Overview

Nightlife on Jamaica includes both on-property shows at the all-inclusive resorts and nightclubs ranging from indoor clubs to beach bashes. For starters, there's reggae, popularized by the late Bob Marley and the Wailers and performed today by son Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Tosh (the late Peter Tosh's son), Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff, and many others. If your experience of Caribbean music has been limited to steel drums and Harry Belafonte, then the political, racial, and religious messages of reggae may set you on your ear; listen closely and you just might hear the heartbeat of the people. Dancehall is another island favorite, as is soca.

For the most part, the liveliest late-night happenings throughout Jamaica are in the major resort hotels, with the widest variety of spots probably in Montego Bay. Some of the all-inclusives offer a dinner and disco pass from about $50 to $100; to buy a pass, call ahead the afternoon before to check availability and be sure to bring a photo ID with you. Pick up a copy of the Daily Gleaner, the Jamaica Observer, or the Star (available at newsstands throughout the island) for listings on who's playing when and where. In Negril, trucks with loudspeakers travel through the streets in the afternoon announcing the hot spot for the evening.

The Best Nightlife (According to Frommers)

Time 'n' Place (Falmouth, east of Montego Bay; tel. 876/954-4371): A raffish beach bar built of driftwood, this place looks as though it might blow away in the next storm. The setting is so authentic that many fashion magazines, including Vogue, have used it for background shots. The bartender makes the island's best daiquiris.

Mingles (Kingston; tel. 876/929-9000): In the Courtleigh Hotel, this is one of the best places-and the safest-to be after dark in the capital of Jamaica. Filled with Jamaican youth, it is both a bar and a dance club, with uniformed bartenders and the constant beat of reggae, pop, and soca.

Jamaic'N Me Crazy (Ocho Rios; tel. 876/974-2201): The most popular club in this resort area, this hotspot may have the best lighting and sound system on the island. In winter the aura is virtually that of a New York club, so don't come for an authentic Jamaican experience.

Hedonism II (Negril; tel. 876/957-5200): For the hottest night at this resort, don your toga and head for the most notorious all-inclusive resort in Jamaica, a place known for its wild and raunchy parties. If you aren't already a guest, you'll have to purchase a night pass for $75, entitling you to all the food and drink you can consume.

Links & Sources:

• Frommers
• Fodor's