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If you’re looking for an alternative to the glamorous and often expensive hotels in Jamaica, come to Fisherman’s Point, located on Turtle Beach in Ocho Rios, 65 miles from Montego Bay Airport. This private apartment complex will suit the traveler’s budget and put her in close contact with the locals. Lodging at this condominium makes the traveler feel like she has a place of her own. The apartment is equipped with a kitchenette, satellite television, bathroom, and a private balcony offering a view of the mountains and ocean.
Nearby the complex is the Ocean Village Shopping Centre. A walking distance from Fisherman’s Point, the shopping center is complete with a supermarket and surrounding boutiques. In addition to the shopping center, there are straw markets selling works of art, clothes, and food; duty-free shopping centers; and restaurants specializing in Caribbean dishes like ackee and saltfish and jerk chicken with gungo and rice. Most hotels offer only gift shops filled with cheap souvenirs and gadgets and restaurants serving food that doesn’t have the flavor of the Caribbean.
At the complex, the traveler gets to know who her neighbors are. A middle-aged couple from Ireland is spending their holiday together here. Their scheduled cruise was cancelled and the agency put them up in a complex. They haven’t any complaints. The wife is of English and Jamaican parentage. Her father immigrated to England from his country and failed to keep in contact with his family back home. She wanted to know more about his family and put an ad in The Gleaner, Jamaica’s newspaper. The response to her ad was overwhelming and she and her husband made arrangements to meet with them.
A family of four from London is spending their holiday here. The husband is Jamaican and his wife is English. The husband’s mental problems are causing a scene among the locals, guest, and employees at the gazebo. He prattles to the locals who don’t understand what he is saying to them and talks to himself wearing headphones. The employees and locals find it amusing. They hysterically jeer at him. His wife, however, is frantically running back and forth calling home to have him committed. So much for a family holiday.
If you’re familiar with the character Dexter St. Jacques, it applies here very well. These Jamaican men range from young to old, clean-cut to homely. However he looks, this man will woo you, making you believe that you’re in love with them. They’ll tell you sweet nothings, take you out on the town, and with any luck, fix dinner for you. Some of them will claim to be security guards protecting you from head to toe. Please don’t take it personally and be careful with who you befriend. Lending a helping hand can also lead to robbery and murder.
The tour guide will stop by to visit you after you’ve settled into the complex. He will offer a variety of tourist and local attraction sites like Dunn’s River Falls and the Bob Marley Museum with given information and costs. Speaking of costs, it’s very important to know the country’s currency. Thirty-five Jamaican dollars is equivalent to the United States one dollar. Tourism is the island’s source of income and the people working in the tourist industry expect a tip, unless you’re a visiting Jamaican. It’s best to tip in American dollars rather than their own currency. The Jamaican currency is high because of inflation. And make sure you carry some cash and traveler’s cheques. The last thing you need is to be broke on holiday.
As for your stay at Fisherman’s Point, enjoy!
For information on Fisherman’s Point, please contact your travel agent or Fisherman’s Point, P.O. Box 747, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica, W.I. Telephone: (876) 974-5317-8; Fax: (876) 974-2894
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