Things to Know

Frequently Asked Questions about your Villa Vacation in Jamaica

Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) located in Boscobel, St. Mary accepts private jet flights for jets that can safely perform within 4,700ft/1,432m of runway. OCJ has a direct American Airlines flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) every Wednesday & Saturday. This is a very convenient airport for people staying in Port Antonio, St. Mary, Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay or Discovery Bay.

Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay is the most popular option for visitors going to St. Mary, Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay, Discovery Bay, Falmouth, Montego Bay & Negril. This airport welcomes several direct flight options to Jamaica from numerous international airports across the globe. MBJ accepts both commercial flights & private jets.

Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), located in Kingston Jamaica, is convenient if you are heading to Port Antonio or the Blue Mountains. Other resort areas can also be accessed by NMIA, however the driving time tends to be longer, especially if there is traffic in this capital city. NMIA accepts both commercial flights & private jets.

Visitors from the US, Canada & the UK do not require a visa to enter Jamaica. Take a look at Jamaica’s Passport, Immigration & Citizenship Agency (PICA) website to see if you need a visa to visit Jamaica and if not, how long you are allowed to stay on the island.

A valid passport is required to enter Jamaica, however there are a few limited exceptions that are mentioned in the above link.

Yes, travellers are required to fill out the Passenger Declaration Form (C5) online before arrival in Jamaica.

As we say in Jamaica “no problem!” Once you book a villa with us we would be happy to arrange a Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) licenced, seasoned professional driver with a car, van or bus (depending on how many people). Kindly visit our Ground Transportation section on our website for more details & prices.

Driving yourself in Jamaica can be extremely stressful & sometimes hazardous, if you are not familiar with our driving culture & road conditions, it is not recommended by us. We highly recommend that if you have never driven in Jamaica before, & are set on renting a car, that you still arrange for a private airport car/bus transfer for your arrival. See what the driving is like in Jamaica, & then make the decision. The professional drivers we can arrange for you are seasoned in Jamaica’s driving culture and road conditions.  

Some essential items to bring with your for your villa trip to Jamaica are sunblock, aloe after sun gel, sunglasses, hat/cap, swimsuits & beachwear, swim floaties for kids, beach bag, mosquito repellent & aqua socks/water shoes, flip flops or beach sandals & voltage converter/travel adapter (if needed).  

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Most Villas have a general 2 people maximum per bedroom policy. E.g. 8 people would need a minimum of 4 bedrooms. Some villas have an additional person fee for up to a certain number of guests that can be arranged while booking.

A breach in the maximum occupancy allowed at the villa may cause guests to incur additional charges &/or guests or the entire group may be asked to vacate the villa. 

While most villas are family friendly, there are a few that do not accept children. 

Yes, villas in our collection have a minimum night stay requirement. Generally in low season a 5 night minimum booking is required & in high season a 7 nights minimum booking is required. There are a few exceptions that may accept less nights, however the more luxurious villas usually require as stated. 

This is an amount that is held in case of any damage/loss to the villa or its contents during a guests’ stay caused by the guests or their visitors. Most villas require this. If no damage or loss occurs, the damage/security deposit is returned to the guests about 2 weeks after their departure. If there was any damage/loss to the villa, the relevant will amount be assessed & deducted from the damage deposit, unless the guest prefers to pay for it at the villa before departure.

The average damage deposit is about US $500 – US $1,500, a few villas may require more. 

All villas in our collection have WiFi. While villas offer Wi-Fi as an amenity to their guests & usually it is reliable, the villa cannot guarantee that there will not be rare outages that are out of their control. 

If you have international roaming activated on your phone with your phone company at home, your phone should work in Jamaica. We suggest that you check with your carrier at home about your roaming ability & charges. As some phone company roaming charges can be high, some people choose to purchase a SIM card & a short-term prepaid plan from a local carrier Digicel/Flow. MBJ & NMIA airports have SIM cards for sale on property. 

On a broad scale USD is accepted throughout Jamaica, the rate of conversion varies from business to business, unless the business has a USD price attached to their stock. In resort areas tours, gift shops & some restaurants & bars etc are usually priced in USD. Of course, the Jamaican Dollar (JMD) is accepted island wide. 

Groceries, beverages, restaurants/bars, flights, ground transportation, tours, spa treatments & tips for villa staff etc.

On average about US $50.00—US 75.00 per person per day & kids aged 2-10 years old about US $30.00 per day. Please note that this budget is a just to give you an idea of the cost & it can be less or more depending on what you request for you menu. For example seafood, imported meats, liquor & items not easily locally sourced in Jamaica are some things known to be at a higher price in Jamaican supermarkets than you may find at home. Import duties are substantial on these items, thus the higher supermarket prices on them. 

Lobster is usually accessible for most of the year except for April 1st to June 30th of each year, when lobster is out of season (closed), to give lobsters a chance to breed. It is legal to use lobster that was caught & frozen before the open season up to 21 days after the season has closed.

For conch, there is no continuous schedule to know when it is out of season (closed), instead it is announced by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries & Mining as needed.

The industry standard is to tip the villa staff a total of 15% of the villa rental amount rate during the low season & 10% of the villa rental amount during the high season. We are happy to assist you in giving you a breakdown of what share of the tip is recommended for each of the staff members. 

On average guest check-in is 3:00pm & guest checkout time is 11:00am. Some villas may have slight variations. We suggest that you arrive at the airport in Jamaica for your departure flight at least 2 hours before your scheduled flight. 

Kindly ensure to check with us for the villa’s current visitor policy. There are several villas that do not permit outside visitors, some villas accept a limited number of outside visitors & some villas charge additional to welcome a limited amount of outside visitors. Outside visitors are not allowed to sleep over at any villa

Before booking a villa that you plan to have an event/gathering at, it is important that you check with us on if events/gatherings are allowed at the villa, the maximum number of people allowed to visit the villa for the event/gathering, the time frame permitted of the event/gathering & what the cost would be as most likely there is surcharge, if the event/gathering is permitted. 

We certainly want you to relax & enjoy your music at your villa. There are a couple of things to take note of. The Jamaican Noise Abatement Act states that there should be no amplification of sound from any private premises or public places at any time of day or night where the sound is audible within 328ft/100m of the source of the sound. If you have neighbours, we ask that you are as conscious for them as we hope they are for you & that you turn down your outdoor music by 10pm. 

Smoking is not permitted inside the villa, however usually you are free to smoke on the terrace/verandah or outdoors, as long as the smoke does not affect the villa. 

You never know what unpredictable circumstance may pop up in life causing you to need to change your travel plans. Therefore, we highly recommend that our clients safeguard their villa vacation by purchasing travel insurance that covers medical emergency & evacuation, trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip & baggage delay/loss.

There are numerous insurance companies that offer reliable travel insurance, feel free to choose one from your area. If available in your area Travel Guard is popular option. 

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