Runaway Bay

Whether you’re sunbathing on white sands or sipping a rum cocktail in a beach bar, holidays to Runaway Bay are all about soaking up the laid-back Jamaican way of life.

A snapshot of Runaway Bay

As its name suggests, Runaway Bay was made for carefree holiday getaways. A tiny resort on Jamaica’s north coast, it’s ultra laid-back, even by Caribbean standards. Unlike larger holiday towns like Ocho Rios – 30 minutes drive to the east – and Montego Bay – an hour to the west – Runaway Bay never gets overrun by daytripping cruise crowds. Plus its beaches are some of the quietest on the island.

Picture-postcard beaches

It’s the long stretch of white sandy beach that draws most visitors to Runaway Bay. If you’re staying in a seafront hotel, you’ll probably have your own private strip to settle onto. The place also has 2 well-kept, uncrowded public beaches to choose from – Cardiff Hall Beach and Fisherman’s Beach. Wherever you decide to park your towel, you’ll find the seas calm, shallow and great for paddling.

Diving and golf

Snorkelling and scuba diving are big business in the Bay, thanks to nearby coral reefs and shipwrecks. But you can keep active on dry land, too, at the 18-hole SuperClubs Golf Club, just behind Cardiff Hall Beach. You don’t need to be a member – you can just pitch up for a round, and there’s a driving range as well where you can work on your swing.

Close to Nine Mile

Reggae legend Bob Marley was born a half-hour drive south of Runaway Bay, in Nine Mile. It’s also his final resting place – in a stone mausoleum in the garden of his family home. The best way to visit is on one of the daily Jeep tours. You’ll get a 4-and-a-half-hour trip that takes in Bob’s house and some of the childhood haunts that inspired his songs.