We are a quiet couple in our mid-thirties who haven't had a "real" holiday in over 10 years, but are planning one the week of Christmas. We've decided on an all-inclusive in Jamaica for the hassle-free factor, but he more we read, the more confused we get! We enjoy meeting people, water sports, lying around on the beach, and dining. Any info and advice re. room classifications would also be greatly appreciated. (Are lower classifications of rooms OK?)
Thanks!! We'll let you know how it goes when we return.

I'm actually replying to this because I have the same question except I'm single and celebrating my 30th birthday down there with 3 of my friends. We like eating, drinking, watersports and dancing. We, too, are confused about where to stay. We know we want an all-inclusive but don't want to pay as much as some of the bigger all-inclusive. We'll take any suggestions at this point! Thanks!

My husband and I returned two weeks ago from a week at the Enchanted Gardens Resort and Spa, Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
We went through AAA who put us through Sunquest.
I cannot imagine a more wonderful vacation. We were absolutely pampered- from the dining and exotic menus, and the impeccable service and great entertainment, and easy access to shopping, and a great jungle setting, and a full-service spa. So much was included that we spent less than $200 while we were down there- just on souvenirs! I highly recommend this place- it was wonderful.

My wife and I just returned from Superclubs Grand Lido, in Negril. For the most part, it was a very nice place to stay. It has four restaurants, water sports, disco, piano bar, rec room, live bands and dance floor. There are two distinct areas - "regular" and "clothing optional". The regular beach is larger, nicer, and has the water sports and nicer swimming. The clothing optional beach is quite friendly and fun, but the beach itself is not as nice. If noise at night bothers you, stay in the regular area. If you like to party late, and aren't offended, stay in the clothing optional area. No matter where you stay, you are free to go anywhere. The resort also has its own large yacht, formerly owned by Princess Grace of Monaco, I believe. It is quite fun. On the down side, and I don't know if this is true all over Jamaica, the service of the staff was quite slow - it may be due to the relaxed nature of the island, but it is sometimes annoying. Also, the concierge was lousy - getting reservations for the yacht or the fine-dining restaurant was a hassle, and arranging a return flight to Montego Bay by small plane proved to be beyond her ability. That brings up another point - do not drive or take ground transportation to Negril. It takes 2 1/2 hours, and is quite dangerous (many blind curves with many obstacles). Its better to arrange for round trip air transfer to/from Montego Bay on a small plane. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Grand Lido, but my wife thought it was not worth the money. Hope this helps.

My family of four (two adults, two teenagers) stayed for 8 days at Breezes Runaway Bay and had a fabulous time there. We never left the resort grounds and were never bored. It was great not to have to worry at all about how much we were spending on vacation. Nothing was additional, except souvenirs. We went scuba diving for the first time and relaxed more than we ever had on a vacation before. The service was fine, and the rooms were nice -- not great but nice. The only downside was that the staff was constantly hitting on our two teenage girls. This made them quite uncomfortable, but it did give us good service as they couldn't seem to do enough for us. The beach was fabulous -- you can go snorkeling ten feet off shore and see wonderful fish!!