liz

OHLIZ: To make you hungrier: try the curried land crab backs at OCEANSIDE PUB aka Dorrit's, a totally unprepossing metal hanger-roofed, wattle-sided concrete floored place in Belmont.Ask Dorritt to go easy on the breading. At night in season along the roads,you'll see kids hunting for land crab

FLy, FLy FLy. The bus drive to Negril is 85 miles but take 2 1/2 hours. they have been working on this road for 5 years and will for another 5 at least. We flew Tim's Air back and it took 17 min. Small charter flight that cost about $60 person. They don't make t-shirts about the road to Negril for nothing.