13 Best Hotels in Jamaica

This family-friendly all-inclusive has something for everyone: a prime Negril Beach location, upscale dining for adults, and multiple attractions for kids and teens—a chief asset is the impressive 18,000-square-foot water park, Pirates Island. Also keeping everyone happy are an Xbox lounge for kids (and plenty of adults); Sesame Street characters, who roam the grounds ready to interact; nine restaurants (plus seven bars for the adults); a supervised kids' program; and scheduled teen activities.

The company that specializes in the all-inclusive resort brings its brand of luxury, attention to detail, and attentive staff to this family-oriented property with bright rooms centered on an exquisite beach where you can enjoy water sports and even get scuba certification. There are several restaurants with choices from pizza to fine dining with a wine cellar featuring top vintages. Plenty of activities for children of all ages include an Xbox 360 game room, waterslide, dance-hall club, and Sesame Street–themed activities, exclusive to Beaches. Butler service is offered, and guests get free access to nearby Sandals Golf & Country Club. The helpful staff can help plan off-site excursions.

Hummingbirds flit about this reasonably priced property, consisting of one- and two-story villas with the conveniences of a hotel, including tennis courts, a pool, and a restaurant and bar that's centered on a 300-year-old ficus tree and looks like a movie set. The well-designed villas are bright and breezy and take full advantage of the stunning views and natural scenery. It's near San San Beach.

This massive property is one of the island's largest resorts—and most economical all-inclusives—with more than 800 rooms, seven restaurants, three pools, and a children's water park. Guest rooms, decorated in muted tropical tones, are a good value for travelers who don't mind some dining restrictions (and plenty of fellow travelers at the buffet line). Special Club Golden and Club Diamond categories include separate check-in, a lounge, and other exclusive facilities. There's also an adults-only category.

With its many room categories, 28 massive villas (five to seven bedrooms), shopping village, a private beach, water sports, three pools, the luxurious Fern Tree spa, a children's village, golf course, and an equestrian center, this resort feels almost as though it's an entire town. What started in 1954 as a group of private beach cottages offered for rent during off-season months has blossomed into one of the most popular getaways on Jamaica's north coast. Renovations in recent years have added more than 50 rooms and a wealth of bars and restaurants, including a vegan café. The original beach cottages, just steps from the sand as well as public areas, remain a great choice. 

Popular with couples, conference groups, and families, this self-contained property on a former sugarcane plantation occupies 400 lush acres of well-manicured grounds and has received regular upgrades and enhancements over the years, making it a top choice in Montego Bay. Facilities include a huge water park, complete with lagoons and lazy rafting river, a private beach with deluxe cabanas, and 11 restaurants and bars. All rooms and suites have their own private balcony with views of the property and ocean, and there are a couple of excellent courses right across the street.

Family fun is tops here, but many couples and singles are also drawn to the not-crazy prices and good location, 6 miles (10 km) east of the airport. You can find seven-room blocks spread along the long beach and large public areas that can, at times, feel a bit overrun with kids and the noise they produce. Adults can find some peace in the quiet, adult-only pool, which has its own swim-up bar, or at the spa. On the other side of the grounds, a lighted nine-hole miniature-golf course offers night play. A moderately priced shopping mall is directly across the street. Children 12 and under stay and eat free.

At the far north end of Negril on Bloody Bay, this massive beachfront resort delivers good bang for the buck, with decent food and extensive activities and facilities. Guests can relax and be pampered at the Renova Spa with a variety of beauty treatments, or enjoy the many water sports that the hotel offers. The programs for kids are slightly better here than at the equally large Riu Tropical Bay, which is next door.

This sprawling resort, built in two U-shape wings each overlooking a pool, is one of the largest in Jamaica. Rooms are generously sized and well maintained, although there are long walks to public areas. All rooms come with an all-inclusive package, but suites include such extras as 24-hour concierge service. In-room amenities include daily-stocked minibars, liquor dispensers, and private balconies. There's a separate waterpark with slides and a special pool just for kids. There are seven restaurants, many of which can get crowded, and a buffet that serves three meals daily in a massive dining hall.

An extensive array of dining options (including five bars) and activities are offered at this all-inclusive resort just 20 minutes east of the airport and surrounded by beautiful beaches. The resort features a massive infinity pool with a swim-up bar (and a separate pool area for kids), a nightclub, golf course, casino, and diving school. The resort has some of the same feel as the brand's popular Mexico properties, and this is reflected in its thatch-roof poolside palapas, tropical dance lessons, and around-the-clock action.

This all-suites, all-inclusive property is the most stylish and offers more amenities than the other adjacent Iberostar resorts, including a fantastic spa, a beautiful beach, three pools, and a water park for kids. Guests are welcomed with sweeping grand staircases and an expansive marble lobby appointed with red velvet couches and giant brass chandeliers. By comparison, the rooms have a minimalist approach with soothing green and brown tones. Rooms are well-appointed and inviting, but the vast, dimly lit, uncarpeted hallways that you have to navigate to get to your comfortable suite are a jarring contrast. Once in your room, you may never want to leave, and with 24-hour room service, you don't have to.

Three massive 200-year-old Sandbox trees guard the front of this family-owned hotel that has a friendly aura, tropical gardens wrapping around the main building, and flowers spilling onto the terrace restaurant, where breakfast and lunch are served. Basic rooms are simple and breeze-cooled; all superior rooms have air-conditioning, as do suites, which also have full kitchens. The hotel is right in the center of town close to the market; there's a British-style pub, the Manchester Arms.

Often packed with charter groups, this expansive resort can be a good value if you don't mind mass tourism. With one of Jamaica's best (and most-used) lobbies, a water park with pirate ship, a teen center, and excellent beaches on a peninsula jutting out into the bay, the resort has enough to redeem the motel-basic rooms. You can swim around in any of the four swimming pools or the state-of-the-art aquatic park, and when it's time to take a break from the sun, hit the Sunscape Spa or slots-only casino. Although the rack rate is high, the resort runs a number of promotions throughout the year.