Doctor's Cave Beach

Montego Bay became a resort town because of this beach. In 1906 a British osteopath wrote about the water here, claiming curative properties, and within a few years wealthy visitors were arriving to bathe in it; a bathing club was formed and the beach has been run by it ever since. The name comes from a cave at one end that a hurricane destroyed in 1932. What remains is a well-kept crescent of white sand with clear, calm, reef-protected water, changing rooms, loungers and a beach club, right on the main strip of the town. It is the most convenient good beach on the north coast and priced accordingly.

What you actually see

• The beach - white sand and calm reef-protected water.
• The bathing club - running the beach since the early twentieth century.
• Snorkelling - reef within easy swimming distance.
• The Hip Strip - the town's main tourist street directly behind.

When to go

December to April is the dry high season. Cruise ship days fill the beach; check the port schedule if you want space. It opens early and closes in the late afternoon. Mornings are calmest.

Honest expectations

It is charged, it is busy, and on a cruise day it is very busy indeed. Loungers and umbrellas cost extra on top of entry. The surrounding Hip Strip is a hard-sell tourist street. The reef has declined markedly and the snorkelling is a shadow of its reputation. It is convenience rather than natural beauty that makes this beach worthwhile.

Nearby

Montego Bay's Hip Strip is behind it; Rose Hall is fifteen minutes east.