Jamaica Hideaways

Nestled on the northeast shore of Jamaica is the small town of Port Antonio, a quaint destination that doubles as the island’s third largest port. Historically a well-known shipping site for some of the islands more tropical staples, including coconuts and bananas, nowhere else on the island can you so pro find the quintessential feel of old-time Jamaica. A plantation heavy island in its colonial days, Port Antonio celebrates this history throughout much of its aesthetics, uniquely charming in an antiquated sense.Throughout the 1940′s and 1950′s Port Antonio assumed its now synonymous status as a popular tourist destination, though tourist travel dates back to the 1880′s, when wealthy American vacationers first found their way to the island with any regularity. Over the course of just over a half century, Port Antonio was transformed from a little mentioned coastal community to a playground for the rich and famous from across the world, including Hollywood stars and foreign royalty. (more…)

Nestled on Jamaica‘s westernmost coast, the town of Negril is one of the island’s premiere resort locales. Serving as a vacation destination since the 1950′s, the town is much more easily accessible to modern day vacationers than it was at the onset. Early travelers found the scenic spot difficult to get to, only reachable by ferry and a brief wade through the warm, blue waters of the Negril Bay. Travelers would typically rent room inside the home of a Jamaican host family or set up temporary quarters in their yards, by means of tent or tarp. Such origins grew Negril’s reputation as a hospitable, welcoming area, ultimately leading to an influx of visitors, as the picturesque shore and charming community were certainly worth the hassle. “Negril” is derived from the original Spanish moniker “Negrillo,” as it was called upon discovery in 1494. Stemming from the word “negro,” meaning black in Spanish, the name pays homage to the black cliffs that define the town’s landscape to the south. (more…)

From its humble beginnings as a small fishing village, Ocho Rios is now a popular tourist destination on Jamaica‘s northern coast, having greatly expanded in the past 20 years in an effort to draw more tourists from other cities on the island and other vacation spots throughout the Caribbean. For Spanish speaking readers who might expect to find eight rivers in Ocho Rios, they will be sadly disappointed. The town’s namesake misnomer most likely stems from English mispronunciation and interpretation dating back to the island’s colonial days. Despite its apparent lack of rivers, visitors will find Ocho Rios to well-endowed with some of nature’s other most awe-inspiring landscapes, notably complemented by a selection of picturesque waterfalls scattered throughout the area. Though not as well known as some of Jamaica’s other resort locales, Ocho Rios offers the same unmistakably Jamaican white sand beaches without less of the hustle and bustle of its more popular contemporaries. It could be argued Ocho Rios offers a more authentically Jamaican experience, less watered town by the tourist catered overkill that comes with higher travel traffic. To say Ocho Rios isn’t as well traveled by no means implies that it is underdeveloped. Graced by first class hotels of various sizes whose easy on the eye exteriors accent the shoreline, tourists are certain to find a place to stay that suits both their pleasure and pocketbook. (more…)

Montego Bay is arguably Jamaica‘s most popular resort city. Known as the second city of Jamaica, Montego Bay is second in land area and third in total population, behind Kingston and Spanish Town, with an estimated population of just under 100,000. The city seems much larger than its numbers would indicate however, as much of those who walk to Montego Bay streets are tourists in to take in the Jamaican sun. Montego Bay provides the feel of a bigger city without the dangers found in the islands two more highly populated locations. The Montego Bay coast is lined with high end tourist resorts, many occupying the grounds where sugar plantations stood in ages past. Some historical markers and landmarks still stand on these sites, giving visitors a sense of old time Jamaica, while enjoying top notch amenities and 21^st century service.Established as a first rate tourist destinations for Americans by its breathtaking white sand beaches with a picturesque low mountain backdrop, proximity to the United States, English speaking residents and sense of safety on what can in certain sectors be a very dangerous island, Montego Bay is undergoing several renovations and modernizations in hopes of advancing its profile as a major Caribbean tourism hub, trying to compete with major draws in the Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Pristine golf courses are springing up around the city, now offering links of nearly unparalleled beauty, rivaling courses anywhere in the Caribbean. Cruise liners often stop at the sheltered Doctor’s Cave Beach, one of the most popular beach strips on the island, offering a shielded place to anchor and majestic turquoise waters for passengers to enjoy. (more…)