Runaway Bay, Jamaica

Halfway between Ocho Rios and Falmouth, the neighbouring mini-resorts of RUNAWAY BAY and DISCOVERY BAY bask in isolated indolence. Dominated by lavish all-inclusives, neither demands much of your time unless you've checked into one of the hotels. Runaway is the more developed of the two, though beyond the hotel fences and Italianate marble lobbies, life jogs along at a slow pace. For swimming, sugary-sanded Cardiff Hall public beach, opposite the Texaco petrol station, is popular with locals. Midway between the two bays are the Green Grotto Caves (daily 9am–5pm; US$20), a system of expansive limestone caves that's been made accessible to the public. The guides inject plenty of humour into their tours, but nothing really justifies the high entrance fee.

Even more pacific than its neighbour, with fewer hotels, Discovery Bay is mostly a coastal clutch of shops, snack bars and houses. But it does have the fantastic Puerto Seco beach (daily 9am–5pm; J$250), which, despite gleaming sand and crystal-clear water, is relatively deserted on weekdays.