Jamaica Offers Ecotourism, Adventure, Beaches

Resorts in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Negril

© Karen Berger

Mar 20, 2009

Jamaica's all-inclusive resorts, hotels, private villas, small B and Bs, and boutique hotels are available in all price ranges. And each of the island's main tourism centers has its own character.

Jamaica's Resort Areas and Tourist Destinations

• Most tourists arrive in Montego Bay (Mo' Bay), Jamaica's second-largest city. (Kingston is the biggest, and the capital, but it has a gritty urban feel that most tourists find off-putting.) While visitors will find more authentic Jamaican culture elsewhere on the island, away from the big hotels, Mo' Bay has a thriving tourist infrastructure, with lots of big name resorts, including plenty of all-inclusives, as well as scuba diving, night life, dining, and golf. And it's also convenient, with its own international airport (Daniel Sangster).
• Ocho Rios. Two hours from Mo' Bay, Ocho Rios is a popular spot for Americans. It's a cruise ship port, with a sophisticated tourism infrastructure. With a quieter feel than Mo' Bay and less bustle than Negril, Ocho Rios appeals to upscale travelers, although there are accommodations in all price ranges. Attractions include beautiful beaches, history (Ian Fleming wrote part of some of his James Bond novels here), waterfalls, and botanical gardens.
• Negril: Known for its seven-mile long beach and its laid back atmosphere, Negril retains a bit of the Rasta-hippie flavor that made it famous in the 60s, but it has also been built up, with one all-inclusive resort after another hugging the beach. The majority of the big resorts are on East End of Negril, with the smaller, independent resorts tending to be along the West End cliffs. There's good snorkeling and diving here.

Jamaica's Secret Hideaways

• Located on Jamaica's northeastern coast, Port Antonio feels a world away from an all-inclusive resort holiday. Most tourists here stay in villas, which are either built right along the water or up in the hills. A string of pretty little crescent shaped beaches, some with good snorkeling, are located just off the main road. This is Jamaica's lush, tropical side, and the sleepy town appeals to a wide range of visitors: Europeans, ecotourists, and even some celebrities. (The town once attracted Hollywood stars like Bette Davis and Ginger Rogers, although its most famous resident celebrities were the swashbuckling Errol Flynn and author Ian Fleming, who wrote some of his James Bond novels here as well as in Ocho Rios). Port Antonio is also the closest major town to Blue Mountain, Jamaica’s highest peak, which is worth a visit in its own right.
• Jamaica's still-unspoiled South Coast is reminiscent of what the Caribbean might have been liked before the big hotel chains moved in. Hotels tend to be privately owned and modest in scale; most guests stay in guest houses or villas. There isn't much in the way of tourist infrastructure – no themed just-for-tourist parties, or indeed, much in the way of nightlife at all. Mostly, tourists relax and locals go about their daily lives. Black River is the main market center, and Treasure Beach is a jewel of a town for a relaxing getaway. This is the kinds of place to bring a suitcase of books (or a Kindle), although there is good snorkeling, the possibility of taking a trip into the interior, and scenic boat rides up the Black River. This is the dry side of the island; the scruffy vegetation (which includes some cactus) is in stark contrast to the lush north coast..

An island of many faces, Jamaica appeals to a wide range of visitors, for a wide range of reasons. And with so much to explore, many tourists return again and again.

Jamaica Sunset

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