Beautiful white sand beaches, turquoise blue water, gigantic waterfalls, delicious food, vibrant culture and friendly locals – if that’s your idea of a perfect vacation then Jamaica has to be on your bucket list! And you’ve landed at just the right place to help you plan the best itinerary for Jamaica.
Our first trip of 2023 couldn’t have started on a better note. Every January, my husband and I do our anniversary trip and this year was no different. If I am being honest, I did have my reservations about Jamaica, but little did I know that I was in for a retreat. Now that I look back at our trip, I have to say that this tiny but mighty island has an immense lot to offer in terms of food, culture and natural beauty. You can literally spend weeks here and never get bored or run out of exciting things to do.
Before I jump into the itinerary, there’s a few important questions that would be helpful to answer.
How to get to Jamaica?
The most common ways of getting here are through air or sea, depending on where you’re coming from. If you’re going to be flying in, there are three international airports on the island,
- Montego Bay – MBJ – Donald Sangster International
- Kingston – KIN – Norman Manley International
- Ocho Rios – OCJ – Ian Fleming International
Montego Bay is the largest and has the most flight options. And if you’ll be heading to Negril once you land, then Montego Bay will be the nearest airport.
How to get around the island?
This will depend on your itinerary and length of stay. If you’re going to be staying for 5 or more days and have multiple different places on your list, then renting a car would be a good idea. It will give you more flexibility. You may have heard of how aggressively people drive in Jamaica. But don’t let that scare you off because its not as bad as it sounds. As long as you follow the rules and drive responsibly, you should be fine.
What is the best time to visit?
Jamaica has a tropical climate so it naturally gets very hot and humid during the peak summer months. Between June and November, temperatures can really soar, making it difficult to visit. So, the best time to visit is between November through March. We went in mid January and the weather was great. It was warm but not uncomfortably hot.
What to pack?
Since you’re going to a tropical place, there’s certainly a few must haves that should be part of your packing list. Here’s a few of my recommendations,
How many days are enough for Jamaica?
This depends on a few factors such as where you’re flying in from, what your budget is like, what kind of activities you’re planning on etc.
If you’re flying in from North America, then you’re lucking to be saving some time in travel. And in that case, a week or less should work fine. We flew in from the US so we planned our trip for 5 days. I have to say, though, that in 5 days we were only able to cover the west part of the island i.e. Negril and Montego Bay. We were not able to cover the east side, including the capital city Kingston. So if you’re planning on covering that as well, then plan for a week or longer.
How much is a trip to Jamaica for 5 days?
Our total trip cost per person for a 5-day trip was around $2,000. Below is the breakdown of the average cost and please note that this is as of January 2022 so it could vary depending on when you plan to travel and where you’re traveling from. Because we flew in and out of Atlanta in the US, which is fairly closer to the island, our flights were cheaper. So keep that in mind when you read through this breakdown.
Flight from US to Jamaica – $300
Car rental for 5 days with insurance – $300
Resort in Negril for 3 nights – $1100
Airbnb in Montego Bay for 2 nights – $230
Food for 5 days – $400
Excursions – $200
We split our vacation between Negril and Montego Bay so I am sharing this 5-day Jamaica itinerary to help you get the most out of this Caribbean paradise. I’ll do my best to also share the costs of the different excursions to help you plan better.
Day 1: Explore the resort at Negril
We landed at the Montego Bay airport, picked up a rental car and drove 2-hours to reach Negril. We booked our car through Island Car Rentals and our experience with them was good. If this is your first time visiting Jamaica, then Negril has to be on your Jamaica itinerary.
One of the amazing things about Jamaica is its affordability. If you’re looking for an all-inclusive resort tucked away on the edge of the ocean, you have many options to choose from. We stayed at the Tensing Pen Resort in Negril and loved everything about the property. They have multiple different room types to choose from and we booked the Garden room.
Day 1 was all about exploring our beautiful resort. So, here are some things we did on the first day,
12:00 PM – Spa at the resort
After our long and leisurely breakfast at the resort with incredible views of the ocean, we decided to go to a spa at the resort.
2:00 PM – Lunch ($120 for two people)
We then had lunch at the Zest Restaurant which was a 5-minute drive from our resort. We ordered two cocktails, two appetizers and one entree and total cost was $120.
5:00 PM – Explored the Seven Mile Beach
After lunch, we hung out at the Seven Mile beach for a while and came back to our resort.
7:00 PM – Dinner at the resort ($80 for two people)
We relaxed by the pool in the evening and decided to have dinner at the resort. I have to say that I was really impressed by the food and the cocktails there. We had a traditional Jamaican meal at The Lodge Restaurant which included Vegetable Fritters, Fried Plantains, Pumpkin and Okra Stew, Jamaican Peas and Beans.
Day 2: Blue Hole Mineral Springs and Rick’s Cafe
9:00 AM – Breakfast at Miss Lily’s ($40 for two people)
Day 2 was quite adventurous and we started with a lovely breakfast by the beach at Miss Lily’s. I am so glad we tried this place out as they have such cute ambience, a perfect location and yummy food. Their beetroot juice was so fresh and just a perfect start to the day. We ordered two juices and two entrees and the total cost was only $40 which was pretty affordable.
11:00 AM – Head to Blue Hole Mineral Springs ($20 entrance fee per person + tip as you want)
After breakfast, we drove to the Blue Hole Mineral Springs. Since we had the rental car, we decided to drive on our own but if you’re not super comfortable driving around the island or are a bit skeptical about going alone I would highly recommend booking a tour. Honestly, it’s not a very smooth drive towards the last 30 minutes of the journey, and the roads get narrower and rockier. I would say the trip was worth it because we have never swum in a mineral water hole before and the water was beautiful.
It’s essentially a swimming hole which is 35 feet deep and there’s a rope swing that can get you down into the hole. If you don’t know how to swim or are scared like me, they also have ladders that can take you down into the hole. And the staff is super friendly and helpful. We realized that this place is still not very popular as there were not many tourists when we went, but if you have never been to a mineral springs before this needs to be on your Jamaica itinerary.
2:00 PM – Lunch at Rick’s Cafe ($60 for two people)
After our little adventure at the Blue hole springs, we made our way back to Negril and our first stop was the Rick’s Cafe. This cafe doesn’t need an introduction because it’s known for its cliff jumping antics so you’ll be able to see professional divers jumping from the edge of super tall cliffs. The cafe also hosts pool parties on some days so I would recommend checking the calendar of events on their website and planning accordingly.
7:00 PM – Dinner at Rockhouse Restaurant ($100 for two people)
After our stop at the Rick’s cafe, we made our way to dinner at the Rockhouse Restaurant. Not to mention, this place has a great atmosphere and is a good stop for catching the sunset while devouring their delicious food.
Day 3: Mayfield Falls and Montego Bay
9:00 AM – Mayfield Falls ($40 for a tour guide)
Next morning, we left early after breakfast for Montego Bay. We made a pit stop at Mayfield Falls which was a bit of a detour but we really wanted to check it out as we’d read some great reviews online. We got a tour guide who took us through the falls, narrated the history of the island and took some great pictures for us. This was our very first experience of walking through a waterfall and it was amazing. The entrance is free but you can pay the tour guide if you hire one. We paid around $40 as tip to our guide since he was really good and made our experience amazing. The entire experience took about 3-4 hours.
1:00 PM – Head to Montego Bay ($230 for 2 nights in airbnb)
Since this part took almost half of our day, we were already a bit exhausted so we drove straight to our airbnb at Montego Bay, checked in and took some rest. I would highly recommend this airbnb to anyone who is looking for a budget stay in Montego Bay. This apartment is well situated in a gated community which is very clean and new. The apartment itself was stunning and very clean. We really loved staying here.
7:00 PM – Dinner and drinks at Pier 1 ($50 for two people)
In the evening, we headed out to Pier 1. As the name suggests, it’s a restaurant at the pier that has such a fun vibe. If you want to explore Jamaica’s nightlife, this is the place to be. We got here around 9pm, had dinner and then stayed back until 2am. The five reasons I’d recommend you to check this place out are its location, cocktail menu, crowd, music and safety. So I would highly suggest adding this as part of your Jamaica itinerary.
Day 4: Dunn’s River Falls and Luminous Lagoon Tour
10:00 AM – Dunn’s River Falls ($25 entrance fee per person)
Day 4 was all about exploring the beauty of Montego Bay. The two things we had planned for the day were Dunn’s River Falls and Luminous Lagoon Tour.
Since there are many cruise ship tours that stop at the Dunn’s River Falls, this place can get very crowded so it’s recommended to call ahead to ask when is the best time to visit.
These Falls are massive and they start at the beach, which is where people typically start climbing the falls from. They are tiered and there are two options for the path – the dry path along the side of the waterfall and the wet path which is what we took. The wet path was a great experience for us as it had several natural pool areas and some spots felt literally like we were in a jacuzzi. But the wet climb can be very slippery so I’d recommend wearing robust water shoes.
7:00 PM – Luminous Lagoon Tour ($25 per person)
After this incredible experience, we made a pit stop for lunch and then headed to our Luminous Lagoon tour which we booked through here. Jamaica’s luminous lagoon is one of the four in the world that provides an amazing bioluminescence experience. They say that it’s the largest and brightest in the world. We took a boat ride from the Glistening Waters Restaurant at around 7pm and it was a 20 minute ride to the lagoon. The boat is then stopped for a few minutes and you can get into the water and swim with the bioluminescent organisms for an experience of a lifetime.
Day 5: Hip Strip and Crafts Market
9:00 AM – Explore Hip Strip
Day 5 was our last day in this land of paradise and we spent it mostly at The Hip Strip. We did some shopping to take back some souvenirs and we also brought back the famous Blue Mountain Coffee. We also spent some time at the Montego Bay crafts market where you can find a lot of interesting handmade stuff.
3:00 PM – Flight back home
Saying goodbye to this beautiful island was quite hard after having spent so much great time here but it was sufficient to give me a hankering to return.
Hope you find this Jamaica itinerary helpful!
Here’s another post for my top 5 restaurant recommendations in Jamaica so don’t forget to check it out.
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