Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I just returned this past weekend from Ocho rios , and I wont be returning again. If not staying in a secluded resort away from locals, dont even think about going there. It is a very poor town, and locals are extremely aggresive for tourist money. They will take it from you at all cost, muscling you into buying stuff you do not want practically at knife point. Wherever you walk you will find beggers , agressive sellers, and people wanting to take your money no matter how. Luckily I was on a cruise, so I didn't have to stay there the night.

this is an ok place i wouldnt reccomend going for a week. the beaches are just not all that from a carribean stand point, climbing the dunns river falls was a neat excursion. the food wasnt that good, but the red stripe was cheap

To enjoy this city or any city in Jamaica you must rent a car, stay in a hotel that has no pink bracelets such as the Hibiscus Lodge or one of the rental villas; in other words you must BE Jamaican. There are plenty of natural sites around like Fern Gully, Dunn's River Falls and Jack Straw mt. On a day trip, nothing beats a tour of Firefly, Noel Coward's home along the beautiful coast road in Orcabessa. We also enjoyed the hour long sugar plantation tour where one can even locate the late Johnny Cash's mansion. A romantic, but casual dinner can be eaten at Evita's, that sits on a hill overlooking Ocho Rios. This was an old, historical mansion converted into a restaurant and is all open (meaning doors and windows are off). It's February and I wish I was in Ochie right now.

OK, the hotel was wonderful, but first you had to get there (our taxi driver crashed into a truck and was later found to be stoned), and once there, the hotel "advised" us to stay on the grounds! We were prisoners! They said the town was too dangerous! And a group of men jumped on our rental car when we were leaving. I'll never know if they were going to hold us up or were just partying. "Come back to Jamaica" the ad says? Never again!!

The beaches are okay here, but not the best, especially when you compare it to other areas in the region like St. Thomas, the Bahamas or the Cancun area. The Dunns River Falls are fun. Try to climb up the falls, it's an interesting experience. Outside of that, there isn't much here. Just a lot of duty free stores, standard for a Caribbean port of call. Crime is also a bit of a problem here, mainly petty theft, so watch out.

Please this is not a city, this is a resorts place, totally artificial...As a city itis worst than bad, as a resort is like any other, nice like it should be

We stayed at the Renaissance and had a wonderful time. The Dunn's River Falls is beautiful and a fun place to visit. Make sure you try snorkeling and the sunset cruise. We highly recommend this place to young couples.

I went to Jamaica in June 2002 and LOVED it. I stayed at the Renaissance Grande for 5 days. I'm going back this June and stay 7 days. The people were great and I stayed in contact with several of the locals. Awesome food and activities.

Ocho Rios is one place we don't plan on returning too (we did NOT stay are a private resort). The people there were rude and they seemed very unreceptive to visitors. I did enjoy the falls and the beaches would have been great had it not been for the trash and people everywhere trying to sell us something. Jamaica in general has a more impoverished population then most other Island destinations. I would suggest you go somewhere else like St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia or Tortolla, if you thinking about a trip to the Caribbean.

We visited Ocho Rios October of 2002. My husband and I were spoiled rotten at the Jamaica Grande Renassaince (St. Ann, Ocho Rios). We stayed for a whole week and loved every second of it. The staff was amazing, fulfilling our every need. The many restaurants and bars were out of this world. The all-inclusive package was perfect. We were eating great snacks and wonderful meals whenever/wherever we wanted (not at selected restaurants or times)! Dunns Falls was beautiful. They video taped us climbing it. The tape is great, with Bob Marley music in the background! The sunset cruise was unforgettable. The snorkeling at the Grande was amazing! The tour guide for the Grande picked up live starfish for me to hold and took many pictures of me in and under the water! He even gave me a sand dollar (that he found while we were snorkeling) for a souvenir. By the way, the snorkeling and ride to the reef were free with the all-inclusive package! It really does make a difference where you ... Read more

I had fun in Jamaica. The only down side was the constant harassment from Taxi Cab drivers at the Montego Bay Airport. Also the amount of theft is very disturbing. Stay in the Tourists areas and you will be fine.

We stayed at the Renassaince Grande Hotel, it was simply awful, grumpy staff, horrible service, and way overpriced. We were there in January, most people left that resort after one day. Stay closer to the airport as Ocho Rios is over an hour's drive on very dangerous road away.

Let's face it, besides Ocho Rios (ok by caribbean standards), what else does Jamaica have to offer?

This was the only place in Jamaica that is worth visiting, and that is only because of the beautiful waterfalls.

Ochos is a fun town w/ a great waterfall.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica- very beautiful and has a lot of different and fun hotels and activities. eg. Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica Grande, and Green Grotto Cave.

From what I have seen, Jamaica has lots of beautiful landscapes and waters.

Beautiful place, Dunns River Falls is beautiful, lots to see and do especially for tourists.

Ocho Rios is a blast. Very highly recommended for young people. Lots of cool stuff. Go to the falls.

Ocho Rios has the most beautiful beaches that I've ever seen. I hate the beach, but I stayed there all day and got the worst sun burn every day.