The Undiscovered Budget Gem of Jamaica . . . is Oracabessa

It is a small Jamaican fishing village - one street, really - on the side of a hill overlooking the sea, half an hour by car to the east of overcrowded, pressured Ocho Rios. Down below are two small beaches.

Scattered on the outskirts, in every direction, are a handful of small hotels and two major sightseeing landmarks: Goldeneye, home of the late Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, which cannot be visited inside; and Firefly, home of the late Noel Coward, which is gloriously open to all for a $5 fee. On the town's one street are various quiet cafes, stores, and a barbershop patronized and run by the best talkers you'll ever meet. This is Oracabessa, the proverbial Jamaica As It Used To Be, quiet, relaxed, and inexpensive. But a famous promoter - the ultrarich Chris Blackwell, producer of the reggae recordings of the late Bob Marley - has bought ...