Ocho Rios: Reggae Beach ?

[geri]

I plan to go to Reggae Beach when I'm in Jamaica.

Can someone answer these questions:

1. How far is the beach from the port?

2. About how much will a cab cost?

3. What is the entrance fee to the beach & does this fee provide me with anything? (ie. chair or drink etc.)

4. Will cabs be waiting at the beach for return to port or will I need to pre-arrange a cab?

 

Thank You!

[geri]

Bumping this one back up in the hopes someone has the answers!

Thanks!

[catchycan]

We took a cab to Reggae Beach... the driver asked for $15 round trip but we bargained our way down to $10. It was about a 5-10 minute ride from the cruise ship terminal. The entrance price to Reggae Beach was $9, which included a chair. When we got there, we found out that Bamboo Beach Club is also located on the same beach... at the entrance gate they gave us the option to sit on the bamboo beach club side for $55, which included a chair, food, drinks and entertainment. We chose to pay the $55 and sit in the Bamboo Beach Club section because it looked like a lot of fun. I'm not sure they offer the bamboo beach club option everyday. If you're there on a day when bamboo beach is not working, it would be just as nice to relax and swim... the beach is gorgeous - there was a big bamboo bar and restaraunt there as well. We had a great time and were glad we went.

[geri]

Perfect! Thanks!!

[Kristin1112]

There isnt much on Reggae beach. I would not have wanted to spend the whole day there.

 

A much better option is to book a tour that includes the beach.

 

We booked a tour with Marva Shaw (www.knowjamaica.com) and it was wonderful! Take the tour of Dunns River Falls, then tubing on the river, then to Reggae beach...

 

Marva is wonderful and both tours (plus the beach) are awesome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[gemchic]

We were just at Reggae Beach and had a wonderful time. If you're looking for a beautiful Caribbean beach to simply hang out on then this is definitely the spot. We went with our two children - it was about 10 minutes from the ship. There was a DJ there who played great music. The water was clear, warm and the kids swam the whole time. The servers were great - always smiling and attentive, but not in a pushy way. We initially planned on heading back to the ship for lunch, but it was so nice we decided to eat there - plus the food smelled amazing and they had a lunch special - $18 including two drinks, an appetizer and a main course - and the food was excellent. It was worth being able to stay an extra hour or two in paradise!

[Almost Packed]

We were just at Reggae Beach and had a wonderful time. If you're looking for a beautiful Caribbean beach to simply hang out on then this is definitely the spot. We went with our two children - it was about 10 minutes from the ship. There was a DJ there who played great music. The water was clear, warm and the kids swam the whole time. The servers were great - always smiling and attentive, but not in a pushy way. We initially planned on heading back to the ship for lunch, but it was so nice we decided to eat there - plus the food smelled amazing and they had a lunch special - $18 including two drinks, an appetizer and a main course - and the food was excellent. It was worth being able to stay an extra hour or two in paradise!

 

gemchic,

what kind of food did they offer? I'm considering doing the bamboo beach break through the ship...i noticed the buffet of jamiacan food with an "asian" flare to it...i'm not into "funky" food....so what can i expect? thanks

[gemchic]

We were a group of 4 and between us we had jerk chicken, crusted fish, festivals (which are kind of luch long hush puppies), pasta with some kind of caribbean seasoning, thai noodles, jasmine rice with all kinds of herbs, sausages with sauce, lots of different fruits - mango, bananna, papaya - and a really delicious Jamaican cake made with bread fruit, I think.... I probably missed a few items, but it was a lot of food and quite tasty, even for my two children!

[Almost Packed]

We were a group of 4 and between us we had jerk chicken, crusted fish, festivals (which are kind of luch long hush puppies), pasta with some kind of caribbean seasoning, thai noodles, jasmine rice with all kinds of herbs, sausages with sauce, lots of different fruits - mango, bananna, papaya - and a really delicious Jamaican cake made with bread fruit, I think.... I probably missed a few items, but it was a lot of food and quite tasty, even for my two children!

 

 

great! thanks for the info!

[DQGal]

We are also thinking of doing bamboo beach through ccl. Can anyone tell us if it is worth it ? I'm leary of going on our own. Any thoughts, never been to jamaica. Thanks

[Almost Packed]

We are also thinking of doing bamboo beach through ccl. Can anyone tell us if it is worth it ? I'm leary of going on our own. Any thoughts, never been to jamaica. Thanks

 

i love jamiaca...we are going on our own this time...(3rd time to jamaica)

 

the first 2 times we went with ship tours.

 

from what i have learned on these boards....if you take a cab, make sure you have one with red license plates (juta plate) they are regulated...they are the real cabs not just someone trying to rip you off.

 

also, bamboo beach club is a private beach and there is a fee charged to get in....i believe they have security there as well...to keep the unwanted peeps out.

 

jamaica is like anywhere else in the world you travel...use common sense. don't be flashy with money, stay alert, stay together and remember if asked if you want to buy something, a simple no "thank you" & keep walking. we've never ever had any problems in Jamaica, but others have reported being asked if they wanted to buy dope. My dh, who is bald, was even asked if he wanted his hair braided...we had a good laugh at that one. they are poor people just trying to make a living any way they can.

 

it's a beautiful country! don't miss it!

[messyjessy911]

We were at Bamboo Beach Club a few months ago and it was definitely worth the $49 price. All inclusive food, drinks, and entertainment. The beach was huge - I think it's actually a part of Reggae Beach - and very tropical. We considered going without a tour but in the end opted for bbc because we just didn't want the hassle of organizing cabs, etc.

[DQGal]

Thanks guys. I have 2 other couples with me on this cruise who are cruise newbies Yea, anyway it will be up to me to get most of our cruise in order and I thought that would be a nice excersion to do, now I know that it will be. Thanks for the info

[reno3]

There isnt much on Reggae beach. I would not have wanted to spend the whole day there.

 

A much better option is to book a tour that includes the beach.

 

We booked a tour with Marva Shaw (www.knowjamaica.com) and it was wonderful! Take the tour of Dunns River Falls, then tubing on the river, then to Reggae beach...

 

Marva is wonderful and both tours (plus the beach) are awesome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

We are doing this with Marva in April.

Did you go with others or just your group?