Jamaica
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Travel Tips
ATM's are in almost every town including Treasure Beach, Mobay, Port Antonio etc. Most small places DON'T take credit cards. This includes restaurants and cook shops, many guest houses, rural gas stations and so on. You can use your VISA to get cash if you want to stand in line at the bank. Don't know if this is true in the cambios. Travellers checks are accepted at most accommodations.
Weaver, Thorn Tree (Dec 05)
Mosquitos: During our visit to Jamaica they were there, biting, but lavender oil repelled even the most determined and soothed the few ankle bites received. I took 'Aromatherapy For Travellers' by Jude Brown and experimented with the eight recommended essential oils, carried safely in a 'Perfect Potion' travelling padded bag, together with a plastic spray bottle & bottle of distilled water. Sounds finicky but the blends do work and we were mosquito free. Before we arrived, Jamaica had nine days of rain, unheard of in June for Treasure Beach; the mosquitos should have been bad but the oil blends were a far more effective deterrent than the (best) commercial brand we tried. Healthy & fresh food before you go & fresh Jamaican food & a healthy lifestyle up at cock crow (literally) & early to bed definitely made a difference.
Elizabeth Angus, Jamaica (Jul 05)
1.Travel by bus! It's cheap and you get to know people. Ask what the fare is to the place you are going before entering the bus and be prepared of minimal space and loud music. We enjoyed it! If you need a taxi, you should give the driver an offer. It is possible to make a good deal.
2.Pay in Jamaican dollars. Bargaining is more fun and you are not classified as "one of them from the ship."
3.One of our best days in Jamaica was spent in Treasure Beach buying fish from local fishermen and bathing from a silent beach almost without vendors.
4.Have ackee and saltfish with Blue Mountain coffee for breakfast.
Endre Gustavsen, Norway (Mar 02)
Treasure Beach is not worth visiting for short stays if you don't have a car since it's impossible to get to or get out of by public transport unless you want to spend 8 hours travelling (from Kingston in my case). Otherwise it's a fortune to hire a taxi. Second, the beach is covered with litter. Third, if the weather isn't good (it rained) there is nowhere to go and no way to get out of the area by bus.
Appleton Estates was worth visiting even just for the ride through the countryside, which was gorgeous. Visitors should definitely stop for peppered shrimp sold on the side of the road on the way. The duty-free shop at Kingston Airport doesn't have the same variety of rum as Appleton Estates.
Anonymous (Feb 02)
Moving About
We found the roads in OK condition, especially Kingston-Mandeville & one easily learns to avoid the potholes which are a speed deterrent. Jamaican drivers are cautious & polite. If you don't drive you can get around in taxis - Route Taxis least expensive & will go everywhere.
Elizabeth Angus, Jamaica (Jul 05)
We did a fly and drive package around the island in January. It was fantastic besides some minor irritations which capped our budget by a considerable amount of money...Through our booking papers we assumed they would take a credit card imprint for the stated U$500, but what actually happened on our arrival was that the company charged my card with U$790 which I would get back at the end of the rental. They credited my card on return but it took 3 days until the money was back in my account. On our trip we heard similar stories from other travelllers. Thought you ought to know.
Brigitte Klever, Australia (Mar 03)
Scams & Warnings
Please stress the fact that female travellers should be VERY cautious about night time activities and that it is not recommended they be out past sunset. We spent 8 days literally locked up in a room hiding from the local men. Resort staff are no exception! We also paid for a taxi to take us a 1/4 of a mile because the harassment was so bad. Men, sometimes as many as 4 at one time, would follow us attempting to get as close as possible while commenting on our "tits."
We realize all women travel differently but we feel that the information provided on this topic should be more forceful.
Denise Tonsberg, USA (Sep 05)
When visiting Lime Caye, please note the following warnings:
Rogue waves do appear--however infrequently--in the bay and ocean area on the ride to Lime Caye...a boat capsized due to one of these waves and one person died.
Lime Caye is periodically "cleaned"...what that means: the guys who rake the trash off the beautiful but very littered island (some unfortunately deposited there by visitors also unfortunately a lot of it flotsam) dig holes to bury the non-burnable trash. However, on the north shore of the island, between a rock outcropping and the island proper, there is a bottle "graveyard" where the cleanup crews have elected to throw all glass bottles. In this location, which is most unfortunately the ideal snorkeling location, the bottles toss to and fro against each other and the rocks which causes them ultimately to break. It is an extremely dangerous location as you will not likely see it if you aren't aware of it...many people who walk on that side of the island wading in the surf have been seriously cut and even required being taken into the hospital for stitches.
Linda Irrgang, USA (Feb 02)
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