Jamaica / Caribbean All-Inclusive

[haley's mom]

So we are looking to plan our 2013 vaction. Taking a break from Disney is hard, but we are celebrating my DH overcoming cancer and really wanted a special vacation.

We are a family of 4, me, DH, DS13 and DD9. Looking for reasonable ideas for an all-inclusive vacation in the Caribbean (probably Jamaica).

Any recommendations?

 

[nicki.momof3]

Just bumping this thread up. I would also like to hear some suggestions on all inclusive places that are great for kids and easy on the wallet.

 

[Anne34]

It really depends on how much you want to spend. We have been to a couple all-inclusives in Jamaica. Beaches in Negril is absolutely beautiful, but they are very expensive. Beaches Sandy Bay is also in negril & has exchange privileges with Negril, but are a lot less because they have smaller, older rooms that have not been upgraded. We have also stayed at Breezes Trelawney -- rooms were VERY basic, but there were lots of things to do and it wasn't too far from Ocho rios to do Dunns river falls, dolphins, mystic mountain, etc.. Ocho Rios is where there are the most activities to do. I have heard good things about the Iberostar in Montego Bay and also the Rose hall Hilton there too.

Negril hotel ratings are not like the US....a 4 star/apple hotel there is not are nice as in the US. Most people go in thinking they are staying in a luxury property when that is not the case. You need to look at what you want to do and what is important to you. Research hotels on Tripadvisor. You will get lots of information on their forums too.

We just got back from Jamaica for spring break. We've been there 4 times in different parts of the island. (3 of the 4 times with our kids) Love the people and the feel of the country.

 

[haley's mom]

So the suggestion is to stay near Ocho Rios as opposed to Montego Bay or Negril?

What is the weather like? We are thinking of March or May (state standardized testing is in April).

What are your kids ages? What are some things you guys do?

 

[Anne34]

Negril has beautiful water & beaches! There are lots to do at all inclusive resorts. Sailing, paddle bikes, etc...mostly beach activities. Most tours were a bit away. My kids are now teens so they like to be busy. We loved Negril, but had been to the island before. We knew some people who took a day tour to Ocho rios & it was 2 1/2 hours each way. They left at 7:30am and got back at 9pm. Long day.
It is about an hour away from the airport.

Montego bay is where the airport is. It is very close and convenient. The beaches are ok here. I don't love the town, but others might. Iberostar & hilton both get great reviews (but are not cheap).

Ocho Rios is about 75-90 minutes from the airport. It has the most to do -- lots of activities off the resort & on. We like it, but again it depends on your children's ages. It is also a cruise port, so it can be busy on certain days. Plan accordingly. Many types of hotels here. The north coast beaches are good in many area -- they get more wind here so they get waves (especially in the afternoon - fun to boogy board). If your kids are young -- Franklin D Resort offers a nanny with your stay. Prices are comparable to other hotels.

 

[Anne34]

Oops -- forgot to answer the weather question. We have been their twice at the end of March (our spring break). Weather both times was in the mid-80's. We did have brief rain last week (one afternoon about 4:30 for 20 minutes and another evening for about 10 minutes). The rain is refreshing and doesn't interfere with the vacation -- we had no thunder or lightening.

We have never been there in May.

 

[luckyfin]

We have been to Negril and to Ocho Rios and we liked Negril better. Seven Mile Beach is just gorgeous. We stayed at Beaches Negril and it was an excellent choice for our family of 13 people ages 3-80. We all had a great time.

 

[maps]

We just went for Feb break (Pres week which always costs more!) and we stayed at Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton just outside Montego Bay. Everyone has different opinions but we loved it and had a great time.

It is a very large resort and I believe they are building more. We opted for the Lady Hamilton side vs the Jamaica because it was closer to activites and we also got a 1BR. Both of those increased the price and we ended up paying about $3000 for the 4 of us (DD12, DS11) but it was worth it to us.

We never left the resort since there was so much to do. I left a long, detailed trip report on trip adviser if you want to review.

We also went to Playa del Carmen 4 yrs ago and stayed at the Occidental Xcaret and we loved that as well.

 

[Cynt]

Have u considered a cruise?

 

[TinkPirateMom]

I agree with the suggestion of Beaches Negril, but it is pricey. If you are looking for a moderately priced all-inclusive, I would suggest looking at the RIU chain of resorts. They have 4 in JA, 1 in Montego Bay, 1 in Ocho Rios, and 2 in Negril.
Another suggestion would be Iberostar Rose Hall Suites or Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort in the Montego Bay area. IMO, Iberostar is a step up from RIU. However, RIU would be good if you prefer Ocho Rios or Negril over Montego Bay.

 

[Darcy03231]

Our family really likes the Iberostar resorts. We've found them to be very family friendly with lots of activities going on. We've stayed in several in Mexico and the DR and not been disappointed.

 

[haley's mom]

Have u considered a cruise?

I have been looking at cruises also. The problem is in 2007 we did a short 3 night cruise on Disney. The price for 6 or 7 day with a balcony is so exensive.

Considering Carnival 6 day with stops in Ocho Rios, Grand Turk and Nassau.

 

[sherry7]

Definitely do some research at TripAdvisor.com. The reviews there are great.

We did something a little different when we went to Jamaica, instead of the typical all inclusive resort. We rented a 2 bedroom cottage on the beach in Negril, on 7 Mile Beach. From our front door, we could walk to the ocean in less than a minute. It wasn't all inclusive, but the closest restaurant was only a few hundred yards down the beach. There were several restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk. We also had a full kitchen in the cottage, so we ate most of our breakfasts in. It was definitely the most relaxing vacation that I've ever had, and the cottage rental was affordable. By the time we added in buying our food and drinks, the price was comparable to an all inclusive. We were just looking for an entirely different experience.

Just a FYI, especially since you have a teenage child. If you choose to go off resort property and among the local people, you will likely be asked if you want to buy some marijuana, ganga, smoke, or whatever you want to call it. Me, DH, and DS (17 at the time) were asked numerous times if we were interested in buying. A simple "no thank you" was all that was needed, and the person would go away. This didn't bother us, but I had been warned that this would happen. For an unsuspecting person, it might be disturbing.

 

[Sam's_Mom]

Have you thought about Mexico? The Mayan Riviera is beautiful and much less expensive than Jamaica.

 

[bas71873]

Have you thought about Mexico? The Mayan Riviera is beautiful and much less expensive than Jamaica.

Any all inclusive recommendations in this area?

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We enjoyed the Barcelo Maya a few years ago. in the Riviera Maya.

For a cruise you might try our favorite Royal Caribbean. For cruise information go to cruise critic. It is a site like this one with lots of good cruise information.

 

[sunlover13]

We stayed at Holiday Inn Sunspree in Montego Bay, Jamaica about 4 years ago. It was SUPER CHEAP.

I think we paid approx. $600 per adult. Kids stay free so I only had to pay for my DD's airfare which was like $300. We paid around $1500 TOTAL for the 3 of us for 7 days, all-inclusive.

The place is definitely not luxury, but it was clean, beautiful beach, oceanviews, great people, pretty good food, great drinks. Best of all it is very close to the airport. I'm not a fan of driving 1+ hours to get from the airport to the resorts. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

We booked through cheapcarribean dot com. If you google, you can usually find a code to get a little $ off too.

ETA: We paid $1834 total for the 3 of us. I just looked it up. It was in March 2009. I was curious b/c right now, I'm looking to go in Oct possibly and it is closer to $4,000 for the 4 of us, but my son is under 2 so he is free airfare if we choose to not get him a seat.

 

[Sinderelly]

After our honeymoon in Jamaica I would never choose Jamaica over Disney. I wish we would have spent our honeymoon at Disney or on a Disney Cruise..lesson learned. No one else treats their guests like Disney.

We stayed at a Sandals all inclusive resort. While our room furnishings were nice, we had to be moved four times due to hot water or AC issues. I get the idea that Jamaican standards for these things are a little different? We stayed at the Sandals Inn in Montego Bay. We were also able to travel to 2 other Sandals resorts to enjoy amenities there. The food wasn't very good and although they say tips are included most people we came into contact with seemed to "have their hand out". We even had a person from the resort take us off property offering to be our guide. We thought it was really nice until she offered to "take" some rum from the resort for us. Again, she was looking for a tip.

If you look closely sometimes you can find a deal on a Disney Cruise (VGT category). A travel agent should be able to help you search for deals and give you a great OBC. (Kelsie from Dreams Unlimited is great).

Good luck with your trip planning and I hope your family has a wonderful vacation where ever you decide to go

 

[sunlover13]

After our honeymoon in Jamaica I would never choose Jamaica over Disney. I wish we would have spent our honeymoon at Disney or on a Disney Cruise..lesson learned. No one else treats their guests like Disney.

We stayed at a Sandals all inclusive resort. While our room furnishings were nice, we had to be moved four times due to hot water or AC issues. I get the idea that Jamaican standards for these things are a little different? We stayed at the Sandals Inn in Montego Bay. We were also able to travel to 2 other Sandals resorts to enjoy amenities there. The food wasn't very good and although they say tips are included most people we came into contact with seemed to "have their hand out". We even had a person from the resort take us off property offering to be our guide. We thought it was really nice until she offered to "take" some rum from the resort for us. Again, she was looking for a tip.

If you look closely sometimes you can find a deal on a Disney Cruise (VGT category). A travel agent should be able to help you search for deals and give you a great OBC. (Kelsie from Dreams Unlimited is great).

Good luck with your trip planning and I hope your family has a wonderful vacation where ever you decide to go

That's strange. Holiday Inn Sunspree there was no tipping. We brought a ton of singles b/c we were used to it in Mexico and they were not allowed to accept tips at all.

 

[amj]

I have also been thinking about this type of vacation, but was leaning more towards Cancun, Mexico and the Sandals Resort. Has anyone stayed at the Sandals Resorts in Mexico? Since I live in Calif. I thought this would be a less expensive flight then flying to Jamaica.