How is it in jamaica?

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diddlemyskittle

My yute u a come a jamaica. I hope u enjoy urself. My country has a lot to offer. If you go to a resort trust me u will miss out on a lot. We are very friendly people and have a lot of vibes. Is a good ting dat u comingin the summer when all the hot parties deh roun and at the first part of august when you have A.T.I (appleton treasure island in negril).We speak english but u dun no seh we have wi own slang name patois (which im speaking now). The best time to go would be july or august cuz you have nuff tings to do in the summer.It is like $69 ja to $1 US and the hottest month is june. And a soda depening on size is $30 to $50 jamaican. The best places to go are Margueritaville in Mo bay,Negril or Ocho Rios, Quad which is a nightclub in Kingston, Tamboo and Ricks Cafe in Negril, You have to go to Dunns River Falls.Theres a lot of things to do. Mek sure you eat these four things while ur in Jamaica. If you dont u cant say you have had an authentic experience. 1. A beef patty from Juci Beef or Tasty 2. Jerk Chicken 3.Manish water (its a type of soup) 4. The national dish of course- Ackee and saltfish.

Mel

I've been to Jamaica 4x...I highly recommend that you go to Negril for a few reasons:

* Really cool vibe
* Most gorgeous crystal clear water
* Awesome sunsets
* Not terribly crowded like Montego Bay or Ocho Rios

Yes, Jamaicans speak English. They also have their own kinda slang language called Patois. Some travelers can understand - I can't at all because they speak it sooooo fast. Its still a beautiful language to listen to.

Hurricane season generally runs from June to October - with July and August usually being the most active months. Most resorts have hurricane policies - ask about that when you book your trip.

There is no need to convert your money into Jamaican dollars - the US dollar is accepted pretty much everywhere on the island. Plus, the exchange rate isn't that great, so you're actually better off using your own money.

If you don't mind not having a beach at your hotel, I highly recommend staying at the cliffs area of Negril - very fun cool area with lots of tiny bars and restaurants along the road. Plus, the boutique hotels nestled into the cliffs are so gorgeous. Here's a pretty popular one:

http://www.rockhousehotel.com/

Also, I would visit TripAdvisor and read reviews and people's comments in the Jamaica forum:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147313-Negril_Jamaica.html

kenjinuk

so many questions. I went there in december 2005. Everyone can speak English, but there is a local dialect Patois, which you need not worry about.
If you want to blend in, then why go to a resort? why not try going native, there are lots of schemes for green tourism, you go stay with a family or spend time in a village, go look on the net or check out the tourism office for Jamaica. Air Jamaica and Sandals will encourage you to go Montego Bay or Negril, but the REAl Jamaica is tucked away in little villages and in the off the beaten track, yes you will stand out if your a white person, but people are very friendlyn in the main. Yes there is crime, and tourists are an easy target, but dont stay in the white hotel resort, with the armed guard if you want to see some real life.
I stayed at Mandeville, which is a small town, with links to the bauxite industry.
Hurricane season is MAY-September, Hurricane dean was in August and Hurricane Ivan was in September, within a month all the services where back and life was going ahead. Go to a church service early on Sunday, have an icecream at one of the shopping plazas and take some time to find a little bar with friendly people. Go to a market and fins out what the locals like to do. I liked Jakes place in Treasure beach on the coast.

lionppaw

hi
I am glad to know that you wanted to come to my island. As a Jamaican living here here are some advices.

if you come here or any other place to fine fault, you will find it. Do not wonder off by yourself, travel in group. take registered taxi service. when you are leaving your hotel tell them where you are going and stick to your plan.
We are friendly people but as the proverbs say "one bad apple spoil the whole bunch" there are people here who will try to con you .
be nice to the local we will be nice to you. and enjoy. the hottest time of the month is in August and September

No problem mon. nuh worry yuhself every ting cook an curry strait upp. Irie!
meaning ( it not a problem everything is ok)

ps:
follow the advice the advice of "immersedtraveler" and "kenjinuk" the are good advice.

One correction: hurricane season is May 31 to November 30 but we can have hurricane even in the month of December too.

immersedtraveler

Yes they speak english in Jamaica and most Jamaican people know how to speak english so you will be able to understand them. You probably will not understand them when they talk to their friends. As you go deeper into the country and meet folks that have not interacted with travelers much, this gets a little more challenging. There are some tricks to know like the pronoun "him" is used for men and women. They add the "h" sound to many words like "hegg" for "egg" and subtract the "h" sound from others like "ello" for hello. It helps to read up on this some before you go. http://niceup.com/patois.txt Here is an online dictionary with some words in the local patois language which will also be helpful to know.

There are little shops (called tuc shops) everywhere, even around the resorts. Stop in, have a soda and say "Wha gwan". The areas around the resorts seem to have more husseling then when you travel to an area where they are less used to travelers, like the east and south coast. Here are a couple of websites that help you travel to these less touristed areas. East coast http://worldstogethertravel.com/jamaica/index-jamaica.html and South coast http://www.jamaicaescapes.com/

The exchange rate as of last winter was about $65 JD (Jamaican Dollar) to $1 US Dollar. So your US soda would cost $80 JD.

There are many forums on line where you can gather information from travelers about opportunities there. You could try Lonely Planets' Thorn Tree forums http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ for a start.

Hurricane season is June to November and recovery from a hurricane depends on where you go, what got hit and how badly. We went right after Ivan several years ago and were amazed at how far we could see as the leaves get blown off the trees. It helps the island recover to have the travelers return and your chances of having a major hurricane hit while you are there are slim. Just like going to Florida. No problem!

Sugga

jamaica is a nice place to visit; they speak english. some speak Patois (jamaican dialect). lots of things to do on resorts which is what i would recommend for you to do. as a tourist you will stand out regardless of your ethnic background or race. if you're not jamaican, jamaicans will know.

there is a lot of crime nowadays and its risky travelling by yourself. always travel w/a group and that's standard for wherever you may travel in the world. since you're not familiar w/the country, speak to a travel agent or visit tripadvisors.com to hear what others have to say and also to find out about tours.

the best months to visit Oct-May; the weather is dry and the water on the beach is warm and nice. hurricane season is end of May to December. The hottest months July - Sept. the jamaican dollar is $65 to $1 USD. best to walk around w/the jamaican dollar.

PS don't be too friendly w/ppl, you might be as an easy target to con.

â—„â˜¯â™« vanitee of vanitees â™«â˜¯â–º

Jamaica is awesome! Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are great! Jamaica has never experienced a hurricane outside of August and September

Mark

You have asked a lot of questions buddy.
traditions, currency, climate etc. etc.

Many of your answers may be answered here:
http://www.my-island-jamaica.com

If you don't see what you are looking for click on the 'sitesearch"

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