From cost-effective cottages to designer suites, Jamaica has plenty to offer all budgets
Culture-rich Jamaica is hitting its stride, recently claiming the top spot for British travellers to the Caribbean after posting a 14% year-on-year rise in arrivals in the first half of last year. With rum distilleries, waterfalls, paradisiacal sandy beaches and fascinating museums, Jamaica can cater to many types of traveller – with varied price points to match.
Whether your clients are looking for a simple fly-and-flop on a budget – taking advantage of activities from watersports to reggae-inspired entertainment – or are keen to splash out on a luxury holiday while enjoying Rastafari Ital dishes and venturing into the island’s interior, there’s a resort to suit every desire.
A bonus for home-based agents is that this year, the Jamaica Tourist Board’s nine fam trips will include some specifically targeted at homeworkers. Sold on Jamaica? Now sell it to clients no matter what budget they have to spend.
Save: The Royal Decameron Club
For travellers on a budget, there are plenty of good-value all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica. The Royal Decameron Club (pictured above), which opened near Runaway Bay in 1970, features 175 original round cottages. Each offers a high degree of privacy and can accommodate up to two adults and two children (with extra beds).
There is a pool reserved exclusively for adults, tucked away in the resort’s garden, while families will love the sea-facing main pool – that is, if the kids can tear themselves away from the private cove and non-motorised watersports, which range from kayaking to windsurfing.
Foodies will get their taste buds tickled too. The main buffet is served poolside and features a range of international and local options: recommend the Jamaican rice and peas plus dumplings as an accompaniment to smoky-spiced jerk meats. For afters, a nightclub plays Caribbean and international beats until 2am.
Book it: Tui offers seven nights’ all-inclusive from £1,176 per person. The price is based on two adults sharing a Cottage with Garden View and balcony or terrace, with flights departing from Manchester on March 30. Transfers and 20kg luggage are included.
tui.co.uk
Or try: Negril’s romantically rugged cliffs make this an attractive destination for couples. A stay at the Samsara Cliffs Resort (pictured below) offers a boutique feel but for a lower cost. Guests can chill out on Negril’s largest sun deck, clamber down short ladders into the sea or sip colourful cocktails to their heart’s content. Gold Medal sells a seven-night all-inclusive stay from £1,699, including flights and transfers, departing on February 9.
goldmedal.co.uk
Spend: Sandals South Coast
If your clients are water babies, they’ll love Sandals South Coast (pictured below). Set on its own headland with two miles of sugar-soft white sand, the resort’s turquoise seas and nearby reef are home to starfish, stingrays and a rainbow of fish. They’re prime territory for complimentary snorkelling, while Padi-certified divers can enjoy free daily dives. Those new to the sport can take a three-hour beginner course (costing $120) and be exploring the underwater world the same day.
Sandals South Coast is also home to the longest pool in the western hemisphere. The Rondoval Village pool, facing the brand’s first swim-up Rondoval suites, measures more than 1,500sq m – so clients can get their laps in even if the sea doesn’t suit. When not immersed in the big blue (or overlooking it from the resort’s overwater bungalows – another first in this region), guests can discover Jamaica with commissionable day trips via excursion provider Island Routes.
Adventurous couples can go bamboo rafting along the emerald-coloured Great River or, for a more laid-back journey, suggest the sunset reggae cruise for rum punch and glowing horizons.
Come evening, there are nine restaurants, two food trucks and seven bars to pick from, meaning clients can eat and drink somewhere different each night of the week. The entertainment is equally diverse, with events including toes-in-the-sand beach parties and renditions of retro classics at the resort’s theatre.
Book it: Seven nights’ all-inclusive for two adults starts at £2,249 in a Silver Sun Beachfront room, when booked by February 4. The price includes transfers, lounge passes at Heathrow and flights on March 11.
sellingsandals.co.uk
Or try: With only 35 rooms, Sandy Haven Resort in Negril offers an intimate feel without breaking the bank. Come for the beach cabanas, stay for the spa treatments on the sand. Kuoni sells a seven-night stay in a Super Garden View Room on an all-inclusive basis from £2,328, including transfers and flights departing March 4.
kuoni.co.uk
Splurge: Big spenders
With Ralph Lauren-designed guest rooms and a celebrity guest list that has included Noel Coward, Alfred Hitchcock and JFK, the Round Hill Hotel (pictured below) has seen its fair share of glitzy clients since its opening in 1953. Perhaps yours could be next.
Set on a former pineapple plantation, the five-star hillside resort has elegant white rooms with striped accents providing a designer feel. Even the most stripped-back room has high ceilings and sweeping sea views.
The infinity pool overlooks the resort’s private beach, but if clients are interested in more than waterfront lounging, Round Hill offers plenty of activities: think pre-lunch games of pickleball or being coached on tennis techniques on one of the five courts.
Complimentary non-motorised watersports include waterskiing and tubing, although for something more chilled, consider pointing clients in the direction of horticultural and heritage tours of the site, so that they can learn more about their plush surroundings.
Wellness fans will also be well served, thanks to stretch classes most days, a three-quarter-mile fitness trail leading through mangrove forest and on-site practitioners with specialisms ranging from nutrition to reflexology.
Dining here is delectable, with farm-to-table plates plus exclusive events hosted by chefs from Michelinstarred restaurants. A room-only option gives clients the freedom to choose where they eat, whether they opt to try the hotel’s romantic Seaside Terrace restaurant or taste local specialities in nearby Hopewell village.
Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights’ room-only in an Oceanview Room from £6,225 per person, based on two sharing. The price includes transfers, lounge passes and flights departing on March 1.
caribtours.co.uk
Or try: For another storied stay, suggest GoldenEye (pictured above and below), a collection of private villas, water bungalows and beach huts in the grounds of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s former home. With a Crusoe-esque feel and spa treatments rooted in Jamaican flora, it offers authentic island culture in spades. Inspiring Travel offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast from £3,299 per person, based on two sharing a One Bedroom Beach Hut. The price includes flights, transfers and lounge passes and is valid for travel completed by March 31.
inspiringtravel.co.uk
Selling tips
Leah Marshall, director of sales, Unique Vacations UK
❂ The high season in Jamaica generally runs from December through to April, so it’s the perfect choice for clients wanting some winter sun. Temperatures on the island at this time of year are typically between 30C and 32C, with lots of sunshine.
❂ Jamaica is home to seven adult-only Sandals and two family-friendly Beaches resorts, so there is generally availability for some great last-minute deals.
❂ It would have been Bob Marley’s 80th birthday on February 6, so what better time to visit the island and celebrate its musical legend?
PICTURES: Sandals.com/Shawn Talbot Photography; RTCreation; Tui; Nigel Lord; Brie Williams/Island
