Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Honeymooners
Jamaicans say the North Coast and Ocho Rios are where heaven spills into the seas and the carefree island attitude is infectious.

Music Fans
During the first week in February, the tiny village of Nine Mile celebrates the birthday of reggae legend Bob Marley, who was born and buried in Ocho Rios.

Families
Enjoy shopping, nice beaches, tours, hiking, lots of activities, and Dunn's River Falls.

Transfers
Roundtrip transfers between the aiport and your hotel are included with your vacation package. Hotels on the North Coast are approximately a 40- to 75-minute drive from the airport. Hotels located in Ocho Rios are approximately a 2-hour drive.

Car
A rental car is not recommended.

Taxi
To avoid any misunderstandings, the passenger should settle on the fare with the driver before departing.

As a nightly ritual while in Jamaica, begin your evening on the beach, watching a beautiful Caribbean sunset fade into the sparkling sea. Enjoy a frosty Red Stripe beer and dance the night away to cool sounds of reggae at a beach party.

• L'Allegro
  Exquisite northern Italian fare and a spicy Jamaican flair combine to make unique pizzas.
• Café Mango
  Great breakfasts combining Jamaican and American flavors. A favorite of locals and visitors alike.
• Le Gourmet Restaurant
  An upscale, award-winning restaurant serving fabulously prepared veal medallions, red snapper, spinach-stuffed grouper, and more.
• Michelle's
  An eclectic menu featuring seafood and a variety of pastas served in an elegant atmosphere with white-gloved waiters and a romantic ambiance.
• Parkway Restaurant
  Affordable traditional Jamaican cuisine such as curried goat is perfectly accompanied by the soothing reggae sounds.
• Windies
  The perfect place for an elegant night out, Windies features white-gloved waiters serving traditional upscale West Indian cuisine such as Arawak jerk chicken and red snapper with marmalade.

Good finds in Jamaica include woodwork, straw items, beads, embroidery, and crafts, all offered for sale at the craft markets. Gold, silver, china, and electronic equipment are available in the duty-free stores. And don’t forget to pick up some world-famous Blue Mountain coffee and Jamaican rum.

You will find a host of shopping areas including downtown craft markets, Taj Mahal, Soni’s Plaza, and Island Village shopping centers. Handicrafts and vendors are plentiful at the top of Dunn’s River Falls.

Moonshine Festival
Thursdays. Showcases cultural performances such as Junkanoo dancing, African drumming, and reggae music at the Shaw Park Botanical Garden.

Jamaica Carnival
February/March/April. Held in Kingston, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios. Flamboyantly costumed groups parade and dance in the streets. Top music performers from Jamaica, Trinidad, and other Caribbean islands play reggae and calypso music.

Fun in the Son Gospel Spring Festival
March. Full of spiritual and recreational activities in the form of in-house and on-the-street evangelistic meetings featuring world-renowned speakers and worship leaders.

Ocho Rios Jazz Festival
June. Enjoy top-class performances from Jazz artists from around the world.

Sumfest
July. One of the biggest beach and music festivals on the island with fun and dancing.

Sunsplash
August. An outdoor reggae concert festival.

Golf
Customize your vacation with discounted greens fees and gain access to hotel-affiliated golf courses with a stay at select hotels.

Hotel-Affiliated Courses

• Sandals Golf and Country Club
  Featuring beautiful scenery and comfortable playing conditions 700 feet above the sea. Designed by P. K. Saunders. Unlimited golf is included at this course when staying at the following hotels:
  • Beaches Boscobel Spa Resort and Golf Club
  • Couples Ocho Rios
  • Royal Plantation (with all-inclusive option)
  • Sandals Dunn's River Villaggio Golf Resort & Spa
  • Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort
  • Couples Sans Souci
• SuperClubs Golf Club at Runaway Bay
  Long rolling fairways and large flat greens protected by grassy mounds and bunkers. Designed by Commander John Harris. Unlimited golf is included at this course when staying at the following hotels:
  • Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club by SuperClubs
  • Grand Lido Braco Resort & Spa by SuperClubs
• Village Green
  A nine-hole, par-3 course to test your skill. Unlimited golf is included at this course when staying at the following hotel:
  • Grand Lido Braco Resort & Spa by SuperClubs

Sportfishing
Most major hotels offer full- or half-day charters that include boat, captain, crew and equipment. Blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dolphinfish, bonito, and yellowfin tuna can be found in Jamaica’s waters.

Snorkeling
Explore Jamaica’s undersea world at Marine Gardens Coral Reef and Fish Habitat, part of the barrier reef surrounding the island and a popular snorkeling spot. The cool, crystal clear waters of the Caribbean make diving in Jamaica a special experience.

Scuba Diving
Highly professional dive shops offer courses for beginners as well as for more advanced divers. Devil’s Reef, a pinnacle located east of Ocho Rios, drops from 60 feet to over 200 feet and features caverns, a quarter-mile long shallow reef, endless small tunnels, silverslides, and nurse sharks. At Runaway Bay, the reef is alive with brightly colored schools of tropical fish, grouper, snapper, stingrays, large green morays, barracuda, sharks, and turtles. An outstanding dive site is the Canyon with its two parallel walls. The wreck site of the Kathryn is another popular dive and is home to a magnificent array of fish.

River Rafting
The White River to the east of Ocho Rios is a great 45-minute ride that takes you down the largest river in the area. You can go tubing, stopping at the end for lunch.

Airport Lounges
A stay at Sandals, Couples Resorts, SuperClubs, Half Moon Rose Hall, or the Ritz-Carlton come with a special airport treat. After clearing customs, make your way to their private airport lounges to wait for your transfer to your hotel. Once there, grab a Red Stripe and relax from your day of traveling. Remember though, the transfer drivers and anyone who carries your bags to the transfer van are not employed by the resort, so tip them if you receive good service.

Calling All Secret Agents
Located just 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Ocho Rios is James Bond Beach, a beautiful stretch of beach featuring the Moonraker Jamaican Bar & Grill and guided waverunner tours which pass the famous Golden Eye, where Ian Fleming penned the James Bond novels.

Fans of Bob Marley
Make a pilgrimage to Nine Mile and see the Bob Marley Mausoleum, the final resting place of the world’s greatest reggae icon, Bob Marley. Visit his shrine and pay your respects. Chances are good you could meet Bob's mother Cedella Booker, or some of his old friends.

Dunn’s River Falls
Stunning scenery and an amazing waterfall, Dunn’s River Falls is an experience of a lifetime. When climbing the falls, the rocks can get slick. To avoid slipping you can rent a pair of aqua socks at the falls, or if you want an unworn pair, purchase them back home for about the same price. The aqua socks are also good for going in the ocean so the sharp rocks and coral won’t hurt your feet.

Green Castle Estate
Meet Elvis the cattle supervisor and Peter the friendly bull, at Green Castle Estate, an ecologically rich and beautiful estate nestled between the majestic Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea. Here, you'll learn the rich history of Jamaican agriculture from the Tainos who inhabited the site 1,000 years ago, through 300 years as a sugar cane and banana plantation, to the modern estate today as one of the largest orchid and organic farms in the Caribbean.

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