Still this beautiful country –the third-largest Caribbean island– is a land of dazzling landscapes, jumping rivers, deep forests, high mountains, motley birds and beaches that look like a paradise mirage.

The tall palms, the coconut trees that grow along the sandy coasts, the bougainvillea and other flowers that burst like fire, and the world’s finest and tastiest coffee –the Blue Mountain– seem to be the practical language of this tropical island’s wonderful powers. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus in May 1494 during his second voyage to the New World and it was then named Xamayca –just as its original dwellers, the Taino Indians, used to call it. Some chronicles of those times referred to it as the “island of forests and rivers.” Even though that allusion is quite acceptable today, it’s way too short and snappy to describe what Jamaica is actually all about. It’s indeed a too-hard-to-imagine blend of scenery, tropical weather and ingredients so fabulous as turquoise-and-emerald beaches and a universal kind of music so mystical and spicy as reggae, the mother of many of the Caribbean’s greatest rhythms of today. Everything can be found in 4,243 square miles Visiting Jamaica and feeling as if you were in the Eden Garden is something this island delivers with both hands. In fact, there’s a hotel in Negril Beach, Hedonism II –and it’s not the only one from this brand– that’s absolutely designed to hand out this kind of experience, where beach, sun and pleasure come together in a perfect combination, everything thought out to guarantee all-out relaxation. That’s something this hotel is famous for. Bright-color flowers in a paradisiacal scenario take people undoubtedly to a state of pleasure. Some say the drinks you can have at any time everywhere around the island are fixed with mysterious aphrodisiacs the bartenders mix well with local herbs and fruits. All this much comes to pass on Jamaica’s west coast, the same area where the Bloody Bay beach was all the rage in the 1970s, where small lodgings popped up with beachfront barbecues and reggae music blaring out day in and day out. As time rolled on, some of the best hotels in the country began luring traveler from everywhere under the sun eager to live a few days of Caribbean pleasure. From Montego Bay to Ocho Rios Montego Bay is by and large one of Jamaica’s major allures, not only for its coastal scenes, but also for being an interesting city where visitors notice a strong British influence and where getting in touch with the Jamaican people’s culture life is really not a problem at all. Many English settlers from the times of the sugarcane plantations made this place their home and built their beautiful mansions there. The sugar industry and the seaport brought prosperity to the location. Eventually, Montego Bay became the capital of the St. James parish. British traditions there are very much alive and it’s so curious to see many families that still gather everyday at 5:00 pm to enjoy a cup of tea. Though small in size, the picture-perfect city won’t go unnoticed in the eyes of the visitors. There are excellent stores, good hotels and lots of restaurants. And taking a stroll along the north coast of the country is just a must-see all by itself. Moving westward past Discovery Bay, Runaway Bay –just another charming place- and St. Ann, you get to Ocho Rios, for many the island’s number-one attraction thanks to the breathtaking Dunn’s River Falls that slope down in steps all the way into the sea. In two sessions –one in the morning and the second one in the afternoon- guides round out tourists and climb the waterfall, an experience that’s twice as much pleasant in the hot months of July and August. On both banks of the river, there are some platforms with bars and canopy, and several pathways that take visitors deep into the jungle for a chance to watch hummers and other bird species depart from the premises. There’s a huge cruise terminal there, west of the Ocho Rios town –known locally as Ochi- where thousands of visitors land every year. The east side of the shoreline is rocky, full of cliffs trapped between green hills and the sea, with barely some room for a coastal road and a narrow beach strip. Huge hotels, among the finest in Jamaica, operate in this area. The south side is dominated by such landmarks as the Shaw Park’s gardens, the Coyaba Museum, the beautiful Enchanted Garden and a genuine tunnel of ferns called Fern Gully that can be reached through the Milford road. Port Antonio, Errol Flynn’s Tropical Haven After buying a property there, this well-known and boisterous actor brought the eyes of the world on Port Antonio back in the 1950s. He used to welcome his friends and receive the calls of pretty girls he liked to seduce with all kinds of praises, including a ride on a bamboo raft down a part of the river he called “the lane of the rolling stones lovers.” Other celebrities also settled down in this small natural port that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. And to top it all off, one of the little beaches was the setting of choice for the making of the Blue Lagoon movie starred by Brook Shields. Boutique hotels and small lodgings are run in the surroundings, and there’s a deluxe tour to the so-called Navy Island, where a lovely restaurant serve jerked pork broiled to a slow burn in a hole full or charcoal. Other interesting places to see in Jamaica are Kingston, the island nation’s capital, in the south, and the eye-popping Blue Mountain range in the east, home to the Blue Mountain Peak –the country’s tallest mount of 7,401 feet above sea level and where the world’s best Arabic coffee grains are harvested. Another southern point also favored by the fresh breeze coming down from the mountains and where the lovely village of Mandeville throve, is another must-see. This community at 6,561 feet high was founded by British settlers in 1816 due to its proximity to the bauxite deposits. Today, it’s the top nature tourism alternative in this wonderful Caribbean destination.