cmstraf

We are going to spend a week at the Jamaica Inn from April 20-28 and are hoping that some of you can help with some questions:

1) I chose a Premier Verandah suite on West Wing over water rather than on beach. It was hard to decide; have any of you seen both?
2) What are the bedrooms themselves like? The photos show only the verandas though the bedroom shown in the less expensive Deluxe Suite looked lovely.
3) Any suggestions about nearby hiking and towns? We would love to listen to reggae and get a sense of Jamaica, but have heard that much of the country is both heartbreakingly poor and also dangerous.

Thenk yeh.

suze

While poverty and danger definitely exist on the island I would not call it "much of the country". The person who posted that on your other thread was specifically talking about Kingston (which is not near where you are going).

You'll fly into the Montego Bay airport, right, Sangster (MBJ)?
http://www.clivestransportservicejamaica.com/
is the company i used for transportation

From Ocho Rios you can take a day trip out to Negril. Smaller, more rustic, but a long time established welcome to tourists, gorgeous 7-mile beach there. Good local restaurants serving Jamaican-style dishes.

Sorry don't know a thing about your resort.

cmstraf

Thanks, Suze/

vickiebypass

I spent about 5 days at Jamaica Inn two years ago. I stayed on property the entire time, since I wanted to relax and enjoy the beach. The property itself is lovely and very well maintained. I stayed in a balcony suite in the Main Wing and enjoyed the large verandah and comfortable seating. One thing I was surprised by is that the entire property is smaller than it looks in the on-line photos or the web site's property map. The entire beach is quite short - i like to walk and walk on a beach, and this took about 7 minutes to walk from end to end (a 7 minute amble). The bar, pool and dining area was very attractive - dining al fresco! Food was good.

My only suggestion might be to consider a premier verandah in the Beach wing instead of the West wing. The West wing is bit closer to the restaurant, which could be a bit noisy; also, the west wing forms the border between the property and whatever is next door. Whereas the Beach wing is set on the lawn, just off the beach and has trees, garden, etc behind it which are a buffer area; then, further beyond are the cottages which are up on a bluff, so are "away" from the Beach wing. The Beach wing units have large verandahs facing the water and were always occupied by people reading, playing cards, having drinks, etc. Not loud at all - a very British ambience.

Across the street from the entrance, and up the driveway, is a Shell gas station with snacks and I walked up there one day just for some pretzels or something. The hotel arranged transportation for me to/fro airport - it was about 90 minutes each way I think. Just an FYI, in case it matters to you, the rooms don't have TVs. I think the expectation is that people will have a leisurely dinner and stay in the lounge area to socialize; I travel by myself and after dinner, look forward to relaxing in my room with a book and TV, so I read a lot and went to sleep.

It was a nice place but I wouldn't go back again and would recommend it with the caveat about the short beach.

cmstraf

Thank you -- this was really helpful and clear. It also left me confused because we, too, like to walk beaches and trails--you would like Stinson Beach near San Francisco. It's five miles round trip. 7 minutes is too short, but...we have already spent bunches and bunches of miles on airfare, bought guidebooks etc. TVs don't matter to us at all -- we don't watch them on vacation.

I'll think about your beach verandah recommendation; we definitely want peaceful and actually chose the over the water because it seemed more private.

Would you call it magic?

vickiebypass

Hmmmm, magic - that’s a tall order. I would say the property, and overall ambience, is nicer than many other Caribbean island resorts that I’ve been to. It has a very British feel which I quite like - traditional, low key but well kept elegance. I also appreciated the Resort’s history (Fleming, Churchill and movie stars).

But, the beach might be very disappointing for you. As an example, I loved a week in Turks & Cacois (at the far end, away from the shopping area and big resorts) where I walked for miles along the beach, in both directions, each day. I do the same at The Breakers in Palm Beach and the Ritz in Key Biscayne. The beach is the most important component for me and the hotel itself could be a Marriott or Hilton and I’d be fine.

But, since you’ve already committed funds/miles and planning for Jamaica Inn, maybe you can investigate visiting other beaches that would provide the opportunity for long walks. The hotel should be a good resource, in addition to the guide books you mentioned. They would also be able to advise you about the safety of going to other beaches and walking and walking. (I wouldn’t do this personally but I’m a solo traveler so am cautious in areas like this.)

For other local sites, I think Duns Falls is relatively close and the hotel could arrange transportation for you, and probably a guide if you want. They could organize tours for you each day if you want. Of course, you could rent a car and explore on your own; but just do due diligence on safety. Jamaica is a large island with distinct areas and like most places, has some areas that tourists should probably not visit. If you’re exploring on your own, you’ll want to know that info.

Did you consider Turks and cacois? It might be a good fit for you with the never ending Grace Bay beach. Wide variety of resorts and prices; many units at the resorts can be rented through VRBO. There are other areas to see (with a car) if you want a break from that beach. Maybe your miles can be switched for flights there! Even with the fee to switch miles, you might decide it’s worth it. Several regular posters on this site are T&C experts, so if you want to investigate this option, you may want to start another message with that heading so they can chime in.