DH and I are considering Jamaica for Christmas and New Year but I'm worried about the
crowds. Just how busy is it? Should we expect to have trouble finding chairs on the beach
and waiting for a table at restaurants. We are not the all inclusive type and would plan on staying at a small hotel like Bar-B-Barn. We also really enjoy more rustic beaches (Samara beach in Costa Rica) so with that said, would we be disappointed with Negril.

Thanks for any thoughts and suggestions.

rockhousehotel.com my fav and Tenzing Pen have great vibe
best sunsets in the world. It will be busy but smaller boutique
hotels are still quite intimate and have a great vibe.
TreeHouse Inn at playasmara.net was great for me also in the past but Iactually prefer the laid back rasta vibe and the whiter beaches of Negril personally. Victoria-house.com
in Belize another of my favs for less crowds have a look there.

Happy deciding!

We were in Negril for Christmas two years ago. That's the busiest time of year in the islands except for spring break. When we visited it was very crowded, and we sometimes had to wait for a table at the restaurants even with reservations. Any chance you could delay your trip by a week or two after New Year's? It's a lot less nutty, and could be substantially less money, too.

Now about the beach.... I've never been to Costa RIca, but Negril used to be more rustic than it is now. It's pretty commercial with lots of small restaurants, hotels, clubs on the beach, and heavy foot traffic especially during busy vacation weeks.

That being said, it still has one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, and it could take you most of the day to walk it. Parts of the beach, esp. the far end past Couples Negril, are away from the heaviest crowds. And on the cliff road, there are still some areas that are reminiscent of the old Negril, before it got built up and hugely popular.

Thanks Weadles and qwovadis. I can't consider delaying the trip for a week since I'm manipulating my limited vacation days by going the week between Christmas and New Year. Sounds like Negril is still a good choice if we go with the mind set that it will be crowded. We're more happy eating at a shack on the side of the road, as long as they have cold beer, so hopefully the crowds won't be as much of an issue for us. Will look into Belize but the flights are much more expensive from the DC area.

Weadles, what was the weather like at Christmas? I've read that it can be very cool.

We have not been at Christmas time as I can not afford to pay those prices, but we were there this past December, the first week, and the weather was perfect. Not so hot that it was a unbearable heat, but definatley not cool. More like Spring/early Summer weather like we have here in Texas. Low to mid 80's. It rained almost every night while were were sleeping, but during the day it was perfect.

We typcially go to Mexico the first week of December and the pools are too cold to swim in. The ocean temps are fine though. We are more pool people, so being able to hang at the pool is important to us. No problem with that in Jamaica.

When we visited two years ago, we had a few days of sunshine ( highs in low80s) , other days broken clouds and some afternoon rain. We still had a great time, but it was really crowded.

If you post your budget for hotel accommodations, I'd be happy to make some recommendations.

And since you're 'more happy eating at a shack on the side of the road', you should find plenty of places to go to in and around Negril. My favorite is Chicken Lavish on the West End ( cliff road). But you can also try Sips N Bites, and, a real roadside shack, Best of the West, ( lunch only, I think) opposite the Idle Awhile resort.

Our budget would be $150 or less per night but would prefer to be less than $100. AC, TV, beach, bar, pool optional, walking distance to bars, restaurants, and small. Preferably less than 50 rooms. We understand it will be a basic room at this budget. And across the road from the beach would be OK as long as there is beach access.

Is it OK to take a cooler to the beach?

Thanks for all the info.

Try Bar B Barn. It will be very basic, but it's clean and right on the beach. Bar B Barn used to have some good- what else- barbequed chicken/ribs. I don't know if they still do, but you can definitely walk from there to some other restaurants on the beach. For the cliff restaurants, you'll need a taxi. It's too narrow and dark to walk that road at night.