Negril
Negril is Jamaica with its shoes off: Seven Mile Beach's swimmable, sunset-facing sand on one end and the snorkel-and-cliff-jump West End cliffs on the other. The resorts run lower-rise and barefoot-luxe rather than towering, the reggae is live, and evenings organize themselves around the sun going down. You pay for it with the island's longest common transfer (about 75–90 minutes from MBJ), and it's worth it.
- Airport
- Sangster (MBJ), ~75–90 min transfer
- The beach
- Seven Mile Beach + Bloody Bay
- cliffs on the West End
- Best for
- Beach purists, couples, long unhurried stays
- Signature
- Sunsets at Rick's Café
- calm swimmable water
- Vibe
- Barefoot, low-rise, reggae-paced
Where Negril splits
The resort areas are not interchangeable. What each one is actually for.
Westmoreland Parish
Azul Beach Resort Negril by Karisma, four-star.
When to go to Negril
Climate normals for Seven Mile Beach, and our verdict on each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily high | 83 degrees Fahrenheit | 83 degrees Fahrenheit | 84 degrees Fahrenheit | 85 degrees Fahrenheit | 87 degrees Fahrenheit | 89 degrees Fahrenheit | 89 degrees Fahrenheit | 89 degrees Fahrenheit | 88 degrees Fahrenheit | 87 degrees Fahrenheit | 86 degrees Fahrenheit | 84 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Rainfall | 0.8″ | 0.6″ | 0.7″ | 1.3″ | 4.2″ | 3.8″ | 2.6″ | 3.8″ | 5.5″ | 7″ | 3.2″ | 1.4″ |
| Verdict | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Off-peak | Shoulder | Good | Shoulder | Off-peak | Off-peak | Shoulder | Prime |
Sweet spot. December–April, with a sunset every night of the year; rainy season runs May–June and September–November.
Storm risk. In the hurricane belt; season June–November, watch August–October.
Sargassum. The west-facing beach stays clearer than Caribbean east coasts; occasional patches in big influx years.
Figures are long-term climate normals for Seven Mile Beach, good for planning. They are not a forecast.
Beach end or cliff end?
Seven Mile Beach (and quieter Bloody Bay at its north end) is where the all-inclusives live: wide sand, waveless swimming, beach bars that blur into each other pleasantly. The West End cliffs trade sand for drama: boutique cliffside hotels, snorkel coves, and front-row sunset. Most all-inclusive travelers stay on the beach and visit the cliffs for an evening.
Negril's scale stays human (few buildings top the palms, a legacy of local height rules), which is exactly why it feels different from every other resort strip in the Caribbean.
When to go
Same island calendar as the rest of Jamaica: December–April prime, shoulder value in May–June and November, hurricane season June–November with the watchful stretch in early fall. The west-facing beach means calm water most of the year and a sunset every single night.
Beyond the resort
Cliff-jump (or just drink) at Rick's Café, boat the coast to snorkel coves, day-trip to YS Falls and the Pelican Bar (a driftwood bar on a sandbar a quarter mile out to sea), and eat jerk at the beach shacks. Negril's excursion list is short because the beach is the excursion.
Where the Negril resorts are
6 resorts mapped stars are five-star properties
6 mapped · marks five-star
The best all-inclusive resorts in Negril
The Negril properties we would actually book.
Where to stay in Negril
The resort areas we cover, and which properties sit in each.
Resort chains in Negril
The brands operating here. Each links to its full ranking and what its plan really covers.
Where these companies came from
Almost nobody in this category publishes it. Read oldest first and the list is a short history of how Negril came to look the way it does.
Negril, head to head
Price, flights, sand, food and safety, compared honestly.
Negril vs MexicoDominican RepublicMaldivesGreeceSpainTurks & CaicosArubaBarbadosSt. LuciaItalyPortugalTurkeyAntiguaCuraçaoBrazilCosta RicaPhilippinesFrench PolynesiaMoroccoEgyptSouth AfricaMauritiusKenyaTanzaniaMozambiqueThailandIndonesiaMalaysiaPunta CanaCancúnRiviera MayaLos CabosPuerto VallartaMontego BayOcho RiosGuanacasteCreteBahiaBora BoraMalé AtollsRodney BayBarbados South CoastBarbados West CoastViti LevuVanua LevuFijiCroatiaU.S. Virgin IslandsSri LankaSeychellesBahamasChileArgentinaUnited States
Frequently asked questions
Is the transfer to Negril worth it?
If beach quality is your top criterion, yes: Seven Mile is the island's best sand and among the Caribbean's best. If you land late or leave early, consider a first/last night in Montego Bay to soften the 75–90 minute runs.
Is Negril good for families?
The water is famously calm and shallow (great for kids), and Beaches Negril is built exactly for them. The overall vibe skews couples and laid-back, so families wanting waterparks and big kids' clubs should pick their resort specifically.