Our hotel was all-inclusive in as much as they provided breakfast and dinner. However, it was a family-owned, family-run resort. It was not gated like Sandals, Beaches, etc.

The plane landed near Montego Bay, and within minutes, my husband had been offered drugs by both the airport security guard and the local taxi driver. Needless to say, he declined their kind offer.

Like sheep, we followed the tour rep to our transport bus. The trip to Negril took a couple of hours. This had other travelers complaining, but the trip was fun, going through the small towns en route and making frequent beer stops. By the time we reached Negril, we felt like we had seen half the island and had a good buzz to start our vacation right.

Negril’s beach is beautiful, long (its supposed to be 7 miles but we didn’t measure it) with pale sand. The sea was as flat as a pancake, with no rocks at all. This isn’t a private beach like at the big resorts, so there was the occasional hawker selling his wares. It was annoying but nothing threatening. They were certainly not aggressive, persuasive but not aggressive.

All along 7 Mile Beach are hotels and beach bars, so it’s easy to walk places but a little more daunting at night when strange characters lurk in the shadows whispering, "Ganja?" "Blow?" as we passed. We avoided the beach after dark.

Negril itself is quite spread out, so it can be a little difficult to get around. We took a couple of trips that were pre-organized. We also took a taxi bus into the shopping area at one end of Negril with no problems at all. We also hired a local tour guide, "Daddy Coo," for a more individual nature tour (see separate entry).

I never felt threatened, except on our little trip to Montego Bay (separate entry). This island did make me more nervous than other places I’ve been, and that includes all the years I backpacked alone. At the same time, though, no one mugged us, held us at knife point, or any other things I’d heard of.

Quick Tips:

• The locals don’t like the "all inclusive" gated communities like Beaches and Sandals that (they told us) only hire Americans and buy American produce. So when/if you venture off the property, hide you wristband.

• Even if you don’t feel comfortable leaving the property, at least take an organized trip so you see more of the island than just the resort. These usually have well manicured, groomed beaches, etc., and not the real Jamaica.

• Walk along 7 Mile Beach (during the day). There are areas away from the hotels where no other tourists venture, so you can have the whole place to yourself.

• Try the Juice Patties!!!! They are Jamaican fast food. Yummy!

• Overall, be friendly to the locals. Not everyone approaching you wants to sell you drugs or mug you.

• … and don’t buy the drugs. However many people you see growing, selling, or smoking, ganja its still illegal and the local authorities just love to get the tourists with that. Those shady men in the bushes offering you "best ganja" could easily be local undercover police.

Best Way To Get Around:

The average price for the garden rooms per night was $90 in high season, but booked as a package, the price is much more reasonable. The rooms were lovely. The property is two stories, and we had a top-floor room with a huge balcony overlooking the gardens and a big room decorated in the traditional Caribbean style. There was air-conditioning and telephones but no TV.

Merrils 2 is one of three sister properties all along the same stretch of 7 Mile Beach. You can wander between all three hotels and eat or use the facilities at each, but they are all pretty much the same. There is a nice pool beach bar and dinner buffet on the beach. The buffet dinner had plenty of choices, but the goat curry seemed to consistently be there. It was a good buffet, but nothing amazing. There was enough food, fruits, and desserts for us to be happy. Because it was included in the price, we did eat here some nights, but we also liked to try to food from other cafés and restaurants on occasion. The staff helped us book the excursions we took and were very friendly.

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I particularly liked the curry-vegetables one, but I also tried the chicken. The two I liked had hot curry sauce and a mix of the very hot Scotch bonnet peppers, but you can get milder varieties. For under $1, these things are so huge and so tasty. I guarantee you will be back for more.

The only locals we saw here were those jumping the 40 feet off the cliffs into the crystal waters below. They were young boys and would position themselves high up in the surrounding trees whilst their buddies went round the gathering crowd collecting dollars. Once enough cash had been gathered, the boys would jump, dive, or belly-flop from the tree. It was quite astonishing to see. These kids were high up. After a few drinks, you can try doing this, but the boys make it look easier than it is. It HURTS your feet, so have a few shots first.

I didn't love Ricks Cafe, but I have to admit that we did have fun, and the view of the sunset from here was stunning, so try and time it accordingly Stay there for an evening of dancing and merrymaking.

It would have been quicker to have taken a taxi, but at this point we didn’t have any money left and weren’t going to bother getting more cash out for just a cab. We walked the mile into town (with our backpacks). It was actually quite pleasant until we reached the outskirts, and here the locals looked oddly at us, sneered, and approached us constantly for money or to sell us drugs. This had happened in Negril, but there was a lighthearted feel, and no one seemed offended when we said "no." Here, though, the guys were very aggressive, and we did not feel comfortable at all. Whereas Negril was full of hippies and Rastas, here the locals had a gangster feel, with low trousers and gold teeth. We made it to the Dr Caves beach, which was all I really wanted to see anyway. You had to pay to go on this beach, but the bloke let me just wander on to take a few photos, and then we high tailed it back to the airport as quickly as we could. The beach was not as special as I remember from the photos I saw as a kid. The town was more condensed than Negril and looked to have some pretty good bars and clubs, but there was a definite seedy, threatening feel to this place. It was July, and yet the streets were deserted. Not sure if the town got better or worse after dark, if the tourists came out and if the feeling of threat went away, but we didn’t stay around long enough to find out. Perhaps during Spring Break, when the hordes of teenagers come to town, I would feel safer!

It was fun though, and the guide had lots of knowledge of the local wildlife and surrounding areas. The river itself had a tropical feel, with trees and mangrove roots forming tunnels for the boats to go through.

After this, we all got back on the bus and traveled on to YS falls. The bus took us through Bamboo Avenue and past all the market stalls where locals sell fresh fish and the famous "hot pepper" seafood. These are made with very spicy scotch bonnet peppers bashed into the shrimp or crayfish. Our bus driver was very open to stop and let us buy stuff or take photos.

At YS Falls, we had plenty of time to walk around the area, which was really pretty, or walk the trails to the top of the Falls and swim in them. They were very cold, but it had to be done. There were signs saying "Swim at your own risk," but I never figured what the dangers could be, other than hypothermia! A few rope swings were strategically placed for kids to swing across and into the waterfalls. They were actually really pretty and not too full of tourists, as they had promised.

Finally, we stopped at a beach bar on the route back. The food was just so-so, but the beach it was on was deserted and had a wild, unkempt feeling to it, with loads of stray dogs wandering around. Doesn’t sound idyllic, but it was really beautiful and wild.

I think they really packed a lot of things into our day and made it great value for the $50. I am not a fan of organized tours, but they were more than willing to go off course and take diversions when you wanted.