With kids · Montego Bay · Jamaica
Montego Bay with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Montego Bay works for families who choose a resort with a kids' club and calm beach, then add gentle excursions: rafting on the Martha Brae, glass-bottom boats over the reef and the glowing lagoon at night. Top picks: Doctor's Cave Beach, Montego Bay Marine Park and Martha Brae River rafting. Families usually base themselves in Rose Hall.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 4
- Best area for families
- Rose Hall
- Rainy-day options
- 0
- Busiest months
- January–March
Best things to do with kids
Beach · Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue)
1.Doctor's Cave Beach
Montego Bay's best-known beach is a private beach club on the Hip Strip with soft white sand and calm, clear water inside the marine park. It became famous in the early 20th century when visitors came for the reputedly healing waters, and the entry fee covers changing rooms and facilities.
Arrive early on cruise-ship days; the beach fills by late morning.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Nature · Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue)
2.Montego Bay Marine Park
A protected area covering the bay's reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves from the airport to the Great River. Glass-bottom boat trips and snorkelling excursions leave from the Hip Strip beaches to the shallow reefs.
Book snorkel trips with operators who brief you on not touching coral and use reef-safe sunscreen.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Experience · Falmouth and Trelawny coast
3.Martha Brae River rafting
Raft captains pole long bamboo rafts for two down a gentle stretch of the Martha Brae River through tropical forest near Falmouth, a calm trip of about an hour and a half.
Bring cash for a tip for the raft captain and for drinks sold along the riverbank.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours with transfers
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
Nature · Falmouth and Trelawny coast
4.Luminous Lagoon at Glistening Waters
A bay near Falmouth where microscopic organisms make the water glow blue-green when disturbed. Night boat tours let you trail your hands or swim in the glowing water.
Go on a dark, moonless night for the brightest glow.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- After dark
- Nature
- Kids
- Couples
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, luxury, couples and beach
Rose Hall
About 15–20 minutes east of the airport, Rose Hall has some of Jamaica's largest all-inclusive resorts, three championship golf courses and the Rose Hall Great House on the hill above the coast. It suits travellers who plan to stay inside their resort and take organised excursions.
- Good
- Big resorts with many facilities; Golf and spas; Closer to Falmouth and Ocho Rios
- Watch out
- Little to do outside the resorts; Taxis into town add up
- Nearby
- Rose Hall Great House, Rose Hall golf courses, Greenwood Great House
Family travel tips
- Choose a resort with a reef-protected beach and a kids' club.
- Dunn's River Falls is a highlight for older children; bring water shoes.
- Use high-factor reef-safe sunscreen and hats; the sun is strong year-round.
- Request child seats for transfers in advance; taxis rarely have them.
- Plan excursions in the morning before the midday heat.
Day trips for families
- Ocho Rios and Dunn's River Falls (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — At Dunn's River Falls, visitors climb the terraced cascades in a human chain with a guide, from the beach upwards.
- YS Falls (About 2 hours by car) — A series of seven waterfalls on a working estate in St Elizabeth, with natural swimming pools, a rope swing and a tractor-drawn ride up from the entrance.
- Black River (About 2 hours by car) — Boat safaris up the Black River pass mangroves and wetlands of the Great Morass, home to American crocodiles and many bird species.
When to go with children
The best months overall are December–April. January–March are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Montego Bay good for kids?
Montego Bay works for families who choose a resort with a kids' club and calm beach, then add gentle excursions: rafting on the Martha Brae, glass-bottom boats over the reef and the glowing lagoon at night.
+What can kids do in Montego Bay?
Doctor's Cave Beach, Montego Bay Marine Park, Martha Brae River rafting and Luminous Lagoon at Glistening Waters.
+Where should families stay in Montego Bay?
Rose Hall: Large all-inclusives, golf courses and the hilltop great house.