White sands, blue waters and green palm trees! Does this sound inviting enough for you to book a trip to The Caribbeans? It consist of over 700 islands hurdled together just outside North America. Among these numerous islands is one of the most iconic island nations in the Caribbean Sea – Jamaica.
Jamaica has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches which will not fail to impress you!. Wherever you go in this enchanted paradise, you will find natural beauty so stunning that just takes your breath away.
Getting to Jamaica
Getting to Jamaica is a flight away, especially if you live in North America. US and Canadian residents and citizens can travel to Jamaica without a tourist visa for staying up to 180 days. There are daily flights from major cities to both Montego Bay and Kingston. For the most up to date information regarding visa requirements, consult your nearest Jamaican consulate. You can reach out to them by phone or email with your queries.
With the current pandemic restrictions, there are a few extra requirement to get to the island.
- Get travel authentication from here. It can be filled up to 1 week in advance and it is valid for 10days.
- When booking hotels and planning tours, check here to see the current authorized list of hotels and tour operators.
- Go to visitjamaica to see the current requirements and quarantine in place when booking your tickets.
If you live in a country that needs a PCRT test to enter back, you can book one with the hotel. Call up the helpdesk after you have booked your stay and they will help you book the appointment. You will get the time confirmed a day before your scheduled date. The nurse will come to the resort and the test can be taken 36 hours in advance. Results will be mailed to your email account in around 6 hours.
Currency
The local currency of Jamaica is the Jamaican dollar. However, considering that Jamaica is majorly flooded by American tourists throughout the year, US dollar is widely accepted everywhere. We did convert some currency at the airport but were not too happy about it as Jamaican airports don’t offer the best conversion rate – but hey, Jamaican currency is not a closed one; so who wouldn’t want to take back local currency as souvenirs? Carrying USD on you is the best way to sustain in Jamaica – you can buy food, souvenirs, drinks and tickets to attractions as well.
Where to Stay
Jamaica is home to a lot of all inclusive hotels. The biggest question that boggles the mind of travelers while planning a trip to Jamaica is about staying in one of them or in a non all inclusive resort. The main deciding factor would be the cost since an all inclusive resort is pretty heavy on the wallet. Apart from that you can decide based on the activities you plan to do!
Pros-
- Along with the stay, food is included. No need to worry about where to have your next meal at. Most of the resorts have more than 3 restaurants for you to choose from! Drinks package can be included when booking.
- These resorts come with some included activities and free amenities which you can indulge in during your stay.
- All external activities can be booked with the concierge.
- Easier if traveling with kids or a large family.
Cons-
- If planning to be out and exploring the island, no point in paying for activities and amenities which you will not use.
- There is an opportunity to support local places when you go to restaurants for having food. Even shopping for water, souvenir and other basic necessities help out the locals.
- You will pay additional if planning to rent out a car or go with a tour to go around the island to see the other beautiful things this island has to offer.
All in all, it also depends on the type of vacation you intend on having! We went for a resort which is not all inclusive, but they had a restaurant and a pool side cabana with room service so we were more than happy! We also spent a lot of time exploring the island on our own, so it worked out perfectly for us!
Is Jamaica safe to travel to?
Having traveled to quite a few countries around the world, we can definitely say that Jamaicans are some of the most friendliest and welcoming people in the world. You only have to get lost or get stuck in an unfamiliar place to experience smiling locals approaching with numerous offers of help. Jamaicans can be direct communicators and not afraid to say what they think and they expect others to be equally direct.
The majority of the Jamaican population speaks Jamaican Patois (or Patwa). But, don’t worry, everyone understands and speaks English. In fact, English is the official language of Jamaica.
Jamaican culture is a product of the interaction between Europe and Africa and is very popular around the world. You definitely have to talk to a local to learn more about their culture. Our super friendly driver from Byron’s tours was super amazing and told us so much about Jamaica and it’s rich culture.
Jamaican crime rate is low and is usually very safe for tourists but you definitely have to exercise caution wherever you go. You obviously can’t walk around with a wallet full of money alone in the middle of the night and assume that nothing would happen 🙂
Best places to visit in Montego Bay!!
– Doctor’s Cove Beach: Doctors’ Cove Beach by far is one of the best beaches we have visited so far. Its a protected beach which is under the doctors cave bathing club. Entry to this beach is $6 per person per day. You can rent out chairs, umbrella and snorkeling gear for $6 each for the entire day. There are lifeguards on this beach, so there is a sense of safety when in water. If you don’t know to swim or have never tried to snorkel before, this place is excellent to give it a go. We spotted multiple fishes that swam very close to us at the shallow end as well.
To the far ends of the beach are private glass boat companies who offer to take you a little more deep to see some beautiful underwater life. You can choose to stay on board and enjoy the view from the glass boat or enter the water to get some snorkeling done. Equipment and vests can be rented from the boat. These can be booked beforehand online or you can go talk to them when on the beach. Doctors Cave beach also has 2 restaurants, a starbucks and a cabana to get your drinks! It’s reasonably priced and you get service right up to your chair. There are showers and clean bathrooms here. Grab a book or sip on a drink with an amazing ocean view, all in all this is a good beach to spend to a day and we advice you to not skip it!
– Margaritaville: Margaritaville is a restaurant near the Doctors Cove beach which is known for its amazing sunset view and the water slides which flings you right into the ocean. They have good options of food and drinks with seats facing the waters. The restaurant provides lockers in the gift shop to store your belongings when indulging in water activities. It does get very crowed over the weekends and especially during sunsets.
– Dead End Beach: Dead End beach is a public beach at the north end of the Hip Strip. It has a bar that opens in the afternoon to get some drinks from. Montego Bay airport’s runway is right next to the beach which gives an amazing view of flights landing right over the horizon of the blue waters!
– Hip Strip: Its a street in Montego Bay that is lined with restaurants, casinos, souvenir store, local hotels, dispensaries and hotels. This place comes buzzing in the night with pubs and street vendors. It also has an ATM which will give out both Jamaican dollars and USD.
Get your haggling game on when shopping here! And beware, some vendors are pushy. Doctors Cove beach and Margaritaville are on this strip as well. The hip strip is lively and buzzing when in full swing. There are some curfews and restrictions so please keep a note of that before going. There are many taxis parked there as well, remember to discuss a fixed rate before getting inside for them to take you to your destination.
– Luminous Lagoon: This is one of the single-most activity in Jamaica you cannot miss! 30 mins to the east of Montego bay is a luminous lagoon which is home to millions of dinoflagellates that comes alive during the night when the water is disturbed. It leaves a fluorescent blue trail on movement which looks magnificent in the night. This luminous lagoon is said to be the largest and the most brilliant of just four in the world.
Tours from the fallout mystic take you on a 5-7 mins boatride to the center of the lagoon where the colours are the brightest. You can request this as an add-on for the tour you would be taking for the day or book a slot directly with them online. You can jump out from the boat and spend some time swimming in the water and experience this color change by yourself. For those you don’t know to swim, fear not! the boat is equipped with many lifejackets which can help you to take a dive in the water. There is a bar, restaurant and a gift shop on the premise which can help you kickstart your evening whilst you wait for your tour to start. Do note this place has amazing jerk chicken which they can keep ready in to-go boxes if you are short on time.
Photographers also come along and you have an option of buying the pictures. Of all the places we have visited in Jamaica, this is defiantly the most spectacular of all!
Jamaica is one of the most laid back trips we ever had! Relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and sipping drinks all the along is something we could sign up for! If Jamaica is in your bucklist, we suggest go for it! A holiday in the Caribbean is always recommended!
Stay safe and happy travels!
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