Best Beach in Montego Bay

[Toronto-Jamaica]

The best beach in Montego Bay is Doctor's Cave - great swimming, good snorkeling (equipment available), food, drinks, boats, clean safe....

Entrance is about $5. Try snorkeling along the left jetty (pier) out to and along the buoy line. You can carefully swim across a narrow boat channel to the main reef. There are lots of fish and corral inside the buoys as well. The visibility is over 60 feet, take bread to attract fish.

The beach is quiet, there is beach volleyball at times. There is good food. It is better and cheaper than the deals offered at Rose Hall or Sunset.

If you want some more excitement you can walk 5 minutes to Margaritaville for lunch, waterslide, water trampoline... There are shops all along there to buy souvenirs without being harassed too much.

Paul

[jblair]

Hey Paul, you seem to really be an advocate for Doctors Cave Beach? Is there any particular reason why? Just wondering..................nothing personal.

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Yes I own stock, just kidding. I grew up a couple of miles from Doctor's Cave, my father was the deputy director of tourism for Jamaica. I have been to many places and hotels in Jamaica. In the Montego Bay area Doctor's Cave is the best beach. In fact, I have not been many beaches that you can swim to a large reef in calm clear water. One thread someone asked about Sunset Beach Or Rose Hall, probably what's offered by the cruise. They are not as nice as Doctor's Cave. There are lots of things that I find sad and dissapointing about going back to Jamaica, Doctor's Cave has never been one of them.

Paul

[jblair]

Yes I own stock, just kidding. I grew up a couple of miles from Doctor's Cave, my father was the deputy director of tourism for Jamaica. I have been to many places and hotels in Jamaica. In the Montego Bay area Doctor's Cave is the best beach. In fact, I have not been many beaches that you can swim to a large reef in calm clear water. One thread someone asked about Sunset Beach Or Rose Hall, probably what's offered by the cruise. They are not as nice as Doctor's Cave. There are lots of things that I find sad and dissapointing about going back to Jamaica, Doctor's Cave has never been one of them.

Paul

Thanks for the reply Paul. I think that is where we will go. Do you know if they offer food/drinks/water sports there?

Many thanks!

Joanie

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Hi Joanie,

There are a couple of restaurants and a bar ( Try a patty and rice and peas and jerk chicken, I don't drink but apparently Red Stripe is good). There are water sports available on the far right side of the Beach. On the left side there is a glass bottom boat and catamaran. The man with the glass bottom boat is Winston, sometimes you can barter with him if you have a group. You can also rent chairs, umbrellas and snorkeling equipment ( I would recomend buying your own at Cotsco). Swim out along the left pier and along the buoy line to the other side, lots of corral and fish. You may see a moray eel at the end of the pier and at times other eels and squid. (take bread with you in a zip loc, the fish eat it out of your hands). There are shops outside of the beach. Let me know what you think. Have a great cruise.

Paul

[jblair]

Hey Paul. Are you a Pastor? I saw another post of yours, and I thought it said that you were a pastor. If so, for what church?

 

Hey, I am a bit nervous about DCB. There was another poster that said that they could't get into Sunset Beach and so the taxi driver took them to another beach about 10 minutes away with a $5 per person entrance fee. He said the facilites were disgusting. I replied to his post to see if DCB rang a bell with him. He couldn't remember the name of the beach, so I am trying to jarr his memory. How long has it been since you've been there? I have a thing about cleanliness.

 

Thanks!

Joanie

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Hi Joanie,

Yes at Church In The City.

I was there less than 2 years ago. There is even a fitness club. When do you go?

Paul

[jblair]

Hi Joanie,

Yes at Church In The City.

I was there less than 2 years ago. There is even a fitness club. When do you go?

Paul

We leave this Saturday. I am thinking we will go to Sunset. I know you think DCB is better, but with 5 kids, 19, 19, 16, 16 and 9, don't you think they might enjoy Sunset better?

 

Bless you for your ministry!

Joanie

[KatWI]

Thanks for all the info about Dr Cave's Beach. We are planning on going to Sunset Beach with our kids but it's great to have info about this beach in case Sunset Beach doesn't work out!

 

THANKS!

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Joanie,

I looked at Sunsets website I don't see the reef, the waterpark doesn't look great.

If you go to DCB, you can walk to Margaritaville. They have a wild waterslide that shoots you into the ocean (apparently some people have hit there head on the slide, never seen that happen), they have two water trampolines and hot tubs. It's a fun atmosphere.

If they like snorkeling you won't leave DCB, there are also jet skis... available at the beach to the right of DCB walk past the pier. For the money you save you can do motorized stuff.

Have fun

Paul

[mgrieger]

Sounds like a perfect place for my wife and I - I love to snorkel, my wife usually would rather pull up a lounge chair and soak up some rays! Anyway, I saw Paul's suggestion to bring some bread to attract fish while snorkeling... I'd like to offer a similar suggestion, a tip I got from a very pleasant local in St Thomas: milk-bone dog biscuits! I forever will be packing them. Just take one out with you and as it gets soaked, you can easily break/rub off particals and the fish go nuts. The only problem is, you can almost create a feeding-frenzy atmosphere with all the fish you attract!

[cruzzers]

Toronto- Jamaica...thanks for all your valuable information. I think our little group will go to DCB. We dock at the pier in Mo-Bay. About how far would that be? Do you think it is safe there?

[Texas_firefighter]

Yes , thanks for the DCB info.we are looking for a beach to go to after a morning excursion, and did not want to pay 40.00 for sunset beach for only a couple of hours. We just want to lay on the beach and swim in the afternoon.Thanks again.

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Hi Terry and Beth,

DCB is safe, it is about 20 minutes from the pier depending on traffic.

Paul

[Princess246]

Hi Terry and Beth,

DCB is safe, it is about 20 minutes from the pier depending on traffic.

 

Paul

 

Hi, does anyone know how much the cab fare is to DCB? The cruiseline is charging a bit much for this as an excursion.

 

Thanks.

[julieds]

Paul, you can't be serious! QUIET? Of course, the fact that we visited Doctor's Cave Beach on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas and a national holiday) may have had something to do with how crowded, noisy, and dirty it was the day we were there... It was wall-to-wall chairs (which were the very uncomfortable "sling" type), umbrellas, and people, plus trash (leftover food containers, beer bottles, etc.) that people had just left lying in the sand.

 

But our impression was this was not a beach we'd want to return to, even on a quieter day. It's fairly small and in the middle of a very built up area. Definitely not our idea of tropical paradise, but I guess everyone has his/her own idea of what a "best beach" is...

[Toronto-Jamaica]

In Montego Bay is the key, Montego Bay is a large town. The cruise ships offer Sunset and Rose Hall that don't have a reef. The beach is usually very clean. Did you swim out to the reef? I have just returned from the Southern carribean, we went to 5 islands St. Thomas (Coki Beach), Antigua (Long Bay), St Martin (Orient), Tortola (Cane Garden Bay) the setting for all of them was spectacular, the snorkeing was disappointing, none of them compare to DCB.

Paul

[CruizinChef]

Hi Paul,

 

There seems to be quite a diversity of opinion here about the cleanliness of the beach. We will be visiting Jamaica in a week - MoBay to be exact and I was looking for a good snorkelling beach.

 

Are the tourists hassled by the locals? You here so much about veryone with their hands out asking for money and respect!

 

How much is the cab fare to DCB?

 

Have you heard anything about Marva Shaw or any other reputable tour guide?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Peter

[Toronto-Jamaica]

Hi Peter,

The ride is about $4, I have been to the beach hundreds of times and have never seen it dirty. The snorkeling is good, read my earlier posts. I have seen a Moray eel, squid, rays, barracuda.... Have fun, let us know what you think.

Paul

[Kcarp]

If you want some more excitement you can walk 5 minutes to Margaritaville for lunch, waterslide, water trampoline... There are shops all along there to buy souvenirs without being harassed too much.

 

Paul

How safe is this walk?

[Toronto-Jamaica]

It is safe, you will probably have people offer you 'smoke' if you are under 50 or look like you 'smoke'. The walk is part of the hip strip, it is patrolled. To be honest with you the restaurants at DCB are just as good.

Paul

[tinkerbelle32]

Anyone been to DCB recently? Would like to try and go on our upcoming March cruise. It will be me, hubby, and two daughters age 5 and 7.