Jamaica Inn

This was our second visit - the first was our honeymoon, 9 years ago. We haven't returned because this is a bit decadent than our "usual" vacations. I was torn between a "Very Good" and an "Excellent" rating, but decided on Excellent because of the lengths the staff went to to make sure that we had everything we needed. Our first room was a "Premier Verandah" room on the beach. It was beautiful. The room itself was large enough for the amount of time we planned to be in it, the bathroom has a deep bath, which was lovely, and the amenities were first class (I snuck some home so I can smell the shampoo and remember my trip). The verandah felt very private, since it was facing the ocean, and we were only steps from the umbrella and lounge chairs we planned to stay in all week. Our only problem was that the man in the room next door was a cigar smoker (I saw something on the previous page that mentioned that this is a non-smoking resort - that is not true). I hate smoke. I hate the smell and it makes me feel ill. He was smoking on his verandah constantly, and the wind doesn't know the difference between the rooms, so it kept blowing onto our verandah and into our room (the room had shuttered windows, with screens, but no glass, which was lovely, as long as no one was smoking). I went to the front desk, and they provided me with several options for moving within the same "level" room, so we ended up with something that was not as close to the beach, but was actually a bit larger, and felt more private. FABULOUS. The food was great. I've seen some reviewers who commented negatively, but we were happy. We found the breakfast menu to be extensive and we enjoyed our meals. The lunch menu had enough options that we didn't feel restricted, and again we enjoyed the food (the lunch menu didn't change, and I do wish there were more "local" options, but we don't eat a lot anyway, so it worked well for us). The nachos were AMAZING. The dinner menu changed every evening, and we enjoyed every meal we had. If you do the meal plan, the dinner is a 5 course meal, I think in the future we would opt out of the meal plan as we never even came close to eating every course, but that's a personal preference. For people with dietary restrictions it may not work as well, but there was always a pasta dish, a vegetarian dish, chicken, lamb or something else, and some sort of beef dish. The sides were typically the same for each dish, but I really enjoyed them. The lack of television, radio and clocks was awesome. We went there to unplug, and two days later I'm still feeling a vacation glow. If you are looking for lots of nightlife, games on the beach, etc, this may not be the vacation for you. There are paddle boards, kayaks, sailing "things" (I don't know what they were, I didn't use them) and snorkeling, and floats available to just laze in the ocean, but if you're not the type who wants to just relax you may not enjoy the gorgeous beach. There was a Thursday morning yoga class, private yoga options, an AMAZING spa (and I have been to MANY spas), turtle hatching and some other options (a "Rumology" lesson, a tour of the garden). There were options for local tourism visits (Dunns River Falls, Dolphin Cove, Ziplinig and several tours), but do your research - I saw one reviewer who complained about the lack of "things to do" in Jamaica, and included that in the review as if it was the fault of the resort!?! I also saw some reviewers complaining about having things stolen from their verandahs, but seriously, what do you expect if you leave a laptop outside at night? The resort is gorgeous, quiet, the staff is amazing, but this is still the real world. It's easy to forget that you're not at home, because everyone makes you feel like you're cared for an it feels like home, but you do still need to bring your common sense with you. The staff. I cannot say enough about the staff. Sherlene, Kyle, Rupert, Teddy, Danielo, Francisco, Patrick, Patrice, Georgia, Bridget, Marvin - they were all wonderful. Attentive, engaging - I couldn't have asked for a more perfect group of people to have with us on our vacation. The weather. We were nervous, our weather app said thunderstorms every day. And almost every day there was a shower, some days lots of rain, but always for a short period. We were there Tuesday to Tuesday and we spent the majority of each day reading on the beach. We will be back. Soon. Loved everything about it. Seriously, my only complaint is the smoking - and that's not allowed in the bar or the "covered spaces", which is great - but but if it were up to me I'd never have to be near smoke in my world.

We come back to Jamaica Inn every year because of the sunny weather and personal touches that Jamaica Inn has to offer. The service is exceptional and the staff make you feel like no request is too big or small. Ask for Georgia who will deliver a warm service with a smile that makes you feel so at home and relaxed. Don't miss it!

Georgia and Damar and all of the staff at the beach bar were so gracious and wonderful. They made everyone around feel special. Truly amazing staff, good food and terrific drinks. Try the dirty banana!

If you value peaceful, quiet luxury, this is the place to go. Even before we arrived, Sherlene was warmly understanding and responsive to my many questions, going so far as to email me a photo of the sunny beach when weather.com had me worried! From the moment we left the airport and were met by our driver, to the check-in process at the Inn itself, it was clear that our comfort and happiness were everyone's top priority. The Jamaica Inn completely lived up to its reputation--the perfect spot to relax and unwind. Our room in the West Wing (room 17) looked out over the water and was totally quiet, private, and peaceful--the only sound was the gentle lapping of the waves. I couldn't possibly have asked for more. Every day, Sadie made our room even more beautiful with fresh flowers and other special touches. The beach was beautiful, clean, quiet, protected, and perfect. Each morning, Bucky set us up with towels and deck chairs in our favorite shady spot on the beach, just steps from our room. There we stayed most of the day, enjoying drinks and lunch between swims. Other guests were friendly but never intrusive. Every day, we had breakfast on our beautiful veranda, overlooking the water, lunch on the beach, and dinner on site, under the stars. We enjoyed tea and treats each afternoon (and the chef made sure there was always something for my gluten-free husband) and cocktails and hot hors d'oeuvres each evening. We were treated like deeply valued guests at every turn. I cannot wait to go back!

A week at Jamaica Inn will set you back in time. A time to white glove service, afternoon tea and a place where the warm welcome of staff who know your name. Exquisite! A small boutique hotel leaves you a perfect oasis to truly relax. The beach is expansive and quite, so no battle for beach beds to be had here. Plenty of room to spread out and avoid your neighbors. It's easy swimming on this clear stretch of ocean. No tides, undercurrent or hidden rocks to distress the unconfidendent swimmer. Only two things of irksome note to mention: 1. You're paying expensive US$ prices for meals that don't warrant it. Don't get me wrong the meals are good but you'd get far better for the same price at a restaurant in Atlanta. J.I may suggest it adds to the "exclusivity". I'd suggest it's the rip off of a captured market. Take yourself off the hotel and experience some wonderful local, inexpensive meals. 2. And then there's the house band. I still have nightmares about the house band. There were nights we didn't want to go to dinner because the house band were playing AGAIN! Like the hotel, set back in time - the 80's! With a limited repertoire of bad synthesized tunes. The problem being, the hotel being small and quiet, there was no hiding from them. Even the one night it rained, dinner was taken inside from the terrace. No respite - the band followed! On other nights You could still hear them from your room when you chose to order in room service! Like I said, we still have the nightmares! We had hope the one night of the managers cocktails, when they brought in some local mento players. They were awesome! Except then, the house band followed. Now J.I, please add to the timeless beauty you've carefully crafted, unplug the synthesizer and play the olde time mento. That's real Jamaica!