Jewel of the Caribbean
The last time I visited Jamaica, I was editorial director for Frommers.com and had been invited to serve as a guest judge at a jerk cook-off. This time, I was arriving to take part as a member of the invited international press corps at the Jamaica Product Exchange 2025 (JAPEX), the Caribbean nation’s annual travel trade show.
Read More: Charting a Course for Jamaican Tourism
All-Inclusives Abound
I stayed at Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Montego Bay, an all-inclusive that has an adults-only sibling on the west side of the property. Together, both offer 50,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space. All-inclusives have their benefits—the Ziva has a fantastic coffee shop offering any kind of brew you might like, along with sweet or savory pastries, ready-made sandwiches, smoothies and fresh fruit-infused waters. Before my return flight, I stocked up on sandwiches to ensure I had something to eat while traveling. The Ziva also has multiple restaurants and swim-up snack bars.
Read More: All-in on All-Inclusives
Other attending journalists were put up at the Hyatt Dreams Rose Hall Resort & Spa (20,000 sq. ft. meeting space) and the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa (25,000 sq. ft. meeting space).
Adventure Awaits
Across the Caribbean, Chukka is a well-known outfitter for excursions and activities. We arrived at Chukka Eco-Adventure Outpost at Good Hope Estate near Falmouth. We could opt for river rafting, ziplining and a variety of other activities. I chose the Appleton Estate rum-tasting session because I enjoy learning about a place’s history through its flavors—and Jamaica’s history comes down through sugarcane farming.
Thoroughly enriching was a visit to Jamaica’s new Artisan Village at Falmouth, located at Hampden Wharf. The ersatz 19th-century village tells the story of Jamaica’s history of slavery, sugarcane farming and rum through costumed musical reenactments, crafts, food and courses. We participated in a culinary session on how to make the ubiquitous jerk marinade for chicken. The village features more than a dozen shops devoted to crafts important in Jamaican history—straw weaving, hand-painted Jippi Jappa hats, stonework and more.
You can enjoy a more lavish excursion with Aristo Kat Tours, where the vehicle of choice is a fully staffed yacht. Departing from Doctor’s Cave in Montego Bay, we spent three hours out on the water on the Majesti Kat, with a break for snorkeling, before enjoying food and beverage offerings of escovitch fish, a seafood pasta salad and festivals, a classic Jamaican sweet mini bread. On board was a DJ, who spun Caribbean club tracks as the sun set.
Devour
A trip to Jamaica is not complete until you’ve eaten jerk chicken, whole fish in Jamaican brown stew, grilled lobster, spicy seafood chowder, curried goat, oxtail stew, pumpkin-chicken soup and the ever-present festivals. Other dishes to keep an eye out for are bammy (cassava bread), ackee and saltfish (cooked fruit with fish fritters), callaloo (a native green similar to spinach), stamp & go (a flat, salted cod fritter)—and, of course, the flaky hand-held turnovers known as patties of Jamaica. The Pelican Grill, Pier 1 on the Waterfront (both in Montego Bay) and Mystic Flava in Falmouth all serve these dishes.
We were treated to a surprise secret dinner curated by Chef Glenroy Walker of Kitchen721, served poolside at his home. He is available for private catering, a perfect way to ensure meeting attendees get to explore exemplary Jamaican cuisine. His rustic pumpkin-chicken soup with spinner dumplings was so satisfying that I requested the recipe and made it when I returned stateside.
This article appears in the November 2025 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
