This hotel is not an idyllic tropical paradise. With its croquet lawn in the gardens the Jamaica Inn gives the impression of a somewhat old-fashioned colonial club. It is comfortable and the staff, with the exception of the young woman in the hotel gift shop, were unfailingly polite and friendly. Unfortunately due to its position it is not a quiet oasis of peace and calm. During the day jet skis and speed boats towing water skiers roar along a few yards from the water’s edge while the traffic noise from the nearby main road is quite intrusive, especially at night. Jamaican drivers delight in over-revving engines and using their horns. Windows in the hotel are not glazed so the noise cannot be shut out. They have wooden louvres that are secured approximately closed by a somewhat Heath-Robinson method of sticking a piece of thick wire into a hole in the window frame. However even the basic rooms are most pleasant with balconies with sofas and armchairs, ideal for relaxing and looking out over the gardens and the private beach. Complimentary drinks were served on the beach about 11.00am and also in generous quantities at the cocktail parties preceding the Tuesday evening barbecues.
The service at dinner was far more efficient than at breakfast and lunchtime. This may have been due to the presence of Mary, the manager, in the evenings. She appeared in an evening dress to chat with guests and join them for cocktails. However she was conspicuous by her absence at other mealtimes when the service was occasionally a shambles. A request for one egg boiled for four minutes resulted, half an hour later, in two eggs with clear, runny whites; virtually inedible. A request for brown or white toasted bread was pot luck. A basket, covered with a paper napkin, would be placed on the table by the waiter who clearly had no idea what sort of toast it contained and never seemed too concerned either. Lunchtimes often involved waiters wandering round from table to table with plates of food asking who had ordered them. One sandwich took three quarters of an hour to appear, the wait being interspersed with queries by staff as to what had been ordered and my room number. When it did appear no apology was forthcoming for the delay.
At the beginning of our stay the dinner menu had a single overall price shown; this was later replaced by a menu showing prices for individual courses. Some reports have already criticised the cost of food at the hotel. Certainly one highly priced course I had was notable for consisting of about a spoonful of Waldorf, I think it was, salad and three minute slices of duck breast each approximately one millimetre thick. On Tuesday evenings what is described as a barbecue but is in fact a hot buffet is served in the gardens. On both the Wednesday mornings following my wife and I had stomach upsets, on one occasion serious enough for my wife to need antibiotics.
This was our first visit to the Jamaica Inn and although some elderly guests told us that they had been returning year after year for up to twenty years I do not think we will be doing the same. Basically this could be a most charming establishment but the dire restaurant service does not justify the hotel’s high prices. At their level they should be accompanied by service throughout the hotel that is above criticism.

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Jamaica Inn nearly two years ago. After taking numerous other trips together both in the US and abroad, we keep coming back Jamaica Inn as the place we would most likely visit again. We stayed in the Blue Cottage and Cottage 3, but looked in the regular suites and were impressed with all of the rooms we saw. The property and the grounds were in pristine condition and there was not any construction going on anywhere near the resort.

From the time we arrived, we were treated wonderfully. The staff even found us on the property to let us know when our twin nieces were born. Above and beyond the call of duty. They noted our preferences and were very helpful in arranging our activities and food selections.

We enjoyed all of the water sports, played croquet, swam in the pool, walked just steps to the beach, and had a massage by the ocean. The staff recommended a great local fruit stand and jerky station that we visited. We ate 2 meals in the restaurant and found the chef to be the most charming part. Quite a character. While we enjoyed visiting the town and doing the touristy things, we were so happy to return each evening to our cottage. The one negative I would say about Jamaica and you will find this no matter where you stay is the noise the crickets make at night. We did not miss that noise!

We have had so many other couple friends stay at the traditional Sandals and bigger name resorts in Jamaica. When they look at our honeymoon pictures and we exchange stories, there is no comparison. Just at least visit the website and look into it. This was a hands down winner for us.

My husband and I stayed in Cottage #5 at the Jamaica Inn in November 2006. It was Thanksgiving Week. (Pictures of what the cottage looked like can be seen on the Jamaica Inn May 17, 2007 TA hotel review.) We arrived Sunday late afternoon. Because it was late, the restaurant was closed so we ordered room service. It was a very nice cottage with a common area including a small kitchen, a master bedroom, and a smaller bedroom with 2 twin beds.It was directly on the water and very close by was the Jamaica Inn spa.

After eating, I decided to lie down in the 2nd bedroom because I had a headache from the long trip, the drive from the airport gave me a migraine. When it came time for dinner, I was not hungry, still had the headache, and we decided to just forgo dinner, and munch on some snacks brought from home.I still had the headache so I stayed in the 2nd bedroom, just dozing. When my husband got up to go to bed, I got up to make sure we had locked all the doors and windows. This we did, my husband went to the master bedroom, and shut the door (air conditioning was only in bedrooms and it was very humid), and I returned to the 2nd bedroom because i knew I was no where near getting to sleep.

After my husband went to bed, I began hearing noises that I couldn't identify, so I got up at least 3 times to investigate. In fact, once I opened the master bedroom door, and was about to ask my husband if he heard what I heard, but he was fast asleep, and I didn't want to bother him. So finally, the noises stopped, and I fell off to sleep in the 2nd bedroom, with the door open so that it wouldn't be so muggy in the common room the next morning.It was well after midnight.

I awoke before 7, went into the kitchen and noticed my jeans were on the floor and the pockets turned inside out. Beside the jeans was a huge stretched out sock with 2 holes in it. I stood there puzzled when my husband burst into the room saying we had been robbed. He had already left the cottage to go golfing and stopped at the office to get change for tipping when he discovered that all his money was gone. So he told me to check my wallet which I had left in my handbag in the master bedroom closet. Everything was there. He said he was going up to the office to see the management. Security personnel came to the cottage while he was still at the office. They were 2 men? probably not more than 20 years old who when I began telling them what happened, started laughing at me, infuriating me so much that i shouted- Do you think we're making this up?

Eventually, thank god, Joseph and Nicole came to help us. My husband insisted the police be called. What we first discovered missing was an ipod, a Bose headset, and cash. Less than an hour later, we realized that the PASSPORTS had been stolen. That's when I really knew that this vacation was a nightmare.

We went into ocho Rios to have our photos taken at Hot Shots for the passports that same day. Joseph, bless him, worked to get us a police report almost non-stop. We had to get it before Thanksgiving Day because the Embassy was closed on the holiday and we were leaving the day after that. So, finally, very late afternoon Tuesday, we had the police report in our hands, the photos, and our drivers' licenses (the thief left his wallet intact except for the cash). On Wednesday we got up in time to leave at 6:15 AM to go to Kingston with our driver. It took well over 2 hours to get there. We applied for the passports and then walked to a nearby hotel to have something to eat, came back to the Embassy, waited some more, finally receved our new passports, and then left for the long trip back to the Jamaica Inn. We had a very late lunch, but it was the first meal I had been able to really eat because of worrying so much about the passports.

Let me tell you where the thief came in. There was a window in the common room next to the kitchen area that was entirely enclosed by latticework except for 2 places where the latticework met the roof. Those areas were VERY small, yet someone climbed the latticework, got his body thru the small hole, actually he was enclosed in the unit, and then he managed to jiggle the top lock open and enter the room. Since we had NEVER left the cottage from the time we had entered it, my husband had left his wallet out, although the ipod, headsets, and passports were in a case that he had placed in the armoire in the room before going to bed. The thief left my watch on the cocktail table- It was a Timex.

The Jamaica Inn reimbursed us for most everything, and we had asked for a voucher to return seeing as our vacation was entirely ruined, but we are NOT returning.

Joseph and Nicole and most of the staff were very nice and so sympathetic to what happened to us. Nicole had tears in her eyes.

I was the one who searched out the GM, 24 hours after the robbery. We met in her office, and she questioned me as to why we hadn't used the safe. I told her we had never left the cottage When I told her that my husband wondered what kind of place the inn was, she responded by telling me that movie stars have stayed there. I ended up bursting into tears when i left the office. She never came to the cottage. On the day we left my husband was given an envelope with a check for around $2000, and a letter apologizing for "the alleged disruptive incident during your vacation" and a voucher for 5 nights, off season, exempting black-out dates.

On this vacation we were not only robbed of our passports, and the minor inconvenience of the cash, ipod, and headsets. We were robbed of our peace of mind. W came home mentally exhausted. Remember, all the doors and windows were locked!!! We had never left the cottage!! We are a couple in our late 50's who are conservative travellers. No jewelry, no bling, we take all the precautions, or so at least we thought. Thank God we didn't wake up. Oh, and the noises I heard, - afterward my husband went around to all the window and doors, and tested the locks, and the rattle was very audible, and that's what i heard the first night there, a sound I had never heard before.Live and learn- I should have trusted my instincts and called the office, but i thought maybe it was some animal on the roof of the cottage.

We were victims. I have tried to get over it,but sometimes things happen to remind me of it again, and then comes the upset stomachs and sleepless nights.

If it hadn't been for Joseph and Nicole, I don't know what we would have done. They were our angels.

After our stay I tried to contact the owners of the resort, but got no reponse. Actually, there was no follow-up by the resort.

The first priorty for a traveler is safety, and in our case, this resort failed.

This is now our 9th trip to Jamaica and our 3rd trip to the Jamaica Inn. We obviously love the island and also LOVE the Jamaica Inn. From the moment you walk in, you immediately unwind and feel relaxed. The amazing people who work there could not be more accommodating, warm and friendly.

The rooms are great and the rooms overlooking the water (which we stayed in on a prior trip) are spectacular! Especially as you sit in the evenings on your balcony listening to the waves crash on the rocks. The grounds are beautiful, the spa and services we had were incredible but the people are what makes the Jamaica Inn a wonderful place to get away. My husband and I are hopefully returning in May.

We have stayed at the Ritz Carlton on a previous trip to Montego Bay. I am a Ritz fan normally but there is a huge difference in the feel from the staff between the Ritz and the Jamaica Inn. At the Jamaica Inn, you feel the incredible Jamaica hospitality which is what we love about the island. I get the impression that everyone at the Jamaica Inn genuinely loves their job and they love what they do. Everyone there just cannot do enough to ensure your stay is wonderful and they do service incredibly well. If you have the opportunity while there, make sure you meet Mary the GM. If you meet her once, you will instantly understand why everyone there loves what they do as her love for what she does is beyond infectious. I guarantee that when you leave, you will want to return and look forward to seeing Mary and the rest of the team at the Jamaica Inn again.