Some other places to know about in Jamaica:

Mandeville – There is no reason for you to go here. By Jamaican standards, it’s actually a well off town, with many from Kingston building nice vacation houses here because of the higher altitude, cooler temps, and can be reached from the capitol in about 90 minutes. But the hotels are generally terrible and not to international tourist class standards. Hotel Mandeville for instance seemed to me like something out of a horror movie.  My apartment had cracked glass; the kind of place when you don’t take off your clothes when you go to bed.

Montego Bay – As discussed above, most tourists will fly into the Montego Bay Airport and go straight to their all inclusive resort, never leaving. That’s not all bad, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you have visited Jamaica; you have just visited yet another big international resort that happens to be on the Jamaican coast. Montego Bay is the second biggest city in Jamaica and has the most resorts.

Secrets at Orchird Bay – Beautiful setting storybook setting on a peninsula with views in every direction, and, at least in the preferred club, excellent food as well as a wide variety of dining options in the various restaurants. The rooms are a little dated, and I struggled with the air-conditioning. Service is generally so-so, and for some reason they powerwash the pavement in the middle of the night, which is not great if you have a room nearby. Balconies generally have very nice views. Overall, this is a very nice resort, but it seems to attract the normal cast of crude, fat, Americans.

Cyobarra – Very nice rooms and good service, except when dining, in this fairly small resort.  If you’re looking for a large place with a lot of activities this is not for you; the dining options are very limited, and way overpriced, but the beach and pier are nice. One hassle is that the Wi-Fi does not work in rooms, so you’ll need to take your device the short distance to the hotel lobby.  Service at all the restaurants is 2^nd rate.

Hilton at Round Hill? - I would not recommend this place. It’s really a massive all inclusive beach resort, without much of a beach. In fact, it is the worse beach I have seen in Jamaica.  The rooms, and the resort in general, are kinda tired, and the dining options are limited. This is the kind of place where families go on vacation because they got a good deal. While the resort bills itself as being 400 acres, only a tiny fraction of that is actually usable by guests. Everything about this place screams “huge chain hotel for the middle class”. Having said all that, however, you can still get lucky; we had an excellent waiter in the Italian restaurant who really made the evening. But this place is several notches below somewhere like Secrets at Orchid Bay.

Negril – About an hour from Montego Bay, with perhaps nicer beaches. Here you can find the classic trees growing right on the beach postcard view. But most tourists won’t be able to tell the difference between Negril and any other beach resort destination, although there is quite a large difference in quality among the various all inclusive resorts.

Yes, there is a Margaritaville in Negril, but if you stay at places like that please don’t use this site.

Grand Lido – This is a second rate all inclusive resort, but it has very nice beaches on Bloody Bay, and it can be an excellent value, especially if you’re traveling with a Jamaican who qualifies for the large locals discount. My girlfriend and I were quite surprised to see everyone walking around naked before realizing that we had stumbled onto the clothing optional beach.  Mainly middle aged somewhat overweight white people. But there is a normal main beach which is very nice. This is a very large resort, but many of the dining options close depending on demand. The rooms generally have very nice ocean views and are very close to the beach. The food is acceptable if not wonderful, there is very little entertainment, and if you want to use WiFi you have to make what can be a very long walk from your room to the lobby. Still, if you get this place at the right price, it can be fine.  The hotel is generally in need of refurbishment, as are the rooms, but still, not too bad.

Ocho Rios – About an hour and a quarter from Montego Bay, the area has a reputation as being safer and nicer to walk around than bigger towns. But don’t bother; the town itself is not worth seeing, and in some areas is disgusting, such as the fetid canal. But do go to the falls. Buy or rent the shoes, put your things in a locker, have someone with a preferably waterproof camera, and climb the falls.

The Village Hotel in Ocho Rios may be the worst hotel value in all of Jamaica; terrible rooms, but not all that cheap, and directly next to the disgusting canal referred to above.  Service is poor, and the restaurant is a sad joke. Another room where you’ll just try to get through the night.  And they have the gall to charge $5 to use the room safe. The good news is that the Internet works from from your room, and you’ll need that to plan your escape.

Kingston

A stay in Kingston for a foreigner really means a stay in New Kingston, the business district and safest area. All the international class hotels are in the same general area.

The best hotel overall is probably Spanish Courts, which is very nice, has good service, and nice rooms. Unlike the vast majority of what you’ll see, even in New Kingston, this hotel is up to first world standards. In fact, the colorful, creative interior design is as nice as anything you’ll find in hotspots like New York or Miami. One  problem with Spanish courts is that they’re adding a bunch of rooms, and they otherwise seem to be under perpetual construction, which is somewhat surprising given that the hotel is fairly new.  Also, one side of the hotel fronts a busy road, and produces a lot of noise in the rooms; don’t let the staff tell  you otherwise. The restaurant is expensive, and the café adds $2US to add vanilla to your latte; nothing is a bargain here, except the rooms on weekends can be reasonably priced. Keep in mind that Kingston is a business city, and the hotels here cater to businessmen as well as tourists. The biggest problem with Spanish Courts is that the neighborhood is sketchy, and generally devoid of attractions other than an ATM and a nice Pizza Hut.  You can feel a bit confined in this small hotel after a few days, as there is really no escape valve.  Workout room is very meager and pool is mainly ornamental, but restaurant is very nice, and includes a nice breakfast.

A better location although just a short walk from Spanish Courts, although not necessarily better rooms or service, is Pegasus. Much bigger than Spanish Courts, with nice grounds – even a tennis court and a nice pool.  This is a large hotel with big lobby and a lot of room to move, especially as it’s across the street from Emanicipation park, a large nice park. Food prices here seem more reasonable, but the design is generic without any of the character of Spanish Court. If your visit is short, I’d go with Spanish Courts; more than  couple days and you’ll feel claustrophobic there, so I’d go with Pegasus.