Most of the Montego Bay area's first-rate sights, such as the great houses, lie outside the city.

But the downtown area does at least merit a morning of your time for a look around. Everyone at some point seems to stroll Gloucester Avenue, home to hotels, restaurants, shops, street vendors, taxi drivers, and hair braiders. From there, it's possible to make a brief tour of the town.

If you can tear yourself away from the beach to take some excursions, here's the pick of the litter.

Tours & Cruises--Croydon Plantation, P.O. Box 1348, Catadupa, St. James (tel. 876/979-8267), is a 38km (24-mile) ride from Montego Bay. It can be visited on a half-day tour from Montego Bay (or Negril) on Tuesday and Friday. Cruise-ship passengers can visit on Wednesday. Included in the $50 price are round-trip transportation from your hotel, a tour of the plantation, a taste of tropical fruits in season, and a barbecued-chicken lunch. Most hotel desks can arrange this tour, which is rather touristy and not worth a half-day for most visitors.

A Hilton High Day Tour, booked through Beach View Plaza (tel. 876/952-3343), includes round-trip transportation on a scenic drive through historic plantation areas. Your day starts with continental breakfast at an old plantation house. You can roam the 40 hectares (100 acres) of the plantation and visit the German village of Seaford Town or St. Leonards village nearby. Calypso music is played throughout the day, and a Jamaican lunch is served at 1pm. The cost is $55 per person for the plantation tour, breakfast, lunch, and transportation. Tour days are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Day and evening cruises are offered aboard the Calico, a 17m (55-ft.) gaff-rigged wooden ketch that sails from Margaritaville on the Montego Bay waterfront. An additional vessel, Calico B, also carries another 40 passengers. You can be transported to and from your hotel for either cruise. The daily voyage departs at 10am and returns at 1pm offering sailing, sunning, and snorkeling (with equipment). The cruise costs $35. On the Calico's evening voyage, which goes for $25 and is offered daily from 5 to 7pm, cocktails and wine are served as you sail through the sunset. For information and reservations, call North Coast Cruises (tel. 876/952-5860) a few days in advance.

Montego Bay Tours - Provides details of various Montego Bay and cross-island tour packages on offer.

Nightlife

is not guaranteed at Montego Bay's top hotels. In winter the restaurants and bars of the Ritz-Carlton or Half Moon have the most diverse amusements. After dark it's sleepy at Round Hill and Tryall.

The following clubs attract mainly a crowd of 20- to 40-somethings.

The number-one nightspot in Mo Bay is a two-in-one restaurant, Marguerite's Seafood by the Sea and Margueritaville Sports Bar & Grill, Gloucester Avenue (tel. 876/952-4777), across from the Coral Cliff Hotel. It specializes in moderately priced seafood and margaritas served on a breezy terrace overlooking the sea. The sports bar and grill features a 33m (110-ft.) Hydroslide, live music, satellite TV, a sun deck, a CD jukebox, and a straightforward menu of seafood, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, salads, and snacks-nothing fussy.

Cricket Club, at Wyndham Rose Hall (tel. 876/953-2650), is more than just a sports bar; it's where people go to meet and mingle with an international crowd. Televised sports, karaoke singalongs, tournament darts, and backgammon are all part of the fun. It's open daily from 8pm to 2am; there's no cover.

We've enjoyed the atmosphere at Sun Daze, 39 Gloucester Ave. (tel. 876/952-9391), which has an authentic Jamaican laid-back feel-complete with a constant flow of calypso and reggae music from as early as 10am daily (for the diehards) until 2am. This restaurant/club draws an equal mixture of locals and visitors, nearly all under age 40.

If you want to stick to the more familiar, try Witches Nightclub, Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort (tel. 876/953-2485). Nonguests of the hotel can pick up a pass at the front desk for $85, which allows them all-inclusive privileges at the nightclub. The pass includes a buffet and all the drinks and dancing you can handle. The house/disco/jazz music is as imaginative as what you'll find at a club in the United States. It's open daily from 6pm to 2am.

Barrett Adventures - Barrett Adventures - Specializing in tours off the beaten path; offers image galleries and details of its customized guided tours.

Car Hire Guide - Car Hire Guide - Jamaica car hire offers car rental in all major cities of Jamaica from 250 USD.

Images of Jamaica - Images of Jamaica - Over 400 photographs from Kingston, to Montego Bay, to Negril, showcasing mountains, beaches and rivers of Jamaica.

Island Car Rentals - Island Car Rentals - Offers car rental and ground transportation services in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay; features details of services offered, company profile, fleet guide and online reservations.

Realistic Journey's - Jamaica - Realistic Journey's - Jamaica - Diary of a trip to Jamaica, along with links to Jamaica tourism sites, and pictures of Jamaica, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, and the Local Diasporiac Flavor.

See Caribbean - Jamaica - See Caribbean - Jamaica - A comprehensive business directory and travel guide. Information of use to the visitor, investor or potential resident.