Negril is one of the most highly anticipated places in Jamaica. It’s home to one of the top rated beaches in the world, Seven Mile Beach. It’s gorgeous and is often a top destination in Jamaica. Locals go there to go on vacation and a lot of people solely go just to Negril when traveling to Jamaica. If you’re only staying in Negril for a short amount of time and exploring other places in Jamaica, read my other guide to Jamaica. Please note that a lot of my recommendations for Negril I didn’t get to experience firsthand. All of my recommendations are things that were either recommended by locals or things I wanted to do, but didn’t have enough time doing it.

Where to stay in Negril, Jamaica:

We stayed at one of my favorite places in Jamaica, Villas Sur Mer. We booked ours on Expedia, but it looks like you can book the villa on multiple travel websites. I like Villa Sur Mer’s website though… the music on it is so peaceful and so Jamaica! Our place was beautiful. Air conditioning worked perfectly, HOT showers (I love scorching hot showers…) and the whole place was just beautiful and amazing. There were welcome drinks, a pool, hot tub, a private underground cave that went to the ocean, free snorkel gear, and so much more! I definitely recommend staying there. The staff are so nice, the place is beautiful, and the location is great! There’s LOTS of beautiful resorts though so I advise looking around and seeing what fits your liking.

Best things to do in Negril, Jamaica:

Walk Seven Mile Beach.

Seven Mile Beach is one of Jamaica’s most beautiful beaches. It’s actually not even 7 miles long either, but it’s gorgeous with beautiful blue water and white sand coastline. There’s a lot of resorts and hotels on the beach, but if you’re not staying there, you can still enjoy the beach.

Book a glass bottom snorkeling tour.

Famous Vincent and his team were SO nice and accommodating. Famous Vincent joins everyone while snorkeling and shows you things in the ocean like sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumber and more! He’ll pick up ones that are safe to touch and let you touch and hold them! I’ve never gone snorkeling during the day with a guide showing the group all these sea creatures. It was such a neat experience. Depending what tour you choose, you also stop by Booby Cay Island for lunch.

Side note: please do not wear sunscreen unless it’s reef safe. A lot of sunscreens out there claim they are reef safe but actually aren’t so make sure that the ingredients listed in your sunscreen are reef safe!! The two ingredients you want to avoid are: oxybenzone and octinoxate. It’s so important to wear reef safe sunscreen. If you don’t, your sunscreen will wash off of you in the ocean and bleach or kill the coral. Places like Hawaii have banned sunscreen that aren’t reef safe. Another thing – if you have to fix your snorkel or stand up or catch your breath or whatever it is… please make sure you are in deep water and there’s nothing underneath you! So many people stand up and kick and damage the coral. DO NOT DO THAT! Do not be that person!!!

Watch the sunset on a boat tour with Famous Vincent.

We loved Famous Vincent so much that we booked another tour with him! This was a beautiful experience. It was just us (3 of my friends and I), Vincent and his 2 crew members. We had music, drinks and watched the beautiful sunset. We were able to snorkel as well in a gorgeous cave. Throughout the boat ride, Vincent gave us a tour about the buildings on shore. There were several moments during this tour where I kept thinking to myself how grateful I am for this experience and for my life.

Lay at Half Moon Beach and take a boat ride to a bar on an island.

Our hotel recommended this beach. It was nice small beach and it wasn’t packed with tourists. There were comfy lounge chairs to sit on and the water and sand were amazing. There’s a guy who has a tiny boat that takes you to this island where he built a bar on. It’s absolutely beautiful and so serene.

Snorkel and dodge the jelly fishes.

If you’re staying at Villa Sur Mer, there’s an underground cave that takes you straight to the ocean. You can borrow their snorkel equipment and snorkel right next to the cliff. When we went, it was super choppy. The jelly fish were getting pushed to shore so we were getting stung nonstop. If it’s not choppy, then it’s a great place to snorkel for a quick dip.

Get wet at Dunn’s River Falls.

Dunn’s River Falls is a popular destination when traveling to Jamaica. Make sure to wear your bathing suit and water shoes because you will be climbing up to the waterfall. If you don’t want to climb the waterfall, there are stairs that you can use. Dunn’s River Falls is not close to Negril. You will have to either drive there or take a tour there. We skipped this activity because it looked way too touristy (look up pictures and see the crowds of people…) but I’m sure it’s a great experience.

Visit YS Falls.

This waterfall is closer to Negril. It’s about one and a half hours away from Negril. There’s pools and ziplines that you can go on. You would need to either drive there or take a tour there.

Check out Mayfield Falls.

This waterfall is also closer to Negril. It’s about an hour away. It’s a lot smaller than Dunn’s River Falls and is a lot less touristy. I recommend looking at pictures and decide which waterfall you want to go to.

Dip into the Blue Hole Mineral Springs.

Blue Hole Mineral Springs is about a 30 minute drive from Negril. It’s completely surrounded by limestone and looks beautiful. People can jump into the spring or use a ladder to get in.

Go to Bloody Bay.

Bloody Bay is another beautiful beach to check out.

Relax and enjoy Jamaica’s chill vibes.

One of the best things about Jamaica is the chill “don’t worry about a thing” vibe. Relax, lay on the beach, and fully embrace being on vacation and not worrying about a thing.

Where to eat in Negril, Jamaica:

Watch the sunset and have a romantic meal at Ivan’s at Catcha Falling Star.

This restaurant is beautiful. It’s a fantastic place to have a romantic dinner… If you go on their TripAdvisor page, view all their gorgeous photos and you’ll know why it’s a good spot to go to. It’s on the cliff viewing the ocean. It’s a perfect view for sunset and the ambiance is great. We went there when it was already dark, but the view of the moon was gorgeous as well. It might look like they are closed, but they are not. Ring the doorbell and someone will answer the door.

Eat an amazing dinner at Le Vendome Restaurant at Charela Inn.

On Thursday’s and Saturday’s, there’s live jazz music. The music was AMAZING and the food was too. The staff were phenomenal as well. Everyone was so nice and provided excellent customer service. Everything about our experience was perfect and I highly recommend going there on a Thursday or Saturday.

Eat in a beautiful garden at Just Natural.

This was probably our cheapest meal in Jamaica. Everything was reasonably priced and there were a lot of options. It’s vegan and vegetarian friendly too! We went for lunch, but they have breakfast and dinner meals as well. The seating area is in the garden and it’s beautiful. So many plants and each table is very secluded. I recommend double checking the bill afterwards because they accidentally messed up twice on our bill. The food was very tasty though! My friend really liked his lobster omelette and I really liked the french toast. The bread and jam there is really good. It’s cash only!!

Splurge at Rockhouse.

This restaurant is a little pricey, but I heard it has great food, atmosphere, and service. It has a lot of reviews on TripAdvisor, and it looks like it has a beautiful view.

Order lobster at Murphy’s West End.

According to my hotel and TripAdvisor, Murphy’s West End has the best lobster. The restaurant has more of a chill vibe with hammocks outside.

Eat on the beach at Niah’s Patties.

Niah’s Patties is located on the beach and are similar to empanadas. I didn’t get the chance to go here, but it looks reasonably priced and delicious!

Have the best breakfast at Sips & Bites.

Sips & Bites was recommend by our hotel. They claim it has the best Jamaican breakfast. We went here for lunch, but the food was delicious! They don’t have that many vegetarian options so I had french toast.

Where to go out in Negril, Jamaica:

Go on the One Love Bus bar crawl.

The One Love Bus bar crawl takes you to several different bars on the west end of Negril. It’s completely free BUT you should DEFINITELY tip!! The bus gets packed with people so make sure to make a reservation. Lenbert, man operating it all, will even pick you up at your hotel! It’s a great activity for groups or for solo travelers! Make sure to bring cash for drinks and to tip Lenbert!

Jump off the cliffs, watch the sunset and party at Rick’s Cafe.

Rick’s Cafe is less than a 2 minute walk from Villa Sur Mer. You can’t bring any outside water… they wouldn’t even let me put it in my purse -_- Here you’ll see people jumping off cliffs into the ocean, a DJ, alcohol shooters, food, people dancing and a beautiful sunset. This is a fun place to party or people watch. Even if you don’t want to drink, it’s a great place to check out. I recommend going there between noon and 3 pm before it gets crowded.

Party at the Jungle.

When you buy your entrance ticket, you get a free drink ticket. There’s a parking lot that you can park your car, but there’s a parking fee. We got there a little too early. It started getting crowded after 1 am. There’s an inside part and an outside part upstairs with a DJ. Check it out and walk around. There’s different music playing in different rooms. It’s a fun place to go out!

What was your favorite part about Negril? Where was your favorite place you ate at? Comment below! I’d love to hear your experiences in Negril.