Mobay Kotch

Top choice in Montego Bay


Montego Bay's best hostel resides inside the 1765 Town House, its handsome redbrick frontage buried under a cascade of bougainvillea and laburnum. High ceilings and splashes of contemporary art and lots of comfy common spaces create a homey atmosphere that encourages mingling among guests. Backpackers end up lingering here, using MoBay as a base for day trips further afield.

Originally, this was the home of a wealthy merchant. It has since served as a church manse and later as a town house for the mistress of the Earl of Hereford, Governor of Jamaica. In the years that followed, it was used as a hotel, a warehouse, a Masonic lodge, a lawyer’s office and a synagogue.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montego Bay attractions

1. St James Parish Church

0.07 MILES

Regarded as the finest church on the island, it was originally built between 1775 and 1782, but was so damaged by the earthquake of March 1, 1957, that it…

3. Burchell Memorial Baptist Church

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Two blocks east of Sam Sharpe Sq is one of the churches in which Sam Sharpe is said to have been a deacon. The building, which dates to 1835, is a slice…

4. Sam Sharpe Square

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This bustling, cobbled square is named for Samuel Sharpe (1801–32), national hero and leader of the 1831 Christmas Rebellion; it is also where he was…

5. Cage

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In its current reincarnation as a craft shop, the Cage was built in 1806 as a lockup for drunk and disorderly sailors, vagrants and slaves who failed to…

6. National Heroes' Monument

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This bronze monument, crafted by Jamaican sculptor Kay Sullivan, depicts Sam Sharpe, bible in hand, speaking to four admirers.

7. Montego Bay Cultural Centre

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At the southwest corner of Sam Sharpe Sq you’ll find the copper-domed Civic Centre, an elegant colonial-style, cut-stone building on the site of a ruined…

8. National Museum West

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This well-curated, revamped museum, peppered with period objects, takes you through the history of western Jamaica, from the Cohaba ceremonies of the…