Orientation

Montego Bay has distinct tourist zones, well separated from the bustling and raucous downtown area. The main tourist area is the Hip Strip along Gloucester Avenue, where most of the bars, restaurants, and hotels catering to tourists are located. Extending off the strip is Kent Avenue, a.k.a. Dead End Road, which terminates at the end of the airport runway. Queens Drive passes along the hill above the Hip Strip with several budget hotels, many of them frequented by locals seeking privacy with their special someone.

Downtown Montego Bay is centered on Sam Sharpe Square, where a statue of the slave rebellion leader stands in one corner. The peninsula of Freeport sticks out into the Bogue Lagoon and the Montego Bay Marine Park just west of downtown, with the cruise ship terminal, the yacht club, Sunset Beach and Secrets resorts located there.

East of the airport, Ironshore is a middle class area that covers a large swath of hill in subdivisions and oversized concrete houses. East of Ironshore, Spring Garden is the most exclusive residential neighborhood in Mobay, bordering Rose Hall Estate where many of the area's all-inclusive resorts are wedged between the main road and the sea. Half Moon Resort, the Ritz Carlton, and Palmyra are the most luxurious of Mobay's accommodation options. Also nearby is Rose Hall Resort (a Hilton hotel), Sea Castles, a former resort now rented as apartment units, and three Iberostar hotels in a large complex a few kilometers further to the east down the coast.