Montego Bay City Guide

Montego Bay, which is commonly referred to as ‘MoBay’, is the second largest city on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, which is situated to the south of Cuba, approximately 100 miles west of Haiti is a beautiful island and a favored vacation destination.

Jamaica is known for its unique geographical topography that consists of volcanic hills, coastal lowlands and the famed Blue Mountains. Like many other islands in the Caribbean, Jamaica too was a Spanish colony that became a British territory in 1655 though it went on to achieve its independence from Britain in 1962. After this event, it went on to become an immensely popular vacation hotspot, favored by all types of holiday-makers especially honeymooners.

Montego Bay is located on the north shore of the island and is a business and commercial hub which supports a thriving cruise ship and tourism industry. It also operates as the main market town for most of Western Jamaica. Such is the importance of this capital of Jamaica’s St James Parish that is served by its own international airport.

So if have never had a chance to take a trip to Jamaica but have always wanted to visit this jewel of the Caribbean, a Montego Bay vacation represents a great way to get acquainted with this gorgeous island.

The Montego Bay region of Jamaica is littered with many shimmering sand beaches like Rose hall beach, Half Moon Beach, Burwood Beach and Silver Sands, all of which host a wide variety of hotels. The hotels of Montego Bay include ultra-luxury hotels, all inclusive resorts as well as discount hotels and budget accommodation.

Depending on your travel budget and your individual preferences, you can choose to stay at one of these many hotel properties during your visit to Montego Bay. When you make your travel bookings with us at Fare Buzz, we will ensure that you get the best hotel rates for your stay in Montego Bay, no matter what type or grade of hotel that you choose.

The many beaches of Montego Bay are its biggest attraction. Doctors Cave beach, Cornwall Beach and Walter Fletcher Beach are all known for their crystal clear waters, golden sands and many water sports activities and adventure tours.

Under the British, Jamaica became a leading exporter of sugar, which was produced on huge plantations with the help of imported slave labor from Africa. Slavery was abolished in1834; cheap labor was then acquired from India and China. Many tour companies offer tours of these plantations in Jamaica.

Croydon Plantation is one such plantation that can be visited on a half-day tour from Montego Bay. This tour offers an insight into the life on a Jamaican plantation though the tour price also includes lunch and seasonal tropical fruits. Yet another popular plantation tour is the Hilton High Day tour, which is a full day tour of plantation life in the Jamaican hinterlands.

The game of cricket is extremely popular all over the West Indies though the American influence in the form of basketball and the NBA is gradually creeping in especially with the younger generation. If you happen to be in Jamaica during the cricketing months of Dec- April and are a cricket lover, then you should watch a cricket match at grounds like Kingston's historic and picturesque Sabina Park. Watching a cricket match in Jamaica is a truly wonderful experience as the grounds are known to reverberate with the sounds of local steel bands and much joie de vivre.

Holidaymakers tend to choose Montego Bay and other parts of Jamaica for their vacation because of the year round agreeable weather that the island experiences.

The temperatures in Jamaica are almost the same all throughout the year, though the hottest months on the island are thought to be July and August as they tend to experience average daytime highs of 90 F (32C). However these averages do not change much during the so called winter months of January to March, when temperatures dip slightly to register average highs of 86F(30C). Jamaica does experience a rainy season that lasts from May to October and though the island lies within the hurricane belt, it is often bypassed by the big storms.

The peak tourist season in Montego Bay and the rest of Jamaica is usually between the months of December to April. During this peak season, hotel and flight rates to the island are the highest and hotel rooms are often sold out months in advance.

However we, at Fare Buzz offer both hotel and flight deals for Montego Bay all throughout the year, no matter the season. Whenever you get the urge to book a vacation to Montego Bay, do call Fare Buzz at 1.888.808.4123 to discover a world of exciting travel deals.

Holidaymakers on a visit to Montego Bay arrive at the Donald Sangster International Airport, which is one of the two international airports on the island that is located east of Montego Bay. Many of the visitors to Montego Bay use hotel shuttle vans or taxis to get to their hotels as the airport is not served by any other mode of public transport.

Several visitors to Montego Bay also choose to rent a car for the duration of their stay in Montego Bay. Fare Buzz offers a wide array of well price car rentals for Montego Bay and if you decide to rent a car for your visit to Montego Bay, you can make your car rental reservation at the same time that you make your flight and hotel bookings at Fare Buzz. You can then pick up your rental vehicle at one of the many car rental outlets located at the Montego Bay airport.

If you elect not to rent a car for your stay in Montego Bay, you can use taxis to get around; though Montego Bay’s main drag of Gloucester Avenue is quite easily accessible on foot. When using taxis in Montego Bay, you must make sure that you remember to use the services of only licensed taxis or then the easily identifiable quasi-official minivans (route taxis), which operate on major routes in and around the region for rogue taxi drivers abound in Montego Bay as in other parts of Jamaica.

For the more adventurous and fitness conscious visitors, motor bikes and bikes are also easily available for hire at various hire agencies in Montego Bay.

Montego Bay offers some great souvenir shopping opportunities at its main shopping centers and mini-malls like the Montego Bay shopping centre, the Holiday Village Shopping Centre and Half Moon Plaza. Visitors on vacations to Montego Bay love to shop for kitschy local souvenirs like a wide range of Jamaican rums, cigars, jerk spices, coffees, CDs by Jamaican musicians, rum cakes which make for great gifts back home.

Other well known souvenir shopping haunts in Montego Bay include the shopping complexes that specialize mainly in local handicrafts and are licensed by the Jamaica Tourist Board. The Old Craft Park and the Crafts Market are two such malls that offer numerous opportunities to buy typical Jamaican souvenirs like straw hats and bags, wooden platters, straw baskets, musical instruments, beads, carved objects and more.

However, if it is duty-free items that you desire like big name watches and jewelry, then the Montego Freeport with its many duty free stores like other locales in Jamaica will adequately meet your needs.

The many hotels located in Montego Bay offer a variety of in-house eating places but if you want to venture out and sample some local eats like curry goat, fried dumplings, fried plantain, ackee, jerk chicken and salt fish, you can choose to dine at one of the many excellent stand alone restaurants in Montego Bay.

Some of the popular restaurants in Montego Bay include establishments like the Houseboat Grill, Day O Plantation restaurant, Pier One on the Waterfront, the Native and the Pelican Restaurant which offer a wide array of Jamaican eats and fresh seafood.

However, if you don’t particularly like Jamaican food then you can always try other restaurants that offer international fare like the Brewery (English pub fare), the Twisted Kilt (Irish) and Dragon Court Restaurant (Chinese).

Montego Bay offers quite a vibrant nightlife scene which features many authentic calypso and reggae bars like Sun Daze though the resort also offers many other bars and nightclubs like Nikkita’s, Witches Night Club, the Brewery, Jamaican Bobsled Café and Cricket Club. All of which provide many entertainment options for holidaymakers on a vacation to Montego Bay.