Every aspect of life in Jamaica is imbued with a sense of pride for the island and its people. There’s that common search for "everything being irie," which is more than just a phrase to describe being relaxed and content. It sums up that feeling when people come together to create a work of harmony that someone could only discover in Jamaica’s peaceful paradise.

Every aspect of life in Jamaica is imbued with a sense of pride for the island and its people. There’s that common search for "everything being irie," which is more than just a phrase to describe being relaxed and content. It sums up that feeling when people come together to create a work of harmony that someone could only discover in Jamaica’s peaceful paradise. Holding a dish of jerk chicken while listening to live reggae next to a placid turquoise sea seems to do the trick.

That singular sense of rhythm and joy is a major reason for so many vacations booked to Jamaica. All that reggae-inspired dancin’ and romancin’ is a positive reminder of the island’s national motto: "out of many, one people."

Accessibility and convenience have always been one of Montego Bay’s best selling points because of Sangster International Airport and Jamaica’s largest stable

of beachfront resorts a mere 10-15 minute cab ride away. Another major selling point is that within the last few years, the region has developed into a world-class golfer’s playground with four championship golf courses featuring postcard perfect

fairways bordering the sea. All of the courses are either almost brand new or have been recently modernized.

These include a Robert Trent Jones layout at Half Moon Montego Bay; the 18 spectacular holes cascading down the hillside surrounding The Tryall Club; the completely revamped Cinnamon Hill at Wyndham Rose Hall Resort & Country Club; and the lushly landscaped new White Witch links at The Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall designed by Robert von Hagge. The area hotels can put together value-filled packages with guaranteed tee times where visitors can play two or more courses during one stay.

Anchoring the Wyndham and Ritz-Carlton golf courses is Rose Hall, one of the Caribbean’s most dramatic sugar plantation homes, or "Great Houses." Perched atop a verdant hillside, the elegantly restored home overlooks 400 acres of lush lawns sloping down to the sea. Likewise, the Greenwood Great House was constructed in 1790 by a cousin of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

It was in Ocho Rios where mass tourism first took off in Jamaica during the advent of the jet age. The region has built up over the years a wealth of cultural activities, outdoor excursions and interesting shopping that set Ocho Rios apart as a resort area offering much more than sun, sea and sand.

Dunn’s River Falls is easily Jamaica’s most well known attraction and for good reason. Visitors come from all over the island to traverse the boulders and falling water as they make their way up into the jungle. Other spectacular natural settings include a variety of gardens where visitors can wander through acres of bougainvillea, ginger lilies, heliconias, anthuriums, orchids and massive banyan trees. Spots to visit are Shaw Park Botanical Gardens; Coyaba River Garden & Museum; Cranbrook Flower Forest; and Fern Gully with over 500 varieties of ferns planted since the 1880s.

For art lovers, Wassi Art is a little known commune high up in the mountains where resident artists create exquisite clay pottery and sculpture. This is a must for shoppers also, because it has the best variety and pricing compared to the cruise ship docks. It’s fun to buy the local wares from where they were designed, and tourists have the benefit of seeing the clay-making process firsthand while the artisans work their magic on the pottery wheel.

A must-see diversion for all stripes of visitors, Island Village is an expansive shopping, dining and entertainment complex owned by Chris Blackwell, the legendary producer of Bob Marley. The open-air and lushly landscaped attraction is home to various restaurants including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, plus colorful shops selling both designer labels and local Jamaican wares. A highlight is the ReggaeXplosion museum dedicated to reggae and its many fans. Make sure to check out the dance floor inside designed for the hearing impaired. Below the floor are high powered speakers that make the floor reverberate so people can feel the reggae beat as it emanates up through their bodies, while they watch classic reggae concerts on the large video screen.

Negril is one of the Caribbean’s most laid back destinations for a large-scale resort setting, so much so it’s earned a reputation as "the capital of casual." The selling point here is simple. Visitors have direct access to seven miles of uninterrupted, pure white beach fronting an unbelievably calm blue-green ocean. This is what the postcard promised and this is what Negril delivers. No hotel is more than three stories tall, and much of the beach is home to an array of funky beach bars and restaurants with most of their tourist clientele barefoot and grinning. Every year, it seems another small and colorful inn-style resort opens up where visitors feel like they’re staying with a Jamaican family and their cute, well-manicured gingerbread home.

Bordering the main beach is seven more miles of seaside cliffs and grottos first popularized by visiting hippies in the 1960s. Dotting the cliffs are a series of open-air restaurants and bars that cater to hundreds of tourists nightly who migrate here to watch the nightly sunsets over the Caribbean Sea. As the dying sun lights up the waters, the reggae bands start pumping out their hip-swayin’ beat while everyone knifes into their spicy Jerk chicken and sips on Jamaica’s Red Stripe beer. One special event during sunset on the cliffs are the professional cliff divers at Rick’s Café who perform graceful acrobatics from 60 feet above the warm crystalline waters.

Most importantly in Negril, the region has the highest number of hotels in the Caribbean certified by Great Britain’s Green Globe environmental organization. The local government is adamant about keeping the destination in its pristine ecological state, meaning no cruise ships or heavy industry.

Situated between two idyllic harbors, the town of Port Antonio is one of the most verdant landscapes in all of Jamaica because it’s nestled at the foot of the mist-covered Blue Mountains. The narrow roads twisting through the countryside are literally swathed in cascading bougainvillea, tall royal and traveler’s palms, and

jungle vines straight out of Tarzan. Far away from any tourist hordes, the region is popular for romantic couples and ecotourists who come for the Garden of Eden atmosphere.

Accommodations offer a choice of full-service properties directly on the beach or more homey environs higher up in the hills with breathtaking views and loads of old Jamaican charm. There is not much in the way of man-made attractions in Port Antonio, but there’s enough of that throughout the rest of Jamaica. Instead, visitors tend to hang out at their hotels and breathe the fresh Blue Mountain air while sipping on the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee. The most famous attractions are Blue Lagoon and the bamboo raft tours down the mighty Rio Grande River that winds through the palm-strewn hills.

Other activities include Athenry Gardens, the ancient stalagmites and stalactites inside Nonesuch Caves, swimming under the Somerset Waterfalls, and hiking/horseback riding through Rio Grande Valley.

The southern coast of Jamaica is the next big thing in terms of tourism, with Sandals Resorts opening a new property this winter. The selling point here is life in the Caribbean as Jamaicans know it—authentic and supremely peaceful. The "quiet side" of Jamaica is highlighted by the breezy hill town of Mandeville sitting 2,000 ft. above sea level, and the Treasure Beach area with its empty beaches and spectacular villa rentals around Bluefields Bay.

The genteel British heritage and cooler climate of Mandeville make it attractive to Caribbean travelers seeking something new to discover beyond the beach. Highlights include garden tours led by the local horticultural society and golf at the Manchester Club, which opened the first golf course in the Caribbean way back in 1868.

Around Treasure Beach, there are three once-in-a-lifetime opportunities no visitor should miss if they’re in the region. YS Falls is a magical escape with waterfalls emptying into a series of pools for swimming and swinging on ropes. For rum aficionados, there’s a fun tour and free tasting at the historic Appleton Estate sugar factory and rum distillery. And whatever one does in the south coast of Jamaica, a pontoon ride up the Black River to see the wild alligators up close is a must. Sitting in silence a couple of miles up the river among the mangroves and vines is as pure a Jamaican event as any tourist will ever discover.

Marriage requirements: Proof of citizenship and proof of divorce, if applicable. French Canadians need a notarized translated English copy of documents and a photocopy of the original French documents

Contact: One of our Vacation Specialist at 1-888-783-1342 or email us at requests@cmtravelonline.com or visit us at www.cmtravelonline.com. 

Official language: English

Government: Representative democracy

Temperature: Averages 82ºF

Rainfall: 78 inches annually

Official currency: Jamaican dollar, but the U.S. dollar is widely accepted

Entry requirements: Valid passport or birth certificate with photo identification

Departure tax: $27

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Contact: One of our Vacation Specialist at 1-888-898-3628.   CLICK HERE  to request our assistance or visit us at www.cmtravelonline.com to learn more about our top vacation destinations.