Jamaica is home to more all-inclusive resorts than any other island in the Caribbean, from budget properties like the FDR resorts to the tony Grand Lidos. There are about 30 pay-one-price resorts in all, situated in major resort areas like Montego Bay, Negril, Runaway Bay, and Trelawny. Some cater to families, some to couples only, and some -- like the Hedonism resorts -- to the naughty at heart. My comprehensive guide will help you choose the Jamaican all-inclusive that best suits your needs...
Located on one of Jamaica's best beaches, Sandals Montego Bay is one of the few all-inclusives with a sense of history: it was the first Sandals resort, and still retains some of the villas that made its predecessor, the Bay Roc Hotel, a mecca for the rich and famous in the Fifties. Boasts the longest private beach in Jamaica, where you can listen to the sounds of the surf from a seaside "love beds."
The smallest of Sandals' all-inclusive resorts in Montego Bay, the 52-room Sandals Inn boast the ambiance of a small inn or bed & breakfast but allows access to all the amenities of its sister resorts, the Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay. Unlike many all-inclusives, the Sandals Inn is located close to town, notably the shops of Mobay's Gloucester Road.
A total of 11 restaurants and other eateries guarantees that you'll never go hungry at the Royal Caribbean, which boasts a bit of upscale British flavor with its Georgian architecture and daily afternoon tea. The Montego Bay resort's offshore island, which boasts its own Thai restaurant as well as quiet beaches, is a major bonus.
Negril and its miles of palm-fringed beaches are hard to top, but Sandals Negril offers plenty to keep you hanging around the resort, too, from a Japanese restaurant and clifftop bar to tennis and racquetball courts, ample watersports, and an upscale spa.
Dunn's River Falls may own the dubious title of most overcrowded tourist attraction in the Caribbean, but don't let that color your judgment of Sandals Dunn's River Villagio. Officially subtitled as a Golf Resort and Spa, this Italian-themed property has only a pitch-and-putt course on site but offers easy access to the Sandals Golf & Country Club with its challenging 18-hole course.
Sandals Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort, like other Sandals resorts, has a nice beachfront location but also boasts a pretty hillside section filled with streams and gardens. The former is dubbed The Caribbean Riviera, the latter the Villas of Eden; grab a drink at one of the resort's 10 bars and you can argue with your neighbors about who got the better room.
This is Sandals' most unique resort in Jamaica, located on the island's quieter south coast amid a 500-acre nature preserve. Despite its presidential name, this deluxe, Disneyesque resort is actually an homage to Europe, with French, Italian, and Dutch themed villages.
Couples Negril may be located in Jamaica, but the resort evokes a South Seas ambiance, especially in its open-air lobby. Dining options include traditional Jamaican and Mediterranean restaurants, and the property includes a series of natural pools crossed by pedestrian bridges.
Located in Negril, Couples Swept Away is a private, beachfront all-suites resort featuring a Thai restaurant, the gourmet Feathers dining room, and a 10-acre sports and fitness complex that includes a gym and spa, and unlimited golf for guests.
Couples Ocho Rios was Jamaica's first all-inclusive, couples-only resort, featuring 206 rooms and suites, five restaurants, a clothing-optional private island, a gourmet French restaurant, and activities like tennis, horseback riding, and a variety of classes and organized activities.
