Montego Bay, Jamaica

Montego Bay is a city in Jamaica that contains Jamaica's largest airport, the Sir Donald Sangster International Airport. Montego Bay is known for its duty free shopping and cruise line terminal at its Free Port on a beautiful peninsula jutting into the bay. Its sheltered Doctor's Cave Beach with clear turquoise waters is one of the most famous beaches on the island. The bay is surrounded by picturesque low mountains.

Doctor's Cave Beach Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica. Check out more photos of all our featured destinations in our photo gallery.

Spring Break

Jamaica, as you might expect, is a slower paced spring break experience than destionations like Cancun or Acapulco, but many students choose this destination for that very reason.

Hotels and Restaurants

The coastland near Montego Bay is occupied by numerous tourist resorts, some newly built, some occupying the grounds of old sugar cane plantations with some of the original buildings and mill-works still standing. The most famous of these are the "White Witch's" Rose Hall and Tryall, both of which now feature world-class golf courses.

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Clubs and Bars

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Attractions and Events

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Tourism

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Climate

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Good to know

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History and Development

The name "Montego Bay" is believed to have originated as a corruption of the Spanish word manteca ("lard"), allegedly because during the Spanish period it was the port where lard, leather, and beef were exported. Jamaica was a colony of Spain from 1511 until 1655 when Oliver Cromwell's Caribbean expedition, the Western Design, drove the Spanish from the island. Christopher Columbus, when he first visited the island in 1494, named the bay Golfo de Buen Tiempo ('Fair Weather Gulf')

During the epoch of slavery, from the mid-17th century until 1834, and well into the 20th century, the town functioned primarily as a sugar port. The island's last major slave revolt, the Christmas Rebellion or Baptist War (1831–1832) took place in the area around Montego Bay; the leader of the revolt, Samuel Sharpe, was hanged there in 1832. In 1975, Sharpe was proclaimed a national hero of Jamaica, and the main square of the town was renamed in his honour.

In 1980, Montego Bay was proclaimed a city by act of parliament, but this has not meant that it has acquired any form of autonomy as it continues to be an integral part of St. James parish.

This article has been modified from its original version (available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montego_Bay) and is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.