Is Jamaica Inn suitable for me?
 

My fiance and myself (late 20's) will have our honeymoon in early August and I have reserved Jamaica Inn for a week. The reviews are nice and the place seems to be a very relaxing place. But I have reservation about a) possibility of Hurricane and b) safety.

I really want to go to Jamaica Inn, but just wondering is there any other resorts outside of Jamaica that can provide with similar relaxing, intimate (small resort) experience without the above issues?

In terms of safety, you would be pefrectly fine at Jamaica Inn. In terms of hurricanes, you have a pretty equal (but remote) chance of being hit by one just about anywhere in the Caribbean. Some islands have better track records than others, but as Grenada (an island known for being hit less than others) proved in 2004 and 2005, anything can happen.

You do need to worry about heavier rain in August, regardless of hurricanes or tropical depressions. In most cases, rain means relatively brief showers, but there is always the chance that your entire vacation could get rained out. There's no way to tell now what it will do in August, and to be fair, you could be planning a trip to California or England or just about anyplace else and not be able to predict the weather, either.

Here are some reviews and photos of JI:

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/su...inn_052006.htm

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/ga...ainn_82004.htm

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/ho...ainn_62004.htm

Pictures, two of which go with the reports above:

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/cg...ategory=100596

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/cg...ategory=100901

http://www.tropictravelonline.com/cg...ategory=100504

Safety is really not an issue for tourists in Jamaica who aren't stumbling around drunk or waving wads of cash and jewelry around the streets.

I'd recommend going on trips with a driver/guide of your own, and JI can arrange that I am sure. Good ones are real ambassadors to Jamaica, can show you off the beaten path things as well as the major tourist attractions.

My husband and I stayed at a cottage at the jamaica Inn at thanksgiving. We were robbed while we were sleeping (window broken into-had been locked). It was our first night there, and we had never left the cottage, and we had not unpacked. Money, a BOSE headset, an ipod, and our PASSPORTS were stolen. If it had not been for the wonderful help we received from Joseph and Nicole, we would have been devastated. It took 3 days to get our passports (police reports, trip to Kingston) -not a great vacation. The hotel, to its credit, reimbursed us for everything we lost, and gave us a return voucher to stay for 5 days. This apparently had been the first robbery, at least of this nature, that had occurred at the Inn. The staff was wonderful. The management said that the security agency was going to be fired. My advice is to lock up all valuables, including passports, as soon as you arrive to your room. BTW, at the embassy we learned that 85% of thefts are "inside" jobs. Don't bring "bling" on your vacation. In our case I think we were targeted in advance, because we were the only occupants of any of the cottages on that night. Use common sense- lock your doors and windows when you leave the room, and don't take valuables to the beach.
We are going to go back, mainly because of the two people mentioned before- Joseph and Nicole. I think they truly felt our "pain" and did everything they could to help us.If you read other websites, like trip advisor, you would know that some hotels do not help at all if something like this happens.
A robbery can happen anywhere to anyone no matter what you do to try to prevent it. How the hotel handles it is what's going to make a difference. Thanks to Joseph and Nicole, we survived relatively unscathed with a "live and learn" attitude. Go and enjoy the Jamaica Inn- but realize, you may feel like you're in paradise, but recognize the fact that you are still on planet earth with with all its good and bad inhabitants.

Fernlover, I am so sorry to hear of your experience. Good heavens! You are indeed lucky that the staff helped you out. Did you ever end up getting your passports back or did the embassy in Kingston make new ones for you? This hits close to home since I will be there in several weeks. I assume there were no outsiders/vendors coming up to you when you were on the beach at JI, correct?

We had to go to the US Embassy in Kingston which issued our passports which are good for only one year, although we do not have to pay additional fees for new passports. In fact, my husband has already gotten his. The immigration officer, in Miami, said we would be subject to extra screening due to the theft. This would occur every time we come back into the US from another country. I pity the poor people who are behind us in line.

We did not get to the beach very often- weather was not good- but I did not see any vendors. This robbery, I feel, definitely, was an inside job. Maybe not someone who actually worked there, but, who knew someone who worked there and had the knowledge that we were the only occupants of the cottages. And, where the entry was made into the room, someone had to be SMALL enough to fit into the area between the enclosed lattice portion of the window and the roof- a very small area. This had to have been planned ahead, and someone had to know the layout of the cottage.

I hope the Inn has changed their security personnel by now, and have warned guests to lock their doors (the hotel information book in the rooms used to say it was okay to let your room door stay open (door between room and veranda) while at the beach. I would think it would be common sense to lock your door, but some people think that this place is immune to world's problems. While at the Embassy, we were told there had been a major theft at GOLDENEYE (very upscale resort) , but that security did not let anyone leave the property, and they found all the items in the KITCHEN.
Go to tripadvisor.com and read about the Riu Hotel in Ocho Rios, and a theft that occurred while the guests were at the beach- safe was robbed.
These are no isolated incidents. If you read tripadvisor, it happens everywhere. You need to be alert and aware. That is why I responded to the original question- I felt I had to. Security is a problem everywhere, and anywhere there is a great disparity between those who have and those who don't, there is going to be a problem.

As I said before, everyone was wonderful at the Jamaica Inn, but they aren't the only ones living in Ocho Rios, or in Jamaica, for that matter. We have been to Jamaica twice now, and expect to go there again to, hopefully, enjoy ourselves at the Inn (waiting at least a year). I don't expect you'll have any problems if you take ordinary precautions.

Fernlover, I am terribly sorry for your experience. I am shocked as I thought JI would be safer (given the staff have been there for a long time) and I reserved a cottage (Cottage 3) as well. Thanks for sharing and I will take your advice at heart.

Just so you know- we were in cottage 5.
Fernlover

Just want to say I sent an email to JI and the GM (Mary) was kind enough to give me a call personally the next day and explained the situation. I think that, in itself, is a testimony of the service Jamaica Inn offers.

I am glad you received a response from the GM in response to your e-mail. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed I didn't mention her in my reviews, only Joseph and Nicole. I was the one to seek her out the FOLLOWING day to see what she could do to help the situation. I was in her office crying, and she was trying to defend her hotel's reputation and asking me if we had thought about using the safe.I have also tried to contact the owners through a publishing company, using Kay Showker, a resort reviewer, who always praises the resort, and have had no responsefrom the owners- (the publishing company has passed along my e-mail.) I have tried to be fair to the hotel. Yes, we received compensation which alot of hotels would not do, but nevertheless, it was their responsibility to have a secure facility and they failed. As I said i hope they have addressed the issues we had concerns with- I do not want to harm the hotel in any way but could not let people go to this resort feeling that it is entirely safe- frankly I was responding to the previous reviews that said that security was not issue in the least, almost as though crime exists everywhere but at this hotel. My husband has traveled all over the world as a consultant and has never had such an occurrence, and we have stayed at several resorts in the caribbean, Little Dix Bay, Four Seasons Nevis, Peter Island, and the Ritz, in Jamaica where the security staff is clearly visible, never having a problem. Did she happen to say they caught the person or persons involved?. We have not been notified of anything. If they haven't, he's still out there, but most liking moving onto other places. When you are there please ask to see cottage 5 and look at the lattice enclosed window (if they haven't changed it) and see what the robber had to go thru to get into our room!
I have kept this very low key as to not impact the hotel- I did not put my review on Trip Advisor for millions to read it. BTW, at the Buccanner in St.Croix, 7 rooms were broken into and passports, cash,etc. were stolen-look at the review yourself. This is happening everywhere! That is what i want to get across- you can be anywhere, at the poshest resort, in a dive, it doesn't matter- crime is a possibility. And you must know that it was in the best interest of the hotel, particularly the general manager, to contact you. What would you think if she hadn't? My intention is not to scare anyone into not staying at this resort- we were the unlucky ones. And I did say that the hotel handled it well- we would have been lost without JOSEPH and NICOLE. I have seen the inside of your cottage- it is lovely, gorgeous- you can't help but be impressed.

I hope whatever Mary told you had to do with improving security because that's what needed to be done. Unfortunately, it took our experience to prompt them to act. I think you said you are going there in february, have a great time, but do as you said you would do- take my advice to heart.

I just got back from the hotel 3 days ago after staying in cottage 6. If I'd read your post before I left, I would have been a wreck.

What a terrible story.

I can confirm that the JI has changed security firms. I don't know if the new firm is any better, but there were a lot of uniformed guards (more women than men) at the separate entrance to the cottage area.

My experience with Mary Phillips was very positive. She was a lovely host.

If anyone else is concerned about security, my opinion is that the cottages are the least secure of all the rooms based on a separate gate/entrance. I did think about it while I was at the hotel, but thank godness, I hadn't seen your post first.

It is a wonderful hotel and I'm sure crime can happen anywhere. There are safes in the room but we left our room unlocked all day long. And even if hadn't, windows are easily accessible.

Well, I just returned from the Jamaica Inn 2 days ago. We stayed in the balcony suites upstairs in the Main Wing. I noticed security guards here and there also. The paperwork given to you at check in advises you to use the safe because the Inn is not reposnsible for lost articles. The JI is lovely. We had a very nice time. It was clear that many of the people there were return guests - some having come every year for 30-40 years during the Valentines Day/Presidents Day time frame. I did read your post before we left, Fernlover - and I appreciated the warning. We kept our door locked at all times we were not in the room. I know we were there during high season, and the resort was full, so we were unable to see any cottages from the inside. But I must add, for the cost of the rooms, I expected a little better housekeeping. One night we ate dinner in our room and the waiter never came back to pick up our dishes. So, the next morning, our breakfast server had to clean up from the night before so he could set our table. Another day our room was not clean until 2:30 in the afternoon. It was cloudy so we wanted to eat lunch in our room instead of the beach bar, but our room had not been serviced yet, so we ate in the dining room. I realize that everyone is on "island time", and they were at full capacity - but for the price, and everything I had read beforehand, I expected a little better. I guess when I say "price" I am also condisering we spent over $1600 on airfare, so the entire trip was very expensive for 4 days. I will say that the staff was all very nice though.

bankbabe, do you feel that the views and privacy in your main wing balcony suite were better than the same rooms in the east wing, enough to outweigh being a little further from the water?
And was it quiet (free from lobby/restaurant noises)?

What a very interesting thread. Jamaica (incl. Jamaica Inn) is high on our list of "must go" places. We have so many Jamaican American colleagues and friends here in Connecticut and absolutely love the food and culture. The sobering, eye-opening testimonies regarding crime not just there but other places throughout the Caribbean really point to the fact that a tourist's place of vacation is still someone else's bitter reality. IMO what is so different about this thread is the thoughtful, mature observations of Fernlover. While it's clear that you went through a horrible experience, you do not come off sounding overly bitter or alarmist. Bravo! You even indicate you would go back, unlike other victims of crime (or simply bad service) who are so quick to denounce an entire region or island if something negative happens, or who blame the island or its people as if they'd been tricked into coming into a trap. IMO, life in the Caribbean is as complicated and challenging as anywhere else in the world. I think the most important safety precaution any of us can take in traveling is to not take anything for granted. No matter how much you paid for your luxurious accomodations, security is never full-proof... anywhere.

The hurricane reason was how we decided on our honeymoon in Aruba. I'm not sure on the weather in August....

all the best!

xkenex - We stayed at the very end of the balcony on the 2nd floor in the corner room. It was a little hidden by the trees and very private, but it was closest to the road, and I had trouble sleeping the first night due to traffic and a barking dog. We heard no noises from the restaurant or lobby though. The room was the lowest priced, but heck, I did not mind walking up stairs to save hundreds of dollars - plus, we were only staying 4 nights. The next time I go, it will not be during high season, and I will probably opt for the East wing rooms, just steps from the beach and with a bigger veranda. Our balcony room did not have a refridgerator or even an ironing board, but I am sure that we could have requested if needed. This is really a special place - you could tell the difference that it was family managed as opposed to corporate managed. Everyone is very personable.