All,

I've finally booked my stay in Negril from Feb 21-27. Boy, was it a struggle as most hotels were booked. I wanted Idle Awhile but it was booked. I was lucky to find something at Charela Inn instead. Getting a travel deal took me about 2 weeks to find out of NYC.

Having said the above, I'm looking for suggestions on places to eat on the cheap/reasonable. I love seafood and local Jamaican food so some suggestions here would be appreciated. Is Sweet Spice still around?

I haven't been to JA since 1999, Negril since 1998, so my personal references are rather dated.

To Liza, I recall your posts from the Jamaican board. What happended to their board there? I could not find it.

Is it Mayfield Falls that's closest to Negril? Also, where does one river raft, would that be the Black River? I Normally visit the Ocho Rios & Port Antonio area but decided to do just Negril this time in order to recoop from a near burn-out from my stressful work life.

Also, some good spots on the beach for breakfast would be helpful.

We loved 3 Dives on the cliffs for excellent lobster and jerk chicken at a very good price. Normas at Seasplash for a more upscale meal. Gambino's has good Italian food. Also worth mentioning is Chances for a pizza if you are in the mood. We loved the Patties that "Indian" sells right on the beach for $1. They are home made and still warm. Great afternoon snack while you are lounging. He is around alot and drives a bike with a cooler. I do remember seeing Sweet Spice when we rode through town and since the driver mentioned it, I am assuming that it is still open.

You will like the Charela...right next door to Idle Awhile....about a 5-10 minute walk south is the Boat Bar which has good breakfasts. All their food is good and reasonably priced. Great ceviche. Across the street from Idle Awhile is the Best of the West jerk chicken...real cheap and real good...take it back to your room. For a nice (much more expensive) dinner out, try Norma's at the Sea Splash. Bar-B-Barn has good food (mid-priced) and will pick you up. There is an Italian Restaurant upstairs (Angelas?) that was wonderful. Rockhouse (on the cliffs) is always good , expensive by Negril standards, and they will also pick you up for free and you can take a taxi home. Also on the cliffs is Jus Natural...good breakfast and lunch, LTU and Pirate's Cove for dinner. Xtabi, LTU, Rockhouse and Pirate's Cove all have cliff side dining and great bars!! I would definitely pick Rockhouse for the big night out....very romantic, if that is what you are looking for. And my all-time favorite...3 Dives. It looks like a dive, but the food is fabulous. Jerk chicken and lobster tails...it's on the cliffs, next to Xtabi and is a bunch of picnic tables and an outdoor grill. I always eat there at least twice. Can't comment on the excursions. Every year we plan to do "something" and we end up eating, drinking and walking around until it is time to leave...maybe this year!

We liked Coconuts International (reasonable and good) - maybe a mile toward town from Charela, on the beach; great breakfast at Alfred's; Selina's on the road is good; Three Dives was great.

Sweet Spice is still there but we didn't try it.

Mayfield Falls is closer than YS, and a totally different experience. Black River is where you take boat trips to see crocs, birds, etc.; I don't think they raft there.

I'm not sure what the closest rafting place is to Negril - we did the Martha Brae River a few years ago, but that's east of MoBay.

njres- we were there over xmas 2005. Ate at Sweet Spice- worth going to. I'll second the Chance's pizza- probably our cheapest meal, and everyone was happy (and that's hard with a group of 10!) 3 Dives was also popular with our group- you get a ton of lobster for a very reasonable price. I would get there early as there isn't a lot of seating, and it fills up quickly, plus then you'll hopefully be able to enjoy the sunset! Their jerked chicken was also good.
Breakfast was difficult for us- $8-10 for a small breakfast nearly everywhere we tried- someone could become a millionaire by opening a decent bakery in Negril and distributing fresh bread and baked goods!
It took us an hour and a half to get to Mayfield Falls, and we really enjoyed the scenery- beautiful countryside, and you really get to appreciate 'real' Jamaica. We lucked out and had a fabulous guide at the Falls. Once again we got there early- I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable with throngs of people trailing behind you in the water.
Took Mike's glass bottom boat out snorkeling- I think $10-15/person if you have your own snorkel gear. Worth doing if the water's calm.
I hope your trip is wonderful and relaxing!!

All,
Thanks for such good feedback!
Brenandg: I will definitely find 3 Dives. I don’t do pizza but thanks. I’ll certainly look out for those patties on the beach.

Itilson: Funny, I’ve stayed at Charela before (8 yrs. ago) and did like the place. I was looking to try a different resort but most places are booked within my travel dates. You should do a few tours next time. I will certainly try the Black River Safari which I gather is somewhere in St. Elizabeth

CDT: Thanks. I will look into the Martha Brae. If it’s not too costly I will give it a shot from Negril. I always River-raft on every trip to Jamaica, so not being able to do so would be a big let-down for me…which was my primary reasons for always hanging out around the Ochi/Port Antonio area. Nothing like a good rafting trip to soothe the soul. With the cost of gasoline I imagine that getting to the various sites will be much more costly? If that’s the case then I will have to go back to JA at the end of April for my rafting venture.

Jorda: Thanks! Wow. I’m not a fan of expensive breakfasts either since I’m a light eater. For me just toast and coffee or tea w/juice and some fruit is more than enough. When you say get to 3 Dives early, what time would that be in the evenings 5, 6pm?
Also, what’s a good time to get to Mayfields? Don’t worry, I’ve done Dunns River Falls.

Thanks for all the great food suggestions, I will print them out and take along with me.

A Port Antonio question: Does anyone know if the former Dragon Bay Resort has re-opened? If believe the property was purchased by the Sandals folks?

I would get to 3 Dives by 5:00pm, before sunset. You won't miss the patty guy on the beach. He is about the only vendor who has people flocking to him. Does your room have a fridge? You could also buy some fruit from the vendors on the beach and make coffee/tea in your room. There is a fruit stand (one of many) just the other side of CocolaPalm. We had a continental breakfast included in our package there and if we wanted, for a couple more dollars, have a complete breakfast. We ate all of our breakfasts there because it was convenient and cheap.

Regarding the rafting, we're accustomed to the Colo. River and the rafting in JA is more of a "mellow" experience, so if you're in Negril you might want to substitute a Black River safari. See if you can arrange a private boat instead of a pontoon boat with 30 people on it.

We had good luck finding breakfasts for $5-$6. Surprisingly, the restaurant at Rondel had a very good Jamaican breakfast for $5; also the places I mentioned earlier.

We always used to eat breakfast at the Boat Bar. A simple egg sandwich was under $2, a Jamaican breakfast maybe $6-7. They did a big renovation as they sustained severe damage duirng H Ivan, now they are bigger, big second floor deck - i heard prices went up when that happened so I'm not sure what the deal is now.

One place that moves around constantly but has great cheap foos is Miss Sonia's, currently near the Jungle on the beach road, across from Fun Holiday. She may have good/reasonable breakfasts.

Jamaicans.com b board has been the subject of DOS attacks and is being worked on. Hopefully it will be back this week. It seems to come and go as the webmaster works with it.

Mayfield is closest to negril, YS just a half hour more. Black RIver doesn't have rafting, it has boat trips. Choose from a tourist-comfy pontoon boat you will share with others or charter your own "canoe" fishing boat for just your group. I prfer the latter, as we can stop as we like, and the fishing boats can get up the river past a bridge that the pontoons cannot pass. BR is really lovely and a day with a fishing boat can include a run out to Pelican Bar offshore on a snadbar and a stop at Sister lou's for stuffed crab on the river. Plus you can swim up past that bridge, no crocs.

Martha Brae is likely your closest rafting but I hear Carolyn Barrett has some whitewater rafting contact somewhere - www.barrettadventures.com has her contact info.

Thanks again, everyone!.

Liza, I'm just looking for the mellow kind of rafting, not white-water. I've signed up for a tour that will do both Mayfields and Blackriver.

Regards, Andrea.

j.com is back up today.