Radiant Beauty of ‘Land of Wood and Streams’

That old devil Hurricane Gilbert left his mark here last year, but it was far from indelible, meaning that this island is as boonoonoonos (“perfectly lovely” in Jamaican patois) as ever.

Ocho Rios continues to grow, but it still has a vivacity and somewhat raffish charm to go with its radiant hibiscus, cascading bougainvillea, gorgeous beaches, marvelous jerk pork and enough reggae music to keep you dancing until dawn.

Jamaica’s north coast has had a formidable appeal since Arawak Indians from South America sailed here a millennium ago and named the island Xaymaca, “land of wood and streams.” Columbus arrived to claim it for Spain in 1494, and Britons rousted the Spaniards in 1655 to remain until full independence in 1962, although the island is still a member of Britain’s Commonwealth of Nations.

Latter-day devotees included Noel Coward, Ian Fleming, Errol Flynn and a continuing wave of year-round visitors drawn by magnificent weather, endless white beaches, mountain streams, tropical forests and some of the most warm-hearted people you’ll ever encounter on this globe.

All this adds up to the word you see and hear everywhere on the island: irie , which means it “feels great.”

Getting here: Fly Jamaica Airlines nonstop to Montego Bay, Eastern with a change in Miami. Trans-Jamaican Airlines will get you on to Ocho Rios in a half hour, minibuses making the 65-mile run for reasonable fares. Many cruise lines call, and the Chandris line begins its Caribbean cruises from Jamaica.

How long/how much? It seems a shame to stay for less than a week, the usual. Lodging costs are moderate, even in high season (mid-December through April), dining the same.

A few fast facts: The Jamaican dollar recently sold for 18 cents, 5.5 of them to our dollar. Weather year-round is usually in the 70s to 90s, ocean breezes always a comfort.

Getting settled in: Hibiscus Lodge (Box 52; $54 double high season, $44 low) is even more desirable than on our last visit, a small waterside hotel set in three acres of tropical gardens. The 28 bedrooms are bright and cheerful, with white wicker furniture, louvered doors and private balconies.

A pretty swimming pool overlooks the sea, lighted tennis court and Jacuzzi, plus an outdoor bar where you sip away in old-fashioned swings hanging from trees. The Hibiscus is loaded with charm, and its Almond Tree restaurant is one of the island’s finest.

Runaway Bay Country Club (Runaway Bay, Box 98; $60 double high season, $50 low) is a training academy for the island’s hotel-restaurant staffs, a fact you notice by the super-friendly smiles and attentive service. Formerly a private club, there’s free golf at the nearby 18-hole course.

It’s a most attractive place, with lots of local woods, wicker baskets and art used in the decor. Also plenty of nighttime activities, barbecues, Jamaican buffets. Runaway Bay is 14 miles from Ocho Rios, but folks here regard such hotels as part of the town.

Boscobel Beach Hotel (Box 63; $490 per person for three nights, all-inclusive, until April 27) is a fine family resort where two children under 14 may stay free. It’s right on the beach 10 miles from town, and everything under the sun comes with your room rate: all meals, all drinks, golf, tennis, sailing, wine with lunch and dinner, all water sports equipment and instructions. Prices for longer than three-night stays (and for summer) are available by calling toll-free (800) 858-8009).

All Ocho Rios hotels have weekly plans, with and without dining, that will save you money for a longer stay.

Regional food and drink: Jerk pork and jerk chicken are surely Jamaica’s favorite dishes. Either is barbecued for eight to 11 hours on an allspice-wood grid, covered with allspice leaves and seasoned with onions, garlic, berries and tons of pepper. Addictive after the first mouthful, a steady diet could keep you on the island forever.

Some say that even jerk pork has to take second place to ackee and salt fish, made of salt cod and fruit from a tree brought from Africa. This used to be only a Sunday morning breakfast tradition, but it’s now served at any time of any day. And callaloo is a spinach-like leaf that turns up in your morning omelet, pepper pot soup and in other vegetable concoctions.

Peppered shrimp is a specialty, while red snapper, lobster and other fresh seafood are in great abundance. Red Stripe beer, Appleton Gold rum and marvelous fruit punches all vie for leadership in libations.

Good dining: The Ruins (Da Costa Drive) is a Chinese-Jamaican-continental restaurant with a spectacular setting by the Turtle River and a huge and beautiful waterfall. It’s magical in the evening when the falls are lighted, and 19th-Century lore surrounding the Ruins’ property and falls is most romantic.

The menu takes you from fish Creole to coq au vin to Cantonese lobster, and our curried shrimp was wonderful.

Parkway (main highway) is an unpretentious place where you’ll find the tables color coordinated in red: checked tablecloths, lovely crimson anthuriums and catsup bottles. The food is delicious, with rice and beans accompanying everything served, the best fruit punch we had on the island. Try the curried goat or lobster, pepper pot soup with callaloo or oxtail with beans. And for the adventurous, they also have cow heels and tripe with beans.

VV (main street) has a formidable reputation, including tales of folks who have gotten off the plane with “Take me straight to VV,” a tribute to its jerk pork and chicken with yams. The decor is the great outdoors, with trucks along the highway rustling the palm trees. Eat at rustic tables with your hands, a paper napkin provided if you ask. But keep in mind that Capt. Mark Phillips, Princess Anne’s polo-playing husband, always eats here when he’s on the island for a match.

Going first-class: Sans Souci Club & Spa (Box 103; $240 winter, $135 summer) is the ultimate, idyllic spot to stay hereabouts, an elegant blend of Georgian-Mediterranean architecture set in lush forest on its own beach. It’s brimming with terraces, gazebos, pools and tropical plants, indoor-outdoor bars and dining areas in profusion.

The club’s Charlie’s Spa is tops in program and amenities, with nothing more relaxing than having a massage under a palm-thatched pergola at beachside. And Sans Souci’s seven-night wedding-honeymoon plan will get any couple off in style and beauty toward the good life.

On your own: Ocho Rios is a resort in the finest sense, with a zillion things to see and do. Be sure to visit spectacular Dunn’s River Falls for a dip; stop in at Harmony Hall gallery for a look at primitive paintings, particularly the eccentric and whimsical ones by Jonathan Routh; then take a plantation tour of a working farm to see how bananas, coffee, pimento, sugar cane and coconuts are grown and harvested.

Shaw Park Botanical Gardens and Carinosa Gardens, with its orchids, waterfalls and aviary, are both musts. And then there’s an evening cruise by torchlight on bamboo rafts down the White River, very festive. Plus deep-sea fishing, good shopping and plenty of Jamaican music and dancing in the evenings, much of it to a reggae beat that you’ll still be humming back home.

For more information: Call the Jamaican Tourist Board at (213) 384-1123, or write (3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1207, Los Angeles 90010) for brochures on Ocho Rios and Jamaica, others listing hotels with their package rates. Ask for the Ocho Rios package.