So I am pretty much pumped for a weeks getaway to Jamaica with my fiance during the July 4 week. I have always wanted to go there and so I want this trip to be a memorable one. I will be staying for 4 days in Montego Bay and the rest in Negril. In case someone has already been there, I had a few queries:
- Are local maps good enough to get around or is a GPS needed? We will be renting a car from the airport.
- Is safety going to be an issue? I heard its pretty safe in tourist places.
- Any other advice regarding things to see and do is appreciated.
* If you are sticking to Mobay and Negril, GPS or local maps should be fine. If you start exploring the island, a GPS might not be enough. The people are very helpful, so directions should not be a problem.
* Most of Mobay is reasonably safe. Negril is very very safe. Kingston is not very safe to visit without detailed information on different areas from a local guide.
* The local food is brilliant. Try the ackee and salt fish and dumplings breakfast. Jamaican jerk chicken. (You will find lots of street-side vendors in Mobay selling this out of metal drums.) Beef patties and Coco bread. Also try a locally available soda called Ting.
* Visit the local market in Mobay. They have an amazing variety of foods/fruit.
* Also, on the drive from Mobay to Negril, you will see a lot of houses on the shore with 1 or 2 tables outside. Stop there for a meal. They make fresh shrimp curry that is out of this world.
* The weather will be brilliant. Make time for a nice 2 hour nap when it is warmest in the day (right after lunch) and if you are fortunate, wake up to a nice drizzle.
* Apart from the water sports and other tourist attractions, you might want also want to visit glistening waters in Falmouth (along the coast, 40km or so from Mobay).
* Another fun thing is Dunn's River falls where you get to climb up a waterfall. This is about 100km out of Mobay. (This and Falmouth are in the same direction).