I am tossing around the idea of going to Negril this summer just because I NEED A VACATION after this long midwest winter. I would like this trip to be inexpensive as I have a trip to St John planned later this year. I have read through the old posts and Idle Away looks pretty good. We want to be on the beach or very near it and walking distance to restaurants/beach bars.

Also, no visit to the islands would be complete without exploring the local flavor of the island. We have not been to Negril since '98. Ideas for things to do on a budget appreciated. Not too worried about the food. My husband could easily live on jerk chicken for a week, no problem mon.

We would like to balance some beach time with a little exploring. Probably only going for 6 days. Thanks for any input. There are several Jamaica experts out there.

Idle Awhile is a very nice choice. My parents stay there when they go to Negril. My wife and I are CocoLaPalm loyalists, which is right next door. IA is located mid-beach, the nicest stretch of beach IMHO. Many low key, inexpensive restaurants are a short stroll away. The best jerk shack I have found is right across the street from you....called Best in the West Jerk. Also...patty man pushes his red bike up and down the beach around noon and has great beef and veggie patties and also has warm coco bread. Cheap and good! We find Negril beach to be loaded with local flavor....so much so we rarely venture off to anywhere else! We do make runs into town for supplies often, however. But we are beach people and are happy just strolling the beach and laying horizontal in the Caribbean sunshine. We check out a lot of the little bars on the beach....my favorite being the one in front of the For Real Resort (pink resort) next to CocoLaPalm. Check out the newly rebuilt Boat Bar, as well....looks great!

Thanks caribbeansoul for all of your information. I am checking into Idle-Awhile. They are booked the first dates I tried. Might be looking into CoCoLapalm as well. Can anyone give suggestions what to do on a day trip around Negril? Hire a taxi? What to see? Our first trip we went horseback riding, shopping, party cruise and Rick's (yes, I know it's not there any more). Would like to do something different this time. Ideas?

brenandg: check out CLP website and under Rates & Reservations, they have "Hot Deals" with heavily discounted rates. At this time, only deals in May are listed. But keep checking back. Beachdestinations.com also has great rates on Negril properties, including CLP. Once you are there, you can always upgrade your room very inexpensively during the off-season. Their Jr Suites are very nice and have a nice Caribbean feel to them....also have 4 great beachfront rooms, newly remodeled and 10 paces from the water's edge. The staff is incredible!

Thanks for the tip. That is a great website. I did searches for a couple of dates and it looks like I should be able to go for 6 nights at CLP and air for about $1500 for 2. I'll keep checking but that seems like a reasonable price. I'm not in a hurry to book. Still trying to convince my other half how much we need a vacation.

Sure thing....good luck!

Blue Cave Castle. esp.the top rooms, tho not on the beach, would be a great
budget option. Idle-A-While is on beach and very good value. There are plenty of cheaper places, generally on the opposite/mangroove swamp side where bugs can be problemmatic unless you've got screens. But Idle-A-While's a real charmer, with personality and warmth.