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| Ocho
Rios |
| Excerpted
from the book, Jamaica,
by Don Philpott |
Ocho
Rios
is the second major tourist town on the north
coast with a wide range of accommodation,
excellent beaches, airstrip and modern cruise
facilities. Each year it attracts more than
700,000 tourist, about 350,000 of these from
cruise ships, and a major initiative is under
to way to upgrade visitor facilities with
information booths, toilets, more signs and
guides, and a promenade from
Reynolds Pier to Dunns River. There
has been a crack down on hustlers and illegal
vendors, and residents and businesses are
being encouraged to plant flowers and trees
and properly maintain properties.
The town makes a great base for exploring
both the coast and the lush interior with
its fast flowing rivers and the many waterfalls,
working plantations and beautiful tropical
gardens. The combination of sunshine and rainfall
are ideal for flowering plants, and the area
is usually a blaze of bright hibiscus and
poinsettia. If you don't want to spend all
your time on the beach or in the water, you
can go Calypso rafting or hiking.
The tourist development stems from the 1960s
when the harbor was dredged and the white
sand beach reclaimed. The remains of the fort
are just to the west of town, near the bauxite
terminal, and were built in the late seventeenth
century.
The town has a bustling market and a range
of eating places, and the most popular attractions
include the Carinosa
Tropical Gardens, Shaw Park Gardens
which offer stunning views over the town and
out to sea, and Fern Gully which runs south
of town. A new by pass now diverts most traffic
around the town making it much easier to stroll
around.
Carinosa is just south of the town,
set in a beautiful river gorge that runs through
tropical rainforest. It has waterfalls, hanging
garden, garden walks, aquarium and lakes,
and is noted for its huge collection of orchids
and ferns.
There is good shopping in town and at Ocean
Village, and there is a Craft
Park and Old Market Craft Shoppes.
The post office is on Main Street, and the
tourist office is in the Ocean Village Shopping
Centre.
From Ocho Rios continue along the coast through
Frankfort to Harmony
Hall. It is about 4 miles (6km) east
of the town and was built in the mid-nineteenth
century as a Methodist Manse next to a pimento
estate. Today it is a showcase for many of
the island's most talented artists and craftsmen
and very well presented. There is an art gallery,
craft center, bookshop and boutique and restaurant.
It is open from 10am to 6pm daily. (974-4478).
Continue through Caribbean Park and Jamaica
Beach to Rio Nuevo,
the site of a battle where the Spanish defeated
the English. The battle site is open daily
from 9am to 4 pm. The road then goes through
Salt Gut and Boscobel Beach to Oracabessa
and the very popular James Bond Beach, where
you can often listen to live reggae performances.
See how many Bond film titles you can spot.
For instance, the ticket booth is called 'Money
Penny' and the Changing Rooms bear the sign
'For Your Eyes Only'.
A little further on you pass Firefly,
the former home of Noel Coward and now preserved
as he left it, thanks to a $250,000 restoration
program. It was named after the luminous fireflies
seen after dark. The late playwright discovered
the site in 1948 while holidaying on the island
and staying with Ian Fleming nearby. He bought
the 5 acre (2-hectare) hilltop plateau and
built the house in 1956 as a retreat. Many
of the world's greatest film stars and members
of the Royal family were entertained here
and he loved it so much he chose to be buried
in the grounds.
The spot where the property is located was
originally known as Look-Out
and had been used by the buccaneer Sir Henry
Morgan 300 years earlier to keep watch fo
pirates. The studio where Noel Coward worked
has magnificent views, and he called it 'the
room with a view'.
Just outside is a marvelous statue of Noel
Coward sitting on a bench and looking out
to sea. The tour includes a 20-minute biographical
video and a walk through the house and grounds.
There is an admission fee. The house is preserved
as he left it and is now a museum on the life
and lifestyle of Noel Coward sitting on a
bench and looking out to sea. The tour includes
a 20-minute biographical video and a walk
through the house and grounds. There is a
small restaurant offering light lunches and
afternoon tea. The house and grounds are open
from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Saturday
(997-7201).
Further down the road is Goldeneye,
the home of Ian Fleming, the creator of James
Bond, but it is not open to the public.
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