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“Get your legs up,up, up”, screamedmy Jamaicanguide. It wasn’tthe usual sort ofcommand you’d

expect, but as I was racing along a zip-wireat full pelt towards the landing platform

– it seemed a sensible request!Only a few seconds earlier, I’dstood at the top of the tropical

river gorge, knowing I wouldbe skimming across the

treetops held up by noth-ing more than just a cou-

ple of cables hundreds of feet up in the air.Having reached the other side in one

piece, my trepidation was swiftly replacedby elation and I felt ready to tackle anything.

After all, this is just one of the adrenalin-busting activities designed to tempt holiday-makers off Jamaica’s beautiful beaches andinto its rugged, jungle-filled interior.

As the third-largest island in the Caribbean,Jamaica offers much to entrance visitors, fromthe misty peaks of the Blue Mountains withtheir beautiful landscapes of rivers and water-falls, to the rocky cliffs and wide open sandybeaches of the laid-back resort of Negril, thecoolest of all chill-out zones.

6 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

Island ofMarley’s spirit

With its lush mountains, waterfalls, stunning beaches, all-inclusive resorts anda history rich in buccaneer mystique, Jamaica is a swashbuckling cut above

many Caribbean rivals. Sara Macefield explores the island whose famous sonBob Marley gave the world reggae music

Jamaica is where you’ll find historic oldplantation houses rubbing shoulders withluxurious hotels and sprawling all-inclusiveresorts; where you can hide away in chicboutique hotels tucked into rocky cliffs or onlush mountain slopes.

It is a place of local legends of bucca-neering pirates and murderous witches, ofromance tinged with royalty and oldHollywood glamour.

But underpinning it all is the raw reggaevibe that dominates this island and envelopsits culture, stemming from Jamaica’s mostfamous son Bob Marley, who planted his dis-tinctive beat across the world.

Tourist areasMost of Jamaica’s tourist resorts are alongthe north coast, though one or two resortshave sprung up on the lesser-developedsouth coast. These are the island’s touristareas:

Montego Bay – Jamaica’s second cityafter the capital, Kingston – which is biggerand busier than the other tourist resorts. The

hub of the city is Gloucester Avenue, the so-called “Hip Strip” full of restaurants, bars,art galleries and duty-free shops.

Mo Bay, as it is called by the locals, hasits own marine park which covers 10 milesof coral reefs. There is also thefamous white-sand DoctorsCave Beach and its mineralspring, said to have therapeu-tic powers. Nearby is theattractive town of Falmouth, notedfor its well-preserved Georgianbuildings, dating from the1700s.

Ocho Rios –“Ochi” as it isa f f e c t i o n a t e l ycalled, is moretourist-friendly thanMontego Bay with its craftmarket, duty-free shops,restaurants and cafes andmore relaxed atmosphere.Visitors should aim for theoutdoor Island Village shopping

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 7

JAMAICA

getting to KNOW

Healing watersJamaica’s waters have healing powers.The most famous – and touristy – are atDoctors Cave Beach where the mineralsprings are said to be therapeutic.Then there are the mineral waters of

Milk River, said to be the mostradioactive in the world with high levelsof magnesium, calcium, sulphate andnatural chloride.The baths here date from 1794, but

users are warned not to stay in thewaters for more than 10 or 20 minutesat a time because of their potency.Jamaica even has a town called Bath

which was founded because of thenearby mineral springs which are high insulphate.In the 18th century, Bath was popular

with the European elite who flockedhere for the healing powers of thescalding hot waters and elegant botanicalgardens – the first on the island.

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� Hanging aroundon a canopy tour

� Frenchman’s Cove Image: JamaicaTourist Board

� At yourservice – a

Sandals butler

� A taste ofJamaica

centre in the heart of the resort whichhouses the Reggae Xplosionmuseum that tells the fasci-nating story of howJamaican music hasinfluenced the world.

Negril – the so-called “capital ofcasual” is famous forhaving the best beachon Jamaica and themost beautiful sunsets.This is a place to kick offyour shoes, sit back and chillout. Some of the hippest boutiquehotels in the Caribbean are tucked into therocky cliffs behind the beach, offering a reallaid-back escape. However, more active trav-ellers can take advantage of the excellentchoice of water sports or try out the localrestaurants.

Port Antonio – set on the north-east coast,this is the romantic heart of Jamaica wherethe Blue Mountains sweep down to the sea.Less touristy than the other resorts, this lushretreat is known for its beautiful settingwhich decades ago attracted film-stars, mostnotably Hollywood swashbuckler ErrolFlynn, who declared it “more beautiful thanany woman I have ever seen”.

Kingston – Jamaica’s capital is the largest

English-speaking city in theCaribbean. It sits at the head of

one of the world’s biggestnatural harbours which in

years past was home tobuccaneering pirateswho based themselvesat nearby Port Royal.The old city, describedin the 17th century as

the “wickedest city in thewest”, was destroyed by

earthquake and now liesunderwater in the bay. Kingston

may have a tough reputation, but itslocation on the south of the island means itis far removed from the main tourist areas. Italso has a number of its own visitorattractions

South Coast – this is one ofthe most unspoilt parts ofthe island and one of themost beautiful with itsdeserted beaches, tinyfishing villages and tradi-tional towns. This is theplace to come crocodile-spotting on wildlife safarisalong the Black River orsplash around in the cascadingwaters of the 120ft YS Falls.

WaterfallsThe island’s scenic beauty and colourfulhistory have always helped it to attractlegions of visitors, but in recent yearsJamaica has turned up the thrill factor tooffer an adrenaline-pumping alternative toadventure-seekers wanting to explore thestunning rugged interior. The top naturalattraction has to be Dunn’s River Falls(www.dunnsriverfallsja.com) near OchoRios. These 600ft falls were just made forclimbing, and it is great fun to scramble overhuge boulders and plunge into the temptingpools.

You need to be reasonably agile and youhave to concentrate, especially at some of

the steepest points, but the reward is thegreat sensation of standing

under one of the manywaterfalls and gasping

for breath from thesheer power of thetorrent.

If you only doone thing whenyou’re in Jamaica –

do this. It’s unique,invigorating and

unforgettable.Just a few words of

warning….try to avoid visiting

8 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

Water sportsWith more than 600 miles of coastline and over 100 riversJamaica offers ample opportunity for water sports fans tomake a big splash.From river tubing and river rafting to diving, sailing andunder-sea tours on a semi-sub reef explorer, Jamaica hasplenty of watery attractions.As well as the usual range of water sports and boat trips,there’s the Kool Runnings water park in Negril, which claimsto be the largest in the Eastern Caribbean and is packed fullof thrilling aqua rides.Alternatively, sun-worshippers wanting to bare all can choosefrom a wide selection of naturist spots – Jamaica claims tooffer more nude beaches than any other Caribbean island.

Jamaica Tourist Board

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� Canoeing

� Sailing a catamaran

� Sunset over Jamaica

� Romantic bridge

� Diving off Jamaica

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when cruise ships call, other-wise the falls are mobbedwith cruise passengers.Aim for the morn-ings too, as thesetend to be lessbusy than after-noons.

For a quieteralternative, visitSomerset Fallsnear Port Antonio,which are less-known,or the Mayfield Fallsnear Negril which are in aperfect area for cave diving, cliff-jumping or simply messing about in thewater.

And if you want a true chill-out, try riverrafting on one of the long bamboo rafts thatdrift lazily down the Rio Grande or the Greator Martha Brae rivers.

Daredevils can visit Mystic Mountain(www.rainforestbobsledjamaica.com),one of the island’s newer attractions nearOcho Rios where they can soar through thetreetops on a chairlift, hurtle through the for-est on a bobsled or swing through the foreston a zip-wire.

Bob MarleyBut it’s the beautiful Blue

Mountains that were made forexploring and hikers; bikers

and adventurers can dis-cover a rich array of floraand fauna.

For serious walkers,the seven-mile hike to thesummit takes three to four

hours, whilecyclists can get

a lift up one ofthe mountains and

enjoy the 18-miledownhill ride which finishes

with a refreshing waterfall dip.Wildlife fans can swim with

dolphins at Dolphin Cove(www.dolphincovejamaica.com)near Ocho Rios or at the Half Moonresort near Montego Bay(www.halfmoon.com/dolphin-encounters.php).

Alternatively they can splasharound with stingrays at Stingray City(www.stingraycityjamaica.com) onJames Bond Beach, near the northcoast village of Oracabessa, a 25-minute

drive from Ocho Rios.Nearby is Goldeneye, the former hide-

away of James Bond author Ian Fleming,and Firefly, the beautifully-located retreat offamous English playwright Noel Cowardwhich has been preserved and is well worthvisiting, if only for the views.

Visitors looking for a more local flavourshould step out on hikes in Maroon Countryin the east of the island where there’s the

chance to meet local maroons – descen-dants of runaway slaves who made

their home in themountains.

But probably themost famous local is

Bob Marley. He mayhave died nearly 30years ago, but nowhere

10 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

It was almost midnight and I was beinggiven a severe dressing down by the twogirls manning the doorway I wanted toenter. So severe, they made me strip downto my underpants before they would letme pass. But then they were virtually asnature intended, save for some tiny scrapsof cloth and strategic body painting.I should have expected nothing less.

After all, it was the official opening night ofJamaica’s adult-only Hedonism III resortand the event I was trying to get into wasthe late-night disco following theNeptune-themed opening party.This was clearly not going to be a night

for the self-conscious or prudish. A factunderlined by the sight that caught my eyewhen I stepped up to the bar. As the seaof near-bare flesh gyrated on the dancefloor, a naked body suddenly flashed pastjust above the crowd’s heads in a large,clear plastic tube hung from the ceiling.The resort’s flume tube goes straightthrough the disco, and revellers hadobviously decided to discard all theirclothing to try it out.It may have been 10 years ago, but the

experiences from that visit are etchedvividly in my memory. Perhaps none moreso than during the golf tournament the

All-out fun at Jamaica’sall-inclusive resorts

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� The Bob Marley Museum

� Hedonism III disco and flume tube

Jamaica Tourist Board

does his spirit live on more strongly than inJamaica.

His birthplace and final resting place inthe rural district of St Ann near Ocho Riosand the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston(www.bobmarley-foundation.com/museum.html) are among Jamaica’s most

popular tourist attractions, drawing thou-sands of visitors wanting to pay homage tothe music legend.

The Bob Marley Museum is located inthe superstar’s original recording studio inNew Kingston where he recorded many ofhis songs.

One of his former homes in theTrenchtown area of the capital, calledCulture Yard, is also open to the public.

His final resting place is the Bob MarleyMausoleum (www.ninemilejamaica.com)which comprises the tiny house in the vil-lage of Nine Mile where he was born.

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 11

next day. Organised by the resort’s parentcompany, SuperClubs, it featuredhospitality tents by the tees of severalholes, each hosted by a different resortbranch.At the first tee, chefs in white hatscooked up breakfast while uniformedmasseuses gave golfers a pre-gamemassage in the tent hosted by itsupmarket Grand Lido Resorts & Spas. Afew holes along, the Cuban resorts wereserving up lashings of rum while a salsaband laid down infectious rhythms.Then there was the Hedonism tent,

hosted by the new resort and its moreestablished and equally-outrageous sibling,Hedonism II. Outside, two bikini-cladmodels wearing giant angel wings sat onthe edge of a hot tub, while inside another

model had dispensed with her bikini andwas being body painted by any golferswho fancied giving her a lick of paint.Allvery distracting as you tried to hit yourball from the nearby tee.Back at the resort, things continued in

similar vein. A stage show ended with amember of the audience being covered inwhipped cream and volunteers sought toremove it without using their hands.On the way to the beach, I walked

underneath a see-through Jacuzzi –diverting my eyes from the naked Germanguests whose bodily bits were wobbling inthe bubbles.There were actually twobeaches: one labelled the Nudes Beach,and the other the PrudesBeach.Of course there

were many otheractivities andparts of theresort that didnot involvedisrobing. It wasjust an option ifyou had noinhibitions andwanted to throwcaution, and your

underpants, to the wind.The two Hedonism resorts represent

one extreme of the all-inclusive scene inJamaica.There are family resorts, such asSuperClubs’ Starfish Trelawny Resort &

Spa or the Beaches resortsoperated by Sandals. Some areromantic escapes popular withhoneymooners or couplesgetting married, while othersappeal to the sporty andactive types.The choice isyours.And of course, if you really

want to, you can let it all hangout...

Peter Ellegard

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� Water sliding at Hedonism III � Fern Tree Falls at Half Moon

� Snorkelling at Hedonism III

� Pool-side atSandals Negril

Where to stayLarge family-orientated resorts, chic upmar-ket retreats, trendy boutique hideaways andsmall independent hotels – Jamaica hasthem all.

But it is most famous as the birthplace ofthe all-inclusive concept which started withthe opening of the Jamaican resort, Couples,in the Seventies.

Couples Resort is still open, but it hassince been joined by a huge choice of otherall-inclusives, namely those owned by theSandals/Beaches group and SuperClubs –both of which are owned by Jamaican fami-lies and have several resorts on Jamaica andother Caribbean islands.

More recently, Spanish hotel chains suchas Riu, Iberostar and Barcelo have built astring of modern all-inclusive hotels, butholidaymakers wanting something moreunusual should head for the mountains.

Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains isan 18th century plantation house thatbecame the hideaway of record mogul ChrisBlackwell and the place where Bob Marleyrecuperated after being shot in the 1970s.

It offers rustic, laid-back luxury alongwith stunning views over Kingston.

Other one-off gems include Rockhouse,The Caves, Jake’s (described as the chic-estshack in the Caribbean) and Tensing Pen –built into the cliffs overlooking Negril’sstunning white-sand beach.

Well established upmarket alternativesthat still hold traditional charm includeJamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, plus Round Hilland Half Moon near Montego Bay.

12 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

Jamaica facts

Sara Macefield has been writing aboutthe Caribbean for the last 15 years, visitingso many times she has been nicknamed the“Caribbean Queen”. She has been to mostislands, but Jamaica is one of her favouriteplaces to relax with a rum punch.

TL

When to goThe best weather is from December to April,which is the high season. July and August arealso popular, but are in the hurricane seasonwhich runs from June to September/October.

VisaUK passport holders do not need a visa forstays of up to 90 days.

Getting thereBritish Airways (www.ba.com) flies from Gatwick to Kingston and MontegoBay andVirgin Atlantic (www.virginatlantic.com) operates from Gatwick toKingston and Montego Bay.There are also charter flights with Thomsonfly(www.thomsonfly.com) and Thomas Cook Airlines(www.thomascookairlines.co.uk). Flight time is around 10 hours.

Tour operatorsUK operators featuring Jamaica include British Airways Holidays(www.ba.com),Thomas Cook Holidays (www.thomascook.com),Thomson(www.thomson.co.uk),Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk), FirstChoice Holidays (www.firstchoice.co.uk), ITC Classics(www.itcclassics.co.uk), Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk), Hayes & Jarvis(www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk) and Harlequin Holidays(www.harlequinholidays.com).

Getting aroundChoose from domestic flights between Kingstonand Montego Bay, local buses, JUTA tourist buses(www.jutc.com), taxis or hire cars.Travellingaround can be an adventure, but it gives visitorsa great flavour of the island. Make sure youtravel only on licensed buses and taxis. Jamaica

has a good network of roads but they may not always be in the best condition,plus other drivers tend to drive fast and furiously – so be warned!

Tourist informationJamaica Tourist Office: call 020 7225 9090 or visit www.visitjamaica.com

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� Jamaica’s waterfalls are among its top attractions � Rafting on the Martha Brae


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