Downtown Nigril

[ceez]

Can anyone tell me how far is CN from the main road? Is there any public buses that we can take into downtown Negril from that road? If not what is the taxi fare into Downtown Negril? We are interested in some sightseeing and shopping.

[tag2some]

Our first trip to Negril was in the late 90's, not to CN. We took a cab into "downtown Negril" to see the sights. It was not a pleasant experience. There were a few small stores and a dirty restaurant for lunch. There was a shanty town of vendors down in a gully. They had little of interest, the same stuff you see everywhere. I was somewhat uncomfortable. I've wandered around many Caribbean towns on a lot of islands and this was worse than anything I've seen elsewhere.
Now we go to CN and only leave on sponsored trips.

This is old information but I hope it helps.

[Spiff542]

Can anyone tell me how far is CN from the main road? Is there any public buses that we can take into downtown Negril from that road? If not what is the taxi fare into Downtown Negril? We are interested in some sightseeing and shopping.

Don't be afraid to take a cab or go downtown. You will need to practice your best, firm yet still polite "No Thank you". It is not as bad as many make it out to be. It is a different culture after all.


Only use cabs with red plates. The red plates indicate that it is a genuine taxi cab, and not just somebody with a car.


In Jamaica, everything is negotiable. Consider negotiations to be a sign of respect. Fare down to the traffic circle should be about $5. That is what you should negotiate towards. You may not always get there. Don't be afraid to walk away if you're not getting a fair price. For a tourist there is literally a cab every two minutes or less going by, wherever you are on the main road. Very often a driver who insists that $20 is a fair price will take you for less than ten when you tell him goodbye and head off in search of another cab. That is why it is good to know what is fair: $5 beach road, $10 cliffs. For two (tourist) people. Make the deal BEFORE you get in the cab.

Consider just walking down the beach, or cabbing to the cliffs. The traffic circle area doesn't hold up when compared to the cliffs or the beach areas. Walking down the beach to the left of CSA is a VERY easy way to get to know about Jamaica outside the resort. I can not recommend it enough. Do a trading places day at CSA and you can just walk down the beach.

For your very first time, consider just going up to the front desk, and asking them to arrange a driver for a day/morning/afternoon/evening. It will cost a bit, but the driver you get will be a courteous professional, who will show you all the sites and act as a guide for learning to make your own way while off resort. He'll look out for you and, show you what you want to see. This is what my wife and I did in 2006, and we've happily been going "off-campus" ever since.

Hope this helps.

[wake3080]

CN is a very short distance off the main road, but it’s at the far end away from town. It’s easy to step outside and grab a taxi, or you can have the resort arrange one for you. If you do it yourself negotiate the price before you get in the car.

Downtown Negril isn’t the best place for sightseeing. I don’t believe it’s unsafe or anything. It’s just a small town and it’s not really oriented toward tourism like many other towns in the Caribbean. There’s not very much to do or see. If you go, it’s better to go with a destination in mind. There are some fantastic (if rustic) local restaurants in the area, but not much shopping. Times Square is smallish outdoor mall. It’s on the main road between CN and downtown. They’ve got a mix of high-end and standard fare tourist shops. There’s also a craft market just before you get to town. It can be an intense experience, but they’ve got some neat handmade stuff. I think there’s another craft market across the street from CN near the airport, but I’ve never been.

If you want to get off the resort for a couple of hours and see a different part of Negril, I’d highly recommend a trip to the cliffs. Rick's is a popular tourist spot. If you want something else there are several little hotels and restaurants up there that will allow you to use their facilities and water access if you buy a couple of drinks or lunch at their restaurant. The cliffs are beautiful, and it’s a totally different experience than what you’ll have at CN.

[Coloradojuli]

If you are just looking to go shopping, there is a free shopping shuttle that you can take from the resort. There is also a crafts market across the street from CN, plus on Mondays local artisans come on grounds to sell their wares. Between all of these plus the shops at the resort you are more than covered for needing to find souvenirs or gifts.

[columbo]

Walk down the beach at CN the vendors have the same items for sale at a much lower price and you know the money is going to a Jamaican, in town all the shops are now owned by Pakistani's and Indians they hire the Jamaicans for very little to hawk the public for them.

[ya_mon]

Couples has a shopping trip downtown a few days a week. Find out the days and take their bus and save the cab fare. We may do that again this year, just to get off campus for a little while.

Likka more, mi fren.

[BillnBertha]

Make sure you go to First Choice gift shop (any driver will know it).
Owned by Tony & Sheila (Indian couple, beautiful people, great prices on unique jewelry). Tell them we sent you.

[ceez]

Thank you to all who replied to "Downtown Negril" from ceez. The info given will be very useful on our trip to CN.