Travel Guide: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I went to Jamaica, with my sister and best friend, last month as a quick escape from the cold. I’ve wanted to go to Jamaica since I graduated college, but it never worked out. Finally, I found the perfect time to go and was so excited! I stayed around the Ocho Rios area for my trip and wanted to provide a travel guide around my time there.

Where to stay

I stayed in an Airbnb not far from the Ocho Rios city center. The Airbnb was close to a private beach and included a private chef, transportation, pool, and jacuzzi.

Getting around

You have a couple of options for transportation:

• Rent a car: If you prefer to rent a car, be mindful that you may go through traffic stops. When getting from Montego Bay and Ocho Rios to our Airbnb, we went through a traffic stop. Our driver simply had to roll down all the windows in front of the police, and we were on our way.
• Hire a private driver/taxi: We opted for this option, which was perfect for us since we could divide the cost by three. Also, it made it easy for us to come and go whenever we pleased. If you’d like contact info for the private driver I used, feel free to email me! If you decide to take a taxi, make sure to agree on a price before getting in.
• Book a tour: Most tours I saw offered transportation to and from your accommodation. This might be an economical choice for solo travelers or anyone on a budget.

There is public transportation on the island, but it’s hard to track the buses down.

Where to play

Bamboo Rafting at Martha Brae River

• A 45-minute drive from Ocho Rios
• Cost per person: $32 (~JMD 4055) – two people per raft

Martha Brae River is located in the Trelawny parish. It’s a beautiful place to bamboo raft – which is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of rafting with a paddle and inflatable raft, they use a bamboo stick and a bamboo raft they’ve built. With your purchase you get, a complimentary non-alcoholic drink and a lifejacket. You can purchase alcohol and bring it on the raft with you if you want. The rule is two people can sit on one raft, but our guide let us three share one!

This experience was so amazing! You can sit back, relax, and listen to the sound of the water moving with the raft. The water is clean and you’re surrounded by beautiful greenery. The whole rafting experience is roughly 45 minutes. Once you’ve hit a certain spot in the river, the guide lets you swim in the river, if you’d like. I didn’t swim, but I did ask if I could steer the raft. It’s not as easy as they make it look, but I enjoyed rafting!

Blue Hole

• A 20-minute drive from Ocho Rios
• Cost per person: $20 USD (~JMD 2,600)

Let me start by saying I’ve never seen water THIS blue. I know the name is Blue Hole, but I didn’t think the water would be THAT blue.

Blue Hole is an amazing experience if you’re into cliff jumping and swimming. There are multiple waterfalls at the Blue Hole that you can enjoy. All of the water in Blue Hole is fresh. So my curly girls don’t have to worry about dry hair from chlorine or saltwater. A tour guide is mandatory and comes with the entrance cost. For the most part, all of the areas have deep water. If you’re not a good swimmer, no worries, they provide lifejackets for you! Also, the guides are very attentive and will assist you, if needed. I love that the tour guides keep groups separated so that one area isn’t completely crowded. Definitely a worthwhile experience!

Bamboo Blu

• Less than a 15-minute drive from Ocho Rios

Bamboo Blu is a beachfront restaurant and bar. You can rent a beach chair or bed/cabana, order some food and drinks, and just relax. Since it was a 2-minute drive from our Airbnb, we had to check it out. I’ll say the service could be better. I’m not sure if it’s because it was somewhat crowded the day we went, but the service was a little slow. Also, their Instagram says that you can reserve a beach chair or bed by texting them. I tried that and I didn’t get a response, unfortunately.

Tracks & Records

Essentially a sports bar, Tracks & Records was co-founded by 8-Gold Medal Olympian Usain Bolt. You can get traditional Jamaican cuisine like jerk chicken and drinks like Red Stripe. You can watch sports games on the large TV screens around the restaurant or enjoy the music. The Ocho Rios location is close to the New Pineapple Shopping Centre.

New Pineapple Shopping Centre

This shopping center is the perfect place to grab souvenirs. We went to Rainbow Stores and were able to grab everything we wanted from rum, shot glasses, and more.

Where to eat

Scotchies

We heard this is THE place for jerk chicken, so of course we had to check it out. They have a location in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and I’m sure other places in Jamaica. I ordered jerk chicken and rice and peas, and it was delicious. Just keep in mind, that the rice and peas don’t automatically come with jerk chicken. So you’d have to order that separately. The meat is cooked and smoked on logs with fire underneath and comes out fairly quickly.

Juici Patties

The place to go for delicious patties. All patties cost around JMD 150 (~$1.20). I, of course, got a beef patty which was so delicious. This looks like a place that a lot of locals go to, so you know it has to be good!

Additional tips/advice

• Cruises: Jamaica is a huge cruise destination. Keep this in mind when picking days to go to certain places as it might get crowded. I checked this website to see which cruises were coming to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, specifically.
• All-inclusive accommodation: My private driver informed us that some of the all-inclusive resorts are managed/owned by Indians and/or Asians. Rather than giving money back to the local community, they often funnel the money back to their homelands. I’ve never been into all-inclusive resorts, but I also don’t travel to beach locations often. The few times I have, I’ve stayed in Airbnb’s or boutique hotels. But I think all-inclusive resorts get a bad rep, just like hostels. I’m sure there are all-inclusive resorts that care about the land and community they occupy. But, you’ll have to do the extra research to weed out the good all-inclusive resorts.
• Safety: While there’s a travel advisory (as of March 2019) for U.S. citizens, I felt completely safe in the Ocho Rios area. Granted we had a private driver to take us around everywhere, I’m sure I would’ve felt safe if I went through a tour or drove myself. Our driver also explained that crime in Jamaica is just like in the States. As long as you use common sense, you’ll be fine. Also, our driver mentioned that most crime happening in Jamaica is between locals who are rivals (e.g. gangs).
• Currency: You can take out Jamaican dollars if you’d like. But, most places I went to accepted USD and/or debit/credit card. My private driver, for instance, preferred to be paid in USD.