JAMAICA
INFORMATION AND HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

Rightly famous for its beaches and music, beautiful, brash Jamaica is much more besides. There's certainly plenty of white sand, turquoise sea and swaying palm trees, but there are also spectacular mountains and rivers, tumbling waterfalls and cactus-strewn savannah plains. Far more than just a resort, the island also boasts vibrant towns and cities such as sprawling Kingston , which inspired the music of Bob Marley and countless other home-grown reggae superstars. Jamaica is a country with a swagger in its step - proud of its history, sporting success and musical genius - but also with a weight upon its shoulders. The island faces the familiar problems of a developing country, including dramatic inequality of wealth and social tensions that occasionally spill over into localized violence and worldwide headlines. As a result Jamaicans are as renowned for being as sharp, sassy and straight-talking as they are laid-back and hip. People don't beat around the bush here, and this can sometimes make them appear rude or uncompromising. Particularly around the big resorts, this direct approach is taken to extremes at times, with harassment reaching irritating levels. But there's absolutely no reason to be put off. As a foreign visitor, the chances of encountering any trouble are minuscule, and the Jamaican authorities have spent millions making sure the island treats its tourists right. As the birthplace of the " all-inclusive " hotel, Jamaica is well suited to those travellers who want to head straight from plane to beach, never leaving their hotel compound. But to get any sense of the country at all, you'll need to do some exploring. It's undoubtedly worth it, as this is an island packed with first-class attractions, oozing with character, and rich with a musical and cultural heritage; if you're a reggae fan, you're in heaven.

Major Cities Fast, furious and fascinating, Kingston is unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. Given its troubled reputation, it's hardly surprising that few tourists visit, and though the scare stories are absurdly exaggerated, Jamaica's capital is not a place for the faint-hearted. With a population fast approaching one million, the city seethes with life, noise and activity; it's a side of Jamaica that couldn't be more different from the resorts. The live-for-today vitality of the place is tempered by a cool elegance and a strong sense of national history. In addition to being the seat of government and the island's administrative centre, Kingston is Jamaica's cultural heart, the city that spawned Bob Marley, Buju Banton, Beenie Man and countless other reggae stars, and it's the place to experience the best of local art, theatre and dance.  Hotel Accommodation Kingston Jamaica Jamaica's second largest city, Montego Bay nestles between the gently sloping Bogue, Kempshot and Salem hills, and extends some ten miles from the haunts of the suburban rich in Reading at its western edge to the plush villa developments and resort hotels of Ironshore and Rose Hall to the east. It's made up of two distinct parts: the main tourist strip Gloucester Avenue (rechristened by the marketing men as the "Hip Strip"), and the city proper, universally referred to as " downtown " - a split so sharp that most tourists never venture further than the dividing roundabout.  Hotel Accommodation Montego Bay Jamaica View all cities

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