We stayed at a Great House Villa in the middle of June. Had a wonderful time. Just want to let you know a couple of thing. Since it's off-season and the villas are spread out (it's a huge place), it will seem very quiet there. Most people eat in their villas - not much activity in the main restaurant. The beach bar was open when we were there and we didn't see any signs of work being done on it. One other child showed up mid-way through our vacation for our 8-year old to play with.

The staff at the Tryall were all super nice and gracious, especially Tracy, the guest relations manager. She will help you with whatever you need.

We tipped our housekeeper at the end of our stay - I think it's expected at the end.

We felt very safe there. It's gated at the entrance and there is security always on duty at the Great House. We did receive a call from them after we were home. It turns out the night after we left a TV was stolen out of one of the villa bedrooms. There was a lot of renovation work going on at a villa two doors down and a lot of workmen around, so you never know. But we did not at any time feel unsafe.

We took half cash, half travelers checks. The reception desk changed the checks into cash at the end so we could tip our housekeeper in US dollars. They make out better if you give them US dollars vs Jamaican dollars. At the resort, you really don't need cash at all except for small tips to drivers. Everything can be charged to your villa and you can pay at the end with credit card.

One final note - Tryall is 25-30 minutes outside of Montego Bay. Anytime you go somewhere in a taxi, it is going to cost a LOT. We ended up not going out anywhere (except to dinner at Round Hill one night), but then, we just wanted to relax anyway.

Hope this helps!

Julie

Thanks for all the info. The travelers checks are a good idea, I was concerned about having too much cash around. I think we'll hire a car and driver for a couple of days and make sure we do all our traveling around then. Otherwise, we'll stick to the resort. If there are no other teens, our kids will hang out together. They get along remarkably well these days, a change from when they were younger!
--Kate