Islandvibes Vacations

Attractions

 

If you need help in booking any of the activities below, your Personal Domestic Assistant is a great resource. However, contact information is listed for most of them.

 

To start, you have access to 6 semi-private Olympic swimming pools. In fact, one is just a few steps away from the Villa. A five minute walk down from the Villa and you are in Island Village. This is one of the newest and hottest places in Jamaica. Inside it houses an amphitheater, lots of great restaurants, shops and the newest and best Margaritaville (a joint venture of legends Jimmy Buffet and Chris Blackwell). The Island Village beach is fantastic and features a large free waterside. The beach also offers a lot of water sports including jet skis, parasailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, sailing and fishing. If you like to party, Margaritaville is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. Both visitors and locals party there. Club Amnesia is also a good party spot. However, this is the preferred spot for locals.

Drive less than 10 minutes and you could be at Dunn’s River falls, Dolphin Cove, fern Gully or Shaw Park.

Click here for a list of restaurants in the Ochi area ….

 

 

The following is a detailed list of activities:

Natural Wonders:

DUNN’S RIVER FALLS

DaCosta Drive

876-974-2857

Hours: 8-5 daily

Admission charged

 

This is the one attraction that just about every cruise ship passenger and resort guest enjoys, a spectacular series of falls that is actually climbable. Guides lead groups up the falls. At the end of the climb, you are led into a hectic market with vendors selling crafts, carvings and T-shirts.

Be prepared to get wet and have fun at Dunn’s River Falls, but don’t expect a quiet, private getaway. The adventure here can be trying to work your way through crowds of tourists and higglers.

 

FERN GULLY

A3, south of Ocho Rios

Open daily

Free

 

Fern Gully is a stretch of Highway A3 that winds south from Ocho Rios. For three miles, the road is lined with lush ferns and innumerable plants; well worth a drive even if you’re not headed that way.

 

Flying Tours:

HELITOURS

120 Main Street

876-974-2264, fax 876-974-2183

For the best view of Ocho Rios, consider a quick helicopter tour. We tried this, traveling from the Couples Resort up the coast to get a birds-eye view of Goldeneye, and it was an experience to remember. The operator offers three tours. The Jamaican Showcase lasts one hour and goes all the way to Kingston and Port Maria. The Memories of Jamaica tour, a half-hour ride, travels over Noel Coward’s Firefly and Ian Fleming’s Goldeneye. The Ocho Rios Fun Hop, a 15-minute trip, swings over Shaw Park Gardens, Fern Gully, Prospect Plantation and Dunn’s River Falls.

 

Shopping:

Shopping Districts

One of the top shopping areas is Soni’s Plaza, on Main Street, filled with duty-free shops offering good buys on jewelry, watches, perfumes, liquor and more. Many of the hotel personnel we talked with in the downtown area shopped regularly at Soni’s for clothing and jewelry. Top shops here include Chulani Jewelers (fine gold and gemstone jewelry, watches and perfumes), Casa De Oro (sells everything from Tiffany watches to Mikimoto pearls), The Gold Mine (features Krieger, Bulova, Swiss Military watches and fine jewelry) and others.

Another top shopping area is the Tajmahal Shopping Centre. This open-air mall is home to Bijoux Jewelers (Breitling watches, Raymond Weil watches, Swarovski crystal, Baccarat crystal, Hummel figurines, Fendi leather), Casa De Oro (Mikimoto pearls, Fendi leather, Cartier leather, Tag Heuer watches, Tiffany watches and jewelry, Rado watches, and an extensive perfume center) and Mohan’s Duty Free Shop (crystal, perfumes, cigars, Cross and Parker pens and Swiss Army knives).

 

Crafts

Ocho Rios has two craft parks, both off Main Street. The Ocho Rios Craft Park, opposite the Ocean Village Shopping Centre, is open 8-6, Monday through Saturday. It has 154 vendors selling everything from sandals to woodcarvings to straw goods. The Olde Market Craft Shoppes is nearby and also has plenty of handmade goods.

AUTHORS’ TIP: Expect to bargain for the best price at both places, but do it in good fun and you’ll find that the vendors are not as high-pressure as they seem.

Another interesting stop is Wassi Art Pottery Works, on Back Street in the community of Great Pond (on the east side of Ocho Rios).This shop offers a tour of its factory. Visitors learn that the pottery is made of clay from Castleton, a small town in the mountains of northeast Jamaica. The clay is worked into a variety of objects – tiles, sculptures, plates, candlesticks – and sold at the store and at fine boutiques island-wide.

 

Art Gallery

Art lovers will also enjoy a stop at Harmony Hall, 876-975-4222 or 876-974-2870. This excellent art gallery is one of Jamaica’s best and a good place to purchase original works of art. Don’t miss the Annabella pieces, souvenir boxes decorated with Jamaican art. Harmony Hall sponsors several art shows annually.

 

Eco-Tourism:

COYABA RIVER GARDEN AND MUSEUM

Shaw Park Estate, Shaw Park Ridge Road

876-974-6235

Hours: 8:30-5 daily

Admission charged

 

INTERESTING FACT: Coyaba is an Arawak word that describes the practice of burning herbs on flat stones. The scent put the Indians into a heavenly state, or “coyaba.”

This attraction offers information and displays on the Arawaks through a small but nice museum. Starting with pre-Columbian history, displays follow the development of the island through the years. Special exhibits spotlight the “famous sons of St. Ann,” including Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey, while other recall the history of the region with facts such as Falmouth’s introduction of electricity, something achieved before the city of Philadelphia boasted electric power.

“A lot of people who come to Jamaica don’t get to see the real Jamaica,” explains Toni Allen, manager. “We’re a beautiful country but we also have a beautiful people and a beautiful history.”

The real splendor of this attraction lies in its beautiful gardens. Stroll past natural springs and waterfalls, where small pools are filled with colorful koi and turtles. Ginger lilies, silk cotton trees (which bloom only every seven years), Jamaican cedar, pimento, jade vines and bamboo fill the park that lies alongside the Milford River Head (with a daily flow of two million gallons).

The gardens also have small, self-contained accommodations. Especially well suited to couples, the charming rooms were constructed using bricks from Port Royal.

 

CRANBROOK FLOWER FOREST

West of Ocho Rios at Laughlands, one mile

off North Coast Highway (sign on left one mile past Chukka Cove)

Hours: 9-5:30 daily

876-770-8071 or 995-3097

Admission charged

 

This beautiful park, a recent addition to Ochi’s tourist offerings, is a must-see for anyone who wants to experience the lush beauty of Jamaica away from the crowds. The area is the private creation of Ivan Linton, who has pampered the plants of this former plantation for over two decades. “It has taken 19 years to develop,” says Linton. “I am a dabbler. I’ve always enjoyed gardening and been involved in horticultural societies.”

Today, Linton proudly points out the bird of paradise, croton, ginger, heliconia and begonias. The grounds are perfect for a picnic. After you eat, hike alongside the shady Laughlands’ Great River. The path climbs high into the hills to a waterfall paradise and is highly recommended.

The day we journeyed here, children were playing in the river as their mothers did laundry in the shallow water. Other activities include bird watching, pond fishing, croquet, donkey rides and volleyball.

AUTHORS’ TIP: Be sure to wear good walking shoes for the hike at Cranbrook. On our recent visit, we hiked up to the waterfalls over very slippery rocks.

 

GREEN GROTTO

2 miles east of Discovery Bay

876-997-7024

Hours: daily

Admission charged

 

At the bottom of the cave lies a subterranean lake where you can ride on a boat. The cave was used as a hiding place for many people throughout history, from pirates to the Spanish governor, who was looking for a place to avoid the British. This is a good destination for those who want to see caves without really going off the beaten path.

 

SHAW PARK BOTANICAL GARDENS

Cutlass Bay

876-974-2723

Hours: 8-5 daily

Admission charged

 

These beautiful 25-acre gardens are perched high above Ocho Rios, with excellent views of the bay and the coast. The gardens include a stunning waterfall as well as many tropical blooms.

 

Historic Sites:

COLUMBUS PARK

Discovery Bay

Free

 

This open-air park marks the spot where, according to some, Columbus first set foot on Jamaica. The small park is worth a stop if you’re already heading along the North Coast Highway. You can see cannons and maritime artifacts.

 

FIREFLY

Port Maria

876-997-7201

Hours: 8:30-5:30 daily

Admission charged

 

The historic home of playwright Noel Coward is open for tours. Named for the luminous insects seen in the warm evenings, this house has certainly entertained its share of luminaries from the political and entertainment worlds, including Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Laurence Olivier, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Alec Guiness, Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. A tour of Firefly includes a look at the home, photos of the many celebrity guests and the grounds where Coward is now buried.

 

Nightlife:

Much of the late-night action in Ocho Rios takes place in the resorts and along a stretch of James Street known as the Reggae Strip. The area is similar, although smaller in scale, to Mo Bay’s Hip Strip. This Reggae Strip (directly across from the Renaissance Jamaica Grande) comes alive every Thursday evening starting at 7pm. At that time, the street bustles with live entertainers and booths offering local cuisine. One of the top nightspots in town is Jamaic’n Me Crazy at the Renaissance Jamaica Grande. It’s popular with both locals and travelers. 876-974-2201. Margaritaville is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. Both visitors and locals party there. Club Amnesia is also a good party spot. However, this is the preferred spot for locals.

 

Plantations:

PROSPECT PLANTATION TOUR

A-1 west of Ocho Rios

876-994-1058

If you’re interested in learning about Jamaica’s fruits, this is an excellent opportunity. This working farm takes visitors by tractor-drawn jitney or on horseback to view fields of bananas, cassava, sugarcane, coffee, allspice and more.

 

Spectator Sports:

Polo

One of the best polo facilities in the Caribbean is just outside Ocho Rios. Chukka Cove Equestrian Centre, on the North Coast Highway, is home to many international matches. Open daily; admission charged. 876-972-2506, fax 876-972-0814. See page 174 for details about horseback riding excursions offered by Chukka.

 

Click here for more attractions ….

 

 

As you can see on the map, Ocho Rios is on the Northern Coast of Jamaica. It is about 60 miles East of Montego Bay. Without question, it is the most popular vacation destination on the Island.  Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that there are lots to do in and around Ocho Rios. In fact, most of the activities listed below are within a 20 miles radius of the city of Ochi.