Vacationers to Jamaica have plenty of decisions of the place to remain on the Caribbean island. For many, that features a few of Jamaica’s excellent all-inclusive resorts (which we’ll cowl in a later article). However the island has a powerful collection of impartial, genuine resorts that provide an intimate, customized journey expertise. The most effective resorts in Jamaica, in response to the resort consultants at Caribbean Journal, embrace:
How we select the resorts
CJ’s resort roundups are curated by our editorial staff, which incorporates the Caribbean’s main journey and tourism consultants, together with our broad group of contributors who’re on the bottom all yr spherical experiencing resorts and locations. Our contributors and writers have greater than a century of mixed expertise overlaying the area’s tourism business and resort product. We have a look at elements like worth, worth, service ranges, character, meals and beverage high quality and extra. Above all, we hunt down resorts that emphasize a very Jamaican expertise.
The place are the perfect locations to remain in Jamaica?
It’s possible you’ll be conversant in Jamaica’s tourism capital, Montego Bay. However the island has a number of distinctive, fascinating locations starting from Ocho Rios and Negril to up-and-coming hotspots like Treasure Seashore and Port Antonio. Lately, Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, has additionally been more and more fashionable, drawing vacationers in with a singular cultural and inventive providing and a few new locations to remain, too. Our roundup covers resorts throughout all of those locations.
Half Moon, Montego Bay $$$$
The signature resort in Jamaica: Half Moon has been open for seven a long time, entertaining everybody from Queen Elizabeth to John F. Kennedy and cementing its place within the pantheon of Caribbean hospitality. In 2021, the resort debuted its new Eclipse at Half Moon, a 57-room hotel-within-a-hotel that contains a gorgeous beachfront infinity pool, excellent meals and repair and an elevated room aesthetic. The resort’s Founder’s Cove rooms are additionally beautiful, lots of them with their very own personal plunge swimming pools and simply steps from the seaside. It’s probably the most full resort in Jamaica, with 400 acres that comprise all the things from a golf course dubbed the “Caribbean Augusta” to a terrific spa. E-book Now
Spherical Hill Lodge and Villas, Hopewell $$$$
One other historic Jamaica resort, probably the most notable factor about this property is one in every of its co-owners: Ralph Lauren, who owns a number of villas on the property and, crucially, designed the visitor rooms. You realize the second you open the door to your room that you just’re in a particular place, with a glance straight out of Architectural Digest and charming field home windows perched proper above the pool and the ocean. The vibe right here is the golden age of jet-set journey: assume black-and-white tile, old school room key alcoves and significantly good concierge work. It is a magical place to remain, whether or not you within the rooms or one of many massive assortment of staffed villas — that include every day breakfast ready proper in your villa (ensure you have it served by your personal pool). E-book Now
Rockhouse, Negril $$$
Rock Home is known for having hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones and Bob Marley again within the Nineteen Seventies. The 40-room retreat set on Negril’s ethereal cliffs positively has a discrete character: it’s cool, low-key and unforgettable. There’s a speaker in each room, one which simply asks you to play roots reggae as you look out on the blue past the cliffs. The meals is loyally, splendidly Jamaican (together with the Pushcart that was a favourite once we stayed right here) and the spa is small however excellent. If you wish to expertise the funky, artistic spirit of Negril, that is the epicenter. E-book Now
Goldeneye, Oracabessa $$$$
Sure, it’s the identify of the primary (and finest) Pierce Brosnan-led James Bond movie. However that identify comes fro Bond creator Ian Fleming’s luxurious villa simply outdoors of Ocho Rios in Jamaica, the place he conceived of Bond and wrote all of the Bond novels, and the place American Airways now flies direct to an airport that additionally bears the legendary author’s identify. The most effective half? It’s now a resort led by music legend Chris Blackwell, who has helped steward the resort into one of many area’s high luxurious lodging. You possibly can keep in a wide array of rooms starting from seaside huts to lagoon cottages. However if you wish to splurge, you possibly can truly keep within the Fleming Villa — the place the creator did his work and the place his desk nonetheless sits. Simply ensure you order the suitable martini. E-book Now.
Strawberry Hill, St Andrew $$
Blackwell’s Island Outpost has three properties in Jamaica (together with the all-inclusive Caves in Negril), and we’re fairly keen on this Blue Mountain retreat. There are simply over a dozen rooms, with all accomplished in a basic, snug type (sure, that features four-poster beds) and the on-site restaurant is gorgeous: as with all of Blackwell’s resorts, this can be a place that’s true to Jamaica and the place the meals exemplified the perfect and most scrumptious of the island’s native flavors. The bar is a should, too. (A Blackwell Rum Punch, made with Chris’ household rum, is important). E-book Now
Jakes, Treasure Seashore $$
Jamaica’s Treasure Seashore is a colourful, distinctive vacation spot on the south coast of Jamaica. It’s also a spot that was pummeled by the latest Hurricane Beryl. However the space is rising out of its adversity, and that features one in every of our favourite retreats within the islands: Jakes, the family-run, quirky, cool, unbelievable assortment of bungalows, resort rooms and villas proper on the coast. Jakes has already reopened a few of its lodging, and meaning you possibly can come and expertise the unequalled, inimitable spirit of Treasure Seashore. E-book Now
Geejam, Port Antonio $$$
Music is a part of the Jamaican soul. Music can also be on the middle of this resort in lush, under-the-radar Port Antonio, the place the world-famous Jolly Boys turned the home band and the on-site recording studio has obtained a who’s who of high artists from around the globe. The rooms pop with coloration and eclectic inside particulars, from purple chairs on the balcony to uncommon lighting fixtures. However that’s all a part of the attraction at a resort that has lengthy been the highest place to remain in Port Antonio, the place the rainforest meets the seaside. (You can too select from a handful of spectacular villas on provide, too, when you’re in search of more room or touring with a gaggle). E-book Now
S Lodge, Kingston $$
Whereas Kingston has turn out to be extra fashionable as a metropolis getaway in the previous few years, the S Lodge was cool lengthy earlier than that, drawing within the artists, newsmakers and inventive varieties to its fabulous rooftop pool and lounge within the coronary heart of city. And it’s nonetheless an incredible possibility whether or not you’re coming for a weekend to take heed to data, discover reggae historical past and take a look at the considerable road artwork, or simply within the metropolis for just a few days for work. Its sister resort, the S Lodge in Montego Bay, is likely one of the high all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica (however, as we mentioned, extra on that within the subsequent installment).
The Cliff Lodge, Negril $$$
It is a completely different kind of resort for Negril: it’s glossy and upscale; a luxurious, trendy place to stick with stunning suites (and villas) with stunning manicured grounds. However the two issues we like most about The Cliff are the meals and the wellness program. On the culinary aspect, you get meals from the world-class staff of Cindy Hutson and Delius Shirley who, when you’re conversant in the Miami meals scene, have been the folks behind the marvelous Ortanique on the Mile in Coral Gables. Their meals is cause sufficient to return right here, that includes Hutson and Shirley’s well-known “delicacies of the solar.” For spa lovers, there’s a little bit of all the things: the Kiyara spa, yoga, a glowing health middle and sweetness choices, too. E-book Now
AC Lodge, Kingston $$
That is the product of a partnership between two main resort manufacturers: Sandals Resorts Worldwide and Marriott, and the end result has turn out to be a hip, splendidly executed resort that has supplied one other nice possibility within the rising capital. It’s in keeping with the AC components: small however crisply-designed rooms, a number of facilities like a health middle and a fantastic pool, Wi-Fi and a taking place bar, too. It’s an indication of how far Kingston has come, and the place it’s going. E-book Now
