RUNAWAY BAY · ST. ANN

Halfway between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, the north coast opens into a quieter stretch where the resorts thin out and the real Jamaica shows through. Runaway Bay earned its name (legend says) from the Spanish fleeing the British in 1655, and today it's home to a small but solid collection of all-inclusives: Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica sprawls across a lush hillside, Jewel Paradise Cove draws the adults-only crowd, and the Green Grotto Caves — a limestone network used as shelter by both Arawak peoples and Spanish settlers — sits right off the main road, offering underground lake tours that feel genuinely otherworldly. Discovery Bay, just west, is where Columbus supposedly first set foot on Jamaica. Columbus Park marks the spot with an open-air museum of colonial artifacts. Cardiff Hall Public Beach provides free, calm-water swimming for families. And Drax Hall — the gated residential estate between the two bays — has become one of the north coast's biggest Airbnb corridors, with communities like Drax Hall Country Club, Fairway Estate, and Richmond Estate (Cool Shade and The Palms) offering self-catering villa and apartment stays. From Sangster International, the drive takes about 1 hour 30 minutes east along the coast — $255 for up to four guests with Aurum. From Norman Manley in Kingston, it's actually closer: $445 (1h 45m) via the interior highway through Moneague. From Ian Fleming Airport, the ride is $195 (1 hr) heading west. A private transfer from MBJ to Runaway Bay costs $255 and takes 1 hour 30 minutes with Aurum Transfers.