Jamaica

One of the Caribbean's largest islands famously has its problems, but also plenty of rewards, from the cliffs of Negril to the waterfalls near Ocho Rios and Port Antonio. and of course vibrant - and underrated - capital Kingston.

The country and its people are in our thoughts following parts of the island´s devastation from Hurricane Melissa at the end of October 2025. To help, click on the Jamaican government´s website SupportJamaica.gov.

Cover photo: Peter

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From Kingston streets to Blue Mountain peaks: key highlights of Jamaica

Stepping off the plane in capital Kingston earlier this year, I was immediately greeted by a symphony of sounds: reggae beats drifting from open-air cafes, the chatter of street vendors, and the distant buzz of traffic weaving through the city. The colors of murals, tropical flowers, and painted storefronts created a kaleidoscope that dazzled the senses. The air smelled of salt, spices, and something uniquely Jamaican, a promise of adventure waiting to unfold. This journey was set to be more…

Started by Tripatini

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Sandals Royal Plantation one of ´3 of the Caribbean´s Best Sandals Resorts for Honeymoons´

Sandals Royal Plantation One of seven Jamaican Sandals properties, this even more intimate resort in Ocho Rios is a romantic favorite because although it offers fewer amenities - just one pool and five (!) restaurants, along with a fitness center, Red Lane Spa, and a Champagne-and-caviar bar unique in Jamaica, for example - its luxurious "boutique inn" feel appeals to couples, with just 74 oceanview suites (all with private butler service) on ten peaceful acres, adding up to what we found to…

Started by Tripatini

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The tropical, enduring appeal of Montego Bay

Grahampurse Served by its own very nearby airport (the Caribbean's biggest and busiest), the third largest city in Jamaica (as well as the English-speaking Caribbean, with a population of around 110,000), MoBay has since the 1960s been an anchor of Jamaica's tourism industry, and one of the island's most visited spots, as well as a very popular cruise port of call. Located in the island's northwest, the city's main draw remains the gorgeous, white-sand beaches with tranquil, aquamarine…

Started by Tripatini

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2 Jamaica properties in '9 of the Most Romantic Hotels for Valentine's Day in the Caribbean'

Palm Island Resort These tropical isles usually rank high on the list of V-Day getaways, and offer an embarassment of riches when it comes to hotels and resorts. So this year a writer for USA Today put together a list of nine for couples to consider for a romantic Valentine's weekend. You may not agree with all of them - and, indeed, I find the list skews too much toward bigger resorts and largely ignores charming smaller inns, but I can attest to one, Palm Island (above) in the Grenadines…

Started by David Paul Appell

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Dave Acton November 13, 2025 at 12:56pm

An interesting article about how gay-friendly or unfriendly Jamaica is. The upshot is that laws and attitudes aren´t too generally friendly, but in tourist hubs like Montego Bay and Ocho Rios it´s no biggie. It begs the question, though, of why choose a destination like this when there are others which are also nice and are more welcoming to non-straights, such as Puerto Rico, Curaçao, St. Barts, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. https://travelnoire.com/is-jamaica-gay-friendly

Is Jamaica Gay Friendly? What To Know About the Caribbean Paradise - Travel Noire
- David Paul Appell > Dave Acton November 13, 2025 at 1:07pm
  
  A good question indeed, Dave. And I remember Jamaica is the only place I got any open pushback as a gay man. I was staying - as an invited member of the press, no less - at Breezes Montego Bay and it came out in a conversation with a young female staffer there. She was pretty surprised - I´m very what some call "straight-acting" - and was all like, how could you, it´s unnatural, and all that bullshit. It wasn´t delivered threateningly but it was a bit aggressive and unpleasant. That along with much of what I´ve read since has kind off turned me off on Jamaica, as you can imagine. The Caribbean is a big place, and there are plenty of other less hostile options.
Riccardo R November 12, 2025 at 3:26pm

Before this year, Jamaica´s only UNESCO World Heritage Site was the Blue and John Crow Mountains, for their cultural and biodiversity value. And now comes Port Royal, once one of the Caribbean´s wealthiest towns, but destroyed in a 1692 earthquake. And now its remains have finally been recognized by UNESCO. Travel+Leisure wrote it up well: https://www.travelandleisure.com/port-royal-jamaica-11781123
David Paul Appell November 11, 2025 at 9:28am

Jamaica rushes to salvage its tourism after the devastation of Hurricana Melissa as its peak seasons approaches: https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-tourism-hotels...

Jamaica rushes to prepare for peak tourism season as it digs out from Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica’s peak tourism season is one month away, and officials in the hurricane-ravaged nation are rushing to rebuild from the catastrophic Category…
Max Pesling October 28, 2024 at 8:49pm

Jamaica´s capital gets short shrift from many visitors, but National Geographic tells us that Kingston has been of late coming into its own as a cultural destination: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/kingston-jamaica-...

Kingston is making a comeback as culture capital of Jamaica

Bob Marley helped create a musical mecca. Now the city is betting that a vibrant mix of art, food, and heritage will restore its title as a cultural…
Hal Peat July 17, 2023 at 4:41pm

I'd say it obviously depends on what the reader wants to know about - a quick round-up of amenities from each location based on the fact that they're already shopping for an all-inclusive holiday anyway - and really don't care at all about any of the backstory or ongoing buisiness model of the owner - or maybe just a reader who wonders about the actual history of how these places all came into existence, and how they operate to maintain their own prominence or edge in the market. In a nutshell - different awarenesses often based on the reader's connection or not to that destination or part of the world. As one writer said long ago..."A sunny place...with shady people":) - although there are some I actually admire for some minimum integirty or "ethics".
John Kipper July 3, 2023 at 12:50pm

Forbes recently chimed in with its own "best of" list of Jamaica all-inclusives. Any you disagree with? Or were left off? https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2023/03/22/bes...

The Best All-Inclusive Resorts In Jamaica

Many fine Jamaican resorts wrap everything into one reasonable rate including gourmet cuisine, refreshing cocktails and live shows. Here are the best…
- Hal Peat > John Kipper July 4, 2023 at 5:05pm
  
  "Disagree with"? Oh if only it were such a simple matter as that. In fact there's a very intricate and dark backstory there going back to the Seventies...to the present day.
- John Kipper > Hal Peat July 16, 2023 at 6:06pm
  
  Well, I'm sure you're right, but isn't that the case with almost any destination - especially in the Caribbean, where there are so many fraught economic and cultural issues intersecting with tourism? So how about enlightening us a bit on that front? And in any case, this item from Forbes is not about the inside baseball of the tourism industry but stuff which is more of relevance to prospective visitors.
Barbara Necker June 8, 2023 at 6:03pm

I always enjoy reading these "off the beaten path" articles - I've never been one for big resorts https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/travel/encountering-another-jama...