This article explores some things you might consider on a vacation in the Caribbean. As you might expect from what has become Jamaica\’s flagship music festival, Sumfest is one of the best reggae shows in the world. If you\’re expecting a bacchanalian free-for-all of campfires on the sand, you\’ll be sorely disappointed for it\’s a four-day series of concerts and sound-system jams. But if you\’re interested in seeing the hottest names in Jamaican music past and present, with a few international R&B or hip-hop acts thrown in for good measure, then you\’re in for a serious treat.

It\’s best to arrive in Montego Bay a week or so before the event which is held in late July or early August and head for the beach to rid yourself of that fresh off the plane pallor, and to attend pre-festival events which consist of the Blast-Off beach party on the Sunday before the festival starts, and the Monday street Party with DJs and outdoor jams. Once the festival is underway, the island\’s stage shows start late, carry on until dawn and involve some serious audience participation, or lack of it, if a performer fails to please the famously fickle local crowd. And it\’s doubtful you\’ll find a better high than standing under the stars in a grassy bowl by the Caribbean with the music echoing out over the bay.

Secondly if you are a foodie then forget diets, and trawl the narrow streets of Old San Juan for a day, and you\’ll see why Puerto Ricans are passionate about food. Get going with breakfast at the 1960s diner Cafeteria Mallorca, where nonchalant baristas pour steaming hot coffee from aged steel machines, and toast mallorcas, delicious pastries filled with ham and cheese, dusted with sugared icing.

Around midday the side streets waft with the rich aromas of cocina criol-la, the eclectic blend of Caribbean and Spanish influences at the heart of Puerto Rican food. Cosy cafes such as El Jibarito knock out hearty potions of mofongo, a blend of mashed plantains, gar