Montego Bay is Jamaica’s “second city” (after Kingston), located on the western side of the island, and is the country’s tourism sector capital. One of Jamaica’s two airports is located in Mo Bay, making it arguably the most convenient spot to vacation if you’re visiting Jamaica, especially if you’re visiting for the first time and nervous about the chaos that is Jamaican roads. There are a plethora of hotels to choose from (many of which are the large all-inclusives that we will leave others to tell you about) and it being a city means there are lots of things to do as well, many geared towards tourists – for better or for worse.
Recommended Stays
If you are a golfer, Half Moon may just be your dream experience. If you are not a golfer, which we are not, it may still be your dream experience! At over 60 years of age, Half Moon is among the most established high-end hotels on the island and it’s won a plethora of awards, including the “Caribbean’s Leading Hotel” from the World Travel Awards. The grounds and beach are meticulously maintained and stunning, the hotel has its own shopping village, and don’t be surprised if you see a celebrity or two. Oh, and as expected, we hear the golf course is fantastic.
So, as much as we have emphasized that this website won’t be the place to look to find out about all-inclusives, there’s always an exception to the rule. The Rose Hall Resort for us is that exception. Between the large water park, the supervised “teen room” that our kids (who were not teens) loved hanging out in, the pool and beach areas, and importantly a smaller size than some hotels, we felt quite comfortable letting our children roam the grounds on their own. There are also some really excellent dining options at this hotel – do your best to check out as many as you can. The beach is only okay but the rest of the hotel more than made up for that. Caveat: When we stayed there, it was a Hilton; it no longer is, so we’re not sure what changes, good or bad, have occurred in the interim.
This past year, we finally made it to Round Hill! This 70+ year old hotel, which recently earned a Michelin key, had been on our bucket list for a while. It’s another one of the island’s most highly rated and most high-end, and it has won numerous awards, including a 2024 “Best of the Best” from TripAdvisor. We could definitely see why. Grounds were beautiful, staff were lovely, food was outstanding, and it felt very luxurious (the price reflects that). When you get bored of the beach, head to the infinity pool, see pic below. There’s a manager’s cocktail hour weekly which we were lucky enough to be there for; it was a great way to sample some cocktails, eat some tasty hors d’oeuvres, and chat with others. We saw some celebrities while we were there, and could definitely see why it would be a place the rich and famous would frequent. Just note, we stayed in the main hotel, not one of the villas, so can only imagine (and dream!) about what that experience is like considering how nice our room was.
Recommended Activities
For those who don’t know, the picture below may look strange. But those who know…know. As we said on the Portland page, we admittedly haven’t been to Boston for jerk, but we have been to Scotchie’s Montego Bay (as well as Scotchie’s other sites) and highly recommend it. If you want real-deal, delicious jerk chicken or pork, prepared authentically – which means using pimento wood over burning coals covered with zinc in a smoke-filled hut – then head to Scotchie’s. Make sure to enjoy a Red Stripe beer while you’re at it.
Our Montego Bay Bucket List
One Montego Bay event on our bucket list is the annual July music festival, Reggae Sumfest, which has been occurring since the early 1990s. Performers range from international stars to local legends to brand new up-and-comers, and tens of thousands of people flock to this multi-day event. Toni Braxton and Tarrus Riley were just two of the artists to perform in 2025.
Jamaica travels 
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