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Insider Tips

  • Take a current passport! EVERY passenger must present a valid passport or will be denied passage by your airline.
  • Take your driver’s license! To use a credit card in retail establishments in Jamaica, you will be asked for an ID.
  • Traveling Christmas, New Year’s, February, March or April? Book early!
  • Want to economize? Book Low Season rates (generally dates between mid-April to December 14). See Rates tab on each villa listing for specific Low Season date range.
  • Bring cash (US$ welcomed) for tips to villa staff, drivers and nannies, spa technicians, caddies and others who provide services to you. Service personnel cannot accept credit cards or cheques.
  • Budget a total tip to your villa staff of 10% of the villa rent in High Season (Dec 15-mid April) and 15% of the villa rent in Low Season (mid Apr-Dec 14). See Rates tab on each villa listing for specific date ranges (April dates depend on Easter holiday each year).
  • Don’t over-pack! Dress is casual and you will have a personal laundress on staff. Fly home with clean clothes!
  • Do pack mosquito repellent and sunscreen.
  • Talk to your staff! Ask for what you want because you will probably get it. Your villa staff wants to please you.
  • Dine in your villa! You have a fabulous chef and butler. Chefs can provide vegan and vegetarian diets and will respect food allergies.
  • Allow your chef to show off his/her best (that’s what I do!) … or select your own menus if you prefer. You can’t go wrong.
  • If you wish to dine out a time or two, ask for my list of Recommended Restaurants. (Jamaica was named Best Foodie Destination in the Caribbean.)
  • Meet Jamaicans! Jamaica was named the Friendliest Island in the Caribbean by Caribbean Travel+Life readers. Reach out to discover this for yourselves and your children.
  • Don’t listen to outdated inaccurate tales of danger. Safety of tourists in Jamaica is among the highest in the world: Today’s rate of offenses against tourists is 0.01%.
  • Do not put on your agenda any of the following: food shopping, cooking or bartending; making beds or cleaning bathrooms; washing dishes or doing laundry ... not even lighting the candles. Enjoy the luxury!