JAMAICA BABY!

JA-JA-JA-JAMAICA YEAHMON!!!!!

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean. Jamaica lies south of Cuba, and west of the countries Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Previously inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people died of disease, and the Spanish transplanted African slaves to Jamaica as labourers. Named Santiago, the island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain) conquered it and renamed it Jamaica. Under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation economy highly dependent on slaves forcibly transported from Africa. The British fully emancipated all slaves in 1838, and many freedmen chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British utilized Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations. The island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. [Wikipedia]

You cannot stop of course thinking about Bob Marley when you think Jamaica! Simply king of reggae is and always will be Robert Nesta Marley! Jamaican singer-songwriter who became an international musical and cultural icon!

Once I landed in Jamaica, the first thing I did was play a Bob Marley song. (To those who are interested, you could go and see the museum and the place he was buried and that you could do if you decide to stay in either Kingston or Montego Bay!)

VISA

(UPDATE 19-01-2020): The Jamaican Embassy in Kuwait has closed. Now the process has to be done through the embassy in London to get the visa for Kuwaiti Nationals.

Kuwaiti Nationals need visa to enter Jamaica. There is an embassy in Kuwait but the process takes some time so make sure you have enough time to finish the visa processing.

ADDRESS:

Al-Zahra
Block 8, Street 809
House 19
Zahra, Kuwait

PHONELOCAL: 2524.4261
INTERNATIONAL: +965.2524.4261

EMAIL: [email protected]

Requirements (This is as of Feb 2018, which is when I was doing my Visa) are:

• An Application form (you can find it at the embassy or contact them to receive it via email – I can’t remember if I also found it online tbh but try!)
• Passport Sized photo with white background
• Original passport copy full two pages, and copy of all pages
• Travel Itinerary
• Visas for transit country (all of them)
• Hotel Reservations
• Proof of funding (bank statement) & salary certificate

When to visit Jamaica?

According to the locals and from my online search, two of the best months to visit Jamaica are Feb and March. However, there are some amazing festivals happening in Jamaica during summertime. Make sure you check online depending on what you are seeking in your vacation and if your vacation time is during any of their events and festival times!

Where to go in Jamaica?

Basically the three places I was looking into in Jamaica were: Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril. I had limited time in Jamaica, and wanted to spend a longer time in just one city so my decision finally landed at Negril.

Our fight landed very late at night, so we took that opportunity to stay the night in Montego Bay. In Montego Bay we stayed at Half Moon, and it was really cute! I do recommend it.

Now, why did I decide on Negril? To me, this vacation was all about the beaches – so from my vast research, I saw that Negril has the most beautiful beaches, nice resorts and a bit less commercial than the rest.

In Negril, we got to experience the beaches, boats, snorkeling, water sports, horse back riding (take mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves), Rick’s cafe which had amazing music and cliff jumps and so on! It was exactly what I was looking for.

Named for its black cliffs, Negril was a sleepy fishing town for most of its 500-year history until the 1960s and 70s, when tourists began coming for the laid-back lifestyle, reggae music and the splendors of beautiful Seven Mile Beach. [from Montego Bay to Negril via car, the drive was 1 hour 30 minutes]

If I had more time, I would definitely go and explore more of Ocho Rios for 3-4 nights, and maybe go a bit upscale to checkout Port Antonio for 2 nights or so.

Ocho Rios, former fishing village is home to two of Jamaica’ most famous tourist attractions, Dunn’s River Falls and Fern Gully, as well as myriad resorts and tourist lures like Dolphin Cove, canopy tours, and more.

If you seek activities and adventures, you might want to consider Montego Bay!

Montego Bay reigns supreme as the tourism capital of Jamaica, with more resorts and activities than any other destination on the island. MoBay also has some good nightlife too. (I wasn’t very keen on staying in Montego Bay because of what I read about the crimes there and the kidnapping. Since we were all ladies, I wasn’t very comfortable with that info!)

I would recommend 10 days a least in Jamaica if you are looking to explore it well and go around the Island. Otherwise, my 5 days were not enough that’s for sure.

TIP: Research safety and crime in Jamaica and make sure you stay safe. Like other countries, Jamaica has its good and bad incidents and experiences.

Please avoid going to dark alleys, doing illegal stuff that could cause you trouble, and avoid basically looking rich.

• Airports: Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston (Check Flights), Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay (Check Flights), Ian Fleming International Airport, Ocho Rios (Check Flights)

Jamaican Food

I heard so much about Jerk chicken in particular! In Jamaica, you’ll find this spicy local favorite cooking over open fires in steel drums as well as on the menu of upscale restaurants. Sonia’s in Negril is known for its authentic Jamaican dishes; the Ruins in Ocho Rios has a beautiful outdoor courtyard.

Finally, I really liked my long-awaited visit to Jamaica! so much fun, so little time!

Enjoy it guys and remember to stay safe! Please write any question you might have below in the comments xx

Fatima