My ex husband and I were married there, and he continues to travel there and has twice a year for the past 10 years!
He knows all the places! Has met a ton of cool earthy, native Jamaicans.
I can get him to give me some info, places to go for evenings, food, drink,
nighlife, day life, etc.
He is a real laid back hippie type, and you know what that means! Laid back, mon.

I will save this and email you the info when I get it.

By the way, he only goes to Negril, the only place where it is halfway not touristville. He stays on the cliffs to get away from the beach tourists.

“not touristy” is kinda hard in jamaica, honestly. you’ll be traveling in what you’d consider to be a totally remote part of the island and then all of a sudden you’ll see a japanese dread girl clutching the back of a motorcycle riding rasta.

the places where you’re most likely to find “not touristy” would be found in kingston.

i recommend for your first trip you start out in negril (stay on the cliffside at a place like xtabi, or somewhere even further up the road towards the lighthouse) and then as you get acclimated, start taking the minibusses out to other parts of the island. or find a guy with a car who you feel cool with and hire him to drive you places. the perfect amount of time to really spread out and explore would be three weeks. the minibusses are a safe, cheap way to check the island out.

i’d be happy to give you a list of specific places i like to go to when i’m in jamaica- i’ve traveled there a million times both to hang out with friends and their family and for business.

my email address is thepromo@gmail.com. drop me a line.

hm well I actually did make it out to the “country” part of Jamaica. I stayed at Hedonism 2 resort in Negril and kinda made friends with the guys that worked out on the beach with the sailing and windsurfing equipment. One night I left the resort on the back of one of their motorcycles and they took me up and down the highway seeing all the sights. Later that night we went to a real rasta club that was pretty far away from everything. The place was nothing more than a wood shack but the music was sooo loud I could feel it as we were approaching…and I could also smell what they were smoking inside! When we opened the door to go in, I was knocked over by the largest cloud of smoke! Sorry I don’t know the name of the place (not even sure it had a name) but it was a blast! We danced all night and drank so much red stripe beer. The locals were super nice everywhere we went.

One warning for you, be careful what you eat if you do leave the resort. I had some jerk chicken from one of the local roadside vendors there because my friend recommended that I try it for some local flavor…and I ended up with hepatitis when I got back home. They aren’t quite as sanitary as we are here so be really careful about that.

I was there years ago (when i was 14) on a Humanitarian trip. I hated the people i went with, so i wandered on my own for a large portion of the time. The Jamaicans were extremely nice, and i spent a lot of time playing dominoes and talking with random people. No one said so much as a harsh word to me.

I was in the country, which i’m sure is very different from the city, and as is often the case, the city is probably less safe…

Anyway, I can’t help you specifically. Just don’t go there expecting 80% of the people to slit your throat for the money in your pocket. From my experience the hospitality of the Jamaicans overshadows that of the Irish.

You seem to be getting a lot of help so I’ll only add that as another “non-touristy” destination that isn’t Kingston is Portland, specifically Port Antonio. It’s very laid back there, rural but the scenery is gorgeous and the locals are helpful and friendly.

A great place I stayed in Negril was on the cliffs at a place called “The Seagrape Villas”

Spectacular homes/cottages there are two right on the cliff and near the road

The staff is a man named “bently” he is the caretaker

And the manager (can’t remember the name)

They have two dogs, very friendly, a rottweiler and a mutt

So quiet, peaceful, very down to earth

if you want it they will make dinner, lunch, or breakfast for you and bring it to you ($)

Right across the street is a convenience store for snacks and drinks.

Just my 2 cents :)
Have fun

remember every single market stall has almost exactly the same thing (don’t be fooled if they tell you they made a clothing item the tag is usually still on it) &&& Bargain!!!!!!!!

Wondering around Jamaica with no guidence on what area to go into is not something i would do….i just don’t feel safe there in some parts, especially kingston….but to be fair nothing bad has really happened to me. Although, the off-the-record stories I heard from a few cruiseship employees i befriended sure gave me the creeps.

I have been through the really aggressive markets, i have let them trick me out of extra money because i got a bit scared, i watched some shady folks try to sell crack to my 8 year old brother, but when told no (actually, you just need to walk off and say nothing), they didnt come after us with a knife or anything.

This is just one of those places were you just need to be street smart. There are some great people on the island, but im sure you could find a bad bunch that you may not want to be near.

I think next time i go to Jamaica, I may stick with touristy areas. On the plus side, the island is beautiful.

Hey I know this Response Comes A bit Late….. Itz Not That Jamica is Dangerous you just have to be Careful The people are very friendly. I would say if you are to venture off don’t venture off by yourself and also do not bring a large sum of cash around with you. If the people realize your a tourist they will try to bum money off of you for any help they give but thats just life.
If you go into the city that will probably be where its the least Tourist-Like…. Everyday Hustle and Bustle of People going about there business. Places to keep in mind, Portmore, Port Royal, Look up Treasure Beach(I haven’t been there in quite some time So i’m not sure about the Upkeep), Ocho Rios(though a tourist area) Check out MargaritaVille and nearby vicinity.
Have fun and Be Safe!