Millions of people from around the world make trips to Jamaica every year, drawn by the warm Caribbean sunshine, soft sand beaches, and Jamaica’s international reputation for food, music and culture. Jamaica is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, and its long and diverse history has created a unique flavor to this wonderful country.
After being settled and controlled by pirates, the Spanish and the English, Jamaica finally gained its independence in 1962, establishing the city of Kingston as its bustling capital. Today, a Jamaica vacation can still explore the history of the island in some of its rich and varied attractions. The best way to explore the island’s history is with a holiday villa rental on this fascinating island. From its world class beaches and natural wonders to its pirate past and modern culture, there are plenty of incredible places to explore when traveling to Jamaica.
Jamaica is most famous for its melodic musical traditions. Of course, the world is well aware of the legacy of Bob Marley, and Jamaica vacations can put visitors in touch with his roots and his life on a tour with the Zion Bus Line, winding through St. Ann and into the mountain town of Nine Mile, where Marley was born. It’s not only reggae that grew up in the hills and halls of Jamaica. Ska, rocksteady, dub and dancehall music all got their start here, influencing rock n’ roll, punk, hip-hop and rap music the world over.
Jamaica holidays can also explore the island’s darker history in the beautiful Green Grotto Caves near Discovery Bay. Once known as the Rum Caves and the Runaway Caves, this stunning underground maze of caverns and lakes was used as a hideaway for Spanish settlers fleeing the British, and later on by escaped slaves fleeing into the mountains. At other points in history, they were used to hide smuggled guns and to store rum. They were also the setting for Dr. Katanga’s underground base in the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die.
For decades, Jamaica has been a lush setting for movies, and home to the stars. From James Bond’s Dr. No to the movies Cocktail and Cool Runnings, Jamaica’s beauty and culture has drawn Hollywood’s best and brightest. The author of the James Bond movies, Sir Ian Fleming, made his home here, near James Bond Beach. Movie legend Errol Flynn also lived here, developing tourism in the Port Antonio area. Today, the country is most proud of its incredible runners who topped the podium in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Runners and Olympic champions, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Melanie Walker, Veronica Campbell-Brown and the entire men’s relay team all brought home gold medals in the country’s best ever performance in a summer Olympics.
Of course, Jamaica also made a name for itself in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics by being the first ever warm-weather country to field an Olympic bobsled team. They did not finish, but they captured the hearts of the world. Today, on a trip to Jamaica, visitors can follow in their tracks on a visit to Mystic Mountain, near Ocho Rios, where families enjoy spending the day on the bobsled run, gondola and waterslides.
A Jamaica villa is an excellent choice for any vacation, giving visitors all the comforts of home as they set out to explore everything there is to see and do in this historic and jumping tropical paradise.
More fun facts and information on trips to Jamaica by Tropical Island Retreats.