Room 1
Montego Bay holidays
Montego Bay is the king of Jamaica’s tourist scene – you won’t find more hotels or golf courses anywhere else on the island, or somewhere this easy to get to.
- Flight time
- 10 h
- From London
- Currency
- J$
- Jamaican dollar
- Time zone
- GMT -5h
Getting to Montego Bay
Sangster International Airport (MBJ) is 3 miles or 4.8 kilometres away and has non-stop flights from London Gatwick which take about ten hours. There are car hire companies in the Ground Transportation Arrivals hall and the JUTA and JCAL taxi companies have a desk outside customs. Some of the bigger hotel brands have their own shuttle services to take you between the airport and where you’re staying.
Average weather in Montego Bay
- Temperature (°C)*
- Rainfall (Inches)*
Holidays in Montego Bay
Gloucester Ave - or the Hip Strip - is where you’ll find the bulk of bars here, the most famous of them all being Margaritaville. With food, drink, big screens, themed events, and a waterslide from the rooftop bar to the sea, this place seems to have thought of everything – kids are welcome in the daytime, while over 18’s can dance into the early hours in the nightclub. Other favourites include Blue Beat for jazz and blues, and Biggs for BBQ, drinks and live sports. If you like to sip your cocktails and relax on the beachside, check out the Groovy Grouper at Doctor’s Cave.
The atmosphere heats up for the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival in January, and the Red Stripe Reggae Festival (usually July) which bring concerts, parties and a real buzz to the area.
Whether you’re here for beachside dining, fresh seafood or to feast on jerk, jerk and more jerk, Mo Bay’s restaurants deliver. Sister restaurant to the famous Margaritaville bar, Marguerites has a seating area looking out to the sea where you can feast on spectacularly presented seafood. For more wonderful views, Pier 1 hogs a peninsular looking over the water and serves a mix of seafoods and steaks. We like Scotchies and the Pork Pit for proper Jamaican jerk, while Tokyo Jo’s does eastern nosh and Mystic all kinds of curries.
The main bulk of shops here are set along the Hip Strip, including duty free outfits selling perfume and alcohol and traditional market stalls – look out for the stall belonging to Big Mama, who’s a real local character. For a proper Jamaican market experience, head to the Crafts Market on Harbour street where you can pick up ornaments and straw and leather goods. Most of the stalls sell the same kind of thing, so it’s worth having a good look around before you buy anything. Be prepared to work on your haggling too!
Activities in Montego Bay
You can access dozens of activities without having to leave your hotel in MoBay, but beyond the resort boundaries another world of things to do opens up to you.
Watersports
Diving in Montego Bay
For both scuba divers and snorkelers, the Montego Bay Marine Park covers ten square miles and the whole length of the bay. Home to colourful corals and all manner of tropical fish, it can be explored straight from the Doctor’s Cave, Cornwall and Dead End beaches, or via a boat trip. For experienced divers, the Window Maker’s Cave is a must: a vertical funnel passage leading to a horizontal tunnel, teeming with angel fish and other marine life. The Basket Reef has a sheer wall drop to an area brimming with basket sponges, sea fans and hundreds of fish – with the odd appearance of turtles and dolphins. One of our favourites is the Airport wall reef, home to a sunken plane.
Surfing in Montego Bay
It’s not that there’s no good surf in Jamaica – there are some smashing breaks around the east end of the island. It’s just that the calm, reef-protected sea in this neck of the woods doesn’t cut it in the wave department. Reaching some of Jamaica’s finest surf spots on Boston Bay and Bull Bay takes a good 4-5 hour drive from Montego Bay. If you’re up for trying something different, have a go at riverboarding through the rapids of Rio Bueno (only an hour away). Paddle boarders have more luck, with most of the big hotels having a set of boards to borrow.
Windsurfing & kitesurfing in Montego Bay
All-inclusive resorts and companies like Dressel Divers provide windsurfing equipment and lessons, with the best wind conditions over June, July and August. Kiting is picking up in popularity every time we visit, with good launch points on Doctor’s Cave and Cornwall beach. About half an hour’s drive east on the A1, Kiteboarding Jamaica in Falmouth’s Bounty Bay are an IKO centre. They’ve been running since 2010, providing classes and rentals in a private stretch of beach. Last time we checked they’d pick you up from certain MoBay hotels, making the whole process a breeze. There’s another kiteboarding centre on Burwood Beach, about 45 minutes’ drive east.
Sailing in Montego Bay
The legendary Pineapple Cup Race finishes up in Montego Bay after a whopping 811 nautical miles from Miami – it’s held either every year or every other year (often around February) and the atmosphere around the Montego Bay Yacht Club is always electric. A number of the larger hotels have their own sailing schools, where children and adults can take to the helm of Hobie cats and sailboats, learning the basics or improving technique. Catamaran cruise excursions leave the legwork to a qualified crew, who take you to snorkel sites and host parties on the sea.
Fishing in Montego Bay
Deep sea fishing charters take you off the north coast on the search of the blue and white marlin, sail fish, wahoo and barracuda that frequent the local waters. Light tackle bay fishing and deep drop fishing are also popular here, and some companies offer mixed charters combining any of the above. Charters usually run for a half day or full day, including captain, crew and all the angling equipment you’ll need. If you’re here in September, look out for the Montego Bay Yacht Club’s fishing tournament which takes place every year.
Canoeing & kayaking in Montego Bay
A fleet of ocean kayaks are ready and waiting in the big all-inclusive resorts - the blue waters of the bay are a treat to slice through, as you paddle along the coastline over reefs and shoals of fish. Companies like Dressel Divers provide mangrove excursions, leading you through the natural habitat of fish, birds and reptiles galore as you paddle between mangrove islands. The Rio Bueno’s within an hour’s drive of MoBay for some white water action – the current pushes you downstream, testing your paddle power as you navigate rapids and pools.
Sailing in Montego Bay
Golf in Montego Bay
Spectacular 18-hole championship courses stretch along the MoBay coastline, providing more than enough for a week of golfing. Rose Hall’s White Witch course is thought to be one of the Caribbean’s finest, spread across the rolling hills of the plantation with sea views from all but two of the holes. Next door, the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course takes players past original features of the estate, including an aqueduct, opening stunning sights of the sea and mountains. The Half Moon Golf Course is a close contender for Jamaica’s best (it actually won the title in the World Golf Awards), often hosting PGA tournaments like the European Senior Tour. There’s also the Tryall Club, which has a smashing course designed by Ralph Plummer, with natural hazards in the form of trade winds and sloping forest.
Cycling & mountain biking in Montego Bay
Cycling excursions run from Montego Bay to the Blue Mountains, where you can ride through forests and coffee plantations, stopping off for a dip at the Mountain Dew waterfall. The Konoko Bike Trail near Ochos Rios is another popular day trip – zip over the hills of the Coyaba Preserve and climb the Mahoe Waterfalls. There’s also a brilliant trail along the Martha Brae River, passing waterfalls and ruins.
Walking & hiking in Montego Bay
The Animal Farm & Nature Reserve has a fabulous 2-hour rainforest path, taking you through the jungle and rainforest along the side of the river (they also run birdwatching walks). Serious hikers will want to hire a guide and head into Cockpit Country, where you can follow the road from Clarks Town and through western Cockpits to Albert Town. The historic Troy Windsor Trail takes you south from Windsor and over a good 15km or so to Tyre – a long stretch but through fascinating landscape. It’s also possible to do parts of the trail in a loop from Windsor. There’s one walk that simply can’t be missed if you’re a reggae fan – starting at MoBay and climbing Mount Zion. Clocking up a couple of miles, the walk takes you uphill past farmland to a small village with a church, bars and a friendly, Rastafarian atmosphere.
