Call or email for assistance planning your trip: +1 (212) 203-0064 | reservations@moonjamaica.com
Tensing Pen is the West End's crown gem. Luxurious, thatch-roofed, bungalow-style cottages adorn the cliffs above lapping turquoise waters. The absence of TVs in the cottages is deliberate, as is every other meticulous detail that makes Tensing Pen so hard to leave. The staff at Tensing Pen exhibit the epitome of Jamaican warmth.
Jackie's on the Reef (US$125/150 d low/high season) is the place to go for a nature, yoga, or tai chi retreat. The rates include morning activity sessions and are a great value. The hotel is one of the farthest out along West End Road, where there's less development and it's easy to meditate undisturbed.
Round Hill Hotel and Villas (suites US$419-843 nightly low season, US$631-1,261 high season), just over the Great River, is an exclusive hotel and club on meticulously manicured grounds. The hotel's main Pineapple Suites, featuring plush lounge furniture, were designed by Ralph Lauren and boast an atmosphere of stately, oceanfront elegance.
Altamont West (US$90 d) is the latest boutique hotel to crop up along the Hip Strip in Montego Bay. The Altamont West marks the first foray into Western Jamaica for the Jarrett family, which has run the Altamont Court hotel in Kingston for years.
Richmond Hill (US$70/115 low/high season) is located at the highest point in the vicinity of downtown Mobay, with what is easily the best view in town from a large terraced swimming pool area and open-air dining room.
Half Moon Resort (US$250\400 low season, US$1250\1,800 high season) is one of the most upscale resorts in Jamaica, comprising an assortment of rooms, cottages, and villas. Most of the cottages and all the villas have private pools. Set on a 400-acre estate, the resort has 33 staffed villas with 3\7 bedrooms, 152 suites, and 46 rooms.
Sandals Montego Bay (US$970\4,050) was the first Sandals property and remains the group's flagship resort. Located near the end of the runway, guests are encouraged to wave to the planes as they fly overhead.
Sandals Royal Caribbean (starting at US$473 d with a minimum three-night stay) is the most opulent Sandals hotel in Montego Bay, with 197 rooms and suites well deserving of the chain's "Luxury Included" motto. The suites are over-the-top with wood paneling, large flat-panel TVs, and tiled baths with standing showers and tubs.
Rose Hall Resort & Spa (starting at US$149\199 d low season, US$169\219 d high season for room only, US$289\339 d low season, US$309\359 all-inclusive high season), a Hilton Resort, is a 489-room, seven-floor property built in 1974. The hotel underwent a US$40 million renovation in 2008 after being bought by Hilton and boasts a sleek South Beach design.
The Bonnie View Hotel (Bonnie View Rd.) is another dilapidated former Errol Flynn property, no longer in operation as a hotel. The view is the best in town. To get there, take the washed-out Richmond Hill Road directly across from the Anglican Church on the corner of West Palm and Bridge streets.
