Montego Bay Holidays - Compare Prices & Departure Dates

Montego Bay is the most popular destination on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. ‘MoBay’ as it’s affectionately known by locals and holidaymakers alike was discovered by Christopher Columbus who apparently described it as the ‘fairest isle that eyes behold’.

Today Jamaica remains part of the British Commonwealth and Montego Bay in particular welcomes holidaymakers from the UK seeking year round relaxation, warm blue seas and fine sandy beaches, with friendly locals, tasty food and the chilled beats of the reggae sound.

Montego Bay was designated a city (one of only two on the island with Kingston) in 1980 and has seen rapid development of beach areas into hotels, all inclusive resorts and spas, as well as world class golf courses many of which sit on former sugar cane plantation lands.

The official language in Jamaica is English, with an English/African Jamaican Creole patois being widely spoken too. The currency is the Jamaican Dollar (JMD) and the island is five hours behind UK time. Being a Commonwealth country, UK passport holders do not need a visa to enter Jamaica, but you must have proof of a return ticket.

Montego Bay is on the north shore of Jamaica and home to the island’s largest airport, Sir Donald Sangster International Airport, named after the former Prime Minister of Jamaica.

The airport (IATA code MBJ) acts as a main hub for airlines flying all over the Caribbean from the USA and the UK, with over nine million passengers passing through per year – that’s three times the total population of Jamaica!

Flag carrier British Airways along with Virgin operate regular scheduled services to Sangster from the UK and there are charter flights from the likes of Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson.

The island’s second airport is Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, which is served by British Airways and Virgin, but most visitors to Montego Bay arrive direct into Sangster.

Flight times from the UK to Montego Bay range from just over nine hours to more than 10 from airports in the north and Scotland.

The vast majority of UK holidaymakers to Montego Bay arrive having booked a package holiday, so the short transfer to your accommodation will be included. If you arrive independently, you’ll find there are taxis, buses and minibuses to get to the main hotel areas. There was a train line, but this closed in 1992.

Once in resort, most people tend to stay in the resort area and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and sunshine, but if you do want to head further afield, it is recommended to go on an organised trip for sightseeing or to visit the out of town shopping villages. Many companies offer these sort of trips using minivan shuttle buses. The island also now has a municipally-run bus service called the Montego Bay Metro.

Montego Bay is all about the picture postcard deep blue ocean and pearly-white sandy beaches. Pad down to the beach barefoot armed with a good book, choose your parasol and sun lounger and then just chill.

The most impressive beach is Doctor’s Cave Beach which also offers snorkelling. Then there’s Cornwall Beach and Walter Fletcher beach, the latter of which offers slides and boat rides too. Note that these beaches are paying beaches and often sun loungers are extra too.

Watersports fans will be very happy in Montego Bay, with lots of opportunities to go jet skiing, scuba diving, snorkelling and on glass bottom boat rides.

Golfers will be in heaven. Montego Bay boasts world class golf courses that will keep any golfer entertained, no matter what their handicap.

Montego Bay is also a busy port and a major stopover for the large cruise ships sailing around the Caribbean. This means the port area is a shopper’s paradise and a great place to take a wander or have a bite to eat.

If you want to head further afield, it isn’t advised to meander off into the deep rural areas on your own, but joining one of the many organised day trips is advised.

You’ll find you can go by minivan in a small group to places such as Ochio Rios to visit the Dunn’s river waterfalls, the shopping centre or even go swimming with dolphins. Another popular day trip is the visit to the Croydon Plantation which, despite it’s south London sounding name, is actually the working coffee and pineapple plantation.

Music is a big part of island life and music is everywhere. Montego Bay hosts reggae, jazz and blues festivals too, so if you’re lucky enough to be in resort during a festival, it’s a must to check it out and join in.

Montego Bay offers a plethora of accommodation to suit all budgets. Backpacker style guest house and hostel accommodation costs around 25 dollars a night and is readily available on the main drag, Gloucester Avenue.

After that, expect to pay anything from 100 dollars upwards for a mid-range hotel. If you want to splurge, there are lots of five star hotels and posh private villas, such as Silent Waters Villa which boasts a staff of 14 and helipad and rents for 2000 dollars a night.

The private villas are mainly tucked away round the bays along the coastline, whereas the main hotel area is around Gloucester Avenue which leads down to Doctor’s Cave Beach and the Rose Hall area.

The most popular choice with British visitors is the all-inclusive resort like Sandals and there are many of these resort and spa hotels with all food and drinks included around Montego Bay and especially the Rose Hall area.

Shopping is a major pastime for visitors to Montego Bay. Given the number of cruise ships docking at the port, it is no surprise there are lots of shops in the area, with an open air craft market with pitched-roofed little huts selling all the souvenirs you could ever wish for.

Out of town shopping centres are also popular. You’ll find there is Half Moon Village (complete with a British-style pub) which is four miles west of Montego Bay, then there’s Island Village and the Taj Mahal centre near Ochio Rios.

Popular buys include jewellery, carved wood items, artwork, music and textiles.

If you’re looking for more boutique-style shopping, head to Gloucester Avenue. Also known as the ‘hip strip’ this main strip in resort has all the shops, bars and restaurants you need.

If you stay in an international-style all inclusive resort, you may not get to try any of the really traditional food, which is a shame as it is tasty and reasonably priced.

Jamaica is renowned for its exotic fruits, often consumed in yummy fruit drinks, such as guava and ackee. Seafood is tasty and fresh as can be, whilst a ‘must try’ is Jamaican jerk chicken. ‘Jerk’ refers to the all-spice seasoning of the meat which gives it a cripsy, tasty coating.

Other favourite dishes include saltfish – which is dried and salted cod, curries, spicy dumplings (the cuisine has a distinct Indian flavour), oxtail stew and the brilliantly named Rice Peas and Chicken dish, which is rice, with peas and chicken!

Beer and rum are the two main drinks competing for your tastebuds. The local rum can be incredibly strong so be warned and the local beer, Red Stripe, is available everywhere.

Temperatures in Montego Bay stay high all year round and are often well into the 30s. The rainy season is between May/June time through to November/December, with September and October being the rainiest.

Despite having a rainy season, Montego Bay is an all year round destination as the rain showers are usually short and heavy, but then the sunshine comes out again.

Worth noting is that August and September is the main hurricane season in Montego Bay.

• Anyone looking for that classic ‘paradise island’ combination of white sands and warm blue seas
• A relaxing beach holiday with the extra twist of reggae music and great food
• All inclusive beach resort hotels
• Keen golfers

• Anyone who gets bored after a couple of hours’ sunbathing
• Those who don’t like purpose-built resorts
• Those who don’t like long flights

My Island Jamaica – a local’s view of Jamaica including Montego Bay
Montego Bay – the official tourist office website for Montego Bay

Montego Bay is the prime all inclusive holiday destination on the Caribbean island of Jamaica and if you visit you can be assured of a warm welcome, gorgeous beaches and those blue seas, all with a gentle reggae beat.