GREAT HOUSES
If you’re interested in Jamaica’s historical and cultural heritage, you can’t do better than visit the plantations and great houses. All are located at elevations affording wide vistas of the surrounding countryside. Guides and workers share firsthand knowledge about wild and cultivated plants and—usually—offer samples of freshly picked fruit. The best of these working plantations is Brimmer Hall Estate, an elegant 18th-century home 18 mi/29 km southwest of Ocho Rios. A tractor-drawn jitney tour of the 700-acre/280-hectare property covers the cultivation and harvesting of coconuts, bananas, coffee, sugarcane, cocoa and pimento. A good restaurant serves Jamaican dishes, and there are shops and a swimming pool for cooling off. (Open 9 am-5 p m daily; tours at 11 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm; US$15 admission; phone 994-2309.)
SHOPPING
Ocho Rios is awash in shopping centers. Some contain only duty-free shops, while others house a variety of stores not necessarily geared to tourists. Shoppers in search of duty-free bargains on French perfume, crystal, watches, cameras and electronic equipment should scout the centers along Main Street and DaCosta Drive. The largest of these are Taj Mahal Shopping Centre (almost directly across from the terminal), Ocean Village Shopping Centre (in the center of Ocho Rios), Pineapple Place (just east of town) and Coconut Grove Shopping Centre.
Shopping for island-made products requires
determination, shrewdness and a good eye. Ocho Rios has five outdoor crafts
markets: the Ocho Rios Craft Market off Main Street, Olde Market
Craft Shoppes next to Seow Supermarket, Pineapple Craft Circle
beside Pineapple Place, Coconut Grove Craft Market next to the
Coconut Grove shopping center and Fern Gully Craft Centre at Fern
Gully. Most of the straw work, wood carvings and leather goods are of good
quality, but you’ll notice a sameness in the merchandise. Individual shops
offering one-of-a-kind items include Irie Ceramics (east of Couples
Hotel) for pottery and Seagull Pewter (in Ocho Rios) for
traditionally wrought pewter.
You’ll encounter many aggressive vendors along the way. This can be very intimidating if you’re not familiar with Jamaica. If you aren’t interested, a firm “No thank you” should suffice. Keep walking. If you do see something you like, expect to bargain: It is a time-honored tradition, always conducted with humor and mutual respect. Never pay a vendor the first asking price.
Outside of Ocho Rios are several studios where you can visit with the artists as well as view their paintings, sculpture, carvings and ceramic work. Southeast of Ocho Rios on the road to Kingston, look for a retaining wall painted with the name Wassi Art. Take the unpaved road toward Great Pond and you’ll enter a world of fanciful but functional pottery created by a group of young, self-taught artists. (Open Monday-Friday 10 am-4 pm; phone 974-5044.)
One of the best art galleries in Jamaica is located in Harmony Hall, a graciously restored stone and wood Victorian mansion off the coast road east of Ocho Rios. The works of contemporary local artists—Kapo, David Boxer, Everald Brown and Judy MacMillan—are on display in the manse, which was built in 1886 as part of a pimento estate. (Gallery open daily 10 am-6 pm; phone 975-4222.)
Prices are marked in either Jamaican or U.S. dollars. (Always establish the currency up front.)
Be aware that the local shops recommended by the cruise lines generally pay for the privilege. Prices at these shops may be somewhat higher than those elsewhere, but passengers usually get a money-back guarantee, valid for 30 days, if anything goes awry. As always and everywhere, buyer beware.
Shopping Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm or 6 pm. Some shops close for lunch, and many close at 2 pm on Thursdays. Most stores are open on Sundays if a ship is in port.