Montego Bay - has a lively life, many restaurants and shops. The second largest city in which one of the international airports and numerous buildings reminiscent of the colonial past are located. You have the opportunity to visit a nature reserve, tropical plantations or canoe by torchlight to the site of the Reggae Festival. For fans of deep-sea swimming - an underwater park. From the variety of hotels and clubs (including the world-famous Superclubs network) located in the main resorts of Jamaica: Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril, you can always choose the option that best meets your requirements and ideas about the perfect vacation : either on an all-inclusive basis, or with half board, or by paying only one stay. Famous Jamaican rum, Blue Mountain coffee, cuisine full of exotics, rhythms of pure Jamaican Reggae music, known all over the world thanks to the famous Bob Marley, various different types sports on land and in the air, on water and under water, unique nature, excellent service, friendliness and hospitality - all this you will find here - in Jamaica. Traditionally high refined service of modern hotels and magnificent untouched nature attract tourists from all over the world to Jamaica.
In the neighborhood of Montego Bay, there are old plantation houses, where you can see how tropical crops are cultivated. Tourists also have the chance to visit a nature reserve and hand-feed exotic hummingbirds or ride down the river in a canoe by torchlight, to a place where every summer a reggae festival brings together world-famous performers and the nights pulsate to the rhythm of fiery musical rhythms.
This is the second largest city of the island, located in the heart of the Caribbean. The length of its beaches with divine landscapes is about 20 km. Not only that, they are all considered incredibly clean - this is one of the reasons why Mo Bay attracts tourists from all over the world.
Travel guide to Montego Bay, Jamaica
First of all, tourists visit the plantation mansions, which are still preserved in their original form. One of the most popular among them is, which was built at the end of the 18th century by a British slave owner. It should be noted that earlier the area of possessions covered about 3,000 hectares. To date, the building has been completely restored. Its beauty can be admired not only from the street, but also by going inside, where there is a small bar on the ground floor. And if you want to not only walk through the corridors of Rose Hall, but also learn its history, then welcome to the tour. It will cost you $18.
Greenwood Great House is another no less famous plantation mansion that once belonged to a wealthy landowner. It is worth mentioning that this building houses the oldest library, the collection of rare books of which every connoisseur of antiques will envy. Also inside you can see interior expositions, unique musical instruments and even dishes made of Chinese porcelain.
An equally interesting attraction of Mo Bay is Sam Sharpe Square, where there are monuments to the fighter for the independence of the island, Sam Sharpe, and his followers. There is also a small stone prison in the square, where Sam used to be, arrested for his love of freedom. Today the prison is not functioning.
It is worth visiting Doctor's Cave Beach Club, Jamaica's favorite tourist beach in Montego Bay. Locals and visitors adore it for its crystal clean water and white sand. Interestingly, in 1880, Dr. Cave and his friends founded a small bathing club here, which eventually turned into a real resort.
Restaurants and hotelsDeja Resort All Inclusive ($150 per night), The Wexford Hotel ($70) and Royal Decameron Montego Beach Resort ($180) have long been recognized as the best hotels in the city. If you want to save on an overnight stay, then consider the following options: Jamaica Stay ($40), Coral Garden Symbol House ($48), and Norman's Court Resort & Sky Restaurant Club ($51).
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Gourmet restaurants will feed their visitors incredibly delicious food, however, the prices here will be appropriate, but definitely worth it.
Two of our cruise itineraries intersect in this piece of paradise: November 02, 2011, when we, having said goodbye to the deep autumn of New York, had just touched the eternal summer of the islands caribbean and November 07 - on the third day of the Caribbean cruise.
Of the natural attractions of Jamaica, the most famous are the beaches of Montego Bay, as well as sea gardens with oyster banks. As a result of annual sociological surveys, Jamaica has repeatedly been the best tourist area in the Caribbean. The resort areas of Jamaica include Negril, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, Kingston, Rannaway Bay, Mandeville.
Travelers in Montego Bay will find a large selection of restaurants, as well as a lively nightlife, magnificent sandy beaches and a chain of shops, a place for lovers of deep-sea diving, an underwater park, as well as 5 eighteen-hole golf courses, a nature reserve, ancient plantation houses.
Negril is a luxurious beach, as well as a shallow with crystal clear water, a picturesque fishing village, the mysterious Yas Falls, a very colorful town of Appleton, which produces the world-famous Jamaican rum.
The resort of Ocho Rios, which consists of a chain of beaches, capes, bays, fishing villages, small seaside old towns, which are bordered by huge majestic mountains, this resort is located in the heart of the northern coast of Jamaica. It is the center of water sports, golf and tennis, Chakka Cove has the best equestrian conditions in the Caribbean.
Outdoor markets, as well as boutiques, offer tourists a variety of wood sculptures, semi-precious stone products, embossing, exotic spices and sauces, and reggae cassettes and recordings. Be sure to purchase the famous Blue Mountain Coffee. As well as excellent Jamaican rum brands Myers and Appleton.
The most famous of Jamaica's cultural attractions are Spanish Town, the Royal House, the Rodney Memorial, and St. Catherine's Cathedral.
Jamaica has been inhabited by Indians since ancient times. The Spaniards settled here in 1550, at the same time the intensive extermination of the local population began. The Spaniards renamed the bay, calling it the Bay of Fat, as there were a huge number of pigs here. The Spaniards made their business on this, they were engaged in the export of pigs, lard, skin to their colonies. From the word "Mantega", which means lard, lard, the name of the city came from. With the advent of the time of the British domination (1655), the name of the city changes to the English way and becomes "Montego Bay", and the Jamaicans affectionately call their city Mo-Wow or Mobay.
The city of Montego Bay is one of the major cities on the island of Jamaica. It is located in St. James County at the mouth of the Montego River, on the coast of the bay, on the edge of the coastal strip fenced off from the rest of the island by mountains, on the so-called Jamaican Riviera. It is said that Christopher Columbus named this place "Fair Weather Bay". This amazing quaint city is considered the tourist capital of Jamaica. It is a city with a well-developed tourist infrastructure. Montego Bay is a small city - anywhere you can get on foot.
Traditional business card:
Beautiful and majestic cruise liners and cargo ships call at the port of Montego Bay every day. Near the free economic zone, which is located in the production of clothing for export, mainly to the US and Canada. Sangster International Airport International Airport- MBJ, located on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Its runways start from the very edge of the water, and when the plane lands, it seems that it is landing right on the water.
Montego Bay has three main parts. The city itself, with its colorful and lively streets. Shops, markets and banks are located here. The architecture of Montego Bay is a mixture of colonial style houses from the last century interspersed with modern buildings. The second part is given over to the territory of hotels and stretches along the coast through the entire city. The third part are villas and hotels located on the slopes of the mountains in the vicinity of the city. Near Mongego Bay, there are old plantation houses. On plantations and now, as in the distant past, tropical crops are cultivated.
In the heart of the tourist capital is the cobbled Sam Sharpe Square. The square is named after the Baptist deacon Sam Sharp, known for the "Christmas Riot" of 1834. On the square are the ruins of a prison building built in 1804. The prison was originally intended to containrunaway slaves and useduntil 1906. After all, the Spaniards, having almost completely exterminated the local population, began to import slaves from Africa. There is a memorial in honor of the national hero Sam Sharp, and statues of slaves.
Harbor Street is home to Montego Bay's largest, but far from the only, market. Montego Bay markets attract shoppers with an abundance of vegetables and fruits, various seafood, as well asoffer a huge selectionwide variety of products andsouvenir products. For shoppers, this is a real paradise!
The Havens Art Gallery in Montego Bay is dedicated mainly to the works of the Polish captain and artist Michael Leszczynski. The gallery is located in former home and studios on a picturesque hillside in the village of Belmote, a suburb of Montego Bay. The Indian Art Gallery introduces the culture of the indigenous people of Jamaica.
The Greenwood Greenwood House Museum has an excellent collection of antique furniture, musical instruments, maps.
The main entertainment for tourists in Jamaica is water activities. Dazzling white sandy Walter Fletcher Beach with the Marine Park located on it offers entertainment for all tastes. Here you can go in for water sports, ride on glass bottom boats, jet skis, as well as play beach volleyball or tennis, jump on trampolines. And, of course, just sunbathe under the gentle Caribbean sun, imagining yourself as a pirate, or a prisoner of pirates. After all, Jamaica has long been a haven for the Sea Wolves.
And one more entertainment, which is not found anywhere else in any park in the world. In the nature reserve, tourists will be able to hand feed exotic birds - hummingbirds. beautiful wild nature with magnificent waterfalls and evergreen forests, azure sea and dazzling white sand. Get acquainted with flora islands can be seen not only in the park, but also in the botanical garden.
Mo Bay Underwater Park - Andersey Submarine, where everyone can dive to a depth of six feet under the water, and comfortably seated in a chair to watch the underwater world of the Caribbean Sea. And this is a whole fabulous underwater kingdom decorated with exotic vegetation and hundreds of thousands of various species of fish and turtles.
For lovers of outdoor activities in Montego Bay organized excursions on the rivers Martha - Brae and Breck - River. Traveling on thirty-foot bamboo rafts along the river will reveal the secret, full of charm, corners of nature. The river is very calm, and therefore sailing on a raft under the guidance of a captain will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the landscapes. You can ride along the river in a canoe, feeling like a real Indian. And also in the summer to visit the Reggae Festival, which gathers in the mountains a lot of performers of incendiary musical rhythms.
And finally, an absolutely amazing and unique place: this Glistening Waters or glowing lagoon. In the evening it looks just amazing! Unforgettably! Millions of tiny luminous organisms permeate the lagoon with a magical shimmering light. Leaving an incomparable impression!
In addition, in Montego Bay you can enjoy a lot of golf, because there are Tryall golf club, which is spread over 2,200 acres of land on the shores of the bluest Caribbean Sea and has five 18-hole golf courses.
Old plantations with houses of that time, operating and given over to museums, will tell about the past of the city and all of Jamaica. Belvedere is one of the first sugar cane plantations in Jamaica., now a defunct plantation, is open to the public so that everyone can enjoy the natural beauties of rivers and waterfalls, exotic plants and animals.
East of the city of Montego Bay, located farmhouse Rose Hall Great House built in 1770. Visiting it, you can hear the stories of the inhabitants about the White Witch of Rose Hall, who, according to legend, killed her three husbands and terrorized all her slaves.
Bob Marley Theater, in which a documentary with his participation is shown every hour for all lovers of his music, and those who did not have the pleasure of attending his concert. Bob Marley is an outstanding historical figure, a performer of many popular reggae songs.
The shop adjacent to the theater has the widest selection of Bob Marley T-shirts in the world.
Sunset in Montego Bay is symbolic and denotes not rather not the end of the day, but the beginning of a pulsating tropical night. Restaurants, bars and clubs come alive at night. Nightclubs and restaurants offer a variety of entertainment seven nights a week with live jazz music, fashion shows, cabaret.
The cuisine, like everything else in Jamaica, is filled with exoticism, it combines the traditions of Spanish, English, African, Indian and Chinese cuisine: the main dish is seafood, chicken and goat meat are the basis for meat dishes, obviously all the pork was taken out by the Spaniards. In various versions, rice seasoned with local herbs. Desserts and pastries are very interesting - after all, they add a variety of tropical fruits and coconut, and guava, and pineapple, and mango. Jamaican rum is an old pirate drink. Only here you will be able to offer pies stuffed with dried shrimp, salted mackerel, which is prepared according to a special recipe in coconut milk, as well as banana-coconut pudding.
Well, how about without tender and fragrant grilled meat? Nothing without him!
In the fall, Jamaica hosts a variety of festivals. All September in Montego Bay is given to the festival "Caribbean Rum" (Rums of the Caribbean). It is dedicated, as the name implies, to the ancient traditions of the production of the famous Jamaican rum and the pirates who made this drink legendary - "Oh, and a bottle of rum!" At the festival fair, you can try a variety of types of rum and products made from it.
The Cable & Wireless Golf Academy in Kingston hosts a Wine and Food Festival. Its sponsor is a charitable foundation fighting heart disease in Jamaica. Guests of the festival will be offered a variety of wines and dishes created from products that are good for the heart.
Montego Bay (or simply Mo Bay) is the second largest city in Jamaica, one of the international airports and the center of a huge resort area in the northwest of the island is located here. Nearly half of the luxury hotels with excellent sandy beaches are concentrated here.
A bustling city with a turbulent history, a major port, dancing and hip strip famous all over the world - all this is Montego Bay, the most popular resort in Jamaica. Throughout the year, more and more tourists come here non-stop - to relax and recharge with solar energy in the style of "jamaica". The center of attraction is the never-ceasing Gloucester Ave, which is the birthplace of the hip strip. Most of the hotels, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops of the resort are neatly lined up along the beach.
The real life of Jamaica can be seen in the center - downtown and its heart - the pedestrian area Sam Sharpe Sq. There you can "enjoy" the views of the crumbling Gregorian mansions and the collection of the magnificent Museum of St James, dedicated to the history of slavery.
Montego Bay is also a large port city based on the former warehouses of Montego Freeport. The city spread its tentacles of light industry as far as 6 km to the west as far as Reading. At the same distance to the east are several luxurious all-inclusive resorts.
Maps of Montego Bay
How to get there
The Jamaica Union of Travelers Association keeps its taxis on Gloucester Ave near Gloucestershire and the Coral Cliff Hotel, at the Doctor's Cave Beach Hotel, in downtown at Market and Strand Sts, and at bus stop. JUTA representatives can be recognized by their red scarves and coats of arms on their cars. Official rates can be found at the airport. The approximate cost of a taxi from the airport to Falmouth is 5000-6000 JMD, to Negril and Ocho Rios 15,000 JMD, to Kingston 25,000-30,000 JMD and to Port Antonio 32,000 JMD.
Intercity buses, minibuses and taxis depart and arrive at Barnett St at the south end of St James St. Here is the inspector’s office (7:00-18:00), where you can get all the necessary information on the routes of interest, schedules and fares.
You can also rent a car at the airport with Avis, Budget, Hertz and Island Rental Car companies. Rent-a-car offices directly in the city are Efay Car Rentals (Shop 6, Chatwick Plaza) and Sunbird Car Rentals (19 Gloucester Ave).
Cruise ships stop at Montego Free-port, which is about 3 km south of the city center, taxis from 1800 JMD. There you can book an excursion or rent a boat, for example, in the Montego Bay Yacht Club.
InterCaribbean operates flights between international airports MoBay's Donald Sangster and Kingston Norman Manley (from 60 USD one way). AirLink Express - air taxi - offers charter flights to Negril (140 USD), Ocho Rios, Port Antonio and Kingston. Prices on the page are for April 2019.
Search for flights to Kingston (nearest airport to Montego Bay)
Weather in Montego Bay
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Transport
Within the city center, the hip strip area and Gloucester Ave, you can easily walk on foot: only 2.5 km separates Kent Ave from Sam Sharpe Sq. For all other areas, you will need a car or taxi, as there is no bus service in the city.
Montego Bay is one of the four most populous cities in Jamaica, located in the northeast of the country. It is the capital of St. James County. This modern resort with a well-developed infrastructure is visited by all travelers who purchase tours to Jamaica.
The city enjoys well-deserved popularity among hundreds of thousands of tourists who dream of a good rest under the bright Jamaican sun.
Climate
This part of the island has a tropical climate. The average annual air temperature is about +29 ° C, due to which the water off the coast of Montego Bay is very comfortable throughout the year. But from May to September, there are heavy rains here, and, naturally, the number of tourists decreases sharply, but at the same time, interest in this place still remains. Peak season is December-February.
Beaches
Montego Bay in Jamaica is a calm and quiet place. Its hallmark is the picturesque sandy beaches "Walter Fletcher" and "Doctor's Cave", both of which can be reached on foot from the city center.
Doctors Cave Beach belongs to a private club and is known far beyond the borders of the country. It is distinguished by bright turquoise water, a strip of white sand, up to two hundred meters wide, modern equipment for changing rooms and showers, numerous bars and restaurants located along the coast, where vacationers are treated to national cuisine.
The beach has excellent conditions for diving, water sports, and mineral water pools.
On the beach "Walter Fletcher", covered with white sand, families with children like to relax. The water here is calm, and the entrance to it is smooth. The Marine Park is located here, where you can find entertainment for every taste: ride on unusual boats with a transparent glass bottom, jet skis, play tennis or beach volleyball, jump on trampolines. And, of course, just sunbathe in a sun lounger under the gentle sun.
Attractions: Old Town
When purchasing tours to Jamaica, most tourists do not want their stay in the country to be reduced solely to a beach holiday. That is why they go to this city. Montego Bay is the second largest city in the country and a popular holiday destination for wealthy and famous people from around the world. Here are the buildings of the colonial past - cathedrals and churches, mansions and museums, old prisons.
Almost in the very center of Montego Bay, there are ancient mansions and ancient windmills that have been perfectly preserved to this day. One of the most famous houses in the city is Rose Hall, built at the end of the 18th century by a British slave owner.
No less interesting is the Greenwood mansion, which once belonged to a large landowner. Here visitors can get acquainted with a unique collection of rare books, see exquisite antique furniture, musical instruments and Chinese porcelain. One of the most famous buildings in the Old Town is the St. James Church (1778), the Blue Hall Museum, and the Cage Prison (1806).
Donald Sangster airport
It is located three kilometers east of the city, on the northwest coast of the island, in the center of the country's main tourism areas. Many resort and hotel complexes have been built nearby. The airport is a short drive from the famous cruise ports at Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, providing a steady flow of tourists.
It was built in 1947 and originally bore the name of the same name with the city. But later it was renamed in honor of the Prime Minister of Jamaica - Donald Sangster.
One two-level terminal operates on domestic flights. Two international terminals pass about four million passengers annually.
The airport provides standard services such as duty-free shops, car parking, ATMs, as well as a cafe and restaurant.
Sam Sharp Square
The area, which will be discussed next, is the center of urban activity in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It is located in the area where the Cage ("Cage") is located - a former prison for runaway slaves, and later for all blacks who met the police on the streets of the city on Sunday, after three in the morning.
The ruins of the Court building, which was built in 1804, but suffered from a fire almost twenty years ago, have also been preserved here. The Heritage Trail is a popular a tourist route, which includes a visit to the square and allows you to learn more about the vibrant and rich history of Jamaica and its people.
The square has changed several names in its history, but in October 1983 it acquired the current one. At this time, a sculptural composition was installed here with Samuel Sharp, who addresses the townspeople with a sermon, in honor of the 21st anniversary of Jamaica's independence.
Sam Sharp is a national hero, a Baptist deacon who became the leader of an uprising that began in the winter of 1831 and quickly swept the entire parish. The freedom fighter paid too high a price for her - own life. The British hung it in the square in 1832.
St. James Church
One of the main attractions of Montego Bay in Jamaica is this church. It was built in the late Georgian style and has become one of the most beautiful on the island. When vacationing in Montego Bay, Jamaica, don't miss the opportunity to view this magnificent structure.
The church delights tourists with its interesting Greek cross shape. It's the only one in the world christian temple, which has a similar shape. Unfortunately, the earthquake that occurred here in 1957 caused great damage to the structure. Restoration work on the restoration of the architectural monument continues today.
The interior of this church is impressive: high wooden doors, an exquisite chandelier and incredibly beautiful stained-glass windows decorating the altar give the interior of this building the charm of antiquity and add some kind of awe to the atmosphere of the temple.
Rose Hall is another very popular tourist spot in Montego Beach. But it attracts travelers not only with its external design and internal splendor, but also with an ancient legend.
John Rose Palmer once lived in this house. He inherited this mansion, built in 1770, from his uncle. After some time, John married the treacherous Englishwoman Annie, who, secretly from her husband, was engaged in black magic and witchcraft. On account of her were the lives of three husbands, including John Rose.
The legend has not lost its relevance today: they say that the ghost of the hostess still lives in the house. Today you can get here as part of an excursion group, not only during the day, but also at night. The guide will tell you in detail the exciting details of the history of the ancient castle.
