Do you want to report "Places where I can see how regular people of Jamaica live"
I am looking to see just every day life of regular Jamaicans. I am planning to see Kingston downtown and visit coronation market as well. I’m looking for other suggestions. Thanks ! Edit: I am looking for all socioeconomic activities like malls, markets, concerts, etc
Coronation market is just one type of life for some.
You can go from there to manor park to see more upscale living conditions. And travel long out of town will reveal that the ‘regular’ Jamaican is actually a multifaceted thing
Thank you. I will def visit communities along hope road on Kingston. I was thinking I would skip ocho rios and go to Portland or treasure beach as I’m already going to Negril and Montego Bay. What are your thoughts?
I’m in Treasure Beach right now. There aren’t any malls here, just a little plaza, but it’s a place where anywhere you go (unless you go to Pelican Bar) has more locals than tourists.
But “regular people” is a pretty broad term. Treasure Beach is a small community based around fishing and small scale tourism (no big hotels here, lots of lovely little guesthouses.) The lifestyle is different than someone in a bigger city like Kingston or Montego Bay.
Thanks. I couldn’t find a lot of hotels in treasure beach online, are they available offline by any chance and don’t have an online presence? Just thinking of walking into some places there to find accommodation
There aren’t any big hotels around here, but most places should have an online presence. Some of the more hotel-like places are Sunset Resort, Jake’s, Lashings, Katamah, all are along the main road (takes 10 minutes max to walk from one place to another). Most places are individually owned guesthouses or rooms, though some are a bit further out and you may want to have a car, a driver, a bike, to get around. You should be able to find these places on Google hotels, VRBO, or Airbnb.
Oh and I would not recommend showing up without accommodation arranged as outside of the main area I listed, guesthouses don’t always have signage (some do, many don’t,) many owners live abroad or have other jobs so you wouldn’t be able to talk to them, and prices can vary wildly.
There is a hotel there but you’ll probably have to ensure you get a Jamaican sim to be able to get around to calling and such. You have to buy minutes to talk as well as data and e-sims are available now so you can get that as well. Not many places have a great online presence but calling will def help you get around to a lot of places. Well if they answe
I don’t know about Malvern but I do know there’s Lover’s Leap, YS Falls, Irie Safari and Buggy, I’m seeing there’s a Taino heritage camp but I think it’s best to get some more info about that. These are all in St. Elizabeth and Alligator Pond has little Ochi which is a great restaurant. Mandeville is a more urbanised town so I’m not sure of the things that can be done there but I’m not seeing much online. When you’re going down the hill ensure that you stop by the soup man, he sells a vegan corn soup that’s to die for. If you are vegan ensure you look out for the name “ital” that means vegan.
You might have to temper your expectations. The average Jamaican is living the equivalent to a lower middle class American life style. And many are living a middle class lifestyle. Most Jamaicans live in detached single family homes made from concrete building blocks. Some are unfinished but are just waiting for additional funds. It’s more like Fort Lauderdale. Many Jamaicans have cars. In fact, the traffic jams in Kingston and Mobay are awful.
You would need to come jam with us in the ghettos..it’s always a bit risky and could.be excitingly dangerous…there are ghetto uptown downtown and across town so you can decide where you feel.most comfortable to stay..if you have the right energy then you will be fine..you stay in a hostel hotel guesthouse which always near where you want to be.. Personally I am sometimes available to meet with me or host a traveller. If you interested I can work on a plan for you for a tour..blesss
I think you’ll see ‘regular’ life once you pass the hotel gates. Overall people are just living as they do. Like not because an area is prone to tourists does it mean that people aren’t acting naturally.
South Coast is good because its less ‘touristy’ in most parts. I think places like Portland strike a really good balance- great place to experience eco tourism but its really chilled. I also think taking public transport is a really good way of seeing daily life. Like taking a coaster bus during morning rush hour is a really nice vibe- the air is fresh, the place is teeming with life and there’s going to be great music.
I think the most important thing though is to be safe and that’s not to say you won’t be safe but just be sensible.
I travel to Jamaica often for work…I would recommend uptown Kingston to be amongst locals for nightlife, wide range of dining options etc. That’s if you like the busy city life experience. There is also Portmore which is not too far from Kingston (almost seems like a suburb to me) where you can find cheaper accommodations, with grocery stores, shopping centres, movie theatre, etc. I actually prefer Portmore, I feel like I could live there!
