Jamaica travel guide

White sand, endless sunshine, rum on tap — what’s not to love? Add to that dramatic, jungle-clad mountains and locals as laid-back and straight-talking as you’d hope, and you’ve got yourself an island worth spending some quality time in.
Jamaica has long attracted the great and the good to its shores, despite a troubled history — from colonisation via pirates to an 18th-century economy built on slavery. During the 20th century there was a more benign boom: tourism. Stars, royals and dignitaries flocked to Jamaica, from Elizabeth Taylor, the Queen Mother and Marilyn Monroe to Lucian Freud, Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming. Hotels sprung up and resorts prospered, catering to a new influx of visitors hungry for a slice of blissed-out Caribbean charm — then Bob Marley exploded onto the scene, bringing Jamaica’s own brand of ganja-fuelled beats to the world.
The island’s appeal hasn’t faded over the years, although it still has a few tricks up its sleeve. From the contemporary music scene of Kingston to coffee tours of the Blue Mountains or the grand old plantation houses reinvented as grown-up adventure playgrounds, Jamaica is a place to turn up and tune in.
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While it’s tempting to stake your spot on the beach and spend your entire holiday moving between sand, sea and rum cocktail, you’d be missing the whole point of Jamaica. This is a thriving island, with a fascinating culture and a ravishingly gorgeous coast as well as an interior that merits at least a few days’ exploring.
The big-name resorts are along the west and north coast, from Negril, via Montego Bay (or Mo Bay), to Ocho Rios, all with white-sand beaches and a huge choice of hotels, bars and restaurants. The northeast has a very different vibe, centred on sleepy Port Antonio and its jungle-clad hills — and Frenchman’s Cove, one of the loveliest beaches on the island. A little further east is the Blue Lagoon (known locally as the Blue Hole), open to the sea, but fed by freshwater springs that give the water its hypnotic jade hues. River rafting on the Rio Grande, also in the northeast, is a dreamy way to spend half a day. You can raft on the Martha Brae and the Great River, near Montego Bay.
Back at Ocho Rios, Dunn’s River Falls are hugely popular, where visitors can climb up the rock pools and watch the water fall right into the sea, while Mystic Mountain is a chair-lift ride that takes you up through the rainforest, with the option of a zipline or bobsleigh to barrel you 1,000m back to sea level. Head to Luminous Lagoon, also known as Glistening Waters, after dark for a boat tour of its spookily bioluminescent waters.
The best beaches include Doctor’s Cave Beach Club in Montego Bay, named for the water’s apparent healing qualities, and James Bond Beach, near Ocho Rios, where Sean Connery watched Ursula Andress emerge from the water in Doctor No. Perhaps the most photogenic, though, is the white-sand stretch of Seven Mile Beach in Negril.
Make time for a drive around the spectacular Blue Mountains, and for a taste of authentic Jamaican culture spend a few hours in Kingston, for a plate of curry goat and a guided tour of the Bob Marley Museum, where he recorded many of his albums — and yes, you may well find yourself taking part in a group rendition of One Love.
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Most visitors make a beeline for the resorts of Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Negril, with its clifftop bars, beautiful Seven Mile Beach and laid-back nightlife, is the most relaxed, while Ocho Rios is at the other end of the spectrum, known for its all-inclusives and cruise ships. Here, the historic Jamaica Inn has long been a favourite of Hollywood stars (Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller honeymooned here), while a little further east is GoldenEye. This stylish collection of cottages, villas and beach huts, owned by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records and Bob Marley’s producer, includes Ian Fleming’s former villa.
Montego Bay has the main airport (there’s another in the capital, Kingston), plus long, white-sand beaches, manicured golf courses and a big choice of restaurants, hotels and bars. Here, the best-known hotels include Round Hill, an elegant beachside hotel with rooms styled by Ralph Lauren. Half Moon is the smartest of the all-inclusives.
GeeJam, near Port Antonio, has pretty bungalows hidden in the rainforest, with a hip bar and its own recording studio that has hosted Amy Winehouse, Snoop Dogg, Rihanna and Katy Perry among others. Up in the Blue Mountains is Strawberry Hill, with its posh, whitewashed plantation-style cottages and views over Kingston.
In Negril, Rockhouse, perched on the cliffs, has a boutiquey feel with rooms dotted in lush gardens, and a pool built into the rocks. Its sister property, Skylark, recently opened right on the beach, sporting a cool 1950s Miami Beach look. Laid-back, off-beat Jakes is in Treasure Beach in the rugged southwest, a very relaxed offering with colourful cottages by the sea.
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Food is everywhere in Jamaica, with wooden roadside stalls selling everything from coconuts, jackfruit and mangoes to spicy meat-filled patties and jerk chicken in tin foil, hot off the smouldering coals. As an aside, it’s safe to eat at them as street food and drink vendors have to be certified. The big resorts and hotels do, of course, run the full gamut of international food, if that’s your thing.
For some of Jamaica’s best-known fusion food, head to The Houseboat Grill, moored in Montego Bay Marine Park, a two-floor boat with gorgeous views of the sea and coast. Miss T’s Kitchen in Ocho Rios is a colourful, traditional spot for Jamaican favourites such as jerk shrimp and saltfish and ackee, while local superstar Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records has outposts in Montego Bay and Kingston, serving jerk chicken, burgers and a wide selection of rum. There’s more jerk — of every variety, plus rum ribs and grilled catch of the day — at Scotchies, also in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
For an authentic plate of curried goat and roti, seek out Moby Dick on an unassuming street in Kingston. And for beautiful sunset views — and of thrill-seekers hurling themselves from the cliffs into the sea — head to the always-busy Rick’s Café in Negril.
Hire a private (certified) taxi and spend the day exploring the Blue Mountains. The mist-snagged peaks and lush valleys are swathed in tropical jungle, where the flowers are the size of trumpets and every turn reveals a ridiculously photogenic waterfall. The interior is dotted with small farms growing bananas, sugar cane, yams and coffee — stop off at the Old Tavern Estate to buy beans, and at EITS Café for seasonal, farm-to-fork food and epic views from the veranda. You can visit Greenwood Great House, the home of the poet Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, or Rose Hall, which is notorious for its former owner, Annie Palmer, who murdered her three husbands and today is said to haunt the 18th-century mansion. For a full day of outdoorsy adventures — river rubbing, canopy ziplining or dune-buggy rides — opt for River Bumpkin Farm or the Good Hope Estate, centred on a Georgian mansion dating back to the 1700s.
The local currency is the Jamaican dollar, but US dollars are accepted everywhere.
Jamaica might have something of a reputation for violence, but the government has gone to great lengths to make sure visits are safe and hassle-free, and it is extremely rare for tourists to come across any trouble. Having said that, be sensible and don’t flash your cash or walk anywhere alone after dark.
The best time to visit is during the British winter, from mid-December until mid-April, when the weather in Jamaica is at its driest. April to July is also relatively dry, and hotel prices tend to be lower. Hurricane season is around September to October.
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Inspired to visit Jamaica but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui and Virgin Holidays.
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