Though fairly efficient, Jamaica's telephone system is expensive for overseas calls; local calls are far cheaper, but watch out for the shocking surcharges imposed by most hotels. You can bypass the high charges, though, by way of a locally available international calling card. The mail service is less dependable. Internet access is available in all of the major resorts for anything from J$150 to US$6 for half an hour
Phones
Most hotel rooms have a phone , and phone booths litter the island; the latter accept phonecards only, available from hotels, post offices and gift-shops. The cheapest and easiest way to make international and local calls is to buy a Worldtalk calling card; they can be used from public, private and hotel phones for both international and local calls
All Jamaican telephone numbers (except some freephone ones) have seven digits . To dial locally (within the same parish), simply key in the number. To get a number in another parish, prefix the number with "1"; you also use the "1" prefix when dialling mobile (cellular) numbers.
To phone abroad from Jamaica, dial 00 + IDD country code + area code minus first 0 + number. For domestic and international directory assistance phone 114.
The country code for Jamaica is 876.
Mail
It's amazing how long it takes for mail to get across the island. Don't expect a letter from Kingston to the north coast (or vice versa) to arrive in less than a week. International mail is also slow - reckon on around ten days to a fortnight for airmail to reach Europe or North America. Most towns and villages have a post office , normally open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm; smaller postal agencies in rural areas keep shorter hours.
