MONTEGO BAY
Area: Jamaica
Country: Jamaica


Location:
Towards the W end of the N coast, 120 miles from the capital, Kingston. 2» miles from Sir Donald Sangster international airport.

Telephone code from UK:
1 876

Position:
Faces W overlooking the bay; rises quite steeply to wooded hills at the rear.

Description:
Jamaica's second most important town after Kingston. The town itself is busy, quite built up and unattractive but has ample shopping including a daily market and a few examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture. This is not the tourist centre, however; a modern area with touristy shops, a craft market, information office, various discos, restaurants, bars, hotels and apartment buildings lies about a mile from the town centre proper, clinging to the busy main coast road. All in all, this is somewhat jaded and downmarket. It should be noted that the international airport is situated right in the midst of the main tourist area and that some hotels suffer significant aircraft noise. Many of the hotels attributed to Montego Bay in fact lie several miles E or W of the centre. Going W along the main coast road there are a few hotels at Reading where the shore is largely rocky and on, past Hopewell, to the Tryall hotel and golf course some 12 miles from Montego Bay. Going E there are half a dozen hotels strung out along the coast road, some with beaches, some not, in the Ironshore and Rose Hall areas. There are a couple of clusters of shops, too, serving these hotels. Further W is Falmouth, a more "dead than alive" little town, and the main hotel hereabouts, the Trelawny Beach.

Suitability:
Mixed, though mainly young, middlemarket couples and singles who enjoy the sea and water sports. Some quiet inexpensive properties in the hills behind the beach strip may suit families with children, while Round Hill, Tryall (W of town) and Half Moon (E), are definitely upmarket.

Accommodation:
Mainly middle-of-the-road, with an assortment of larger more expensive all-inclusive operations in the surrounding area. Accommodation in the more pleasant, wooded hilly area behind the town is generally a quieter alternative to that along the main road below, and along the coast near the airport. Winter (December_April) is high season and hotel rates then are 30_50% more than during the rest of the year. 10% service charge is usually added to bills, plus a nightly tax (General Consumption Tax), the rate of which is variable. Jamaica is where the "all-inclusive" concept was pioneered and numerous properties include all service charges and taxes, as well as tips, meals, drinks etc in their rates, which can be good value if you take advantage of all the facilities.

Shopping:
Modern shopping areas in the centre and E of Montego Bay at Ironshore, provide a wide variety of goods, from crafts and souvenirs to duty-free perfumes, jewellery, porcelain and crystal. Good casual shopping is found along the beach strip; a crafts market on the other side of town. Most hotels have their own boutiques and shops.

Beach:
Beaches in the central area get heavy usage, the most popular ones being Doctor's Cave (there is an entrance charge here) and Walter Fletcher Beach, both of which offer water sports. They are better than the main narrow public beach alongside Kent Avenue. Hotels which are some distance from a beach often provide free transport to them. Cornwall Beach, in the centre, is particularly good for windsurfing.

Entertainments:
Daytime: 18-hole golf courses at Tryall hotel, Ironshore Golf Club, the Half Moon Bay hotel and the Wyndham Rose Hall hotel. Horse riding is available at various stables. Many hotels have tennis courts and the Montego Bay Racquet Club (and hotel) is located on the hillside behind town. A few hotels have squash courts. Most types of water sports are available at the popular central beaches _ all charged for _ and many of the seaside hotels in and out of town offer some free of charge (usually nonmotorised ones). Yacht charter and deep-sea fishing trips are available. In April there is a Miami to Montego Bay yacht race, a regatta and the Jamaica sailing week. In August, the annual Montego Bay Blue Marlin fishing tournament takes place. Scuba diving can be arranged at most hotels and there are several dive schools. The offshore reefs make this a good area for both diving and snorkelling. Visibility for scuba diving is best in the summer months. Nightlife: mainly centred at the hotels and all-inclusive properties. Quite expensive in town.

Eating:
A wide choice, Caribbean flavours abound.

Public-transport:
A railway line links Montego Bay and Kingston, passing some rewarding scenery en route. Car hire is popular with visitors, a valid British licence is needed and hirers must be at least 21 years old. Driving is on the left. The roads along the N coast are in fair condition but they are mainly single-track and journeys can take longer than distances might lead you to expect. The official speed limit in open country is 50 mph. Scooters and bicycles can also be hired.

Local-excursions:
Governors Coach Tour _ a 40 mile train ride through the countryside to the Appleton Estate and rum factory. Full day including lunch and visits to a craft market and caves; pick ups at hotels for transfer to the railway station. Area Tour _ around the city sights, the craft market and a visit to Rose Hall (half day). Plantation Houses _ several in the area open to the public including Rose Hall and Greenwood House. Rafting on the Martha Brae River or at Mountain Valley Plantation (half day). Night Beach Party _ with buffet dinner and drinks at Cornwall Beach. Island and Kingston tour_ (full day/12 hours). Bay Tours _ by boat. Hot-air balloon trips, helicopter tours. Croydon Plantation Tour _ half day tour of a coffee plantation. Negril _ taking in the sunset there (full day). Ocho Rios _ including Dunn's River Falls and Harmony Hall (full day).