OT Travel advice: Jamaica?

[jpeka65844]

Hey all! Some friends are wanting us to jet away to Jamaica next summer and we're looking into all-inclusive adults only resorts.

Does anyone have any feedback about Iberostars, Sandals, Breezes, Couples, etc.....Resorts?

I cruise TripAdvisor and I suppose have to take everything with a grain of salt. I know you all will give me your unbiased opinions!!!

 

[justcantwait]

I've never been to Jamaica, but friends of mine swear by the Riu resorts. They've been to a number of islands, including Jamaica, and always stay at a Riu. They're gorgeous! From what she said, pay more attention to which town you go to than which resort. Some are more tourist-friendly (less crime) than others. She absolutely loved Negril, but wouldn't do Ocho Rios again. Hope this helps!

Kathy

PS - just read you're looking for adults only. I don't think Riu is adults only, but hopefully the info on location will help.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Heh. I don't have any advice now, but if you send me to Jamaica to get some I'll come back with plenty to share!

 

[DisneyKevin]

I've never been a huge fan of Jamaica, but I've been a couple of times.

I learned some interesting information from this this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2932677&page=2&highlight=jamaica

I can now tell you that, after doing a bit of research, I will never spend my tourist dollars in Jamaica again.

 

[baby1disney]

Kevin, I'd have to agree with you!! What I just read on that other thread, makes not want to go to Jamaica EVER!!!! I have two brothers and a lots of friends who are gay and I'm not gonna spend my money in a country where it's ok to kill people because of their sexual orientation!!!

 

[we3travellers]

We went to Sandals Royal Caribbean (Montego Bay) several years ago and and cannot speak highly enough about it! Luxury all the way. I assume you already know that both Sandals and Couples are "couples" only, and heterosexual at that. So if you have any singles in your group, those ones are out. Went to Breezes Nassau about 5 years ago and it was way too much of a party place for me. More for twenty-somethings who want to drink and party. Since we are now 3, we went to Beaches Boscobel (Ocho Rios) last year. I only tell you this as they are owned by Sandals and equally fantastic. Sandals was quite low key and quiet, but certainly there are opportunities for partying. Not sure how Couples compares and I cannot comment on Iberostar, although for luxury factor, I believe they do not even compare to Sandals. When staying at such all inclusives that have so much to offer, we almost never leave the property, so I usually feel like we're in a cocoon, in a good way. I prefer it like that. Not sure if I helped at all!

 

[jrtoastyman]

If you want a really unique, adults only experience in Jamaica, I'd highly recommend The Caves in Negril. It's a small, boutique property carved into the cliffs of Negril and had been ranked the number 1 all-inclusive in the world a few years running when we went a couple of years back. Maximum capacity at the place is around 30 people, but it's at the same general price point as the big-name all-inclusives where you spend your vacation with a few thousand of your closest friends.

Here's the site:

http://www.islandoutpost.com/the_caves/

Some high points:

• Every cottage is unique, and I'm pretty sure all of them face the ocean
• Ample space to lounge around, so you never have to worry about not getting a spot
• I have never been to a place where "make yourself at home" can be taken so literally. For example, if you should go to the bar at a time when there isn't a bartender, you are not just allowed but encouraged to just get your own drink, regardless of what time of day or night it may be. One night, it was very hot while we were eating dinner, so we asked if we could have dessert in the pool. Not only did they have no problem with that, they actually brought us a bottle of champagne to enjoy while we ate our dessert in the pool at like 10 pm. At times, it feels like having your own resort.
• Private hot tub in a cave looking out onto the ocean -- need I say more?
• Although there are ladders that will take you into the water, the way most people enter is by jumping off the cliffs -- everything from 4 or 5 feet to 40 foot drops!
• It is impossibly romantic, private and beautiful -- I believe SI shot part of their swimsuit issue here one year, and it's a favorite haunt of celebrities

Full disclosure, it is very much rustic luxury with a come-as-you-are vibe. That means that about half of the rooms are "naturally ventilated" (read: no A/C) and you can pretty much do anything without getting dressed up. The A/C is easy to work around because you can expressly book a room that has A/C, but if you're in the camp where you like to get dressed up for meals and want everyone else around you to be dressed up, too, this is not the place for you.

It's also very much focused upon R&R. While there are activities and excursions available to you if you'd like to do them, there are no sand volleyball games going on or organized activities happening every 30 minutes. It's best for people that want to go and just unwind...

If you're seriously interested in it, shoot me a PM, as I have some tips that you might find useful.

 

[AndyR]

We've been to Couples Swept Away in Negril a bunch of times and can't recommend it highly enough. http://couples.com/swept-away/

Very laid back, but has all the 'active' facilities should you want to use them.

Andy

 

[mermaid2109]

It really depends on how active you want to be. If you are traveling with singles I would strongly suggest Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Spa or Breezes Grand Resort & Spa (Negril). If beaches are important to you -Negril's Seven Mile Beach is rated one of the top ten in the Caribbean. However, the are all beautiful. Montego Bay & Ocho Rios resort areas are more "touristy" areas in comparison to Negril and Runaway Bay.

I had friends/family who have stayed at Iberostar resorts and they had a great time.

Couples and some Sandals Resort may have a little less resort activities throughout the day then Breezes Resorts and Iberostar.

Hope this helps

 

[hmonkeyruns]

I've been to three of the four Couples resorts and had a wonderful time at all of them. They are quite casual, with decent food and lots of activities.

For a super easy trip to plan and enjoy, I think you can't go wrong at Couples.

 

[Euphscott]

I can't help you with the resorts, but I was just in Jamaica last week on a Carnival cruise. It was a beautiful island and with very friendly people. I did not experience the aggressive sales techniques the island is infamous for.

We did drive by Iberostar. I must say, just seeing the size and quality appearance of the resort, I'd certainly take a close look!

Good luck...

 

[AJ1983]

We went to Montego Bay,Jamaica in April, and stayed at Sunset beach Resort, Waterpark and Spa. It was definitely a family resort, but really for the amount of children there, I never really noticed them. The kids were happy to play in the kids pool or on the beach. Also, there is an au natural beach further down, so if you want to get away from kids and crowds, you can head there. There were only ever max 8 people on the whole beach...and it was the biggest section of the beach!

Food was great, we had a room on the first floor of a two story villa, right on the beach, close to everything but far from the noise...it was perfect. Please feel free to PM if you have any questions!

 

[jrtoastyman]

A bit of a hijack, and I apologize, but for those of you that have been to any Sandals before, what are your impressions of it? I've stayed away from them out of concern for what I'll call hyper-branding, because from looking at the commercials and literature, it would appear that between the Sandals logo on the bottom of the pool, the signage everywhere, the boats, etc., there is this constant reminder that you're at a Sandals resort, which I would think would be a bit off-putting.

I do recognize and appreciate the irony of complaining about too much branding at a vacation destination on a Disney forum because, well, you know, but I guess I view island destinations differently because I'm going to a place where the natural beauty of the place should sort of speak for itself.

Anyway, is the branding as omnipresent as they make it look in the commercials, or is that just a function of the fact that it is, in fact, a commercial?