- High season in Jamaica
- Where to stay on the island?
- Security level
- Local kitchen
- Ocho Rios - a resort for all
- The glitz and luxury of Montego Bay
- Negril - Heaven at the End of the Earth
For the sun, eternal summer, silhouettes of palm trees against a cloudless sky, the most beautiful sunsets in the world, lazy relaxation in hammocks, tropical flowers, incendiary reggae music, dozens of types of rum, you need to go to Jamaica. It seems that everything is fine here: even strong hurricanes, sometimes sweeping over the island, look romantic and will be remembered for a lifetime. When planning a trip to the Caribbean, you should definitely include a visit to Jamaica in your itinerary. You can find out when is the best time to relax in Jamaica from our story.
High season in Jamaica
Most travelers try to get to Jamaica between November and March. At this time, the dry season begins on the island, when there is almost no rain. However, locals believe that the high season in Jamaica lasts a whole year. The air temperature here rarely exceeds 35 degrees Celsius (more often it is kept at around 26-28 degrees), and the water temperature ranges from 20 to 26 degrees, depending on the month.
Among the disadvantages of resting in Jamaica in the summer are:
- short tropical showers, which are especially frequent in May and October;
- hurricanes are a real scourge for the Caribbean. Most often they sweep over the coast of Jamaica in June-November;
- high humidity and heat, which are slightly softened by winds blowing from the sea.
There is also a positive moment in staying in Jamaica from June to August: at this time, hotel prices drop significantly.
Where to stay on the island?
At the service of vacationers in Jamaica, a huge number of hotels of various levels of comfort. Interestingly, some local hotels are targeted only at certain visitors. For example, there are hotels for honeymooners in Jamaica. There are hotels for single people, for family vacations with elderly relatives and young children, for lovers of water sports. All-inclusive hotels usually accept all tourists. To choose the right hotel, you need to carefully read the reviews of other travelers.
In Jamaica, you can find both small private hotels and huge hotel complexes belonging to well-known hotel chains. You can also stay in a villa, and it will not be expensive at all, since there are apartments for rent on the island, and not just the entire villa.
Security level
There are no predators, poisonous snakes and insects in Jamaica. Only mosquitoes can pose a threat, but they can be easily protected with repellents and mosquito nets. No foci of dangerous diseases have been found on this Caribbean island either. There is no need to do special vaccinations before traveling to Jamaica, which significantly increases the popularity of the island among travelers.
Tourist areas in Jamaica are considered absolutely safe: the police are always on duty here, and the security services of large hotels keep order not only on the territory of hotels, but also outside them. No one will be able to guarantee the absolute safety of a tourist who has left the resort area and went in search of adventure and "real Jamaica". A tourist who gaps can be simply robbed.
Local kitchen
It is impossible to imagine a vacation without visiting cafes and restaurants. Arriving in an unfamiliar or long-established country, tourists head to restaurants specializing in local cuisine. The island of Jamaica will definitely not be an exception, because it has something to surprise its guests with.
The most popular side dish in Jamaican restaurants is rice from Asian cuisine or specially prepared breadfruit. Very unusual dishes can serve as an addition to the side dish. For example, something from a pirate table - the meat of some animal, and not a traditional tenderloin, but tails stewed with spices so that they can be eaten with a plate. Also, dried cod is often served here, the recipe for which the Jamaicans borrowed from the Portuguese. Cod is called saltfish here, while in Portugal it is called bacalau. You need to drink everything with Jamaican rum. And here a surprise awaits the guests of the island - there are much more varieties of rum in the country than are exported.
Ocho Rios - a resort for all
The democratic and inexpensive resort of Ocho Rios is located at Discovery Bay. Of course, it's best to vacation in Jamaica when you have enough funds to pay for a five-star hotel. But even if this is not the case, the resort area of Ocho Rios, stretching along the coast and consisting of a constellation of villages, offers its guests budget hotels that are available even for students having a fun vacation before the next school year. You will not be bored in Ocho Rios: there are many nightclubs that host parties for all tastes.
Fans of a serene and relaxing holiday also rest in Ocho Rios. The resort is famous for its long, quiet beaches and secluded coves where you can escape the crowds of holidaymakers who arrive here on majestic ocean liners as part of the sea cruise. Ocho Rios gained popularity in the 80s of the last century. Since then, the surrounding landscape has hardly changed: only a few hotels and shops have appeared.
The glitz and luxury of Montego Bay
One of the most popular resorts in the country is Montego Bay, near which an international airport is open. The city is located on the northwestern tip of Jamaica, with great luxury hotels, wide beaches with clean sand and excellent golf courses. Montego Bay is also a huge port, receiving multi-deck ships, from which tourists descend in waves to feel like the chosen ones, who have access to the overwhelming energy of the sun, happiness and fiery rhythms of the Caribbean for at least a couple of hours.
What can you do in Montego Bay, other than plodding along the waterfront and hanging out in one or another bar? For example, take a walk in its center, where buildings erected in the Old English style have survived to this day. Their facades have not been repaired for a long time, but does this detract from their historical value? For hikers, local travel agencies offer excursions to the mountains, and adventurers and extremists - rafting on the Black River.
Negril - Heaven at the End of the Earth
In winter, that is, in high season, all hotels in Negril are occupied - there are no places, despite the rather high cost of living, which is firmly held by all hotels in this most picturesque and actively developing resort in Jamaica. The air here is amazingly clean, not darkened by emissions from factories and plants. It is customary to enjoy it on the beaches, which are 11 km long. At first, hippies rested here, now it is a fashionable resort for platinum card holders. It consists of two parts: one is built up with five-star hotels, the other - with miniature family-type hotels. And it is not yet known which hotel is considered more prestigious.
People come to Negril to experience the spirit of Jamaica, laze on the beach, listen to reggae music, forget what a laptop looks like, and finally understand what the perfect vacation should be like.
