Jamaica

Jamaica, 90 miles due south of Cuba, is rich in color, culture, food and folklore. Music is at its heart. Jamaicans move to a built-in beat. For this piece of paradise has a rhythm all its own.

Tour Kingston, the cosmopolitan capital, with sophisticated restaurants, nightlife and museums -- like the home of the "reggae" king, Bob Marley. See the spectacular Blue Mountains, known for producing the world's best coffee. Visit Devon House and the lovely surrounding park, a favorite for photo buffs. Don't miss elegant Port Antonio, long-time haunt of the rich and famous, where movie star Errol Flynn popularized river rafting.

Montego Bay, a resort city that never sleeps, has stretches of beach dotted with all manner of hotels, restaurants and clubs. A cruise port is also located at the edge of the downtown area. Montego Bay bustles by day and night. Buy fruit from women balancing overflowing baskets on their bandannas. Craft vendors are out in large numbers, expecting to play the bargain game with tourists seeking souvenirs. The outdoor market is always fun. Try jerk-spiced meat and ice cold Jamaican beer at a pork pit. The area has four golf courses, many tennis courts and interesting underwater life centering around a 6,000 acre marine park.

Ocho Rios and the surrounding area, which takes in Runaway Bay and the polo grounds at Chukka Cove, boasts many splendid hotels, spans of pure white beach, watersports, spas, great golf and tennis, fine food and a bustling beach town atmosphere -- plus a cruise dock. The area is popular for sightseeing and shopping. Don't miss a visit to (or walk up) Dunn's River Falls, a must-see. Shaw Park Gardens and Fern Gully are also favorites.

Negril is bohemian Jamaica at its best. Everything that happens here happens barefoot. Resorts (from grand-luxe to rustic cabins) line a seven-mile stretch of breathtaking beachfront, the ideal setting for total relaxation or a world of watersports, whatever your pleasure. Many resorts here have nude beaches, making Negril a particular sensation for sunbathers.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
Citizens of the US and Canada do not require a visa to go to Jamaica as tourists, and are permitted to visit the island for a period not exceeding six months. Citizens 16 years and older of these countries may use the following documents for entry: valid passport (or passport which has expired for a period not exceeding one year), or an original Birth Certificate (with raised seal) along with a photo ID (documents must bear the same name). Residents may use an alien registration card, however, some residents may require a visa. Additionally, all visitors are required to travel with a round trip or onward airline ticket for entry into Jamaica.

CURRENCY:
The official rate of exchange fluctuates daily, depending on foreign exchange markets. As of February 11, 2000: US$1.00=JA$45.00 (buying), JA$41.10 (selling), CA$1.00=JA$26.00 (buying), JA$26.90 (selling). STG$1=JA$61.75 (buying), JA$63.95 (selling). There are several licensed authorized foreign exchange dealers located island-wide. These are called cambios. They may vary marginally from bank to bank and are subject to change.

TAXES & SERVICE CHARGES:
Departure tax is JA$1,000 standard or US$25.00. General Consumption Tax: a 15% government tax has been introduced to replace the accommodations and other indirect taxes. Tax Free Status: Due to a tax treaty passed in 1981 with the US, all expenses incurred for holding meetings or conventions in Jamaica are tax deductible.


COUNTRY PROFILE

GEOGRAPHY:
The highest point above sea level is the Blue Mountain Peak at 7,402 ft. Mountainous, with some 120 rivers throughout the island. Jamaica is also known for its flora and fauna with over 200 species of orchids, 550 varieties of ferns and 250 species of birds of which 24 are endemic. The country is the third largest in the Caribbean. Beaches are found along all the island's coasts.

CLIMATE:
Temperatures high/low Summer 80/70 80 degrees F. Winter 80/70 degrees F. Annual average temperature is 82 degrees F. In the hills it's cooler with an average temperature around 70 degrees F. In Kingston, humidity ranges from 63% in February to 75% in October. In Montego Bay, humidity ranges from 71 to 77%. Average rainfall is 77" annually. Approx sunrise/sunset 0600/1900. For every 1000 feet in altitude the temperature drops 3.5 degrees F, so that the Blue Mountain Peak has an average annual temperature of 56 degrees F (15 degrees C).

LANGUAGE:
The official language spoken is English. Patois, a mix of English and African, is also spoken.

WHAT TO SEE & DO

DINING:
Restaurants available Local. Fast food. Gourmet. International. Tipping: 10 15% (Some hotels have a built in service charge). Dress code is casual or casually elegant. Some hotel restaurants do require jacket and ties, particularly in the winter season.
NIGHTLIFE:
Entertainment available includes Discos. Fashion shows and beauty contests. Stage shows and folkloric song and dance shows. Nightclubs. Dinner/Dances. Theaters. Live music. Cinemas.

SHOPPING:
Locally produced items Blue Mountain Coffee. Tia Maria. Rum. Pimento (all spice). Straw items. Wood carvings. Craft items. Resort wear. Jewelry. Handmade linens, tablecloths. Duty free items are available at approximately 20 50% off stateside prices.

SPORTS:
Activities: Aerobics. Basketball. Croquet. Cycling. Deep Sea Fishing. Golf. Gym. Hockey. Horseback Riding. Jogging. Marathons. Motor Racing. Para-Sailing. Polo. Racquetball. Sailing. Scuba Diving. Squash. Snorkeling. Softball. Swimming. Tennis. Triathlons. Watersports.
Spectator Sports: Cricket. Horse Racing. Netball. Rugby. Soccer. Track & Field.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
(2002) November: Doctor Bird Awards. Jamaica 4th Club National Rally. The Fossil Open Polo Tournament. Polo & Equestrian Club Of Oakbrook. Jamaica 4th Club National Awards & Recognition Ceremony. St. Andrew Flower Arrangement & Garden Club. St. Elizabeth Homecoming. Holland Bamboo Run. Negril Beach Carnival. Harmony Hall Pre-Christmas Craft Fair. Jamerican Film And Music Festival. December: Craft & Shrimp Festival. Reggae Superjam. Ohara Chapter Of Ikebana's Annual Fund Raising Function And Display. Heineken Startime. Jamaica Motoring Club/Esso International Stages Rally. Motor Racing Race Meet. Devon House Christmas Craft Fair. The LTM Pantomime.

TRANSPORTATION:
Driving is on the left hand side of the road. Rentals available include Cars, mopeds and bicycles. Temporary license/permit requirements A US driver's license is valid for up to three months per visit. A UK driver's license is valid for up to 12 months per visit. Japanese driver's license is valid for up to one month from time of entry. Local Services Taxi, tour buses, intra-island flights. Sightseeing and visitor transfer bus service available in all resort areas.

MARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS:
Visitors can be married just 24 hours after arriving in Jamaica providing prior application has been made for marriage license. 1) Proof of citizenship certified Birth Certificate, which includes father's name. 2) Parents' written consent if under 21. 3) Proof of divorce (if applicable) - original Certificate of Divorce. 4) Certified Death Certificate for widow or widower. Blood test: none. Persons need to have a heterosexual relationship for marriage as a prerequisite.

MEDICAL FACILITIES:
There are facilities in all major resort areas as well as drug stores that provide pharmaceuticals. There are private doctors and dentists throughout the island.

What To Do & See

Island Wide:

Birding Tours: Rich in feathered life, this is a wonderful place for birdsong you've never heard before; there are 25 species and 21 sub-species of birds found nowhere else on earth, and a total of 256 different species.

Blue Mountains: This is a land of soaring peaks and deep valleys with luxuriant vegetation. Quiet, remote mountain roads wind and dip, and signs are hard to come by, but that's no worry when you're guided by a local expert who takes you through its coffee plantations, rum factories, and misty forest trails. The more easily accessed, prime tourist section is the 193,000-acre John Crow Mountain National Park.

Eco-Hiking: This journey through the Rio Grande Valley is an award-winning trek offering varying choice of difficulty through the John Crow Mountains. The paths parallel rambling creeks and bamboo forests, scale the sides of mountains, meander through the fern-laden valley and lead to hidden waterfalls or tucked away caves. Guides educate you on the use and preparation of indigenous plants and herbs and point out paw-paw (papaya) that you can pick and snack on along the way.

Get Married!: In Jamaica, you can tie the knot within 24 hours of arrival with hardly any red tape at all, and without a blood test. You can say your "I Dos" at a marriage officer's home, office, or location of your choice. Some hotels will make all the arrangements for you and accommodate special requests. Your honeymoon begins on the spot!

Montego Bay:

Accompong Town in the Maroon Village: This is the sovereign state of the Maroons, descendants of runaway slaves who escaped to the Cockpit Mountains rather than live in bondage. Here you can learn the history of those courageous people who, by their determination and resistance of capture by the British"redcoats," finally won an unprecedented treaty of independence from a frustrated colonial government.

The Luminous Lagoon: The water, when agitated, becomes luminous with phosphorescent light that lines the form of fish and swimmers. Words can do it no justice - go and see it!

Negril:

The Negril Lighthouse: It's perhaps the most distinctive landmark in the region. Built in 1894, it was originally operated by kerosene but due to modern Global Positioning Systems, it will soon be retired and converted into a museum.

Horseback Riding in Rhodes Hall: Tailored for experts and novices alike, guides take you through banana and coconut groves, high into the hills. A gallop (or trot, or pace!) along the shore and crocodile-watching are peak moments!

Ocho Rios:

Black River Safaris: Journey into the wilds above Ocho Rios through a region admired for its lush vegetation, mountainous slopes, clear streams, and hidden pristine waterfalls. In this remote place you will cool off in secluded swimming holes that bring only hummingbirds and bougainvillea for companions. Afterward, explore the local history at the ruins of an 18th-century plantation destroyed in the slave rebellions. Ride out the day on an inner tube, floating down a calm and swift bubbling stream, then tie up on the shores for a jerk chicken picnic.

Dunn's River Falls: Hands down the all-time favorite natural attraction in Jamaica. A hand-holding chain of people supports each other up a climb of 600 feet through the same cascading water that Spanish explorers traversed centuries ago. The clear, cold mountain water races over the stone steps and onto the crowds of visitors splashing around at the bottom of the falls or cooling off in the pools that collect along the cascade's way.

Port Antonio:

Raft the Rio Grande: Rafting as a playtime activity originated here when planters constructed bamboo rafts both to transport bananas and to amuse their families. The rafts glide serenely down river on this two-hour diversion.

The Nonesuch Caves: Hidden among the Seven Hills of Athenry, 600 feet above town and with spectacular views, these caves were discovered in the 1930s and are fascinating to explore.

Dining

From hot to haute, and everything in between, Jamaican cooking is a culinary melting pot that combines a hint of Spanish and English, a good dash of Indian and Chinese, and a wallop of African ingredients that together cook up the Caribbean's most creative cuisine. The Jamaican national dish is ackee and salt-fish - a concoction made from imported salted cod and the fruit of the ackee tree, mixed with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Jamaican food is a living testament to the island's history and natural abundance. For example, the Arawak Indian cassava is used today as "bammie," a toasted flat cake eaten with fried fish. The Maroons - escaped slaves always on the run from the British after the 1655 invasion - devised a way of spicing and slow-cooking pork that they called "jerking," recognized world-wide as the definitive Jamaican flavor. Breadfruit arrived courtesy of Captain Bligh and the Bounty. The native pimento tree, the source of allspice, is used in numerous Jamaican dishes, and there's a fair bit of intrigue regarding whether it is, or is not, a key ingredients of the famous Pickapeppa Sauce, a recipe that's closely guarded.

Montego Bay

Gourmet: The Houseboat Restaurant is anchored in the lovely Bogue Lagoon, where guests arrive by hand-drawn ferry. The scrumptious European fare begins with a cheese fondue and dessert is always a highlight of local tropical fruits dipped in hot chocolate sauce!

Highly Recommended: Pier One Restaurant and Bar serves savory international and local dishes in an elegant dining room or on the rustic nautical deck, both overlooking the bay and its gorgeous view of the sunset.

Local Flair: The Pork Pit is the established champ of jerk barbecue. This is no-frills place where the frills aren't missed a bit because all that matters is that they serve the best jerk pork and jerk chicken in Jamaica, chased with local Red Stripe brew.

Romantic: The Calico is a 55-foot wooden boat that sails several nights each week. Dining and dancing into the sunset makes this the best and most romantic evening of your trip!

Negril

Gourmet: The Orchid Terrace Restaurant specializes in local and international cuisine, complemented with a collection of fine wine. The beat of Jamaican folk music fills the air as you dine in this graceful restaurant or mingle at the weekly manager's cocktail party!

Local Flair: Country Country, on Negril's famous Seven-Mile Beach, is a cluster of colonial-style, rustic cottages that epitomize the best of old Jamaican country living while peppering the experience with modern luxury. It is well-known for its sumptuous Chinese and Jamaican cuisine, which is served directly on the beach.

Highly Recommended: The Rockhouse Restaurant is one of Negril's finest dining experiences, serving Jamaican dishes with a hint of European influences. The restaurant is a charming stone and thatch-roofed structure with a balcony suspended over Pristine Cove, promising an ambiance of tropical bliss!

Romantic: The Blue Horizon West Restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere and a delicious menu, with meals served in the unassuming dining room or al fresco overlooking the Caribbean.

Ocho Rios

Gourmet: Evita's Italian Restaurant is a popular Jamaican-Italian eatery where "rasta-pasta" is the specialty of the house.

Highly Recommended: At The Almond Tree, diners sit high above a Caribbean cove and dine on mouth-watering cuisine including the chef's special fondues.

Local Flair: The Ocho Rios Village Jerk Centre is a popular place to sample lots of different seafood and spicy jerk chicken and pork, served outdoors under a canopy.

Romantic: The Ruins Restaurant specializes in tasty Chinese and Jamaican dishes, which you enjoy while dining by a waterfall on the lush banks of the Turtle River!

Port Antonio

Gourmet: The Trident Villas and Hotel Restaurant features excellent food and the service to match, in a polished, candlelight setting.

Highly Recommended: The Jamaica Palace Hotel Restaurant offers top-notch fine dining with live entertainment.

Local Flair: The Bonnie View Hotel Restaurant, perched high on a sea cliff, has unbeatable Jamaican cuisine and a tantalizing view of Port Antonio far below.

Romantic: Mille Fleurs serves creative Jamaican cuisine with a Continental flair in the "garden of a thousand flowers" with a sensational panoramic view.

Nightlife

Kick off your evening with rum, the Jamaican national drink you can mix with just about anything. Try it with coconut water for the ultimate native refreshment and head out to dance and party all night long in the home of reggae! Every town has some degree of nightlife, and it's up to you to choose what you're up for. Small bars with a jukebox, cabaret entertainment, high-tech dance clubs, beach parties and, of course, karaoke are sprinkled throughout the island. More recently, street dances have become the rage with the younger dance hall crowd. Curiously, given Jamaica's musical heritage, there is a noticeable lack of tourist nightclubs outside of hotels, so rather than you going to the bands, the bands come to you. Hotel club hop and see what's going on, but keep in mind that performances are ever-changing, so it's a good idea to check with your concierge for a current schedule of events and scan the local paper.

Montego Bay

Combo at Lollypop on the Beach: A rollicking beach party with seafood and jerk meats, reggae, dancing, and oh-no, limbo!

Negril

Compulsion: This discotheque is open every night, but really pumps the parties from Wednesday to Sunday.

Alfred's Ocean Palace: Right on the beach, it has live socca music and a show every Friday night, as well as reggae bands a few nights each week.

Ocho Rios

There are several jamming party places to go wild here, including the nucleus of local nightlife at the Jamaica Me Crazy club in the Renaissance Jamaica Grande Hotel, the Silks Disco in the Shaw Park Hotel, and the Acropolis nightclub.

Port Antonio

This region is a very quiet, laid back hideaway with little in the way of nightlife, but if you're looking to spice up the evening hours, check with your concierge, he'll know what entertainment is on each night.