Ocho Rios Holidays

Ocho Rios – or Ochi to the locals – is a laidback town on Jamaica's northern coast. It's a pretty place, with thick forests as a backdrop, a few cute curves of sand out front, and national parks and a 17th-century fort just out of town.

Jamaica specialises in white-sand beaches and Ocho Rios is no exception, notching up three. The top dog has to be Turtle Beach – a popular stretch by the big harbour where it's watersports aplenty. On the flip side, there's Fisherman's Beach out on the west side of town. It's a quiet fishing beach where the pace is definitely set to slow – think colourful boats and family-run seafood restaurants.

Head into town and you'll hit Main Street, an area that racks up places to eat and drink. You'll find every kind of food, like French, Mexican and – of course – Jamaican. Main Street is also the place to party, as most of the clubs are lined up along here.

Ocho Rios also makes a great base for exploring the area. Within a 10-minute drive you've got places like Dunn's River Falls, Dolphin Cove, Fern Gully and the Shaw Botanical Gardens.