Jamaica Inn

After a stay in Negril a couple of years ago—too noisy and crowded—we chose the complete opposite for our next Jamaican holiday: the iconic Jamaica Inn.

The Property: Some call it outdated, but I think its beauty lies in its imperfections. JI offered us a unique blend of history, privacy, and excellent service.

Our room with a terrace, on the raised ground floor of the main building, exceeded our expectations. Surrounded by vegetation, it opened onto a view of the grounds and the sea—a perfect balance of privacy and joie de vivre.

Choose the Balcony Suite for the bird’s-eye view of the grounds and the beach, the Deluxe Terrace Suite for the incredible outside space, the Premium Terrace Suite for complete privacy over water, and the Cottages for the luxury of a private home. But if you want the view Churchill used to wake up to, splash out on Suite 21.

The Beach: A private, picturesque beach, ideal for swimming. Snorkelling from the beach is good too, especially around Suite 21, but go early in the morning. The service at the beach was impeccable. The water-sports centre had everything you could wish for. And Gary, with his traditional fishing boat, took us on a sightseeing tour with a stop for a swim in a secluded bay with unreal turquoise waters.

The Perks: To enhance your stay, the hotel offers complimentary extras: • Enjoy a free bottle of wine per stay. • Go on a spice and herb tour of the garden with Andre. He loves his job, and that love is contagious. • If you are lucky, witness a sea turtle release at the beach—an unforgettable experience. • Watch a Bond movie on the beach. • Enjoy afternoon tea between 4 and 5 p.m. • Find little treats on your bedside table in the evening with a note wishing you sweet dreams. • Wake up to a free breakfast of coffee, juice, fruit, and bread. The fruit and freshly squeezed juice, I must admit, taste heavenly. Have it at the Sea Shanty and you will see lots of tropical fish feeding on the rocks beneath it. • Finally, pick up a glass of rum punch in the late morning. It will set the mood for the rest of the day: carefree, on cloud nine. Now, back to earth, otherwise my review won’t feel real.

Food and beverage hiccups: • Long wait for food at Teddy’s, as noted in other reviews. • A limited choice of vegetarian dishes. • Overpriced food, as noted in other reviews, and no alternative restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. • Discrepancies in the final bill that we only noticed when we got back home—nothing drastic, just proof that we are all human. We wrote to the hotel about it but so far haven’t received any response. To the hotel: If you haven’t seen our note via Expedia, please consider the difference a tip for the staff or donate it to your chosen charity. We also had a strange Sunday, with an unannounced fumigation at the beach that caught us off guard, the main restaurant closing, and no turn-down service. A simple note to inform us about these irregularities would have saved us from feeling as if we had overstayed our welcome. I hope JI will take this on board.

When life at the Inn got back to normal on Monday, we picked up our free rum punch and returned to cloud nine, where we remained for the rest of our stay. A late checkout on the day of our departure was further proof of the top-notch service for which JI is famous.

I would like to thank the staff at JI. We enjoyed our stay immensely. Each and every one of you was amazing and made us feel special. You made our stay so memorable and relaxing. We will keep your sunny smiles in our hearts. Special thanks, too, for the late checkout.

We stayed at the Jamaica Inn for 4 nights and it was everything we wanted. Beautiful beach where we spent most of our time, wonderful spa and amazing staff. Would absolutely stay here again.