Arriving in Montego Bay via Sangster International Airport sets you up perfectly, with surrounding beaches and experiences a short drive away. Montego Bay is Jamaica's tourism capital, a north coast city of sheltered bays, reggae rhythms, and jerk smoke drifting from roadside pits. Locals call it MoBay, and it manages to be both resort-polished and real, with a working downtown around Sam Sharpe Square a few minutes from the hotels. Jamaica is an island, and this is where most visitors first touch it.

Standout experiences in Montego Bay: - Swim at Doctor's Cave Beach, the clear-water bay that made the city famous - Walk the Hip Strip along Gloucester Avenue for bars, craft stalls, and sunset views - Tour Rose Hall Great House and hear the legend of the White Witch - Snorkel the coral of Montego Bay Marine Park - Eat jerk chicken and pork at Scotchies, straight from the pimento wood - Visit the Rastafari Indigenous Village for drumming, herbs, and conversation - Raft the Martha Brae River on a bamboo raft steered by a captain - Glide through the glowing water of the Luminous Lagoon at Falmouth after dark

Montego Bay also makes a good base for the north and west coasts. Falmouth's Georgian streets are about forty-five minutes east, with Ocho Rios and Dunn's River Falls around ninety minutes. Negril's Seven Mile Beach and the cliff diving at Rick's Cafe lie ninety minutes west, and YS Falls and the Appleton rum estate are a similar drive inland. Come in July for Reggae Sumfest and start the mornings with ackee and saltfish.