Perhaps the most popular of Jamaica’s three main resort areas, Negril is split between its 7 miles (12 km) of picture-perfect white sand, backed by the wide Norman Manley Boulevard, and the limestone cliffs that make up the island’s extreme western tip. Both cliffs and beach are lined with hotels, restaurants, and the ever-busy bars that have helped to give the area its reputation for nightlife and loud music; rarely a high-season weekend goes by without a huge stage show taking place, and visitors can dance in the sand to live reggae most nights of the week.

With its clear warm waters, sheltered by a reef and almost mirror calm, the beach is one of the Caribbean’s best. However, the beauty of the place also means crowds of people, including vendors selling everything from hair braids or glass-bottom boat rides to ganja (cannabis). Hotels set up loungers and umbrellas on the sand for the use of their guests, but there are plenty of bars and restaurants that also offer beach facilities.

For a quieter environment, it is best to head east along the sand toward Long Bay beach park, where the buildings thin out and the hustle also diminishes accordingly.

Ranged along pockmarked limestone cliffs that sheer off into 13-ft (4-m) deep, crystal-clear waters studded with lovely reefs, the West End , south of downtown Negril, is a world away from the beach. It is relatively quieter, although still home to some seriously upscale hotels, as well as a multitude of places geared towards budget travelers. The swimming on offer is fantastic, and restaurants and hotels have stairs down the cliffs and ladders to get in and out – but it should be borne in mind that exiting can be challenging when the water is choppy.

The West End also provides the perfect spot for watching the sun set, with bars offering happy hour, live music, and cliff-diving displays, during which divers plunge into the sea from amazingly high cliffs.

Sheffield Road trundles inland from Negril’s main roundabout toward the dusty market town and parish capital of Savanna-la-Mar. There is not much to see in the town, so it is best to turn off the main road before getting into “Sav” proper. Signposts lead visitors to Roaring River Park , just outside the small community of Petersfield. Set in a former plantation, the park has a deep cave to explore.

However, the real draw is the Blue Hole Garden , just a 5-minute drive farther down the road, where a deep blue spring-water pool overhung with greenery makes it a magical place for a swim.

Northeast of Negril, the coastal highway swings past a few diverting attractions. The first is Rhodes Hall Plantation,  a 550-acre (220-ha) coconut and vegetable plantation that offers horse-riding both inland and along the beach. There is a crocodile reserve and bird sanctuary on-site. Visitors also have the opportunity to snorkel or enjoy a dip in the mineral spring infinity pool. Just beyond is Half Moon Beach , the polar opposite of Negril with no motorized watersports or hassle, just a calm cove, hammocks to swing in, and a good restaurant. Both destinations can be reached either by bus or shared taxi.

Inland from the coast, in the heart of the Dolphin Head Mountains, lies another tour-company staple – Mayfield Falls . There are 22 mini-cascades along a greenery shrouded river. It is a good idea to take a guided walk up the river, which has lots of deep swimming pools, and get a snack or drink, or change into swimwear at the base. At the end of the tour, visitors are led back through pastures lined with fruit trees and clusters of bamboo. The falls can be hard to find, but all the local taxi drivers know the way.