Why: In the 40s and 50s, Port Antonio was a society place: Errol Flynn lived there, as did Tallulah Bankhead. The Aga Khan had an island with one hotel, Frenchman's Cove, once the most luxurious in the world. Now the place is run-down but you can walk through its gardens to a perfect beach. When I went there in the 70s the roads were pot-holed, there was nothing in the shops and there were no tourists.

It is in the north-east with the Blue Mountains behind the town, which is where the rebels who fought the British came from. The people have kept that spirit. I once went into the mountains to see a healer who practised in a church and had a bucket full of mice skeletons, Jamaican dollars and wire wool she claimed to have taken from inside people to cure them.

What's the best thing: Visually, sensually and spiritually, Jamaica is magic realism made real.

My perfect day: Getting up early and going for a swim. Drinking bush tea, made from herbs, and eating peanut porridge. Strolling to the market to buy some fish, sweet potatoes and honey, sold in rum bottles, then home to cook it. There is still the sense that you can only do one big thing a day.

My advice: Talk to people of Jamaican origin and you may get a contact you can trust. Jamaica can be dangerous. You should dress down, behave modestly and watch your possessions. If you are careful, you will be all right.

How do I get there: Air Jamaica (020-8570 7999) flies to Kingstown for £457 plus taxes between December 25 and April 30.

Rude Boy, Once Upon A Time In Jamaica by Chris Salewicz is published by Victor Gollancz at £10.99