Say NO to an all-inclusive Jamaica vacation.
As you may have figured out from reading other posts in this blog, I don’t do resorts. I don’t like anything about them and the only time I’ve stayed in them are on the two trips that I won. Hey….it was free.
In no particular order, here are 10 things you should consider as reasons NOT to do your Jamaican vacation the “resort” way.
- The resorts are not locally owned. They do help by keeping tourism alive but they don?t do much else for the locals or the economy of Jamaica.
- The Jamaicans who are employed there only make a full-time wage of about $200 USD per month while the foreigner who owns the resort is getting rich.
- You will not experience even a fraction of Jamaican culture if you stay in an all-inclusive resort. You paid the astronomical price to be there so you’ll be most inclined to stay within the resort and just take in the watered down entertainment that you THINK is a cultural event.
- In a resort EVERYONE there is doing the same thing as you! You’re not special. When you get home and compare vacation photos with your friends who recommended the place, they’ll all be the SAME! Why bother?
- If you stay in an all inclusive resort in Jamaica you will think that you learned to speak Jamaican by saying things like “Irie Mon” and “Respect Mon”. Jamaicans secretly laugh at tourists who run around yelling “Irie Mon”.
- You’ll never learn the fine art of haggling at a craft market and you will not be supporting the local people in your purchases.
- You’ll never get a Red Stripe for a dollar.
- If you’re going to stay at a resort why not just stay home and look at all the white people there. Why would you pay money to hang with them when you can do it at home for free? Outside a resort you can experience people who are dying to share their culture with you!
- Inside a resort you won’t find any of the stuff contained in this blog.
- You will never experience Jerk chicken from a street vendor.
5:32 am on February 23rd, 2009
Great blog, lots of Jamaican information
10:56 pm on February 23rd, 2009
I love this site! My daughter took me to Jamaica last Feb 08 for a Christmas present with 2 of our friends.We had the time of our lives and met new friends we have stayed in touch with.Port Antonio what can I say to describe “PORTY” Its heaven on earth! There are no “resorts” there just beautiful villas and warm wonderful people who only want you to have a great time and I’m headed back there March 21st 09 Can’t wait. Keep up the great blogging Thanks
from a lover of all things Jamaican
10:59 pm on February 23rd, 2009
Awww well don’t you have a great daughter!! I love hearing other people rave about Jamaica, glad you love it! Believe it or not Port Antonio is one of the only places I’ve never been on the island but will soon be visiting. I’m heading back to Jamaica again on Easter Sunday. Enjoy your trip and I’ll enjoy mine. Make sure you check back often for more things Jamaican!
4:42 pm on February 24th, 2009
Great article! It’s nice to see young authors like yourself coming up with great articles that are actually helpful for both the reader and Jamaica.
7:20 pm on February 24th, 2009
Thank you very much!! See you in Jamaica where we can put our heads together over some Appleton and swap stories.
12:14 pm on February 25th, 2009
well said – People have told me they have been to JA and when I ask where they stayed and they tell me Jamaica Grande, RIO etc I always tell them they haven’t been to JA.
8:46 pm on February 25th, 2009
Agreed. You can see that stuff anywhere!!! For me if there isn’t one or two cockroaches its NOT a hotel LOL.
9:47 pm on February 25th, 2009
I’ve never seen a cockroach in Jamaica, are you sure you didn’t mean to say it as two words not one? I wonder what they eat since no food goes to waste between the hungry people and the hungry dogs.
6:00 am on March 26th, 2010
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12:03 pm on July 21st, 2010
I wonder who is “Jamaica Travel Forum”. I am from the Caribbean and was brought up in a middle class family and would not use such a comparison to the people of the island “the hungry people and the hungry dogs”. Very demeanng. I don’t think that was a nice thing to say. Maybe he/she did not see a coachroach while there. I did not see any either because I stayed at resorts that were cleaned 24/7, but there will always be cockroaches in any tropical country, it is part of the land. I have seen them in “so called clean homes” in New York City, Washington and other parts of the U.S.A. (there seem to be millions there). I don’t have any because I am fortunate that I live in a building where I have never seen one.