What should I bring with me to sandals montego bay?

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BabyPrincess REAL JAMAICAN QUEEN

You don't need to bring alot of cash as all major us credit cards are accepted! Just bring around
US 200 in case of emergencies and if you want to buy any unquie things you may find to bring back home I would recommend summer clothing as Jamaica is always warm and beautiful no matter the time of year... dresses, sleeveless tops shorts things live that..the water is one of the best natural waters you will find... you can drink straight from the tap if you like or you can buy bottled water.. to me the tap is better but I am baised as I have been drinking it all my life!
As mentioned before money can be easily tranfered to you using Western Union, Money Gram or any such agencies found all over the island. So getting money is no problem.

Here are some attractions I recommend...but since you will only be here for 7 days I duggest you go to all the ones on my must see list
I have included numbers for my must see list
Feed the Birds at RockLands's Bird Sanctuary!

Visit the Glistening Water Attraction.
Yes, the water virtually glistens at night! A tourist favourite!

Have a 'Devon House' Ice Cream. Experience the Fried Fish & Bammy plus Peppered Shrimp from the south coast.

Visit one of our historical sites. The Rose Hall Great House tour is one of the best!

Play Golf & Watersports!- (or learn them).

Now, In addition to these, and my Top 5 Places to Go here too are some of the other popular tours, attractions, places, and things to do in Jamaica!

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Animal Farm Tour
I have been there! It is a nicely secluded and exciting animal and plant attraction. See my page on My Animal Farm Trip Here.

Appleton Estate Rum Tour (See the preparation of the rum!)

Aqua Sol Theme Park Beach

Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours

Braco Stables (for horse rides and more)

Caliche Rainforest Park

Chukka Caribbean Adventures Tour

Cranbrook Flower Forest Tour

Doctor's Cave Bathing Club/Beach

The Dolphin Cove Attraction (Swim with sharks, dolphin and stingrays!)

Dreamer Catamarans Boat Tour

Green Gratto Caves Tour

Greencastle Estate Plantation Tour

Half Moon Equestrian Center

Harmony Hall Great House Tour

Hilton High Day Tour

Hooves: horse rides

Island Village Shopping

Jimmy Buffett's Margueritaville (for the party)

J.Charles Swaby's Black River Safari: (See the crocodiles!)

Mayfield Falls

Montego Bay Marine Park

Negril Day and Sunset Tour (You dear not walk the 7 miles of the beautiful white sand beaches!)

Shaw Park Botanical Gardens

Trails Plantation Ride at Annandale

Wallkers Wood Jerk Country Tour

YS Falls

Here are some MUST SEE Attractions!

Dunn's River Falls:

Truly no trip or vacation to our beautiful island is complete without climbing this majestic waterfall!

Led by experience guides, you can climb the falls with other visitors in a human chain. This hidden treasure was made famous by Tom Cruise's movie, 'Cocktail'! [Phone:876-974-5944].

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Dolphin Cove Attraction

The largest maritime attraction in the caribbean, this is a family fun day for all. You can interact with our amazingly friendly dolphins by choosing either a touch, swim dorsal pull or foot push program. You can also wander the trail in the lost jungle and interact with birds, snakes, iguanas if you wish. This attraction is adjacent to the world-famous Dunn's River Falls. [Phone: 876-974-5335].

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Croydon in the Mountains

The tour takes you straight into Jamaica's interior- the 'country', as we say. This attraction is full of history and culture. Our national hero Samuel Sharpe,who gave his life fighting slavery, was born here! Taste varieties of pineapples and other local fruits. A true backyard Jamaican experience and definately one of the places to visit in Jamaica. [Phone: 876-979-8267]

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Martha Brae Bamboo Rafting:

We treat you with a breathtaking experience on an approximately 30 feet of bamboo raft along the famous Martha Brae River.

The captain tells the whole story of the place, the people and the traditions. Just 22 miles from Mobay, it is a great experience! [Phone:876-952-0889][876-940-6398]

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Negril's day and Sunset Tour

Magic, pure magic! If you hear anyone mention any three of Jamaica's attractions, chances are the famous Negril Sunset, viewed from Rick's Cafe will be one.

And this is where you get to lavish on one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The 7 miles of beautiful white sand beachesGreat Houses (Plantation Houses)
The Great House was the seat of authority on an estate. It was the home of planters, or attorneys who acted for the absentee owner. The size and profitability of the property and the wealth of the owner determined the size of the house. These houses were usually two storey buildings with a base of brick, cut stone and mortar. The top floor was usually made of wood.

Variations of this archetype included one-storey buildings constructed of wood, cut stone or Spanish walling or wattle and daub; or two-storey building made of brick, wood or cut stone.

The owner's former place of residence, which in many instances was England, was reflected in the architectural style of the Great House. Consequently, Georgian Period (1720-1760) inspired the designs, from which the Jamaican Georgian (1760-1830) evolved. Important architectural features of the Great Houses included wide wrap-around verandas, jalousies, and sash windows to accommodate the Caribbean climate. Many Great Houses reflected the opulence of the planters; however, when the profits to be gained from the sugar began to decline they found it difficult to maintain them.

The Great House is arguably the most prominent and tangible symbol of the plantation era. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust has declared several of these houses National Monuments, as they serve to highlight the importance of the plantation era by their contribution to Jamaica's history.
Plantations & Great Houses
Here are a list of some:

BARNETT ESTATE
Granville Main Road
876-952-2382, fax 876-952-6342
Open daily
Admission charged

After a short time here, you'll soon notice how often you hear the name "Barnett" and "Jarrett" on the island. Still among Jamaica's most powerful families, the Barnetts and Jarretts were plantation owners and have owned land for many generations. Today, a visit to the Barnett Estate offers you a look back at the past to the days when this land grew everything from sugarcane to coconuts. You can take a one-hour horseback tour of the estate or a guided tour by a costumed docent. This plantation tour is one of the island's best.

BELFIELD GREAT HOUSE
876-952-1709
Hours: daily, 10-5
Admission charged

This restored historic house is open to visitors, with guided tours available before or after dinner. Located on the 3,000-acre Barnett Estate near Montego Bay, the site is also home to the Belfield 1797 restaurant, operated by Elegant Resorts International.

BELVEDERE ESTATE
Chester Castle
876-956-7310 in Montego Bay
876-957-4171 in Negril
Hours: 10-4, Monday-Saturday
Admission charged

Take a peek back at the plantation days with this heritage tour. Belvedere was one of the first estates to be burned during the 1831 Christmas Rebellion, so today most of the sites on the plantation are ruins or reconstructed. The uprising brought about the end of slavery in 1838.

Tours include a look at the ruins of the great house, dating back to the early 1800s, the ruins of a sugar factory, a horse-drawn sugar mill and herb garden. Belvedere is staffed by many craftspeople in period costume. Visitors can watch a blacksmith at work, see a bakery using a clay oven, talk with an herbalist in a wattle and daub house and see a canoe-maker carving the trunk of a cottonwood tree. Also on site is the Trash House Restaurant and Bar (where the sugarcane trash was once stored). Lunch is served daily and visitors can picnic on the grounds.

CROYDON IN THE MOUNTAINS
Located 20 miles into the interior near the town of Catadupa
in St. James (take B6 out of town)
Hours: 8:30-5:30 daily; tours from 10:30-3:30
876-979-8267
Admission charged

This 132-acre working pineapple and coffee plantation offers half-day estate tours. The property was the birthplace of Samuel Sharpe, a national hero on this island. Sharpe led a slave rebellion in 1831 that helped bring about the abolition of slavery. You can learn about the preparation of coffee, honey, pineapples and more.

GREENWOOD GREAT HOUSE
North Coast Hwy., 15 miles east of Montego Bay
876-953-1077
Hours: 9-6 daily
Admission charged

This was once the home of the Barrett family (as in Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Tours include a look at the finery enjoyed by the plantation families. Like Rose Hall (below), Greenwood is a reminder of the turbulent period in Jamaica's history when wealthy plantation owners lived in luxury thanks to the profits of the slave labor used to power sugar plantations.

ROSE HALL
North Coast Highway
876-953-2323
Hours: 9-6 daily
Admission charged

Rose Hall is the best-known great house in the country and is an easy afternoon visit from Montego Bay. This was once the home of the notorious Annie Palmer, better known as the White Witch. Guided tours take you to the ballroom, dining room, and Annie's bedroom and grave. The gift shop displays photographs of what many believe are ghostly apparitions in the bedrooms of Rose Hall.

THE WHITE WITCH

As the story goes, Annie was born in 1802 in England to an English mother and Irish father. At the age of 10, her family moved to Haiti, and soon her parents died of yellow fever. Annie was adopted by a Haitian voodoo priestess and became skilled in the practice of voodoo. Annie moved to Jamaica, married, and built Rose Hall, an enormous plantation spanning 6,600 acres with over 2,000 slaves. According to legend, Annie murdered several of her husbands and her slave lovers.

List of Great Houses (Plantation Houses) Heritage Sites

* Belmont Great House
* Bellevue Great House
* Admiral Mountain Great House
* Cherry Garden Great House
* Mona Great House
* Bloomfield Great House
* Marlborough Great House
* Stokes Hall Great House
* Good Hope Great House
* Greenwood Great House
* Rose Hall Great House
* Marshall's Pen Great House
* Highgate House
* Seville Great House
* Mount Plenty Great House
* Roaring River Great House
* Thetford Great House
* Tryall Great House
* Halse Hall Great House
* Quebec Great House
* Brimmer Hall Great House
* Bromley Great house
* Green Park Great House
* Prospect Great House
* Ramble Great House
* Cardiff Hall Great House
* York Castle Great House
* Seaman's Valley

visit this site for a list in your area
http://www.jnht.com/category.php?id=78

Enjoy your Trip!
NUFF LOvE!

daveduncan40

Bring lots of small bills with you. If you are in the US you will want $1 bills. These are great for tipping and for small purchases. Am not sure of Sandals' policy regarding tipping at the resort, but the official policy of many resorts is "no tipping." However, most people do tip the staff.

Bring a digital camera or video camera. Bring some way to write down email addresses of people you meet there. You will want to swap emails and share photos. Bring sunscreen and any such things. You can buy them at the resort but they are expensive and variety is not big.

Many will tell you to see Dunns River Falls and it is very cool. We went up it last summer and loved it. If you like more adventure types of activities check out Chukka Cove on the net. They have a website. There is one near Ocho Rios and one near Negril. They offer lots of activities.

Some love shopping in Jamaica, however, my wife and I hated it. We felt like meat thrown into a shark tank. Don't expect bargains and don't expect high quality goods. The Blue Mountain coffee is GREAT and makes a nice gift for back home as does the rum cream.

For more info on your resort go to TripAdvisor.com. Type in the resort name in the search area and you will find trip reports, candid traveler photos, a forums section for Q and A, and much more. Have a great trip!

myself

I must say these are some stupid questions, of course you can drink the water, what do u think Jamaicans drink? yes you can get money there if you ran out , there are a bunch of money transfer company that you can use. bring tropical clothes

naynay

IF YOUR ARE GOING TO SANDALS THEN ITS ALL INCLUSIVE. BRING MOMEY FOR DUTY FREE SHOPPING. SHORTS AND TANKS AND FLIP FLOPS DEFINITELY SUN GLASSES AND SUN BLOCK. YOU CAN DRINK THE WATER AND THERE IS ALSO BOTTLED WATER. HORSE BACK RIDDING IS FUN

jacq

i read two of these answers and that was a enough.

there is a strict NO TIPPING rule at sandals - period. bring money for shopping/gifts and if you plan on hanging out outside the resort. $300 should be enough for spending. if you're going to get a spa treatment, bring more. you can exchange money at the resort, but us dollars are accepted. just make sure to ask for US dollars back if you expect change back.

bring shorts, sneakers, bathing suit, sandals, t shirts. 1-2 collared shirts and one nice pair of slacks if you're going to eat at a specialty restaurant.

yes you can drink the wate.

if you have seven days, do a jungle jeep tour, horseback riding tour, go to ocho rios and climb dunns river falls.

have fun!

blackedge02

When ya find out let me know. Going to Negril for 7 days in a few weeks. I heard the water is ok, at least in Negril. I'm hoping I don't get hammered with having to pay out a lot of cash, with not staying at an all-inclusive.

Good luck to ya, Have fun

cimmone

Don't bring more than $100 each in cash. Use ATM for any additional money you need for off resort purchases. You can charge anything you buy at the gift shop or for excursions at the Sandals hotel to your credit card directly (best and safest). I think the hotel will do cash advances too... not sure but I do know they have ATM in lobby.

Do not waste your money on traveler's cheques... ATM ATM ATM. Your money will come out in Jamaican $ but exchange rate back in US. It's the best way to get the best exchange rate and safest too.

Clothes... you want a couple of nice outfits for the nicer places to dine on the resort. There are some really nice restaurants and there is a beach casual (collared shirts for men, NO JEANS, NO beach shorts), and a nice skirt or dress / dress pants for ladies.. no tank tops in these places. THey have casual dining too..but you're going to Sandals... dress up a bit ... then beach wear. If you are going on excursions nothing fancy...stuff you don't mind getting wet/dirty and by all means comfy shoes!!

Water on resort...absolutely fine. Bottled water elsewhere.

Excursions...lotsa free stuff right there on property (non motorized water sports). The rest depends on your likes/dislikes and your taste and courage for adventure. Myself... I left the property with my honney and we went down town Montego Bay... Sandals said no no no.. but it was a blast. Just be smart. Don't tell them when they ask where you are staying. FOR GOODNESS SAKE ... don't look like a RICH tourist (leave the jewelry in the hotel safe) and wear very modest clothing. Hope that helps.

dENISE D

Wow! You have some great answers here. Just one helpful hint for you. Bring yourself some deep-woods off or other bug repellant. I'm a bug magnet and the little sand fleas find me really tasty. They don't bother my hubby but love to nibble on me. I also bring some anti itch cream cause the little critters still manage to find me. That's the only con in my trips to Jamaica. You'll have a great time, enjoy!

sierra_91_2000

Depends on how much you want to spend or bring back w/ you? Look at Sandals website it will give you an idea how much the excersions cost. We went to Dolphin Cove and shopping. I also hear Dunn River Falls is a good place to go.

Once you get to your sandals resort they can convert your money. Take summer clothes and take some dressier outfits too. Some of the Sandals restaurants will have a dress code (see their website on which ones).

Water on the resort is good they also sell bottled water in the souvineer shops.

***I wanted to add...DO NOT TIP at Sandals they will get fired! They are strict and the staff will not take the tips. The only people you tip at Sandals are the people who shuttle you from the Airport to the resort...and the resort to your excursions...they hold their hands out. ****

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