Hey -
I spent over 2 months there in 2007. I skipped Kingston so it was mellow, no violence on my trip. Treasure Beach was a great find - so small its barely a village. A bunch of family owned guesthouses and pretty beaches. Same goes for Oracabessa - a small town (bigger than Treasure Beach but few tourists). Negril was good too - that's where you start if you fly to Montego Bay. Long Beach was quiet and on the way to Morant Bay (nice guesthouse there with great price).
I was there in the off season, and paid $10-$25 a night. Port Antonio was where I got the cheapest price in a small guesthouse for locals. This was at the end of a long backpacking trip for me so maybe next time I'd up my budget to $40-$60 a night.
It was fun seeing the real Jamaica. :)
Loved it and plan on going again maybe next year!
PS - Brazil (I love their culture) is a lot more violent. If you stick to the small towns in Jamaica, you'll be fine. Don't walk around Montego Bay at night and go to Kingston with someone who's been there.
Treasure Beach is safe as can be - the only reason you won't walk around at night is there's no street lights in most areas. In a place like Negril, its safe to go out at night, but can be annoying, as those dudes come up to you pretending to be friends and asking to sell you something.
Its not so expensive there - if you eat jerk chicken and whatever else at local fast food/diners and don't waste time at the cruise ship malls, you won't spend a lot there. I bought most of my souvenirs in Port Antonio and Morant Bay - simple stuff. $100 goes a long way for souvenirs.
Music was expensive, its hard to find cd's for under $15. While I love Bob Marley, a part of me wishes they'd also do some "legend branding" to someone who's alive too!! In Negril, they sell his cd's for $30 each. ;)
Edited by: TropicalLife
