Destination Information

When Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus first visited Montego Bay, Jamaica, in the late 1400s, he called it “Golfo de Buen Tiempo”, or fair weather gulf. The name Montego Bay was a derivation of the Spanish word Manteca, or lard, because during Spanish occupation, the port was used to ship lard, leather and beef. Montego Bay remained a Spanish colony until the mid 1600s, when Oliver Cromwell claimed it for the British, who used it as a sugar port well into the 20th Century. Despite threats from native Maroons from the interior and pirates from the sea, Montego Bay thrived and came into its own as a tourist spot. The wealthy flocked in droves to the famous Doctor’s Cave bathing beach. Jamaica’s appeal never seems to wane and today visitors come in search of sunshine, outdoor adventure or hoping to glimpse the notorious White Witch of Rose Hall. Whatever the draw, Montego Bay, Jamaica's unsurpassed Caribbean hospitality keeps them returning again and again.