Montego Bay is Jamaica’s second largest city. It is mainly divided into two parts: Gloucester Avenue or the Hip Strip as the marketing people renamed, the main tourist strip and Downtown, or the city proper where most tourists do not really venture into. The Hip Strip has one prized asset which is the Montego Bay lined with miles and miles of coral reefs and beaches.
The name Montego Bay is derived from the Spanish name Manteca Bahia (Bay of Lard) due to the lard-making industry of the town made achievable by the wild boards that roam the area. The architecture of the buildings is a mixture of the gingerbread wooden houses and modernity. One of its most famous resorts is the Doctor’s Cave Beach which was said to be full of mineral springs and very clear, sparkling water. The Bay boasts of a wide selection of hotels for accommodation ranging from well-established luxury hotels to newer small intimate places.
There are also a lot of shopping arcades where tourists could go for souvenir shopping. Holiday Village, in front of Holiday Inn, is known to be the largest shopping centre there, with their extensive choices of in-bond stores, crafts and souvenir shops and it also has an art gallery.
Sam Sharpe Square found at the centre of the town is full of activity. There stands the Cage, previously a jail for slave who had runaway and the Courthouse which was built in 1804 and was razed to the ground in a fire some 20 years ago.
