mark_2

Will be in Jamaica 8 days in November and had been planning to stay in Negril. Does anyone have first-hand information about the extent of damage to the beach? I'm trying to decide if I should stay at Negril or perhaps move to another part of the island that was less damaged. What is the situation at Treasure Beach? Ocho Rios?

liza

November is a long time from now in reapir/recovery terms.

Negril beach has lost width, more in some areas, actually gained sand in others. Recentphotos and reports are at negril.com's b board. Power restored to some areas, not others yet.

Treasure Beach also has good reports and photos at treasurebeach.net - it was hit very hard but is also being rebuilt. No power or water yet.

Ocho Rios suffered very little damage, mainly to trees and such and is largely cleaned up already, power and water on.

The north coast form MoBay to Ochi was least hard hit...but as I said this may not matter in November, rebuilding seems to be moving very fast.

liza

Update on Treasure Beach: the got water back yesterday!!

mark_2

Thanks for the response, Liza. negril.com is without power, so no webcams yet. I'm not really concerned about lodgings or restaurants in terms of rebuilding and realize a lot of landscaping will be battered. Just don't want to end up in an area with no beach or some sort of extremely steep drop off. I'm guessing they won't be dredging and pumping sand to replace lost beach. Maybe I'm wrong?

Currently booked into Xtabi for four nights and Charela for four nights. Think these survived relatively intact, but other alternatives to Charela, in particular, are available now. Think other people have cancelled altogether. Charela a little too Spanish style but was the best of what was available...

Any thoughts on Nirvana verandah suites? Just the two of us, looking for relaxation above all.

Weadles

mark 2,

I hope you don't mind my jumping in here. I've been going to Negril for 22 years, most recently last February. We also owned a time share there for several years.

While it's fine to be cautiously optimistic, I think you should visit with the idea that some restaurants/bars, etc. may not be up and running in November. And that the beach may have a significant amount of damage. Things take awhile to come back to normal in the Caribbean, even without a hurricane!

I would keep checking stormcarib.com for up-to-the-minute reports. In addition, I will try to post any news I hear from friends who live in Negril.

As for the Charela Inn, if you can stay elsewhere I would. Quite honestly, I think it's gone downhill a lot in the last several years, and there are other properties in that same price range where you might be happier. Also I hate to say it, but I would avoid their restaurant at all costs! It's just plain terrible!

We often stay next door to Charela at the Coco La Palm Resort, which isn't fancy, but is quite nice for the price and the beach. Especially the jr. suites which are HUGE and charming. In an upper price range, I'd definitely recommend IDLE AWHILE, also in that same general area. I haven't stayed there, but I did check out the rooms last year, and they were beautifully done, and the staff couldn't have been friendlier.

Anyway, whenever you go, hope you have a great trip!

liza

Negril.com has been up all the way though except for one day when the traffic took it down. Go right to the b board:

http://www.negril.com/config.pl

..and Coco la Palm, next door to Charela, has a web cam and it is up and running:

http://www.camerawebpage.com/cocolapalm/111336381?s=640

...Nirvana's verandah suites are lovely. Second floor units offers the best view.

mark_2

Weadles and Liza:

Thanks again for your help. Just got off the phone with Coco la Palm and they have a junior suite available. We're switching from Charela. CLP reports that although some areas of Negril lost beach to erosion, the area they are in is largely intact. The web cam seems to back that up. BTW, on jamaicans.com I found some shots downloaded during Ivan from the CLP webcam which were amazing.

I was able to access negril.com via your link, Liza. Don't know why I couldn't acess it directly. Thanks.

We sent some money to the Red Cross, but want to take some things and maybe donate some more money while in Jamaica. Any suggestions on what to take with us? Where to donate goods/cash?

Weadles

mark2,

If you're not too uncomfortable with it, cash would probably be the most helpful thing to bring down, as so many people are trying to rebuild and/or lost personal possesions.

If that's not good, I've always found that bringing down t-shirts, shorts ( for both men and women) and simple drugstore items like Tylenol and shampoo are very welcome.

I think you'll enjoy Coco La Palm very much. It's on what I consider to be the best part of the beach. Michelle who works at the bar, and ROcky who is the unoffical beach manager will, I'm sure, make your stay memorable.

Have a great time!

liza

We're figuring out what to bring as well...there are 8 of us with at least one extra suitcase allowance each but that's not much space for tarps and things like that.

So far I'm thinking hand tools like hammers and screwdrivers (the tools can be passed around), nails and screws, gently used clothing & shoes, school supplies, perhaps toiletries and basic med stuff, sheets and towels.

If you buy anything new or get anything at a garage sale or thrift store, get a receipt. I intend to go through the nothing to declare line but if they look, they can and will charge duty on this stuff and that can be 40% of the estimated value...so if you know the purchase price was lower, have documentation.

The duty thing is influencing what we bring too, as it's easier to say clothes in adult sizes, meds, toiletries and tools are for our own personal use - which means no duty.

mark_2

Good info on the duty angle. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Thanks!

tivertonhouse

Liz:Even tho power/water/tel have now (hooray!) been restored to the South Coast from Sav to Treasure Beach, we're sending down generators and it's rumored that customs duties on such and other home needs will be suspended for two months. Need to verify this w/our customs broker, but this could make a difference in what you can bring in now. Food supplies
(those 4 lb.Bombay Basmati rice bags)
and canned goods are getting in w/o problem.

JoeKool2

Just a point I thought of, will they let you on a plane with hammer and all those items for security purposes? Also, did anyone hear anything about Grand Lido Negril? Originally the Super Clubs web site said it is to open on October 1st and now it is saying October 15th. That is getting me worried as I am scheduled to be there November 11th.

benj

Just a thought on the receipt angle for garage sale items- could you buy a book of blank receipts & fill it out with the items & a "value"? I would think a hammer in checked luggage would be ok.

You could also email Sienna Kerr ([email protected]) & ask her advice about what else to bring. She & her husband have a tour company there & live in Little London. They were in a tiny cement house with over a dozen family members during the storm. I found them to be great people & very concerned with the locals needs.

It is indeed a blessing to have people bring things to help. These people are so kind & accepting of us visiting that we can surely repay them by doing any small thing we can.

liza

I'm thinking hammers and tools are ok if checked, not carried on.

Tiv please let me know what you find out - I have a friend who sent a relief package and it's being held for duty in MoBay

...all I'd heard so far was that charities can bring in stuff without duty but not tourists.

cartera45

Coco La Palm is a good choice and Michelle makes a great Dirty Banana. If you go to the CLP website, you will see that they are doing a matching fund for employees of the hotel who were affected by Ivan. They will match up to $10000. Deadline to contribute is October 18. Based on the webcam, it looks like Coco lost some beach but it sill looks nice. I think "my tree" is gone - one that was right near the water's edge that I sat under everyday during my stay.