iStock International

Jamaica: Hotels

Long a top destination, the Caribbean’s largest English-speaking island has a dizzying array of hotels, inns, and villas to choose from, many considered among the world’s best. It’s also the birthplace of the all-inclusive resort – an option that simplifies dining and price decisions but delivers a gated, and sometimes isolated, experience from Jamaica’s problems – and pleasures. Finer lodgings, which start around $300 per night and skyrocket from there, tend to be clustered on the island’s north coast. Most of the island’s all-inclusives fall into the moderate category, with rooms available between $150 and $300 per night. Budget options for under $150 can be found island-wide and tend to offer a traditional, authentic Jamaican experience – just be sure to inquire about safety before booking (never, ever book a room in a budget hotel without a 24-hour security guard).

= Smart Splurge

= Great Value

ALL
LUXURY
MODERATE
BUDGET
HIP & TRENDY

Geejam
Opened in March 2008 by British record executive Jon Baker, this unique property includes a state-of-the-art studio where...
luxury | smart splurge | expensive

GoldenEye
Okay, it’s expensive but Jamaica’s most extraordinary resort includes the opportunity to ‘lax in the villa where Ian...
smart splurge | all-inclusive | expensive | editor pick

Round Hill
This old-school yet intimately relaxed resort has benefited from a wave of recent changes. In spring of 2007, a Ralph Lauren...
family | smart splurge | expensive

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa
If you’re going “all-inclusive,” this is the best of Jamaica’s seven wildly popular Sandals resorts. The genuinely...
all-inclusive | expensive | editor pick

Jake's
If you are searching for an authentic, all-inclusive antidote to the “gated” Jamaican experience, you can’t do better...
trendy | great value

Rock House
You’d expect to pay a lot more for the stylish, Mediterranean-tropical vibe that pervades this one-time hangout of the Bobs...
trendy | views | great value

Kuyaba
Kuyaba has 26 accommodations, including a “treehouse” suite popular with honeymooners and rustic cottages that are a...
great value

Morgan's Harbour Resort and Marina
Named for the infamous pirate/governor of Jamaica, Henry Morgan, this nautically-themed, 61-room property is your best base...
views | waterfront

Rooms Ocho Rios
No-frills here, but this modern, 97-room property puts you on a nice stretch of beach in this north coast resort town. Besides...
water sports

Jamaica Inn
With its croquet-perfect lawn sweeping down to one of the island’s best private beaches, this seductively elegant inn will...
great value | editor pick

Mockingbird Hill
Treat yourself to the classic Port Antonio experience in a villa-turned-inn surrounded by magnificent tropical gardens and...
culinary | views | art

Terra Nova All Suite Hotel
Although it primarily attracts business travelers, Terra Nova’s white-glove service and abundance of character makes this...

Geejam
Opened in March 2008 by British record executive Jon Baker, this unique property includes a state-of-the-art studio where...
smart splurge | trendy | expensive

GoldenEye
Okay, it’s expensive but Jamaica’s most extraordinary resort includes the opportunity to ‘lax in the villa where Ian...
smart splurge | all-inclusive | expensive | editor pick

Round Hill
This old-school yet intimately relaxed resort has benefited from a wave of recent changes. In spring of 2007, a Ralph Lauren...
family | smart splurge | expensive

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa
If you’re going “all-inclusive,” this is the best of Jamaica’s seven wildly popular Sandals resorts. The genuinely...
all-inclusive | expensive | editor pick

Geejam
Opened in March 2008 by British record executive Jon Baker, this unique property includes a state-of-the-art studio where...
luxury | smart splurge | expensive

Jake's
If you are searching for an authentic, all-inclusive antidote to the “gated” Jamaican experience, you can’t do better...
budget | great value

Rock House
You’d expect to pay a lot more for the stylish, Mediterranean-tropical vibe that pervades this one-time hangout of the Bobs...
moderate | views | great value