Number Of Travelers:
2
Travel Duration:
7 days
Reason For Travel:
Honeymoon
Originally called Las Chorreras in reference to the many waterfalls in the area, Ocho Rios has amazed its visitors for many centuries. The name was given by the Spanish who arrived here after Christopher Columbus set foot on the island in 1494. Jamaica was then a Spanish colony until the Battle of Chorreras in 1657, which ended with British victory.
Throughout history, Ocho Rios was of minor importance to its colonizers and served mostly as a base for pirates. The area started to gain appreciation in the 20th century with the arrival of artists such as Noël Coward and Ian Fleming, who did not only buy an estate here but wrote all of his James Bond novels on the island. Today, Jamaica is packed with locations that have connections to the writer or the franchise. Many of them (such as Fleming’s Goldeneye house in Oracabessa) are easy to explore from Ocho Rios.
Trip Highlights:
Landmarks
- Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall Resort
- Rose Hall Golf Course
- Cool Blue Hole
- Dunn’s River Falls
- Margaritaville
- Secret Falls
Key Cities
- Montego Bay
- Ocho Rios
In the 60s, major developments began in the area with a focus on tourism, establishing good connections with other hubs such as Kingston and Montego Bay. Ocho Rios was transformed into what it is today: a lively city catering to all sorts of touristic needs, but with respect for all that natural beauty that continues to stun locals and visitors alike.
To outsiders, Montego Bay presents a glitzy facade of Ironshore (the suburb containing the city’s largest share of upscale resorts), expansive golfing grounds, white sand beaches and cerulean waters. There is, however, a much less glamorous side to the place, one that often escapes the touristic eye – downtown Montego Bay, with all the bustle and grit that comes along with a living city of over 100,000 residents.
Head to the Hip Strip, as Gloucester Ave is known to tourists, and you’ll find MoBay’s famous Margaritaville, frequented by international revelers, along with multiple souvenir shops and eateries serving up jerk meats straight off the grill, Jamaican style. Venture outside of upscale resorts and you’ll have no trouble mingling with locals, who exude an enigmatic joie de vivre.
