[av_textblock size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” font_color=” color=” id=” custom_class=” av_uid=’av-kc8fx08f’ admin_preview_bg=”]<\/p>\n
Hotels<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n For Example Jamaica Inn,\u00a0 <\/span>Ocho Rios<\/span><\/p>\n A hotel is one of the most common forms of accommodation paid on a short term basis.\u00a0 <\/span>Hotels have a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and offerings.\u00a0 <\/span>Offerings start at a bed with shared facilities, to luxury rooms with ensuites and kitchen facilities.\u00a0 <\/span>Hotels often include different features, such as child-minding, laundry services, and mini-bars located in the room with food for consumption.\u00a0 <\/span>Many hotels have an associated restaurant or at least offer their guests breakfast while being within a short distance of other businesses offering food.<\/span><\/p>\n Boutique hotels<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n For Example The Blue House Boutique Bed & Breakfast, Ocho Rios<\/span><\/p>\n A boutique hotel is a smaller accommodation option than a regular hotel, traditionally offering between 10 and 100 rooms. The smaller size normally means the boutique hotel can offer a unique experience that allows them to stand out from other hotels.\u00a0 <\/span>Typically they are able to break free of the norms of hotel decorating, to provide new and interesting rooms. Most travelers who stay at boutique hotels are looking to get away from standard hotels and gain a different experience.\u00a0 <\/span>The size normally allows boutique hotels to provide a higher stand of service and personal attention to their guests.<\/span><\/p>\n Resorts <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n For Example The Jewel Dunne’s River Beach Resort and Spa, Ocho Rios<\/span><\/p>\n Resorts differ from hotels in the number of services they provide, the amount of land they cover, and the options that their guests are offered.\u00a0 <\/span>Resorts tend to be self-contained, with guests not needing to leave the complex.\u00a0 <\/span>A resort will offer different eating options, activities, and shared facilities such as pools, gyms, and golf courses.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Resorts tend to take up more land area than a hotel, which limits the areas in which they can be built.\u00a0 <\/span>Some Jamaican resorts offer fully inclusive packages, where additional expenses are charged to the room number so that guests do not need to physically pay for anything they need.\u00a0 <\/span>Resorts are targeted towards guests who would prefer to stay in one location with all the benefits provided for them.<\/span><\/p>\n Villas <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n For Example Villas Serenity, Ocho Rios<\/span><\/p>\n The term \u201cVilla\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>refers to a detached home available for rent. A private villa is a luxury experience, made-to-order for your preferences.\u00a0 <\/span>Meals are customized, privacy is assured, and the guests can relax in their own \u201chome away from home\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>Private villas tend to range in size and capacity from 1 bedroom to around 10 bedrooms and offer a wide variety of living spaces.\u00a0 <\/span>The larger houses are fully private and nearly all have a full staff, while some places offer smaller cottages around a shared pool.\u00a0 <\/span>The required size will depend on the number of people intended for the stay.\u00a0 <\/span>Inquiries should be made at the time of booking. Tax is normally included but tips are not, and it would be very poor form not to tip the staff members who assisted you during your stay at least 10% during the high season and 15% during the low season.\u00a0 <\/span>Individual tips are better received than a lump sum. In addition to their regular occupations, the staff can be an invaluable source of information about the surrounding areas and attractions.<\/span><\/p>\n While the different options will need to be considered in light of personal taste and circumstances, the villa option provides the most relaxed, private, and inclusive experience.\u00a0 <\/span>While a big villa may seem to have a high price tag when the cost is split between a large group it may actually work out cheaper than if every person was to rent a hotel room.\u00a0 <\/span>Some villas offer \u201call-inclusive\u201d packages that mean food, alcohol, chauffeuring, and child-minding services are bundled into one package price.\u00a0 <\/span>The \u201cboutique\u201d experience comes with every unique villa, and many groups and families return to the same spot year after year, treating it as a home away from home.\u00a0 <\/span>Its apparent lack of facilities is more than made up for by the direction and advice of the staff.\u00a0 <\/span>As a perfect meeting point between the styles of accommodation, hiring a villa is the perfect way to create an unforgettable vacation experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Ch 3: Key Questions To Ask When Booking Accommodation<\/span><\/p>\n Checking availability<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Websites can offer exciting deals and low prices \u2013 but whether those prices are available is another matter!\u00a0 <\/span>Reputable websites generally have fairly accurate and up-to-date information, but contacting the hotel or villa directly will help ensure that your booking is recorded.\u00a0 <\/span>Occasionally travel websites are given blocks of apartments to sell, and once they run out they may mark the residence as unavailable to encourage further purchases through their agency.\u00a0 <\/span>Going directly to the desired building’s website will also help check the information is accurate. <\/span><\/p>\n Make sure the accommodation can hold your group<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n You might be happy to squeeze people in wherever they might fit, but the hotel or villa management may have other ideas!\u00a0 <\/span>Having a clear idea of how many people may stay with you allows for accurate pricing.\u00a0 <\/span>If your numbers may change, be sure to enquire about how that might affect your rates. <\/span><\/p>\n Ask about sleeping arrangements <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The deal might look good on paper, but having a couple in two single beds or two single people awkwardly surveying a double bed does not make for the best start to a holiday!\u00a0 <\/span>Along with the number of people staying, ask questions about the sleeping arrangements available.\u00a0 <\/span>Occasionally the indicated number of beds may include fold-out sofas or bunk beds, unsuitable for some travelers.\u00a0 <\/span>Some accommodating venues can change the configuration depending on their guest’s needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Ask about staff <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Your choice of accommodation will impact the help available to you from the staff.\u00a0 <\/span>The available staff ranges from cheap hotels with only a concierge, to luxurious villas such as the Jamaica Ocean View Villa with staff, maids, and a personal chef available. In combination with your personal inquiries, find reviews left by past guests online to get a real picture of the help that will be available to you once you arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n Transportation<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Jamaicans drive on the left-hand side of the road, and driving conditions may be very different from those found in the visitor’s home country.\u00a0 <\/span>Road signs and driving style will also be noticeably different. \u00a0 <\/span>Taxicabs and public transport are available, and your accommodation provider should be able to help you navigate your way around.\u00a0 <\/span>Be sure to use only taxis recommended by a trustworthy source. Licensed taxis will have red and white license plates to distinguish them from others.\u00a0 <\/span>Public transport can also be overcrowded and occasionally a location for pickpockets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The beach<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Maps can only tell you so much \u2013 beaches can look close but actually be a long-distance away.\u00a0 <\/span>Direct inquiries will give you the information you need to avoid traveling all the way to beautiful Jamaica, only to have the beach further than an easy stroll away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Attractions and Nightlife<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n A good way to ensure your trip is memorable is to include a few activities or take in some local sights and attractions.\u00a0 <\/span>Personal research is essential to tailor your holiday to you and your family, but asking someone with intimate knowledge of the area will give you accurate information to plan your trip.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Restaurants<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Your accommodation may provide food, and some upmarket villas even provide a personal chef. However, if you wish to eat out on occasion you will need to know the distance and transport options to get to your restaurant of choice.\u00a0 <\/span>Your inquiry should be able to help you with the general idea of pricing, the dress code, and recommendations.\u00a0 <\/span>Some restaurants to look out for in Ocho Rios are the Bamboo Blu for authentic Caribbean flavors, the Toscanini restaurant for Italian food, Moms for home-cooked style meals, and Devon House I-Scream for a cold treat on hot days.<\/span><\/p>\n Safety <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The Jamaican Tourism Board provides certification for accommodation providers to ensure they are up to the correct standards, and your booking provider should be able to confirm their possession of this certification.\u00a0 <\/span>You may want to ask about the safety of the general area, and any recommendations that they may have to help keep your family and possessions safe.\u00a0 <\/span>In addition, it is helpful to ask whether your accommodation will provide secure safes, or where valuables can be safely stored during your stay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Conveniences<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Your accommodation may offer telephone access, Wifi, an internet cafe, tea and coffee making facilities, basic toiletries, and other conveniences.\u00a0 <\/span>You should enquire whether the accommodation will allow you to take towels to the beach, and the availability and pricing of any laundry services.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion: <\/span><\/p>\n Jamaica offers thousands of gorgeous options for pleasure-seekers, and vacations can be tailored to many different tastes and preferences.\u00a0 <\/span>However, a villa in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, will provide an incomparable vacation for guests, no matter what they enjoy doing.\u00a0 <\/span>Through the many points of preparation and planning, it is important not to forget that the main aim of the vacation is to sit back, relax, and enjoy your stay once you are there.\u00a0 <\/span>There are so many opportunities to gain some new experiences, create some memories, and return refreshed and recharged – ready for anything.\u00a0 <\/span>Beautiful Jamaica has something for everybody, and all they must do is come and find it.<\/span><\/p>\n This guide will always be a work in progress, and I hope that I never finished with it, because that will mean I have stopped learning. I hope that all of you who have gotten this far with me have learned a lot too.<\/span><\/p>\n You have probably noticed all of the links within this book to contact me directly about certain topics.<\/span><\/p>\n These links are for a consulting service that I offer for people looking to get even further information before making their move to Bali. It does cost a small amount of money, but I know that the advice that I will be able to provide you will save you at least 10 times the amount that the consulting service costs.<\/span><\/p>\n Our staff will even offer advice on great areas, activities, and people to contact to help you. With our wealth of contacts here in Jamaica, you are guided to the less expensive activities by your driver or the best days to visit certain attractions<\/span><\/p>\n If you feel like contacting me directly regarding planning your Ocho Rios vacation, please do feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u201ft need any further help but feel like you got a lot of value from this book and want to donate something for my efforts, there is a button below that will let you do so.<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks for coming with me this far and hopefully I was able to make your vacation planning smoother and your vacation in Ocho Rios will be a happy and relaxing one!<\/span><\/p>\n [\/av_textblock]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","_joinchat":[]},"categories":[142,141],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elitebgrowthdevelopment.in\/villaserenity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}