You're flying off to Jamaica to relax and have a good time--not to waste precious vacation hours searching for the best deals and experiences. So take us along and we'll do the work for you.
We've tested the best beaches, reviewed countless restaurants, inspected the hotels, sampled the best scuba diving, and taken the best hikes. We've found the best buys, the hottest nightclubs, and even the best places to get away from it all when you want to escape the crowds. This guide contains our very opinionated selection, compiled after years of traveling through this island.
And here is a selection of the best places to take up digs on your vacation in Jamaica:
Montego Bay--Montego Bay made its first appearance on the world's tourism stage in the 1940s when wealthy travelers discovered the warm, spring-fed waters of Doctor's Cave Beach. Now Jamaica's second-largest community, the town of Mo Bay--as the locals call it--lies on the northwest coast of the island. In spite of its large influx of visitors, Montego Bay retains its own identity. A thriving business and commercial center, it functions as the main market town for most of western Jamaica. It supports cruise-ship piers and a growing industrial center at the free port.
Montego Bay is served by its own airport, Donald Sangster International, so vacationers coming to Jamaica have little need to visit Kingston, the island's capital, unless they want to see its cultural and historic attractions. Otherwise, you'll find everything in Mo Bay, the most cosmopolitan of Jamaica's resort areas.
Some 23 miles east of Montego Bay, the small 18th-century port town of Falmouth is one of the most interesting morning or afternoon excursions from Mo Bay. (Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay are other good choices.) Falmouth is not really a tourist town. The community revolves around farming and fishing; more than any resort town, it is the "real" Jamaica.
Negril--On the arid western tip of Jamaica, Negril has had a reputation for bacchanalia, hedonism, marijuana smoking, and nude bathing since hippies discovered its sunny shores during the late 1960s (long before they helped establish Negril's reputation for debauchery, it was noted for the buccaneer Calico Jack, famous for carousing with the infamous women pirates Ann Bonney and Mary Read). The resort became more mainstream in the early 1990s as the big-money capitalists of Kingston and North America built several new megaresorts, most of them managed by Jamaica's SuperClubs. Not all of the old reputation has disappeared, however, for some resorts here reserve stretches of their beach for nude bathers, and illegal ganja is peddled openly.
Whether clothed or unclothed, visitors are drawn to Negril's Seven Mile Beach of white sand and some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Jamaica. Opening onto a tranquil lagoon protected from the Caribbean by a coral reef, this great beach is set against a backdrop of sea grapes and coconut palms. Local authorities mandate that no building can be taller than the highest palm tree, resulting in an ecologically conscious setting, with the resorts blending gracefully into the flat and sandy landscape.
There are really two Negrils. The West End is the site of many little authentic restaurants with names like Chicken Lavish, and of modest cottages that still take in paying guests. The other Negril is on the east end, along the road from Montego Bay. The best hotels, such as Negril Gardens, line the panoramic beachfront. The actual town itself may have power and phones these days, but it has little of interest to travelers. The only building of any historic note in the area is Negril Lighthouse, at the westerly tip of Jamaica. Built in 1894, it offers a chance to climb some 100 steps for a view of Negril Point, the bay, and the sea inlet. An automatic light flashes every 2 seconds throughout the night. You can still see the old kerosene lamps that were used until the 1940s, when they were replaced by gas lamps.
Chances are, however, your main concern will be staking out your own favorite spot along Negril's Seven Mile Beach. You don't need to get up for anything; somebody will be along to serve you. Perhaps it'll be the banana lady, with a basket of fruit perched on her head. Maybe the ice-cream man will set up a stand right under a coconut palm. Surely, the beer lady will find you as she strolls along the beach, a carton of Red Stripe on her head and a bucket of ice in her hand. And just like in the old days, hordes of young men peddling illegal ganja will seek you out. At some point, you'll want to leave the beach long enough to explore Booby Key (or Cay), a tiny islet off the Negril coast. It was featured in the Walt Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Negril is 50 miles (about a 2-hour drive) southwest of the Montego Bay international airport, along a winding road, past ruins of sugar estates and great houses. It's 150 miles (about a 4-hour drive) west of Kingston. If you're going to Negril, you'll fly into Donald Sangster Airport in Montego Bay. Most hotels, particularly the all-inclusive resorts, will pick you up and drive you directly to your hotel. Be sure to ask when you book.
If your hotel doesn't provide transfers, you have a few options. You can fly on from Montego Bay to Negril's small airport aboard the independent carrier, Air Jamaica Express, booking your connection through the Air Jamaica reservations network. The airfare is $55 one way. If you don't want to deal with another flight, public and private bus companies have desks in the Montego Bay airport, all offering a U.S.$20 one-way fare to get you to Negril. The public bus is not a comfortable way to go for the 2-hour trip. Two private companies making the run are Tour Wise and Caribic Vacations. All buses make one refreshment stop at a halfway point during the trip. Buses depart as flights arrive and will drop you off at your hotel once you reach Negril.
Yet another option is renting a car. From Montego Bay, drive 52 miles west along Route A1. Because of conditions, plan for a 90-minute drive. A final option is to take a taxi; dozens are available at the airport. A typical one-way fare from Montego Bay to Negril is from $50 to $60. Always negotiate and agree upon the fare before getting into the taxi.
Mandeville & the South Coast--The "English Town," Mandeville lies on a plateau more than 2,000 feet above the sea, in the tropical highlands. The small commercial part of the town is surrounded by a sprawling residential area popular with the large North American expatriate population (mostly involved with the bauxite-mining industry). Much cooler than the coastal resorts, it's a possible base from which to explore the entire island.
Shopping in the town is a pleasure, whether in the old center or in one of the modern complexes, such as Grove Court. The market in the center of town teems with life, particularly on weekends when the country folk bus into town for their weekly visit. Among the several interesting old buildings, the square-towered church built in 1820 contains fine stained glass, and the little churchyard has an interesting history. The Court House, built in 1816, is a fine old Georgian stone-and-wood building with a pillared portico reached by a steep, sweeping double staircase. There's also Marshall's Pen, one of the great houses in Mandeville.
Ocho Rios & Runaway Bay--A 2-hour drive east from Montego Bay or west from Port Antonio, Ocho Rios was once a small banana and fishing port, but tourism long ago became its leading industry. Now Jamaica's cruise-ship capital, the bay is dominated on one side by a bauxite-loading terminal and on the other by a range of hotels with sandy beaches fringed by palm trees.
Ocho Rios and neighboring Port Antonio have long been associated with celebrities, the two most-famous writers being Sir Noël Coward, who invited the world to his Jamaican doorstep, and Ian Fleming, who created James Bond while writing here.
It is commonly assumed among Spanish-speakers that Ocho Rios was named for eight rivers, its Spanish meaning, but the islanders disagree. In 1657, British troops chased off a Spanish expeditionary force that had launched a raid from Cuba. The battle was near Dunn's River Falls, now the resort's most important attraction. Seeing the rapids, the Spanish called the district los chorreros. That battle between the Spanish and the British forces was so named. The British and the Jamaicans weren't too good with Spanish names back then, so los chorreros was corrupted into "ocho rios."
Ocho Rios has its own unique flavor, offering the usual range of sports and a major fishing tournament every fall in addition to a wide variety of accommodations, including all-inclusive resorts, couples-only complexes, elegant retreats (some with spas), and inns exhibiting what is left of the area's former colonial culture.
But frankly, unless you're a passenger, you may want to stay away from the major attractions on cruise-ship days. Even the duty-free shopping markets are overrun then, and the street hustlers become more strident in trying to sell their souvenirs. Dunn's River Falls becomes almost impossible to visit at these times.
In our view, you go to overrun Ocho Rios only if you're resort oriented. True, it possesses some of the leading inns of the Caribbean as well as two stellar Sandals properties. When in the area, we prefer to stay away from the center of Ocho Rios itself, perhaps at a resort in Runaway Bay or something really special like Ian Fleming's "Goldeneye."
Port Antonio--From Ocho Rios, drive east along Highway A4/A3, which will take you through some sleepy fishing villages, including Port Maria, until you reach Port Antonio. Since it's situated on the coast just north of the Blue Mountains, Port Antonio is surrounded by some of the most rugged and beautiful scenery in Jamaica. Many visitors prefer to visit the mountains and highlands from a base here, rather than starting out in Kingston, thus avoiding the capital's urban sprawl.
Although Port Antonio was the cradle of Jamaican tourist development, it has been eclipsed by other areas such as Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril. It remains a preferred hideaway, however, for a chic and elegant crowd that still vacations in its handful of posh hotels. The tourist flow to Port Antonio began in the 1890s, when cruise-ship passengers started to arrive for rest and relaxation. Perched above twin harbors, the estuary was pronounced by the poet Ella Wheeler as "the most exquisite harbor on earth."
Port Antonio is a verdant and sleepy seaport 63 miles northeast of Kingston (you may have seen it as the setting for Tom Cruise's old film Cocktail). Here, you can still catch a glimpse of the Jamaica of 100 years ago. The titled and the wealthy have come here before you--European duchesses and barons, along with film stars like Linda Evans, Raquel Welch, and Peter O'Toole. Whoopi Goldberg came here to film Clara's Heart.
The small, bustling town itself is like many on Jamaica: clean but ramshackle, with sidewalks around a market filled with vendors. Tin-roofed shacks compete with old Georgian and modern brick and concrete buildings. Lots of people busily shop, talk, and laugh, while others sit and play dominoes (loudly banging the pieces on the table, which is very much part of the game). The colorful market is a place to browse for local craftwork, spices, and fruits.
In the old days, visitors arrived by banana boat and stayed at the Titchfield Hotel (since burned down) in a lush, tropical part of the island unspoiled by modern tourist gimmicks. Captain Bligh landed here in 1793 with his cargo of breadfruit plants from Tahiti, and Port Antonio claims that the breadfruit grown here are the best on the island. Visitors still arrive by water, but now it's on cruise ships, which moor close to Navy Island and send their passengers ashore just for the day.
Navy Island and the long-gone Titchfield Hotel were owned for a short time by film star Errol Flynn. The story is that after suffering damage to his yacht, he put into Kingston for repairs, visited Port Antonio by motorbike, fell in love with the area, and in due course acquired Navy Island (in a gambling game, some say). Later, he either lost or sold it and bought a nearby plantation, Comfort Castle, which is still owned by his widow, Patrice Wymore Flynn, who spends most of her time here. He was much loved and admired by the Jamaicans and was totally integrated into the community. They still talk of him in Port Antonio, especially the men, who refer to his legendary womanizing and drinking in reverent tones.
We find Port Antonio an elite retreat, not as undiscovered as it was when William Randolph Hearst or J. P. Morgan visited, but a virtual Shangri-la when compared to Ocho Rios or Montego Bay. It also has some of the finest beaches in Jamaica and has long been a center for some of the Caribbean's best deep-sea fishing. It's a good place to go to get away from it all.
Kingston & the Blue Mountains--Kingston, the largest English-speaking city in the Caribbean, is the capital of Jamaica and its cultural, industrial, and financial center. It's home to more than 750,000 people, including those living on the plains between Blue Mountain and the sea. The buildings here are a mixture of the modern, graceful, old, and just plain ramshackle. It's a busy city, as you might expect, with a natural harbor that's the seventh largest in the world. The University of the West Indies has its campus on the edge of the city.
Few other cities in the Caribbean carry as many negative connotations for North American travelers as Kingston, thanks to widely publicized, and sometimes exaggerated, reports of violent crime. Coupled with that is urban congestion, potholed roads, and difficult-to-decipher directional signs that make navigating this city more complicated than navigating any other destination in Jamaica.
But if you're an urban dweller who copes with everyday life in, say, New York, Atlanta, or Los Angeles, Kingston offers resources and charms that aren't duplicated anywhere else. It is here that Jamaica is at its most urbanized and confident, its most witty, its most exciting, and its most challenging. No other place in Jamaica offers as many singles bars, dance clubs, or cultural outlets. And no other place in Jamaica has the creative cauldron wherein ideas and opinions are as sharply focused. Kingston can be very stimulating and very far removed from the tourist-oriented concerns that drive the economic engines of Negril, Ocho Rios, or Montego Bay.
We've carefully screened the recommendations contained within this guide, eliminating any that lie within the most dangerous neighborhoods. So, keep an open mind about Kingston--it can be a lot of fun and very exciting.
Nearby Port Royal and Spanish Town are well worth a visit, as Kingston's history is linked to both of these historic towns. Kingston itself was founded by survivors of the great 1692 earthquake that destroyed Port Royal; in 1872, Kingston replaced Spanish Town as Jamaica's capital.
