Jamaica Holiday Reviews

runaway bay is very nice there are some really nice beaches around apart from the one on the complex. It is safe to go out and about but agree taxi fares before you get in. There are not many bars around the hotel but if you go into ocho rios which is a taxi ride away there are shopping plazas and a hard rock cafe which i can recommend. There are also craft markets which you can get local wood carvings and painting here you will find a present for everyone back home.

We stayed mainly in hotel complex so didn't see much of Rose Hall,husband and son took cool Billys tour around golf course and they enjoyed that.

All you will get is hassle from locals who want to sell you ganja. They wont do work, its too hard/

Beaches arent as sandy as it shows in the brochures, mosquitoes are out all day and the sea is polluted. Whan you enter the sea you can feel the slime in the water then the sea grass is all over YUK

Couples Negril is located on a beautiful crescent of soft white sand in Bloody Bay. The name comes from the former whale industry but there is no sign of this now and the water is crystal clear with several colours of blue disappearing into the distance. You can walk from one end to the other of the beach and remain within sight of the hotel (and the security staff that guard it). Just around the coast to the West is seven mile beach which is more popular but has associated issues. Met people who went to Negril shopping but most seemed to be happy chilling in this resort complex.

No one in the hotel asks for tips, but be ready for when you go on trips as they all do ask for tips. The chukka tubing was our favourite, relaxing down a crystal clear river on inflatable tyres. The tour guides are informative and entertaining. The river has 3 sets of rapids, all being mild with a little splashing. The Dunns river falls is also a must. We also swam with dolphins, cycled through the blue mountains and went on the bobsled and zipline canapy. However the later was alot of money for what it was. Walking into Ocho Rios was fine. Taxis wait at the end of the drive, but a simple no thanks will keep them from hassling you. If you have long hair and don't want it braided i'd advise tying it up as you get asked lots if you want it braided. Everyone is very friendly in the town, most wanting you to spend your money with them. The craft market is colourful and interesting, but you will spend along time looking from one stool to the next. Each artist waits patiently for you to finish before saying i've been waiting patiently please come take a look. They are all desperate for you to spend your money with them. You can haggle them down and refuse if you don't want anything. There is a supermarket and pharmacy in the town, both of which sell suncream lotion. We took factor 20 with us and burnt! We then went through 5 bottles of factor 30 between 2 adults in the 2 weeks, so bring plenty. It was £700 Jamaica dollars a bottle, cheaper than the hotel gift shop. I'd advise taking US dollars as apart from the supermarket everywhere uses them. Everywhere uses Jamaica currancy, but you will end up paying more in conversion for the goods. The postcards i bought and sent took 9 days to get back to England and there is a postbox just behind the reception desk in the hotel.

Ocho rios is a nice town with lots to see and do if you are willing to venture out of the resort. The amenities are close together and the locals are friendly and helpful, although do be careful who you trust. A lot of the major tourist attractions such as dunns river falls and dolphin cove are in this area there fore it is very convenient for this purpose. I would definitely recommend doing the cool runnings tour as it was mega fun! The nightlife in ocho rios is limited, there is a nightclub nearby, but we were not there to party so we were happy to chill, but if you prefer lots of nightlife then negril is probbaly a better option for you.

Keep walking as offered skunt at every street corner and very high pressure sales in shops. Go on the Bob jeep tour, you get to see the mountains and the Bob Museum. Dunns River is also a good tour but only for able body people. They will sell it to anybody. The Blue Mountain Tour to see coffee plantations is also very good but a very long trip (12 hours).

The Staff where very attentive and the food was delicious.. Trips were expensive, so if you want to get out and about be prepared to budget this on top of your holiday eg catermaran cruise to Dunns river falls with free bar and food costs $76 per person swimming with the dolphins can cost in excess of $255 per person, but worth it.

too far away from town

Negril itself is a beautiful town, full of things to do and see, with a very quiet laid back atmospher. Perfect for couples who want to escape the hussle and bussle of home life. Beautiful white sandy beached, dotted with palm trees with crystal clear turquoise seas. Some parts of the town are clearly much poorer than others but the little shacks that the jamaicans live in are small but brightl decorated with paint we took lots of pictures because it all looked so lovely. There are thousands of little stalls with wooden carvings and oil paintings, ladies wanting to baid your hair, it can get intense outside the hotel without the security to help, these people are poor and will try and keep you in their shop till you spend some money. I found it hard to say no and even harded to barter the price but I got better at it. We never went out alone at night so can not really comment on the safety after dark, we just did not risk it but we never felt in any danger in the day. I had hurd that Jamaica was a dangerous country but we never had any trouble.

Ochos rios was ok, nothing to write home about! Beware if your going for the sun, this place is a rain trap all year round. Speak to the locals, they will tell you. The staff in the complex were 9 out of 10 rude and not helpful. All they kept saying was "you give me tip"! The beach is not the best. Very small, so don't expect to walk anywhere! Looks nice from your balcony but when you get down to front it's a disappointment. Few things to see and do but will cost you. Cant comment too much as did not leave complex often with being ill and my room mate got robbed when he went out. So be careful and stick together.

It's ok if you want a laid back holiday, Ocho Rios is much more suited to the more adventurous person.

Would not recomend any one visiting Falmouth without an escort.

All in all, this is a facility which is in dire need of a management shake-up and long overdue for a refurb. How the travel companies can rate it as a 3-4* property is beyond me - its 2* at most!

We went to Falmouth but didn't dare get out of the car. The place was crawling with police who were obviously there for a reason. We felt very uncomfortable. Walking on the beach was a nightmare - constantly badgered by folk trying to sell trinkets and drugs!

Jamaica has better resorts to offer.....stay away from this one!

You are out of the way in this resort, they do run a bus service which is $8 per person return which takes you into Montego Bay on a shopping trip. It takes you to a few of there chosen shops, and a craft market. It is not a great experience as they are all over you, if they let you look around you might buy. They mean no harm, just dont know any different. You are taken to all the tourist shops which are very expensive. They had a bar on the market which sold bottles of red stripe at $4 each! You do actually get a craft market once a week in the hotel, which sells paintings, carvings, bags, etc. It is much less stressful to shop there, and you can spend your $8 on something nice! Dont let this put you off they are just trying to make a living, and as the pound is so weak against the dollar, it makes it more expensive for us to buy. This is only a short flight away from America, so its mainly Americans that visit here.