Montego Bay

Today many explorations of Mo'Bay are conducted from a reclining chair—frothy drink in hand—on Doctor's Cave Beach. As home of the north-shore airport, Montego Bay is the first taste most visitors have of the island. It's the second-largest city in Jamaica and has a busy cruise pier west of town. Travelers from around the world come and go in this bustling community year-round. The name Montego is derived from manteca ("lard" in Spanish). The Spanish first named this Bahía de Manteca, or Lard Bay. Why? The Spanish once shipped hogs from this port city. Jamaican tourism began here in 1924, when the first resort opened at Doctor's Cave Beach so that health seekers could "take the waters." If you can pull yourself away from the water's edge, you'll find some interesting colonial sights in the surrounding area.