Smarter ways to fly, stay and save.

Sandals Royal Caribbean

Best for: Honeymoons & overwater bungalows

• Private offshore island with its own beach club
• Overwater bungalows and swim-up suites
• Unlimited dining across 9 restaurants

Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay

Best for: Big beach, lively pools, great value luxury

• Unlimited-Luxury® dining with no reservations
• Shared facilities with sister resort Secrets St. James
• Huge beachfront on the Freeport peninsula

Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters

Best for: Quiet luxury, Marriott Bonvoy points

• Autograph Collection property, earns Marriott Bonvoy points
• Secluded adults-only enclave with its own pools and restaurants
• Access to the full Royalton Blue Waters resort next door

Beachfront Lagoon Villa

Best for: Swimmable water right outside the door

• Private beach on a sheltered lagoon
• Direct waterfront position
• Calm, swimmable water rather than open surf

Most "beachfront" listings in Montego Bay sit above open water with a rocky entry. This one fronts a calm lagoon, which is the difference between a beach you look at and a beach you actually swim from. It's the pick if you're travelling with children, weak swimmers, or anyone who wants to be in the sea within thirty seconds of waking up.

Sun Seeker Villa (7 bed)

Best for: Groups who want to be properly looked after

• Full staff: butler, chef and housekeeping
• Seven bedrooms across the villa
• Meals cooked to your menu, not a set buffet

This is what people actually mean when they search for an "all-inclusive villa" in Jamaica: a private house with a butler, a chef and a housekeeper included in the nightly rate. You plan the menus, the chef shops and cooks, and the housekeeper resets the place while you're at the beach. For a group of ten to fourteen it often works out cheaper per head than a comparable resort suite.

Beachfront Villa with Staff

Best for: Security, facilities and a private pool

• Beachfront with a private pool
• Staff included
• Gated community with tennis courts and a gym

Gated villa communities are the sweet spot for a lot of first-time villa renters: you get the space and privacy of a private house, plus a manned gate, tennis courts and a gym you'd otherwise only find at a resort. Add a private pool and included staff and it covers most of what people miss when they leave an all-inclusive behind.

Montego Bay resorts

Eight adults-only all-inclusives, ranked.

Montego Bay villas

Nine private villas with pools, chefs and private beaches.