EP v. AI
 

I need some advice! We are planning our 6th trip to Jamaica for Oct. 2008. We have always stayed at all-inclusive resorts, which we love. But, this time we're going with another couple and we're thinking about renting a 2-bedroom condo (the Santa Maria in Ocho Rios).

The AI resorts we've stayed at in the past are the Couples resorts (4x) and Breezes Runaway Bay (1x). If we go AI again this time, we'll probably stay at either Couples Sans Souci or Grand Lido Braco.

I guess my question is: would we end up spending the same amount of money in the long run going EP vs. AI?

If anyone can give me a realistic estimate of what we could expect to spend for one week on food, drinks, tipping, etc. I would really appreciate it!

It's really hard to estimate what you might spend without knowing more about you. Will you be eating out all the time? Will you be renting a car and driving around alot?

A villa or condo is typically much cheaper than an equivalent resort room, but the cost of having a car (or calling taxis all the time) can add considerably to your costs in Jamaica, so keep that in mind. If you eat at local places, food can be reasonably inexpensive, but restaurants in Jamaica are just as expensive as they are in the rest of the Caribbean, so you can easily spend more or less, depending on your own behavior.

My main concern is transportation. If you are used to an all-inclusive resort, you are not used to having to find your own way around, getting to the beach, etc. That can be very stressful in Jamaica.

Doug - we do not plan on renting a car - been to Jamaica enough to know we definitely do not want to drive! We would probably go into Ochi one day to shop, but wouldn't do a lot of traveling otherwise (unless it was a pre-arranged tour). How much should we expect to pay for a taxi to the shopping areas?


We would do most of our eating there at the condo, as it comes with a cook who will do the shopping and prepare the meals for us. We would, of course, have to purchase the food, which is one of the costs I'm not sure about. We would also want to purchase some alcohol so we could have cocktails. We would go out to eat 2-3 times during the week.

The condo has a pool and private beach, so we would not have to find transportation to the beach.

My main concern is the cost of purchasing groceries/alcohol for the week and the general cost of going to dinner at a couple of local places.

Thanks!

Not knowing how far this condo is from the heart of town, it's hard to say how much a taxi would cost, but it won't be cheap (ask the condo manager for some suggestions on who to call). You might pay $10 or $15 each way into town. Tivertonhouse can probably give you a better sense of the cost of groceries in Jamaica, but I find that in most of the Caribbean groceries are about a 20% premium on prices I normally pay in Manhattan, which are themselves at least a third higher than in the real world. So figure 50% over your prices at home. Alcohol is cheap at duty-free stores, but wine is very expensive throughout the Caribbean (and not very good). Buy local fish, chicken, and other products and I'm sure you can shave some of the costs. Jamaica is one of the few places in the Caribbean that actually grows and makes things for on-island consumption.

You can probably ask your driver to make an initial stop for essential groceries on the way from MoBay to the condo (and perhaps buy some jerk from Scotchie's for your first night if your cook isn't working ... there's a little store right next to Scotchies in Mobay, though I don't know if it has an extensive range of products, but I know you can get beer, soda, etc.).

You could do what some folks do and throw some packaged staples into your suitcase (especially if you want artificial sweetner, a bottle of wine each, and other specific grocery items), but you won't be able to import meat or anything that's not canned or pre-packaged, and it's not worth it anyway). Your cook can pick up some local eggs, fresh fish, rice, chicken, pork, goat meat, and some vegatables, but even local stuff tends to be more expensive in the Caribbean than here.

I'd say if there are four of you, expect to kick in at least $20 to $30 per person per day for 3 meals in the villa (more if you want steak or something that's not locally available), but I'd feel more comfortable if someone more familiar with Jamaican prices could verify that for me. I hope that works as a ballpark in meantime, but I expect that your total food/drink budget for each day per person will be less than one meal out.

My suggestion if you want to go non-AI is not Ocho Rios but Negril if you want other tourists and vendors or Treasure Beach if you want a slice of laid back Jamaica. I love and appreciate both for their specific merits and whole heartily recommend either. I am not an AI person but will not cut anyone down if thats what they like but Jamaica is a place that shouts out to be with the people.

I have several times rented fully staffed villas and shared them with friends. We would go over our preferences wiht the cook early on and she would plan and shop accordingly.

We found it to be very reasonable.

The one 'Must" in my book is that we had resort privileges at Half Moon or other properties. This gave us beach access and gym access, two deal breakers for me. Otherwise, I would not book a private accomodation.

Taxis are high, IMO and can really add up.

As for tips, we tipped the recommended amount of 10% of the rental which was divided by the staff.

We've done the villa thing several times and found it much cheaper than a resort.

In 2004, 4 couples shared a private villa with pool and private water access and our grocery/drinks bill came to $250 per couple for the week. We had lobster one night, snapper another, chicken, pork...full breakfasts every day and occasional snacky lunches (about half the time we were out doing things at lunch time). Lots of red stripe, some rum and sodas.

I find groceries in Jamaica to be NY-ish prices but it depends where you (or your cook) shops. I enjoyed going to market with the cook.