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Beach park (status update) · Montego Bay

Aquasol Beach Park (Walter Fletcher Beach), Montego Bay: a local's guide

By Michael RainfordBorn and raised in JamaicaPrices & hours checked Sources

Closed as Aquasol. This attraction isn't open. The guide below explains what happened and where to go instead.

On this page
  1. My local take
  2. How to get there
  3. What to expect
  4. Local tips
  5. Before you go
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

My local take

For years, Aquasol was the busy, local-style beach park at the downtown end of the Hip Strip, run by a private operator on Walter Fletcher Beach, a beach owned by the Urban Development Corporation, or UDC. That arrangement ended: the UDC closed the park in August 2017 for rehabilitation, then renovated and reopened the site as Walter Fletcher Beach under its own management. So the Aquasol many people remember, with go-karts, tennis courts and a nightclub, isn’t what you’ll find now, and I couldn’t find a current source for any of those extras.

Walter Fletcher Beach itself was open in April 2025, when the UDC recommended it as an alternative to Harmony Beach Park, but I couldn’t confirm from any official source that it’s open now. My take: don’t plan a day around it. Use Doctor’s Cave Beach a short way up the Hip Strip, which is confirmed open, and ask locally if you want to try Walter Fletcher.

For a confirmed-open beach day nearby, see my guides to Doctor’s Cave Beach Club and Margaritaville Montego Bay, or browse my Montego Bay guide.

How to get there

Walter Fletcher Beach is at the downtown end of the Hip Strip, Jimmy Cliff Boulevard (still widely called Gloucester Avenue), about 1 km south of Doctor’s Cave Beach (map distance). It’s roughly 8 to 9 km by road from Sangster International Airport (map distance).

Without a car: If you want to try it, take a licensed taxi (red PP plates) and ask the driver to confirm it's open.

What to expect

When it last appeared in official notices, in April 2025, Walter Fletcher Beach was a UDC public beach with lifeguard support. In the past it charged a small entry fee; the last fee notice I found from the UDC is from mid-2020, so don’t rely on it.

The UDC invited bids in December 2024 to lease, develop and manage the 6.23-acre property on a long lease. I found no announcement of a new operator, and no official notice of its reopening after Hurricane Melissa, while nearby Harmony Beach Park was announced as reopening on November 11, 2025. Treat its status as unknown until the UDC says otherwise.

Local tips

  • Check with the UDC (info@udcja.com) or ask locally before you go.

  • Harmony Beach Park, the UDC’s free beach park right next door at the downtown end of the Hip Strip, is open and is the nearest open alternative.

Before you go

  • The property is offered for lease and redevelopment, so it may close or change without much notice.
  • There are no current official hours online.

Questions people ask

Is Aquasol Beach Park still open in Montego Bay?

Not as Aquasol. The UDC closed the privately run park in 2017 and later reopened the site as Walter Fletcher Beach under its own management. I couldn’t confirm from an official source that Walter Fletcher Beach is open now.

Is Aquasol the same as Walter Fletcher Beach?

Yes. Aquasol was the theme park that a private operator ran on Walter Fletcher Beach, which belongs to the Urban Development Corporation. The UDC now manages the beach itself.

Where can I swim on the Hip Strip instead?

Doctor’s Cave Beach Club is the confirmed-open option, with changing rooms, showers and chair rentals. Margaritaville also has sea access and a water park off its deck.

Sources & updates

Update log

  • — Rewritten as a status page: Aquasol no longer operates; site is UDC-run Walter Fletcher Beach with unconfirmed post-hurricane status. Old facilities list removed.
  • — Corrected where Harmony Beach Park is and linked its new guide.
  • — Moved source citations out of the text
  • — Removed repeated advice
  • — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice
  • — Best for: who it suits, not status (status is in the notice)

Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.

Where to stay nearby

Where to stay in Montego Bay