We are planning a trip to Jamaica and will be staying at an AI. Considering Gran Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay or the Riu in Ocho Rios. We have stayed in Negril and at Sandals Whitehouse, but really not familiar with the differences in the different parts of the island. Can anybody help with pros and cons of the different resort areas?
Thanks!
What area of Jamaica to stay in
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Is this a couples trip or a family trip? If it's a couples trip I highly recommend the Jewell Dunn's River in Ocho Rios. It was formally a Sandals, but we felt with the turn over it was better than the 2 Sandals we have been to.
I am not a fan of the RIU's. They are large and crowded. If you're bringing a huge family and need something budget friendly it will work. The food is really not that great. The Gran Bahia Principe is a family resort also. If you are bringing a family I would choose it over the RIU, but the location is pretty far from Ocho Rios if that matters to you. Both of those resorts are going to be a huge step down from Sandals Whitehouse and the Jewell.
To us, the differences between Negril and Ocho Rios were things to see and do since the areas are so spread out. Ocho Rios gets the influx of cruise ship passengers, but if you stay away from Dunn's River Falls, Margaritaville and the Island shopping area when cruise ships are in then you'll never now they were there.
We found more things to see and do in Ocho Rios than in Negril that were closer to the resort. Runaway Bay is about 30-45 minutes from Ocho Rios, so if you plan on doing anything outside of the resort, you'll need to hire a driver or go on a tour.
Thanks. This is a family trip. I realize the resorts are not going to be the same caliber as sandals..hoping to find something similar in caliber to barcelo maya, we will probably spend most of the time on the resort..maybe 1 or 2 tours. I suspect that no matter what area we go to anything off the resort will require a tour or a driver
Look at the Iberostars in Montego Bay.