Doctor’s Cave Beach Club

Beach Jamaica, Jamaica

Doctor's Cave Beach is one of Jamaica's most popular beaches, thanks to its turquoise waters and sheltered, peaceful location. It is surrounded by trees and has various services: bar, restaurant, changing rooms and showers. The beach is part of the Montego Bay Protected Marine Park, which has many species to be seen on the reefs that can be admired by snorkelers and nature lovers.

It began in 1906 when Dr. Alexander James McCatty generously donated his beach property to found a bathing club in Montego Bay. The Club got its name because it was used by Dr. McCatty and his friends, who were mainly from the medical profession and, at that time they entered the tiny beach through a cave. The cave however, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1932. The water which is crystal clear has a temperature range, winter and summer from 78 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, 22 to 28 Celcius. In the end of early 1920's, Sir Herbert Barker, a famous British Osteopath visited the beach and later published an article boosting it by declaring that the waters have curative powers and that he was restored to good health after bathing there. He said the waters could cure several ailments. This heightened the allure of the beach and Doctor's Cave became famous overnight as foreigners, many rich and famous came to try the water. Hotels were build in the immediate vicinity and thus began the tourist trade.