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Jamaica |
Other opinions
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Most of my time was spent in Resorts, with a few trips around (the advantages and inconveniences of all-inclusive packages). Grand Bahia Princess was good, and Palladium, a very good hotel just starting to operate, even better, if possible. |
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A ten kilometer long and narrow stripe of sand is the best and most famous beach of Jamaica. The level of exploration is much higher than anywhere else, with hotels and restaurants following each other. If you can accept crowds, then the beach is perfect. |
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Beach... of course! With 10 Km of sand you may choose where to swim - in a crowded and animated spot, or in a calm area. I saw no waves, no currents... Many all-inclusive resorts and restaurants share the beach, that, as a matter of fact, seems totally public, with several public accesses. As far as I saw, the privacy and exclusivity are concentrated in the services and facilities offered by the different resorts, and not to the beach itself. |
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Pirate's Cove One of the highlights of Jamaica, is not an astonishing place, but a merging place, because... it's historical. We saw (and lived it) first from the see, and then from the top, and... OK. Good calm times, with lots of happy(?) people around us. 
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Rick's Café
One of the top attractions in Negril is this complex, with a fabulous location above Pirate's cove. Sunset was the argument that took us there, but I think that the real reason is... everybody goes. More than a café, this is a... happening. Just guessing We were there at sunset. I don't know how it is by night, but that kind of animation can't be stopped just because the sun has disappeared. If I had a night to live in Negril (we moved away), this would be my obvious first choice. |
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Watching the divers
From Rick's cafe you may watch an extra show provided by a few young men that jump from the cliffs and higher to the water. The climax of the show is a jump from a very high tree. The tension is created by some dangerous movements in the tree, while the diver's friends pass a can collecting money from the people. I made a video with the natural limitations, but giving a good idea of the highness of the dive. |
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Catamaran A trip along the coast, with good music and cool drinks, was our aperitif to some minutes snorkeling in Pirate's Cove. I read that it is expensive (we were in all-inclusive basis), but... what is not expensive in Jamaica to foreigners? We took it facing Margaritaville but don't know how and where to book it. |
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Rafting Our trip to Negril was the opportunity to, in the way back, descend a river in a raft. It happened in Martha Brae, near Montego Bay, and it was calm and nice. It seems that each trip costs about $100 which is very expensive. We were expected to add a tip (and we did), and the guide had no problem to start suggesting $20. OK, we enjoyed it, because our final price was only the tip, but wouldn't buy it. |
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Snorkel
We had a chance to snorkel near the Pirate's cove. Wonderful place, clear and warm waters, but the reefs were too damaged to show more than a few small fishes. Well, maybe after being in Red Sea, Phi Phi Islands or Isla Mujeres I became too demanding! |
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Sellers in the beach: Local crafts If you want jewelry go to the malls. Common things in local supermarkets. Local crafts... everywhere. So, why not in the beach? You may bargain, see people doing them, order your own finishing, and keep on bathing during the work. |
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To be honest I didn't go to Lucea. As a matter of fact we spent a couple of days in a very good resort that, back home, I noticed that it was located in Lucea. It surely deserves the notes that I'm going to post here. |
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Martha Brae
I know the only two persons who went to Jamaica without descending a river on a bamboo raft. We didn't share that rarity, and did it in Martha Brae, near Lucea. There are many other alternatives locally announced in the hotels, and they may be better than this - we had a calm descent for about 45 minutes, in what turned almost in a "botanical parade". Nice, calm, relaxing, but without the touch of emotion providing by a section of fast running waters. |
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Sunset Cove
The most beautiful beach that I saw in Jamaica was a private (I think!) one in Palladium hotel - the water... the trees... the proportions... everything perfect. 
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Typhoons
Typhoons are common in Jamaica, and a risk that everybody may consider before leaving. They compromise the touristy activity and prices, though the tourism is investing to minimize the menace. The new hotels are being built expecting to be crossed by frequent typhoons, with the least possible damages. The solutions go from strong walls facing the sea to open spaces where the winds may pass with ease. We saw it in Palladium, a brand new hotel, where the lobby and restaurants where widely open and covered spaces. When the next typhoon comes, they will only remove the furniture and let it pass. |
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I spent a week in Montego Bay, but didn't see Montego Bay. Let's try to explain: When, in your country you choose a Jamaican hotel, their location is referred to one of the main touristy points - Montego Bay, Negril, Runaway Bay, and so on! When you arrive to Jamaica you'll find out that your hotel may be very far from the referred city, that you may never visit. |
That's what happened to us - our first hotel was Gran Bahia Principe, mentioned in the brochures as located in Runaway Bay (not far, indeed, but we never went there!) and listed in VT as... in Montego Bay.
Our hotel offered us the chance to visit Negril, and stay there two nights. We accepted it, and the hotel "in Negril" is mentioned in its homepage as... in Montego Bay - as a matter of fact it stays halfway, about forty kilometers from both of them (not listed in VT, maybe because it is brand new).
In this traffic we passed twice in Montego Bay, but never stopped, unless to raft Great River - also in Montego Bay... or something.
So, don't blame me if my pages seem a little confusing! Things are confusing out there.
Our hotel offered us the chance to visit Negril, and stay there two nights. We accepted it, and the hotel "in Negril" is mentioned in its homepage as... in Montego Bay - as a matter of fact it stays halfway, about forty kilometers from both of them (not listed in VT, maybe because it is brand new).
In this traffic we passed twice in Montego Bay, but never stopped, unless to raft Great River - also in Montego Bay... or something.
So, don't blame me if my pages seem a little confusing! Things are confusing out there.
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Beaches When you read in a brochure or advertising that your hotel is in "Montego Bay" be prepared to stay a few (or many) kilometers distant from town - Montego Bay is a common (and uggly, as far as I saw) city taking profit of a protected bay, with several beaches around it, and hotels spreading along almost 100 kilometers of coast. To browse the beaches and have an idea of their quality, a car was needed, and... we didn't have it, so, we skipped Montego Bay beaches. |
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I've been in Ocho Rios only for a couple of hours, and I think I didn't miss anything interesting: a small, ugly city, with a couple of modern small malls where tourists buy the same articles sold everywhere. American tourists are the target but they weren't many! |
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Beaches Beaches are the best program in Caribe and Ocho Rios is no exception. Our resort had a couple of artificial beaches and a natural good one, but the best that I saw out of Negril was Dunn's River beach. Everybody concentrates in the falls and forget the beach, what is unfair. It´s really a very good beach, a few kilometers west of town. |
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Dunn's falls
It's the top attraction of Ocho Rios, and maybe of Jamaica. Advertised as among the most famous falls in the world, we must be aware that it comes from the fun of climbing it, and not for its spectacularity. There is no comparison for instance with Niagara or Iguaçu falls, but along its 180 meters there's always people laughing. The water is cool (cold for Fernanda, but she risked to go), but you'll soon forget it. The entrance for foreigners is US$15 but prepare tips for the guide, the guy that offers to carry your camera (and take pictures if you ask him), five dollars to rent the inevitable shoes, negotiate a crazy film they will make with your group and... have fun |
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I spent a week in Runaway Bay. At least, that was the location mentioned in the advertising of our hotel. As a matter of fact we saw nothing of Runaway Bay, if that village exists. That's a problem of this policy of resorts - hotel isolated in Runaway bay, hotel in Negril 42 Km from Negril... Anyway, let's describe what we saw. |
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Beaches Warm water, calm sea, reefs... it's Caribe. I saw no superb beaches, no interesting cities, no remarkable highlights, but the beaches, nature and the professionalism of the all-inclusive packages really allow good vacations. |
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Dolphins Cove We didn't go there, but they tried hard to convince everybody, joining the hotel animation in a few moments of great fun. We believe that this cove is really a nice spot, but we have seen similar places, we had no children insisting we us... something has to be left behind! |
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Glistening Waters It's a strange and pleasant sensation, swimming in dark water, that, with our movements brights with a strong green color. The reason is an algae that, when agitated, becomes luminescent. The short ride for the nearby port, even with the courtesy drink is expensive - US $20. |