Hellshire

Once a quiet anglers’ beach, Hellshire has become the quintessential rustic chic weekend hangout, with prices varying widely depending on the appearance of customers at many of the beach shack restaurants. There are a handful of dependable and honest shacks including Shorty’s, the most highly recommended, Aunt May’s, Aunt Merl’s, and Prendy’s (876/575-6057, 876/881-9689 or 876/589-7926), where you can get a good fried fish with accompanying festival. There are several other beach shack restaurant besides these, many of which will have your wallet if you’re not careful. Be sure to come to an agreement as to what you’ll be charged when selecting a fish from the cooler, and don’t allow any generous add-ons, as these will certainly not come as a gift. A snapper large enough for one person shouldn’t cost more than the Jamaican dollar equivalent of US$15.

Hellshire Beach itself can be a bit littered, but the water is generally clean enough to swim in spite of the fishermen scaling snapper along the shoreline. The sand gets a bit cleaner as you walk east along the beach past the multitude of fried fish stands. There are peddlers and hustlers of all kinds at Hellshire, and it can be a bit dodgy at night. Horseback rides are offered by Damian (tel. 876/479-3250, US$14(/ hr). don’t be alarmed by constant solicitations from vendors and beggars; it’s the basis of their livelihood and can be considered part of Hellshire’s color.