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Jamaica Introduction Main Page | LukeTravels.com™
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Photo © Copyright R. Hill

Photo © Copyright R. Hill

Photo © Copyright R. Hill

Photo © Copyright R. Hill

Photo © Copyright R. Hill

Jamaica Travel Guide

The southern coast of Jamaica is the most beautiful, in my opinion. The northern coast has very little to offer other than tourist destinations and resorts. Very few tourists ever stay on the south coast since there aren't any big resorts (though they're building one). Bluefields is a beautiful beach that is frequented almost exclusively by Jamaicans and not tourists. It's also not too far from the place where Peter Tosh is buried. The best fish I have ever eaten in my life I have eaten in a little hole in the wall just down the road from Bluefields beach called KD's Bar. To see if perhaps it was just a fluke, I've gone back to the same place several times in a single August, and now over the course of 5 years. Consistently it is the best fish I've ever had. They actually pull out a bag of fish and dump it on the bar for you to select which ones you'll have. The "dining room" is just a covered patio not 3 feet from the waves lapping gently on the shore.

Negril

Lots of people go to Negril on the extreme western tip of the island. Negril used to be little known except for a few "hippies" who discovered it and started going there regularly, mostly for the local agricultural products. Now, most of Negril beach is filled with large resorts such as Sands, Hedonism, etc. There are still some small hotels and inns on the beach too, and there are a couple of places where it's not uncommon to find small tent cities.

There's no question that the beach is where the action is, and I spend many days there hanging out at my favorite beach bar, the Bar-B-Barn. However, I go to Jamaica to relax, and I find the pace on the beach to be a little too hectic for me. Thus, I spend most of my time on the "cliffs" at the south end of the beach. The hotels you'll find on the cliffs are much smaller, many family owned.

The bars on the cliffs are smaller and quieter too, with a couple of outstanding exceptions! Though I don't have any pictures of it, THE place that the "beautiful" people go to hang out is Rick's Cafe. I hate Rick's Cafe. Rick's is just as expensive as if it were in Manhattan--a Red Stripe beer costs over $3.00!. The beautiful people go there to be seen and to watch the sunset.

The Weather

I typically go to Jamaica for two weeks each August. Lot's of Americans think it would be too hot to go there in the summer, but of course the tropics are essentially the same temperature all year around, at least in comparison to the temperature swings we experience here in Chicago. Daytime temperatures in August can sometimes get up to the low 90s, though typically it doesn't get much above the mid-80s, with night time temps in the 70s. The big difference between going to Jamaica in August, versus going in the winter, is that it rains almost every day in August. You can set your watch by it. About 2 pm, the clouds roll in and it rains for 30 minutes, then clears up, the temperature has dropped and it's time to head back outside. It's also pretty humid in August, but who cares when you're in a bathing suit drinking a cocktail next to the ocean? Click here for current weather.

Jamaican Banking

The Jamaican banking system is very strange. Despite years of independence, banking is still largely based upon the British Colonial system. As such, loans are very expensive--you might pay as much as 40% interest on a loan with a bank.

The flip side of this, and the part that I have taken advantage of for some time now, has to do with interest rates on savings accounts. Depending upon the size of the original deposit, and upon the size of regular monthly deposits into a savings account (I use the "Sunshine Savers Club" at theNational Commercial Bank in Negril), one can make as much as 25% interest on their savings. Now there is a catch. The money is in Jamaican dollars and it's hard to convert it back to US dollars, but since I vacation in Jamaica every year, and spend nothing but Jamaican dollars while there, it really works out well for me. I have consistently made 25% interest on my vacation play money for years.

Montego Bay

The boutiques and hotel shops around town focus on duty-free goods--everything from designer clothing to quality perfumes. Montego Bay is a good place to purchase Jamaican products, including rum, coffee, cigars, condiments and spices. Items such as wood carvings and handwoven cloth produced by Jamaican craftsmen are also available.

Ocho Rios

In Ocho Rios, shoppers should look for native embroidery, handcrafted shell work, original wooden jewelry and Rastafarian hardwood carvings. Rum and rum liqueurs are also good buys there, and, as in Montego Bay, duty-free shops abound.

Port Antonio

The town market is a wonderful place to browse. There are local crafts, spices and produce, all at good prices. Venturing downtown, visitors can shop for resort wear, duty-free items, crafts and souvenirs.

Kingston

Kingston shopping offers everything from island crafts and souvenirs to exquisite jewelry and designer fashions from the U.S. and abroad. A number of shops in town offer duty-free prices on luxury items. Shoppers should also check out the Jamaica Crafts Market.

While in Kingston, coffee lovers may want to purchase some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Grown exclusively on a small tract of land in the fertile Blue Mountains, it fetches the highest price on the world market and is widely regarded as the finest coffee available anywhere.

Negril

In Negril's shops, one can find everything from souvenirs to duty-free bargains and resort wear. The craft market near the town center features an assortment of straw items, clothing and wooden handicrafts. A host of colorful characters are on hand, selling typical Jamaican handmade goods.

CONTINUE

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