Grace

Considering booking excursions with a private guide rather than through the Sandals resort in Negril. Do you them on top of their charges and how much? Thanks for any help you can give.<BR><BR>Gracie

Louis

I have seen other postings on this subject. I have no direct experience with Sandals and their guide arrangement but if Sandals collects the money for the trip, I would wager that the guide see nothing from it. You may ask why he would bother dealing with Sandals if this is the case? The answer is that the guide has little direct contact with possible clients. With Sandals he is hoping for a trip and what he will receive from tips. It is better than nothing and what would he do that day otherwise? I would say that anywhere from $5 to 10 per person would be reasonable if you enjoyed the trip. Look at it from the viewpoint that the tip is all of the compensation he will receive so tip him what you feel his time was worth.

CArib Fan

I would say it depends on the kind of tour he gives you. We have had great guides that stopped where we wanted too and showed us all kinds of great stuff and they were tipped well, we also had a guide once that couldn't wait to get rid of us in order to pick up his next fare. Needless to say he received nada.

Big

Grace,<BR>If you receive "excellent service" from your guide, tip him ~ $5-10.00.<BR>If he does the job poorly, don't.<BR>That's basically all there is to it!!

Gracie

Thanks for the suggestions! Paying $170 for the two of us to tour falls and wasn't sure what to tip on top of that, I guess that includes entry fees and lunch, there may even be a tour charge on top of that. I need to find out more. Thanks again!

tivertonhouse

The highest certified expert guide on island, Carolyn Barrett of BARRETT ADVENTURES (see www.jamaicaescapes.com)<BR>does private tours for 2 to 4 or more<BR>to YS Falls and Black River for US$75 per person, with optional lunch at a very good restaurant. Nominal admittance fees to YS are additional, as is a private or Charlie Swaby pontoon boat up into the Black River Morass for crocodile/wildlife viewing<BR>(about US$30/couple incl.beer and soft drinks. Rather than hire a Sandals guy, you can also customize your excursions with Carolyn, including a stop at Cafe Culloden, a spa treatment at Oasis in Belmont/just opened by the former head of Swept Away's spa, stops en route for straw, calabash bags, art and crafts at non-Negril pricing and cold coconut jelly or water, cashew apples, surinam cherries, citurs -- whatever you see that looks interesting at roadside. And yes, you should tip your guide -- whomever you choose -- not a niggardly US$5-$10 if you've gotten good service,but at least 10%. Bring a good Jamaican road map,hard to find on island,like the Canadian=published Intenational Travel Maps out of Vancouver and available in States, for a little extra -- or 'braata' for your guide.<BR>

Gracie

Thanks for the response. That's exactly what we needed to know. We'll check out Carolyn Barrett. Thanks again.

Pinching

Tivertonhouse,<BR>Can you tell us: What does "niggardly" mean?<BR><BR>Thank you.

Pinching

Never mind.<BR>I looked it up.<BR>Definition in my dictionary:<BR>"A stingy person".<BR>Thanks for expanding my vocabulary (and you made me get up off my a%@ too).