A Travel Advisor's First-hand Experience Traveling to Jamaica

RIU Montego Bay - This property is beautiful and located right on the beach. It has four pools, constant entertainment and five specialty restaurants, requiring reservations, and a large buffet dining hall. Check out my property report here.

Here is some brief information on each of the four cities:

Kingston: This is their "downtown" big city feel, it is more of a business/shipping city. It is less of a tourism area and marked as one of the dangerous parts of Jamaica, much like a wide variety of large cities. There is no real reason to go to Kingston as a tourist as their beaches are not as nice as those in Montego Bay anyway.

Ocho Rios: Dunn's River Falls is located in Ocho Rios, it is about two hours from Montego Bay. Our tour guide recommended staying in Montego Bay and taking excursions and day trips to Ocho Rios due to its proximity to the airport etc, noting it is a tad further away. I know people who absolutely LOVE this city though, so reach out and we can discuss which may be the best fit for you!

Montego Bay: This city is close to the airport and filled with resorts and beautiful beaches. This is a great place to stay to relax and its easy to hop over to Ocho Rios for excursions and to see the falls.

Negril: This is one of the safest cities in Jamaica for tourist, but also one of the most expensive. The resorts and views are incredible, but everything costs a little more. The taxi just to get there from the airport can be over $200. Negril is home to seven-mile beach and Blue Hole and one of the most popular destinations for high end travel.

Things to do:

Dunn's River Falls: We did this excursion, and it was breathtaking. It included a catamaran boat trip, lunch at Margaritaville, ziplining down the falls and snorkeling. There are a variety of variations of this.

Adventure Tours: such as horseback riding, swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cove or ATV tours.

Blue Hole: These are a series of limestone sink holes. It is located in Ocho Rios, but definitely will be adding this to my list for my next trip to Jamaica.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is it safe to do excursions?

Yes it is safe. I would as always ensure you book an excursion with a reputable travel group. There were excursion companies right at our hotel, all we had to do was look at their options and book the ones we wanted to go on. They then picked us up right at our hotel. I caution, like anywhere in the world, be smart and remain aware of your surroundings. This said, we never felt unsafe as two women on vacation in this beautiful place.

What are the ways to avoid dangerous situations?

Everything I read, said avoid driving at night and walking around alone at night (this second part is common sense). We opted not to leave the resort at night and being two girls, we did not go to the bars/clubs. The resort did have a bus that would take guests downtown to the clubs though and there were guests that did this. This was not the kind of trip we wanted, nor did it seem like the safest option. Upon going back, we would consider this so long as we had a larger group of us.

When is Jamaica's tourist season?

Their busiest tourist season runs from mid-October to mid-May. Depending on when you go and where you stay Jamaica can be a super affordable Caribbean destination. Contact me and we can look into this option.

Still have questions or concerns? Let's connect and see if Jamaica is a good destination for you!

I recommend staying in Montego Bay if you are looking for an affordable and safe way to visit Jamaica, it is close the airport, making it easy to access. It is safe and centrally located and relatively affordable in comparison with Negril or even Ocho Rios. If you are a honeymooner or couple looking for a more luxurious Jamaica experience, I definitely would steer you toward one of our beautiful partners in Negril.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Jamaica. In need of further inspiration? Check out my guide, 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went to Marrakech, Morocco.