Overview Attractions Honeymoon Resorts Nightlife

Most visitors already have a mental picture of Jamaica before they arrive: its boisterous culture of reggae and Rastafarianism; its white sandy beaches; and its jungles, rivers, mountains, and clear waterfalls. Jamaica's art and cuisine are also remarkable.

Jamaica can be a tranquil and intriguing island, but there's no denying that it's plagued by crime and drugs. There is also palpable racial tension here. But many visitors are unaffected; they're escorted from the airport to their hotel grounds and venture out only on expensive organized tours. These vacationers are largely sheltered from the more unpredictable and sometimes dangerous side of island life. Those who want to see "the real Jamaica," or at least to see the island in greater depth, should be prepared for some hassle. Vendors on the beaches and in the markets can be particularly aggressive.

Most Jamaicans, in spite of hard times, have unrelenting good humor and genuinely welcome visitors to the island. Others, certainly a minority, harm the tourism business, so that many visitors vow never to return. Jamaica's appealing aspects have to be weighed against its poverty and problems, the legacy of traumatic political upheavals that have characterized the island in past decades, beginning in the 1970s.

So, should you go? By all means, yes. Be prudent and cautious--just as if you were visiting New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. But Jamaica is worth it! The island has fine hotels and terrific food. It's well geared to couples who come to tie the knot or celebrate their honeymoon. As for sports, Jamaica boasts the best golf courses in the West Indies, and its landscape affords visitors a lot of activities that often aren't available on other islands, like rafting and serious mountain hiking. The island also has some of the finest diving waters in the world.

This country lies 90 miles south of Cuba, with which it was chummy in the 1970s (when much of the world feared that Jamaica was going Communist). It's the third largest of the Caribbean islands, with some 4,400 square miles of predominantly green, lush land; a mountain ridge that climbs to 7,400 feet above sea level; and many beautiful white-sand beaches with clear blue sea.

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Montego Bay

Situated on the northwestern coast of the island, Montego Bay first attracted tourists in the 1940s when Doctor's Cave Beach became popular with wealthy vacationers, who bathed in the warm water fed by mineral springs. It's now Jamaica's second-largest city.

Despite the large influx of visitors, Montego Bay still retains its own identity as a thriving business and commercial center, and functions as the market town for most of western Jamaica. It has cruise-ship piers and a growing industrial center at the free port.

Since Montego Bay has its own airport, those who vacation here have little need to visit Kingston, the island's capital. You'll have everything you need in Mo Bay, the most cosmopolitan of Jamaica's resorts.

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Negril

This once sleepy village has turned into a tourist mecca, with visitors drawn to its beaches along three well-protected bays: Long Bay, Bloody Bay (now Negril Harbour), and Orange Bay. Negril became famous in the late 1960s when it attracted laid-back American and Canadian youths, who liked the idea of a place with no phones and no electricity; they rented modest digs in little houses on the West End where the local people extended their hospitality. But those days are long gone. Today, more sophisticated hotels and all-inclusive resorts, such as Hedonism II and Sandals Negril, draw a better-heeled and less rowdy crowd, including Europeans.

On the western tip of the island, Negril is now famous for its J Seven Mile Beach. The town is 50 miles and about a 2-hour drive from Montego Bay's airport, along a winding road and past ruins of sugar estates and great houses. At some point you'll want to explore Booby Cay, a tiny islet off the Negril coast.

There are really two Negrils: The West End is the site of many little local restaurants, and cottages that still receive visitors. The other Negril is on the east end, the first you approach on the road coming in from Montego Bay. Here are the upscale hotels, with some of the most panoramic beachfronts.

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Ocho Rios

This north-coast resort is a 2-hour drive east of Montego Bay or west of Port Antonio. Ocho Rios was once a small banana and fishing port, but tourism became the leading industry long ago. Short on charm, it's 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 Sir Noël Coward (who invited the world to his doorstep) and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.

Frankly, unless you're a cruise passenger, you may want to stay away from the major attractions when a ship is in port. The duty-free markets are overrun then, and the hustlers become more strident in pushing their crafts and junk souvenirs. Dunn's River Falls becomes almost impossible to visit at those times.

However, Ocho Rios has its own unique flavor and offers the usual range of sports, including a major fishing tournament every fall, in addition to a wide variety of accommodations.

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Port Antonio

Port Antonio, sometimes called the Jamaica of 100 years ago, is a verdant and sleepy seaport on the northeast coast, 63 miles northeast of Kingston. It's the mecca of the titled and the wealthy, including European royalty and stars like Whoopi Goldberg and Peter O'Toole.

This small, bustling town is like many on the island: clean but untidy, with sidewalks around a market filled with vendors, and tin-roofed shacks competing with old Georgian and modern brick and concrete buildings. At the market, you can browse for local craftwork, spices, and fruits.

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Facts

Visitor Information. Before you go, you can get information from the Jamaica Tourist Board at the following U.S. addresses: 500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1030, Chicago, IL 60611 (312/527-1296); 1320 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 1101, Coral Gables, FL 33146 (305/665-0557); 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 805, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213/384-1123); 801 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017 (212/856-9727). In Atlanta, information can be obtained by phone only (770/452-7799).

Once on the island, you'll find tourist offices at 2 St. Lucia Ave., Kingston (876/929-9200); Cornwall Beach, St. James, Montego Bay (876/952-4425); Shop no. 29, Coral Seas Plaza, Negril (876/957-4243); in the Ocean Village Shopping Centre, Ocho Rios (876/974-2582); in City Centre Plaza, Port Antonio (876/993-3051); and in Hendriks Building, 2 High St., Black River (876/965-2074). Jamaica is on the Internet at www.jamaicatravel.com.

Currency. The unit of currency on Jamaica is the Jamaican dollar, and it uses the same symbol as the U.S. dollar ($). There is no fixed rate of exchange for the Jamaican dollar. Subject to market fluctuations, it's traded publicly. Visitors to Jamaica can pay for any goods in U.S. dollars. Be careful! Ask whether a price is being quoted in Jamaican or U.S. dollars.

In this guide we've generally followed the price-quotation policy of the establishment, whether in Jamaican dollars or U.S. dollars. The symbol "J$" denotes prices in Jamaican dollars; the conversion into U.S. dollars follows in parentheses. When dollar figures stand alone, they are always U.S. currency.

Jamaican currency is issued in banknotes of J$10, J$20, J$50, J$100, and J$500. Coins are available in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, J$1, and J$5. Five-dollar banknotes and one-cent coins are also in circulation, but are increasingly rare. Although subject to change, the exchange rate of Jamaican currency is J$36 to U.S.$1 (J$1 equals about 2.8¢ U.S. cents). There are Bank of Jamaica exchange bureaus at both international airports (Montego Bay and Kingston), at cruise-ship piers, and in most hotels.

Customs. Do not bring in or take out illegal drugs from Jamaica. Your luggage will be searched; marijuana-sniffing police dogs are stationed at the airport. Otherwise, you can bring in most items intended for personal use.

Documents. U.S. and Canadian residents need a passport and a return or ongoing ticket. In lieu of a passport, an original birth certificate plus photo ID will do. Always check, however, with your airline in case document requirements have changed. Other visitors, including British subjects, need passports, good for a maximum stay of 6 months.

Immigration cards, needed for bank transactions and currency exchange, are given to visitors at the airport arrival desks.

Electricity. Most places have the standard 110 volts AC (60 cycles), as in the United States. However, some establishments operate on 220 volts AC (50 cycles). If your hotel is on a different current from your U.S.-made appliance, ask for a transformer and adapter.

Weather. Expect temperatures around 80° to 90°F on the coast. Winter is a little cooler. In the mountains it can get as low as 40°F. There is generally a breeze, which in winter is noticeably cool. The rainy periods generally are October and November (although it can extend into December) and May and June. Normally rain comes in short, sharp showers; then the sun shines.

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