Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Ok, we recently passed 2 years that we have been living in Negril Jamaica and although I have considered doing this post for quote some time I am just getting around to discussing the cost of food at the grocery stores in Negril and what your options are for value or how to extend your food budget while living in paradise.

I would guess that the primary reason I never got around to writing much about the cost of food in Negril is that it’s never been such an issue to save on my grocery bill as it has been this year. When we arrived in July of 2007 we had no idea what it would be like living here and we made a lot of mistakes with the currency exchange and with the cost of certain foods in the grocery stores in Negril. There are huge differences in shopping in Jamaica that I will not get very detailed with but suffice to say you will not have much of a selection of anything and those foods that are familiar to you from shelves in America will most likely cost you quite a bit more than they did back home.

Snack items like Doritos chips and Chips Ahoy cookies are just crazy and I have seen a regular size bag of Doritos marked at about $8 US in the Hi Lo grocery store. That’s just nuts if you ask me but we paid it once or twice even before noticing how much it was. Many of the stores in Jamaica do not place pricing labels on the items and it can be a serious sticker shock when you realize the cost of items like a box of imported cereal or a skinless chicken breast which can go up to as much as $960 JA per kilo or about $11 US. You can buy 2 whole frozen chickens for that kind of money if you know how to shop and you’re able to do a little bit of labor on your own.

In Jamaica the grocery stores do not provide the same level of services that you find in most American grocery stores. There are no deli cut meats other than some prepackaged and overpriced items shipped from overseas and those stores that do cut meat charge a fortune for the service. The current rate for chicken by the pound runs from between $170 to $190 JA per pound for Grade A whole birds from companies like Best Dressed Chicken and of course prices go up if you want just breast, legs or thighs. In Jamaica they eat the whole bird and you will find chicken backs and chicken feet are actually incredibly popular for use in soups and stews.

In Jamaica chicken soup will often be chicken foot soup which is a bit shocking for your first experience. I will not soon forget looking into that steamy cup of soup and seeing a foot with toes sticking up in the air as if someone dunked a chicken in there upside down. I controlled my gag reflex and moved past it but I did remove the offending appendage and not consume it.

I do not eat feet. It’s an odd rule maybe but one I stick to firmly. I don’t do pigs feet, cow foot or goat feet either. I am an equal opportunity hater. I will not be sucking the meat off a chickens toes now or any other day of my life. They peel the skin and wash them well but no amount of heat and spices can cover the fact that chickens spend their lives walking around in chicken shit an I am not sucking its toes!

So what do we do? Well as a family of four we have the ability to consume a whole bird rather effectively and we no longer purchase parts unless we want to really save. At the Value Master which is located in the shopping center located adjacent to the Negril Round About or Town Square they have daily chicken specials with chicken parts usually running at around $150JA per pound or about $1.80 US which is actually the cheapest I have ever seen chicken sell for anywhere in Negril. You get a mixed bag of parts with no choice in how it is delivered but it’s a good deal when you are on a budget or strapped for cash. A kilo or just over 2 pounds serves us well for dinner and we have been having fun trying new ways to cook it including brown stew, curry and I have even come up with my own jerk chicken that is much more moist and flavorful than most of the pan chicken you can buy in the area.

A quarter serving of jerk chicken with a slice of bread goes for about $300 to $350 JA from most pan or jerk chicken shacks everywhere in Negril. I can buy a kilo of chicken which I wrap in aluminum foil to retain the juices and marinate in a basic jerk seasoning before tossing them on the fire outside. It’s much better and not as dried out as much of the jerk chicken is around here. We eat more than just chicken and in fact we have been eating a lot more fish than we ever did.

A standard size can of jack mackerel in tomato sauce costs about $160JA if you chose either the Lasco or Grace brands when you serve it over a nice big plate of black beans and rice with maybe a side vegetable it’s another great family meal for less than $5 US. A can of tuna from Brunswick can cost as little as $75JA and as much as $180JA for premium brands. Frozen seafood is pretty standard in most places with the Rainforest Brands of packaged fish being the more popular. They import lots of fish I never heard of before I came here including bangamary and others that are available at around $240JA per pound and they do stock Caribbean varieties such as kingfish in slices which run about $250JA per pound or maybe you prefer a whole red snapper which goes for about $350 per pound. Fresh fish is available regularly from a number of places including the small fishermans beach near MiYard but the fish most locals eat are unacceptable to me and I generally find myself buying imported frozen cuts from the local markets.

I was raised in South Florida and we never ate things like parrot fish, jack crevalle, goggle eyes, pufferfish, blue tangs, blue head wrasse or even sting rays and I see those on the menu every day around here. I was also shocked to see the size of most of the fish eaten are less than the length of your hand and some are as small as the length of your finger. It made no sense to me until I realized that the nearshore waters are completely overfished and devoid of anything but these less desirable fish. You rarely see things like nice size yellowtail, grey or mangrove snapper except for one or two places around here it seems. I rarely see nice cuts of salmon or other common fish and most of what you find comes from the Caribbean with the exception of codfish whihc is so popular here for ackee and saltfish breakfast. Some of the fish locals eat are a downright crime and someone should stop them. As an example my 4 year old barked out to a local fisherman passing by in his canoe to “gimme a fish mon” and the rasta tossed a baby grouper to him that was no longer then the length of my hand and more likely to be found in a fish tank in American than on someones dinner plate. So long as they continue to eat these baby fish there will be no future for the fishing in the area and sadly I think its only going to get worse before it ever gets any better.

You can find fresh fish on the seaside near the bottom corner of West End Road just past First Choice Grocery or “China Mans” as it is commonly referred or directly across from the SeaView Corner Bar where there are some shade trees with benches lined up on the seaside of the road where you will often find a salesman with a load of nice big fish he sells for some of the larger boats that travel to deeper waters. He often has a couple larger fish but he always wants too much money for them and I have trouble with the fact I have seen him out there peddle the same fish all day and on occasion for two days. It’s like 90+ degrees outside and he has about a cup of ice in a bucket full of fish some days that wreak to high heaven. Be careful.

Lobster, crab and octopus are also popular seafoods here but none of them are on my list as I simply do not care for them. I especially do not like the lobster nor do I understand the popularity of such a tough meat. I don’t mind a lobster tail in butter with garlic but it has to be more than a bite size piece to tempt me and I cannot see the sense in paying so much for so little. I don’t think I have ever seen a stone crab or blue crabs in Jamaica and most of what they eat are what we called toilet crabs or swamp crabs that lived in the mangroves back in the Florida Keys. There is a large hole in an empty lot thats usually full of goats and every summer a bunch of these crabs come out into the streets and neighborhood in search of food or water I suppose and Jamaicans snatch them up and have a feist on them.

We do eat three meals a day and it’s not always a big dinner. For breakfast we have taken things back to the old days I suppose. My kids love pancakes and Aunt Jemima was like a real family member to us in a lot of ways. Her face has graced the packages of our breakfast meals for many years now but it was easier than I thought to walk away from her and that we have done. We used to eat a box of pancake mix per week and of course wash it down with a bottle of Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup which is little more than flavored corn syrup and not as healthy as you may think. What are your options? Well we now purchase the raw ingredients and mix our own whole wheat pancake mix and we prefer Jamaican organic honey over corn syrup products. A one pound bag of whole wheat flour is like $80JA or about $1US and we can make a lot of pancakes with that and a liter bottle of honey runs about $500JA and lasts at least two weeks where a bottle of syrup is $350 and lasts less than one week,

We get creative with the pancakes as well and mix up everything from bananas and plantains to fresh mango and even strawberry jam or orange marmalade if we don’t go with the usual honey over wheat cakes. Not much for blueberry or blackberry here in Jamaica and you can even forget about finding fresh strawberries for most of the year. Be careful when you do find them as you will be shocked at what they cost. I paid almost $15US for one small basket of not so fresh strawberries t Hi Lo when we first arrived because I did not price check them and we had eaten the entire basket before we even walked out of the store. It’s hits like that that kill the grocery budget. We also eat more oatmeal, green banana and peanut porridge and even my oldest son and most picky eater AJ will sit down to a bowl of oatmeal and peanut porridge with a drizzle of honey over the top. The peanut porridge is a favorite of mine and has been since I had my first hot cup full many years back. It’s always better when you buy fresh made from a cook shop or maybe rasta road side stand but we eat a prepackaged porridge from Creation Foods thats almost as good if prepared properly. Creation Foods makes a number of organic products that we are now eating and I’m happy that it not only lowered the cost of groceries but has improved our diet as well. You can’t beat that can you?

Shopping in Negril is expenisve and most of us that live here now shop in Sav La Mar which is about 30 minutes away by taxi or bus or about $300JA if you take the route taxis. There are a number of shops in Sav La Mar and D&Y is a popular spot down towards the end of Great Georges Road where there is also the open farmers market but I prefer the new Shoppers Fair which is adjacent to the roundabout and offers a nice new store with better inventory. D&Y is good for buying cheap meats and vegetables but Shoppers Fair has a much nicer selection of items and the prices are very competitive. I usually stop in at the patty shop out front before going shopping now because it saves me on munchies and snack items that I inevitably reach for as I cruise the grocery store.

You may ask about the price of other meats and I would not be the person to ask as I don’t eat much more than chicken or fish. I see lots of pork here and it seems reasonable priced but you do not see much beef here and I do understand what cuts you do find are low grade and very expensive. My good friend Rick tells me they eat mostly bull meat and they do not neuter the cattle here but I cannot confirm that. Checking in at the local Hi Lo I see they offer pork chops for about $350JA per pound, pork leg for under $300JA and pork spare ribs are about $500JA per pound. There was not much beef in the shop when I checked but they did have the chuck steaks pictured here for about $400JA per pound and oxtail for about the same price.

Jamaica is blessed with bountiful farm lands and an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that you can find in many places across the island. Here in Jamaica we often get home delivery of fresh vegetables from local farmers who stop by once a week in their farm trucks. Find one that comes to your area and start a relationship with them for the best deals. We eat lots of farm fresh vegetables that we used in soups or steamed most often. We make a large pot of vegetable soup at least once a week with large pieces of irish potato, sweet potato, onions, peppers, corn, scallions and Jamaican pumpkin. When we buy a whole chicken we often take the chicken back, neck and wings and add them into a chicken soup that I may spruce up with an extra package of chicken backs you can get for about $200JA.

You can also get lots of fresh vegetables and fish at the open market in Sav La Mar which is usually best if you want to buy something in bulk. As an example you can buy large bushels of sweet potato, breadfruit, casava, oranges and other common Jamaican vegetables at discount prices. In Negril you can find a vegetable market in the alley alongside the Juici Patty shopping center just past the roundabout on the road to Sheffield where you can find fresh veggies and fruits like pineapple for $150JA or bags of oranges for $250JA and some delicious honey banana for $25JA each or 5 for $100JA and you are supporting a Jamaican farmer rather than the national grocers chain.

I’m proud to say we have kicked the soda habit and now drink less than one per month as a treat on occasion for the kids. If it were my choice we would never do that but I suppose they enjoy them still. All of us drink a lot of water because it can get hot like fire here especially in the summer and sticky sodas just don’t quench the thirst. I was able to explain this to the kids and they now request water or fruit juices with every meal and we don’t even drink the local Jamaican carbonated drinks which we had switched to from brands like Coca Cola and Pepsi which are less healthy and more expensive in most cases. Ting is made from Jamaican grapefruits and seems to be a little better for you than soda. I had the kids drinking those for quite some time as a soda replacement but these days we drink quite a lot more fruit juices. Tru Juice brands are the best and most natural juices available at about $500JA for a gallon of fresh Jamaican orange juice which we all love or any number of other juices available here including pineapple, banana, mango and the many mixes.

Here are some tips for anyone shopping in Jamaica. Be aware of the price you pay for any item before you reach the counter or have paid for it. Unlabeled items may carry high price tags and those of course are subject to change based on where you might be from and how much you might be able to afford. Also be careful to keep an eye on the bag boys. I know it sounds messed up but I have no doubt that they have stolen items from us before. It’s impossible for an item to get rung up and paid for but not make it home in the bags of groceries unless the bag boys has been taking things. We have had many different items come up missing and its usually some type of treat or candy that will not go unnoticed for long. Plan on shortages of staple items like milk and cheese like sour and cream which can disappear for as long as a week or more. If you have a craving for something special and you do find it in Jamaica then grab as much as you can because you never know how long it will be before you see it again.

My best advice for grocery shopping in Negril on a budget is to shop around at all the stores and start price checking things to make certain you get the best deal. If you plan to spend more than $100US per week than take the trip to Sav La Mar and save more money on your total grocery bill.

When we made the decision to move to Jamaica more than 2 years ago we searched Google for rooms to rent in Negril and one of the listings we found was for Heart Beat Seaside Resort on the West End Cliffs of Negril. We decided to make the initial move in summer when better long term rates are available and we ended staying there for the first 6 months we lived in Jamaica. I think that living at Heart Beat and meeting the people we did has made our long term stay in Negril possible in many ways.

We moved and tried other places to live in Negril but we have remained close with the staff which includes Hyacinth and Junie the housekeepers and Kevin the groundskeeper as well as Valerie Brewis the property owner who is a 30 year resident of this wonderful slice of the world. We have lived away from the sea since we left and we have been longing for it since that same day. Something about living seaside is just so peaceful and natural to me and Heart Beat is the perfect place for relaxing days watching nature and life pass by. I think it must have something to do with growing up in Key West and always near the ocean but I can waste away hours just watching the waters in anticipation of a school of fish jumping or a dolphin popping up for air.

We sat at Devine Destiny for a long time and when it was time for a change we new we wanted to be within sight of the Caribbean again. If we could we wanted to be seaside but living there long term can be a trick. Lucky for us we happen to know some and we are once again relaxing in the beauty and cool quiet atmosphere of Heart Beat where the sunsets from the cliffs bring to end yet another wonderful day, each and every day.

I don’t think I have ever felt as laid back or chill as I do when we are here and the past two weeks have been so relaxed they seem to have slipped by in my sleep. We moved into an unused space that required some cleaning but in between the work and repairs we have enjoyed some of the best days this year and no matter what happens it’s always very calm and quiet here and the chirping of birds or the rustling of palm trees in the crisp sea breeze is about all you ever notice.

With 2.5 acres and limited buildings there is plenty of open space and there are a number of walking paths that lead to the waters edge where you can actually dive into the ocean head first from less than 10 feet above sea level. Many of the other cliff resorts are much higher up and not so well suited to afternoon dips or snorkeling in the warm waters of the Caribbean but you can experience some of the best cliff side snorkel trips in Negril right from easy to use ladders that you find on both ends of the property.

There is a coral reef which runs just off the Negril cliffs that starts in the waters off of Heart Beat and on any morning you may find Jamaican divers swimming by with spear guns in hand in search of the catch of the day. If you don’t see any divers you are guaranteed a show from the local fisherman who take off from the small fishing boat fleet on the beaches near Mi Yard and head out to the deeper reef far outshore in their motor boats or the lone fisherman who paddles by in his dugout boat and pulls fish traps just outside the mooring buoys along the coastline. It’s a cool way to start your day by watching them run their fish nets or pull the traps in the early morning sun which you can watch rise up over Long Bay Beach and the Westmoreland mountains between Negril and Montego Bay.

We have been snorkeling about as often as we can and even our four year old Robbie has enjoyed the beautiful sealife that can be found just a few feet from shore. We have seen dozens of different tropical fish including some pretty cool porcupine fish and multi colored damsel fish plus sea urchins, sea cucumbers and even a pretty big stingray feeding in the muddy sand bar. It’s almost never ending as each new day bring something new into the area and we have something new to discover just about every morning. I think mornings before 8am are the best time to jump in the water as the sun is about in the perfect position for taking well lighted photos and everything seems to be awake and feeding.

There are all types of wildlife in the natural environment around you and you can listen to birds sing almost all day long. Right now there is a pair of Jamaican Orioles weaning two chicks who hop around on palm tree branches begging food from mommy and picking through the beds of soft grass on ground below their home. An Orangequit has been flying onto the porch and grabbing tufts of thatch from the roof for the past week while building a nearby nest. There are a number of date palms in the yard which shed a sweet date that hermit crabs just love to eat. You can find them at all times of the day just about all over the yard but at night there are hundreds of them crawling around under the two largest trees. If you dare to pick one up carefully you’ll find an assortment of colors and shells and they can reach in size up to the palm of your hand. Every morning the White Crown Pigeons that live high up in the almond tree drop down on the cliffs to sip rainwater alongside the rock doves and occasional egret. The Jamaican almond trees shed seeds year round and you can actually crack them open and eat the almonds inside although it requires a bit more work then they are worth unless you know the trick to cracking them on the seam. The yard also has a number of ackee trees as well a coconut palms, sea grapes and spanish limes.

Heart Beat remains simple and there is no spa or restaurant operating on site although you can have a massage in your room or seaside with a local massage therapist. For dining there is Jacko and Jennys Restaurant across the street which offers a great selection of Jamaican and international dishes. From french toast and scrambled eggs to ackee and saltfish, brown stew chicken and fried fish with bammy they offer a variety of menu items that should satisfy anyone. At night you can find some of the best jerk chicken on the West End at Tayons where you can buy a cold Red Stripe and shoot a game of pool with the local crew. Tayons is open until 2am and plays a great selection of reggae and dancehall favorites on the sound system that I truly enjoy. I have heard some complaints about the loud music by those looking for sleep early in the evening but Negril is a late night place and you’ll hear music all over town until the early morning hours.

There a number of different room types available for rent from the small cottage with kitchenette and bath called Calypso where we lived to the seaside pillar rooms which feature beautiful hand finished wood work throughout and a porch facing those picture perfect sunsets up to the larger unit which sleeps up to 7 people in beds made from bamboo. All of the rooms have funky names to fit the theme such as Dancing Dolphin or Lovers Rock and come complete with mini fridge, screened windows and ornate ceiling fans. The rooms have comfortable beds and basic furnishings with a rustic homey feel to them and they are meticulously maintained by the kindest people you’ll ever meet.

The pillar rooms are very popular for romantic getaways for newlywed couples on honeymoon in Negril on their Jamaica vacation but are equally as popular with Jamaicans from as far as Kingston looking for that perfect Negril weekend. The seaside apartments in the main building are one bedroom units with full kitchen and private bath plus ceiling fans and screened windows which face Long Bay and Negril Beach for a great view of the bay and beach area with the mountains in the backdrop. You can join the local fisherman who walk out to the point of the cliffs nearby and bait fish with handlines each late afternoon for a beer and conversation or you can just sit and watch them from your veranda.

Heart Beat is a $2 taxi ride from everything in Negril yet inside the walls it often feels like your miles away from everything which is exactly how you want it to be sometimes. If you are looking for a romantic seaside getaway in Negril then you must check them out on the Heart Beat website or facebook page to arrange your vacation.

No matter how often I find myself on a Black River Safari it is a treat to me each and every time. I had the pleasure of taking Angus and Kelley on a tour of the South Coast of Jamaica with stops at Black River and YS Falls. Our trip to Black River from Negril was short and sweet and we were at the Black River tour location before lunch.

We got the full tour with tons of information about the local ecology and the Black River ecosystem. The big draw on the river are the Jamaican Crocodile which can only be found here in Black River in small numbers. These rare animals spend their days cruising the rivers in search of food which often comes in the form of chicken carcasses tossed out by the Black River safari guides and tour operators who keep the crocs well fed.

The crocodiles in Black River are so tame and predictable that tour guides will often jump in the water or at least hand feed them for your enjoyment. There are sections of the river that are crocodile free where visitors can take a swim in the cool clear waters of the Black River. The river is called black because of the peat settled on the bottom but the river water is actually pretty clear although they say you should filter it before drinking.

A Black River and YS Falls tour is a wonderful way to spend the day traveling the lesser developed section of the island and the South Coast of Jamaica on a full day tour with stops in Scotts Cove or Middle Quarters for fresh fried fish and bammy or delicious hot boiled “peppa shrimp” and a real taste of Jamaica.

Purple Cattleya Orchid at Black River Jamaica

Irie Pontoon Riverboat Tours on Black River Jamaica

White Egret birds and Jamaican Wildlife at Black River Safari

Santa Cruz Mountains from Black River Safari Tour

Red mangrove at Black River Safari Tour Guides

Black River Dread Locks in Red Mangrove Tree

Jamaican Water Lily on Black River Safari

Black River Basin

Jamaican Crocodile with mouth wide

Angus and Kelley with JamaicaMAX Tours

Finding vacation beach rentals or just simply a room in Negril is easy enough but finding a cool spot to chill by the beach at an affordable rate year round is a trick unless of course you know Joseph at Westport Cottages right on Norman Manley Blvd. If you know about his international hostel and affordable beach accommodations just across the street from Negril Beach then you know where to go for one of the best values in an inexpensive room in Negril.

Budget travelers from around the world call Westport home during their stay in Jamaica and many have returned annually for many years. Some are simple backpackers looking for a cheap room near the beach for the night but many others are long term guests visiting Jamaica and the Negril area for a month or more. Still others are simply budget conscious vacationers looking for quick easy access the the world famous 7 Mile Negril Beach with it’s pristine white sand , crystal blue seas and year round sunshine.

No matter where they are from I have met some of the most interesting people while staying at Westport Cottages and it seems something about the place attracts an eclectic if not fun crowd of guests to get to know. The place is quiet and clean with daily room preps from none other than “Sista” the head of housekeeping and grounds care. She’s a kind honest woman who makes sure you sleep on clean sheets and a well kept room.

The rooms are rather basic and just what you need if you plan on spending most of your time actually visiting Negril and the beach. If you looking for a plush air conditioned place with tv and lots of other stuff then look elsewhere. If you are looking for an inexpensive beach rental nearby Negril Beach with a laid back and super cool atmosphere then call Joseph at Westport Cottages or use the Contact Us page for more details on where to stay in Negril Beach.

Rooms for rent in Negril Beach at Westport Cottages

Shared kitchen area at Westport Cottages

We had the 1st Annual Negril Seafood Festival here on Easter Sunday and it was a huge success with loads of great food and presentations from local resorts and top restaurants. The seafood festival was a great idea and well executed by the team at WoWNegril.com and it seems sure we’ll see many more of these in the years to come.

The idea was to have a number of top resorts and restaurants to have a cook off and other competitions thoughout the day as they displayed their talents and services for all to see. The event had a number of great display booths featuring the wide range of seafood delicacies available in Negril Jamaica and there was enough food and drink to go around for everyone.

I had a wonderful time walking around and tasting the many wonderful treats being prepared on site by the master chefs of Negril and it was an awesome experience just to see and smell everything. By the days end I had my share of seafood and drink and I certainluy look forward to the next event. Too bad you can’t have these like once a month because it was really nice to see so much on display.

Entry to Negril Seafood Festival

Negril Seafood Festival at Wayz Beach

Push Cart Display at Negril Seafood Festival

Peppa Shrimp by Push Cart Restaurant at Negril Seafood Festival

Ice Carvings at Negril Seafood Festival

More ice carving at the Negril Seafood Festival

Serving up the fish at Negril Seafood Festival

Jamaican Style Fish Fry