Destinations Index
Kingston
	The biggest English speaking city in the Caribbean, Jamaica's , industrial, cultural, and financial center. It's home to more than 7 1/2 thousand people, including those living on the plains between the sea and the Blue Mountains. Kingston | Kingston Hotels | Kingston Nightlife | Kingston Restaurants | Kingston Shopping | Kingston Walking Tours
Mandeville
	Jamaican towns: it is clean, it is cool, and there are no slums. Thanks to promotion by the Central and South Coast Tourism Organization, the town is like a a magnet for discerning visitors and an great base for visiting the south coast and the central hills. Mandeville | Mandeville Hotels | Mandeville Restaurants | Mandeville Tours
Montego Bay
	The second largest city of Jamaica, located between the lovely hills, and extends some 16 km-10 miles from the haunts of the suburban rich in. Reading at its western edge to the villa developments and resort hotels. It's made up of two parts: the main tourist strip Gloucester Avenue also called "Hip Strip", and the city, referred to as "downtown" Montego Bay | Montego Bay Attractions & Activities | Montego Bay Hotels | Montego Bay Nightlife | Montego Bay Restaurants | Montego Bay Shopping | Montego Bay Tours
Falmouth
	The place for the architecture or heritage adicted, the coastal town of Falmouth in Trelawny is a goldmine. In the late 1700s, when sugar was ‘Hot’ and the profits from the sugarcane made the fortunes, Falmouth was an tastefull center of commerce. Falmouth | Falmouth Hotels
Negril
	The virgi paradise when the American hippies started visiting in the 1970s, the start for today's free-spirited attitude, but these days, the presence of luxury resorts like the Club Hedonism has ensured that Negril is widely perceived as a place where restraint are lost and pleasures of the flesh rule Negril | Negril Hotels | Negril Nightlife | Negril Restaurants | Negril Shoppimg
Ocho Rios
	The first town in Jamaica to be developed specifically as a resort, Ocho Rios, also called "Ochi", abounds with dutyfree stores, fastfood chains, bars, clubs and lots of restaurants. Ocho Rios | Ocho Rios Hotels | Ocho Rios Nightlife | Ocho Rios Restaurants | Ocho Rios Shopping
Port Antonio
	In the 1950s and 1960s very popular for foreign visitors, the quiet town of Port Antonio nowadays feels more like a forgotten place. Port Antonio | Port Antonio Hotels | Port Antonio Restaurants | Port Antonio Shopping | Port Antonio Tours
Runaway Bay
	In the past not more than a detail of Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay located 16km (10 miles) west of Ocho Rios, has become a destination in its own, with white sandy beaches that are way more relaxed than those in Ocho Rios. Runaway Bay | Runaway Bay Hotels
South Coats
	While Negril gets the most visitors, the South Coast of Jamaica has only begun to attract tourists. The Arawak once lived in smple wooden houses along these shores before their civilization was destroyed. South Coast | South Coast Restaurants | South Coats Shopping | South Coast Tours

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 240 kilometres (150 mi) in length and as much as 85 kilometres (50 mi) in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is 635 kilometres (391 mi) east of the Central American mainland, 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Cuba, and 180 kilometres (112 mi) west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning either the "land of springs," or the "Land of wood and water." Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, then the British West Indies Crown colony of Jamaica, the country's population is composed mainly of the descendants of former African slaves. For the USA it is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada.

Most visitors already have a mental picture of Jamaica before they arrive: its boisterous culture of reggae and Rastafarianism; its white-sand beaches; and its lush foliage, rivers, mountains, and clear waterfalls. Jamaica's art and cuisine are also remarkable.

Yet Jamaica's appealing aspects have to be weighed against its poverty, crime, and racial tensions, the legacy of colonial rule and subsequent political upheavals.

So, should you go? Of course you should!. The island has fine hotels and savory food. It's well geared to heterosexual couples who come to tie the knot or celebrate a honeymoon. And Jamaica boasts the best golf courses in the West Indies, some of the finest diving waters in the world, and good river rafting.

Events

January

• Accompong Maroon Festival, St. Elizabeth. Annual celebration of Maroons of Western Jamaica, with traditional singing and dancing, feasts, ceremonies, blowing of the abeng (cow's horn), playing of Maroon drums. tel. 876/952-4546. January 6.
• Jamaica Sprint Triathlon, Negril. Hundreds participate in a three-part competition joining swimming, cycling, and running in one sweat-inducing endurance test. Contact the Jamaica Tourist Board. Late January.

February

• Tribute to Bob Marley-Symposium in Music, Ocho Rios. Seminars for students of music. tel. 876/926-5726. First week in February.
• Bob Marley Birthday Bash, Montego Bay. An annual concert that celebrates a local star. tel. 876/978-2991. February 6.
• Reggae Summerfest, Ocho Rios. Annual reggae bash, featuring top reggae stars. Call tel. 876/960-1904 for dates in 2005.

March

• Montego Bay Yacht Club's Easter Regatta. Annual sailing event of several races staged along the North Coast over a 6-day period around Easter. (tel. 876/979-8038). March 23 to March 28, 2005.

April

• Carnival in Jamaica, Kingston, Ocho Rios, and Montego Bay. Weeklong series of fetes, concerts, and street parades. Contact local tourist offices. First week of April.

June

• Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. International performers play alongside Jamaican jazz artists; other events include barbecues. tel. 888/637-8111 or 876/927-3544 (www.ochoriosjazz.com). Second week in June.
• National Dance Theatre Company's Season of Dance, Kingston. Traditional and modern dance, as well as notable singers. tel. 876/926-6129. June through August.

August

• Reggae Sunfest, Catherine Hall, Montego Bay. Annual 5-day music festival. tel. 876/952-0889 (www.reggaesumfest.com). First week of August.

September

• Falmouth Blue Marlin Tournament, Montego Bay. A big deal locally. tel. 876/954-5934. Late September.

October

• Port Antonio International Fishing Tournament. One of the oldest and most prestigious sportfishing events in the Caribbean, with participants from Europe and North America. tel. 876/927-0145.

November

• Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay. Series of concerts at Rose Hall Great House. tel. 876/952-4425. Third week of November.

December

• Motor Sports Championship Series, Dover Raceway, St. Ann. Prestigious championship event. tel. 876/960-3860. Early December.

Meeting The Jamaicans

The Jamaica Tourist Board operates a Meet-the-People program in Kingston and the island's five major resort cities and towns. Through the program, visitors can meet Jamaican families who host them free for a few hours or even a whole day.

More than 650 families are registered in the project with the tourist board, which keeps a list of their interests and hobbies. All you need do is give the board a rough idea of your interests, and they will arrange for you to spend the day with a similar family. You do whatever the family does, sharing their lives, eating at their table, accompanying them to a dinner party. You may end up at a beach barbecue, afternoon tea with neighbors, or just sitting and talking. Overnight accommodation isn't part of the program, however, so don't go expecting it

Links & Sources :

• Wikipedia
• Frommers
• Rough Guides
• Lonely Planet
• Jamaica Touristboard