Things To Do in Negril

Snorkelling is big news here, so keep an eye out for snapper, pufferfish and even the odd shark. As for scuba, you could dive a different site every day and you still wouldn’t cover them all during your trip. Or head south of the beach to West End Road – AKA the Cliffs. Here you can jump into the sea from a 12-metre height.

Jerk cooking is practically a religion here, and you’ll find the best of it on the street stands along the main Norman Manley Boulevard. It’s a simple recipe – pork, chicken or fish are rubbed with a hot spicy marinade and cooked over charcoal. Often, it’s served up with hard dough – a sweet white bread – or Jamaican fried dumplings.

The rum and Red Stripe flow freely in the bars along Negril’s main street. An up-for-it crowd moves from beach bar to waterfront club, where you can dance to reggae and hip hop. And on Wednesdays, you can get on the party bus – it’ll pick you up for your hotel and take you to all the best spots.

This giant thatched beach hut focuses on the important things in life, namely ice-cold Red Stripe and rum punch, and if you get there between 5pm and 7pm, drinks are half price. It’s popular with the locals and three nights a week you get live music. Monday is ladies’ night when female singers are backed by the house band, Hot Wax.

From little grill shacks serving burgers and ribs to expensive fish restaurants where you can get buttered lobster, there are plenty of eating options along Seven Mile Beach. But for the real authentic experience, look out for the plumes of smoke rising from the barrel grills on the side of Norman Manley Boulevard. Here you’ll find the best, and the cheapest, jerk chicken in town. It goes without saying that you’ll want rice and peas on the side.

Wood carvings, Bob Marley throws and bongo drums are just some of the souvenirs you’ll find at the brightly painted clapboard shacks dotted along Seven Mile Beach. If you prefer to shop in air-conditioned surroundings, head for Sunshine Plaza on Norman Manley Boulevard. Here you’ll find a selection of jewellers and boutique craft shops. And don’t forget to stock up on Wray and Nephew rum so you can impress your friends with your punch recipe back home.

If you like your drinks on the rocks, head to West End Road – or out West as the locals say – where clifftop bars, including the famous Rick’s Bar, ladle out rum punch while the sun sets over the sea. Alternatively, along Norman Manley Boulevard you’ll find busy live music bars and nightclubs. Look out for the weekly One Love concerts at Jungle – everyone from Toots and the Maytals to Beenie Man has performed at this long-running night.

This cliffside bar is a local legend and regularly crops up on the World’s Best Bar lists. It’s got its own pool, as well as a cliff-jumping platform where you can leap into the sea below. And that’s not the only entertainment – this is Negril’s number one spot to watch the sunset.

Every year, over one weekend in summer, thousands of partygoers flock to Negril’s famous Seven Mile Beach for Dream Weekend. The music festival – which has been going since 2009 – is one of the biggest in the Caribbean. And if you’re a fan of dancehall, pop and hip hop, you won’t want to miss it.