Jamaica Family Adventure: Our 18‑Day Roadtrip Itinerary

Finally! January is here and we are off to Jamaica!! Our flight was brought a day forward by the airline (which allowed us to get a Premium upgrade and a free stay for our first night !) so we now celebrated NYE in Jamaica. I say celebrating as in the end we ended up sleeping through it all, with a nearly delusional baby due to a lack of sleep…

We went to the Netherlands for Christmas and only arrived back in London on 30 December around 14:00. We were flying to Jamaica the next day at 12:00 so a brief London visit for us!

We managed to swap all winter clothes for our summer wardrobe (and larger suitcases) and were too excited to finally go and show our son there’s more to life than the UK (and Netherlands). Can’t tell you how excited I was for him!

Our trip looked as follows:

• Day 1: London – Montego Bay
• Day 2: Montego Bay – Negril: The Boardwalk Village
• Day 3: Negril: Alfred’s & Jerk Chicken
• Day 4: Negril: Beach & Rick’s Café
• Day 5: Negril – Mandeville – Kingston
• Day 6: Kingston: Emancipation Park, Devon House, Fort Charles & Gloria’s
• Day 7: Kingston – Port Antonio
• Day 8: Port Antonio: Blue Lagoon & Rio Grande Rafting
• Day 9: Port Antonio: Frenchman’s Cove Beach
• Day 10: Port Antonio – Ocho Rios
• Day 11: Ocho Rios: Local Markets & Scotchies
• Day 12: Ocho Rios: Konoko Falls & Pleasure Cove Beach
• Day 13 – 18: All Inclusive: Ocean Coral Springs
• Day 18: Falmouth – Montego Bay – London

Day 1: London to Montego Bay

Flight to Jamaica – juggling suitcases, a toddler, and excitement

Today we are headed to the airport, being dropped off by my partners parents who helped us getting all the luggage upstairs ready for check-in. We each brought a 23kg suitcase, a small hand luggage suitcase for our son and three backpacks and a bag with items to keep our son occupied on the plane. I am sure every parents knows that whatever you bring, it’s just not what they want to play with!

What I did bring for him were window stickers, those slimy ones that you can stick on and take off the window, crayons, a colouring book, magnetic animals and books. He didn’t want to play with any of these items on the flight, instead he probably walked the isle about 1000x (we were lucky the flight attendant really liked him so asked if she could take him for a stroll (yes please!!)). My partner and I divided our time with him so each of us had some ‘free’ time to watch something on the plane tv, read a book or listen to a Podcast. The flight was 10 hours, and even though it was his nap time right when we got on board, he managed to fight his sleep until about 2h before landing.

Overall I must admit he was the best on the plane, didn’t cry or scream at all. He just was busy, as always, running through the aisle, not really wanting to sit still unless he was eating.

First Night in Montego Bay – a hotel stay courtesy of a flight mix-up

Because we were booked for our flight a day early (and back two days early without notice – let’s say we weren’t too impressed with the airline!) other than the premium cabin upgrade we also got our first hotel night paid for by the airline. We never intended to stay in Montego Bay, Negril would be our first stop, but it was good as our son was tired!!, we were hungry and it saved us from having to pick up our rental car and drive all the way to Negril after a long flight.

Our first night we stayed at Deja Resort, this was chosen and booked by the airline. It was fine, but would probably not have been our first choice. It was also the only place we stayed at where we found a large cockroach in the morning.

Upon arrival we were, luckily, still on time to go to the buffet and have some food. After this the night becomes a bit of a blur as we were all so exhausted that we fell asleep at 21:00. We were woken by the fireworks at 0:00 for about 5 mins and managed to sleep until the next morning.

Day 2: Montego Bay to Negril

Breakfast & Beach Stroll – enjoying the resort before picking up our rental car

We went for breakfast, packed our bags and went for a little stroll on the beach that is part of the resort. The sea was super clear!

We did not go in the sea here, as we were supposed to pick up our car around 12:00 to make the drive to Negril. My partner did some research online and at first we came to the conclusion that we would not rent a car, as it was very expensive, but use the Knutsford Express to get around the island instead. I personally wasn’t too happy with this idea, but also didn’t want to spend a fortune just for a car.

Whilst being in the Netherlands for Christmas, he did one last search online and came across a company that provided rental cars at a much lower rate, called Carwiz. He literally said to me it would be a risk but he was willing to take it. I was too, so we booked with them!

Rental Car Adventure – navigating delays, car seats, and local services

We met an operative from the company at Montego Bay Airport, when he mentioned that our car was slightly delayed. Instead of 12:00 it would more likely be 13:00. But to make up for lost time he took us to KFC (everyone in Jamaica seems to be loving their KFC!) which we could then eat in their office whilst we wait for the car. I say office, but in reality it was just a gazebo with no bathroom facilities. The one hour delay turned into a three hour delay, but did give us a free car seat!

The guy working for the company was honestly super kind, so I would definitely recommend going with them. It might also help knowing that the business in Montego Bay is very new and not as well established yet, but they are already established (with a real office!) in Kingston.

Our car arrived around 15:00 but was not clean yet. Because the guy didn’t want to hold us up another 1.5h to clean it professionally we agreed he would clean it there and then so we could leave. The car seat was provided free of charge due to the delay (normally $6 a day) and we were ready to drive to our first destination. On to Negril!

The drive from Montego Bay to our accommodation in Negril is 1h30m. We are staying at The Boardwalk Village and I would 100%!! recommend staying here. We stayed in the beachside villa and our little house was right on the beach.

We specifically chose to go to Negril first, as it was a long flight for our son and we wanted him to be able to adjust whilst not doing too much. Negril for us is mainly relaxing on the beach and eating good food, which is exactly what we did.

Arrival in Negril – checking into our beachside villa at The Boardwalk Village

We arrived around 5:00PM, checked in, got a welcome drink and were shown our beachside villa. It had a massive king bed and a cot for our little one (which we requested). I called the space a little hut and it had everything we needed. Bathroom, separate sink (not in the bathroom), wardrobe/ walk-in space, little seating area inside and outside, tv and a window looking out on the beach and sea <3.

The Boardwalk Village also has a restaurant which serves food all day. We had dinner here one evening (and had some cocktails) as we ventured out for the other meals to explore the area a bit more.

We put our little one to bed and sat outside for a bit with a cocktail, genuinely enjoying where we were. Perfect place to start our holiday properly.

Day 3: Negril

Morning Beach Walk – discovering our toddler’s love for water

We started our day by a walk down the beach. This is when we found out our son has absolutely no fear of water. If we had not stopped him he would’ve ran straight in, not holding hands just wanting the ‘wawa’, as he calls water (and any other liquid). We managed to keep him out of the sea, for now, and drove to our first lunch spot. It was recommended to us by people staying at the Boardwalk Village and it’s called Alfred’s. Whilst the setting is amazing, right on the beach, the food wasn’t all that. The locals are super friendly and especially love kids. Our son loved all the attention and was just running around the beach waving at people and trying to dip his feet in the sea. We stayed here for a couple of hours just enjoying the beach and the lovely sun.

Relaxed Afternoon – supermarkets and enjoying jerk chicken

After finishing breakfast we decided to go to the local supermarket to get some drinks, snacks etc. Plus we also both really like going to foreign supermarkets. There is a little shopping center near our hotel where we were able to buy a lot that would keep us going for the coming days. On the way back we drove past ‘Best in the West’ where we got Jerk Chicken, rice and peas, fried dumpling and coleslaw. It was super tasty! The bar also has a really nice vibe with live music, so if you have older kids (or none) I think it would be a lovely space to spend the evening!

Al three of us had an early night, still tired from the flight and the change of weather.

Day 4: Rick’s Café views

Today we decided to go for breakfast at Sweet Spice, only an 11m drive from our hotel. I read a lot about this place and how good the food is, so we wanted to try it for ourselves.

We ordered an omelette for our son and my partner had steamed fish with fried dumplings and callaloo and I had brown stew chicken with fried dumplings and callaloo. It also came with a side of hard food. The food was so tasty(!!), and it was so much it kept us full for most of the day. The people working there are super friendly and again loved our son, who soaked up all the attention.

Leisure Day – fully embracing a relaxing beach vibe

The afternoon was for relaxing on the beach! Our hotel was on the 7 mile beach, so it would only make sense to walk the beach and soak up the views, weather and enjoy locals playing music. We walked a long stretch and our son loved walking on the sand exploring little crabs crawling and getting into the water. No fear at all.

We stayed here for an hour or two, when we headed back to the hotel to have food. As our son napped so late in the day he would be up for a while before going to bed, so we decided to have dinner in the restaurant at our hotel.

The food was ok, the atmosphere really good. We shared wings and chips, had a pina colada and enjoyed each others company before heading back to our room.

We are going to drive to Mandeville and Kingston the next day, so a lot of driving ahead of us.

Day 5: Negril to Mandeville to Kingston

Today we are first driving to Mandeville to go and see my partners family, after that we are driving to Kingston to stay for two nights at my partners uncle and aunt who very kindly hosted us.

Family time – introducing our toddler to family in Mandeville and Kingston

The drive from Negril to Mandeville took us 2h28m. The road in Jamaica have a lot of potholes, so careful driving for us was a must. This immediately showed we were not locals, as they definitely do not drive slow and carefully!

We drove through many small villages and often very close to the sea, our son was napping and the weather was good so the 2h28m flew by! We also drove through Holland Bamboo, which is a stunning street with bamboo overhanging the road on two sides, making it feel like you drive through a bamboo tunnel.

We stayed in Mandeville for a couple of hours, catching up with family. We had lovely food and could just relax whilst our son was being entertained and fed (and tired out so he would be more willing to get back in the car for the last part of today’s trip).

It was sad to say goodbye, and on our next trip here we will definitely add in some additional days to spend the night in Mandeville. But now we are on to Kingston, to meet my partners uncle and aunt. The drive took us about 1h15m. When we got to Kingston my partners uncle took us to the supermarket so we could pick up some warm food for our son and some bits and pieces for ourselves. After this we entertained our son at the house, he could play outside on the gated terrace and loved running around not being restricted. He went to bed early and we had a lovely homecooked meal with some wine before we also went to bed. Driving does make you tired!

Day 6: Kingston

Today will be a very active day! We started off with some homemade breakfast, ackee and saltfish with fresh ackee from the garden – so delicious it just melts in your mouth!!

Cultural Exploration – sightseeing, food and history

After breakfast my partners uncle took us to Emancipation Park. This is a beautiful park with loads of native and imported plants and a row of sculptures of Jamaican leaders after its independence. But more importantly the park honors the abolition of slavery. Emancipation Day is celebrated annually in Jamaica on August 1.

The park is themed a ‘Tribute to Freedom’ and has as very prominent and beautiful 11ft bronze sculpture named Redemption Song created by acclaimed Jamaican artist Laura Facey. The sculpture is located at the entrance of the park and it’s of a black male and female looking up to the skies, symbolizing a triumphant rise from the horrors of slavery.

After visiting Emancipation Park we went to Devon House to try their patties and ice cream. Their patties were the best ones I have had so far, especially the curry goat patty! We had two each, my partner had curry goat and chicken and I had curry goat and shrimp. I wanted to try their ackee and saltfish but it wasn’t available unfortunately. We also had to try the ice cream, we shared a chocolate one which was good!

Port Royal – Fort Charles, Gloria’s and sunsets

After visiting Devon House we went back home to give our son some rest and to get ready for an active afternoon. My partners uncle and aunt are taking us to Port Royal. Here myself and my partner will be doing a tour of Fort Charles, to learn more about the history, whilst his uncle and aunt will entertain our son.

The tour was very informative and we had a lovely lady telling us all about the history, this is what we learned: Fort Charles was built between 1650 and 1660, the first fort constructed in Port Royal and the only one of the town’s forts to survive the 1692 earthquake. Originally the fort was surrounded by the sea on three sides, but is now landlocked due to the gradual silt build-up. We had a look in the maritime museum, the raised platform known as Nelson’s Quarterback (named after Horatio Nelson) and the Giddy House, which is a small redbrick artillery store, sitting alone just behind the fort. The 1907 earthquake briefly turned the spit to quicksand and one end of the building sank, leaving the store at a lopsided angle. Our guide said it would feel like your drunk when you stand in the Giddy House. I didn’t think much of it but it does make your head spin standing in the lopsided building! Next to the Giddy House is a gun emplacement with a massive cannon.

Now we are off to Gloria’s restaurant. This place was on my list to visit before we headed to Jamaica and it also turned out to be one of my partners uncle and aunts favourites! I had – by far – the best fish I’ve eaten so far, anywhere, here. I had the escovitch fish with fried bammy and pickle and my partner had the brown stew fish. Our son shared my fish, without the pickle!

After leaving Gloria’s we were just on time to see the beautiful sunset whilst driving over Norman Manley Highway. We had to stop to take some pictures and appreciate the views as it was truly stunning and the light was amazing.

This marked the end of a really lovely day, and after heading back home we sat on the porch outside with a drink chatting. Tomorrow we will be heading to Port Antonio.

Day 7: Kingston to Port Antonio

In the morning we visited some more of my partners family, it was lovely to get to know them and hear all the stories from back in the day!

Before we will make the drive to Port Antonio, my partner and his uncle are first getting us food for when we get to Port Antonio. We weren’t sure what time we would get there and if anything would still be open. They went to get us oxtail and jerk chicken from Triple T’z Eatery which we took on the way and made us very happy for dinner in the evening.

Drive to the North Coast – lush scenery and winding roads

The drive took us a little over 2h and we left just after midday so we arrived at our new accommodation – Jamaica Palace Hotel – around 3:30PM. The hotel is beautiful and massive, but it was empty! None of the rooms around us were filled so at times it felt a bit like the Shining. We decided to take our son up to the pool, and he loved it! Me and him were the only two people in the pool so we could be as loud and splash as much in the water as we wanted.

Our room had a large round bed and also a separate little area with a sofa, chairs and a tv. They do not have cots, but this was fine for us as our son could just share the bed with us. Whilst he went to sleep we were able to watch tv, have some cocktails ordered from the hotel bar and catch-up together. It was a long day with the drive and we had things planned for the next day so we didn’t get into bed too late ourselves.

Day 8: Port Antonio with a toddler

The hotel has complimentary breakfast and you can choose between continental or Jamaican.

Exploring Nature – beaches, rivers, and rafting

After breakfast we got ready to visit the Blue Lagoon, which is only a 6m drive from our hotel. It’s a stunning scenery here and we met really lovely people from America we chatted with for a while. We spent a couple hours here, wandering round, dipping our feet in the water and just enjoying the beautiful and relaxed scenery.

We then headed back to the hotel to have some lunch and for our son to have a little nap. In the afternoon we went to Rio Grande for a rafting tour, it was a 24m drive from our hotel. You can bring a small child on the raft! The water isn’t deep in most places, and we were able to get of the raft and dip our son in the water. If he had not been sitting in the middle or wasn’t held by us, he would’ve jumped in many times, he loves the water!

You can start the tour in two different locations, and because it was warm and we had our son with us we choose to do the shorter of the two. It still lasted well over 1.5h and the scenery was stunning, it’s so green here! Beki, who did the tour for us, told us we would not miss out on any scenery by doing the shorter route, the only thing we would miss was having lunch at Belinda’s Riverside Restaurant (which you can make reservations for here). I would’ve loved to try the food there, as it was on my list but I think it would’ve made the rafting experience too long for our son, as he was pretty done with sitting still at the end!

Local Dining – sampling authentic Jamaican cuisine with our toddler

We asked the guys who do the tours if they had any food recommendations for nice seafood in the area and they told us to go to Roots 21. This was definitely not a disappointment! It’s a really lovely bar restaurant on the main street through Port Antonio. We had jerk octopus(!!), garlic lobster tails and our son had a escovitch fish (no pickle) with a side of breadfruit which he loves!

After food we went back to our hotel and had another swim with our son. We again had the pool to ourselves, this time all three of us went in.

It was a busy day so our son was tired, after bath he wilfully went to sleep and we had the evening to ourselves, again with a cocktail or two.

Day 9: Port Antonio beaches

We started our day with the complimentary breakfast and some video calls with opa & oma and grandad and grandma. When finished we headed to Frenchman’s cove Beach, which was a 4m drive from our hotel.

Leisure & Adventure – balancing family relaxation and sightseeing

We decided to spent the day here as it’s stunning. It’s where the sea and river combine, so on one side you have peaceful crystal clear water coming from a stream, and on the other side it goes into the wild sea. The entry fee is £10 pp for anyone over the age of 12 and £6 pp for anyone between the ages of 3 and 12. There is also a restaurant serving fresh food on the beach.

Our son loved it here, he wanted to be in the water the whole time. We walked him from one side of the quiet water to the other (in the middle it does get quite deep but you can still stand if tall enough!). He wanted to run into the water himself and really enjoyed playing around. The days in the water have by far been his favourite days in Jamaica!

In the late afternoon we left the beach to go and find some food. We wanted to try a jerk place on the side of the road, and got jerk chicken and breadfruit.

Our evening looked pretty much the same, we bathed our son, put him to bed and had some cocktails from the hotel restaurant before heading to bed. Tomorrow we will be driving onto Ocho Rios.

Day 10: Port Antonio to Ocho Rios

We started our last day at Jamaica Palace Hotel with the complimentary breakfast, before we went back to the room to pack our suitcases to head onto Ocho Rios. Each morning our son wandered down the restaurant and searched for the cats that live on the premises. Whenever they saw him they tried to get away as the love wasn’t mutual!

Travel Day – heading west along Jamaica’s north coast

The drive is about 2h11m. On the way out of Port Antonio we stopped at Juici Patties to get some patties on the way, as well as the supermarket to grab some drinks, snacks, fruit and food for our son.

We are staying at Sandcastles in Ocho Rios, so we have our own little apartment with a separate bedroom – again no cot – and a kitchen with appliances. This means tonight when our son is asleep we don’t have to be as quiet and it also means that we can prepare our own breakfast at home.

After arriving and dropping all our stuff to the apartment we decided to go for a stroll in Ocho Rios. We walked down the main road and got ourselves an ice cream. We also stopped at the supermarket to get some supplies for breakfast and got ourselves some flavoured red stripe for the evening. I loved the lemon one and my partner always got sorrel.

We did notice that strollers aren’t really a thing in Jamaica, but specifically noticed it here in Ocho Rios, as it’s the first place where there was a little towncenter we would walk to. It’s definitely doable! you just don’t see many around.

When it started to get dark we headed back to the apartment and whilst I bathed our son and put him to bed, my partner went to get us dinner. Believe it or not but after eating Jamaican food everyday we both fancied something else, so we decided to try the Chinese. We shared sweet & sour chicken, salt & pepper prawns, egg fried rice and noodles and it wasn’t bad!

An early night in for us, as being in the car driving does make you tired and we wanted to be fresh for tomorrow to explore Ocho Rios and its surroundings.

Day 11: Ocho Rios

Today we will be exploring Ocho Rios. There are lots of things to do around here, but not all are suitable for a one year old. Climbing Duns River is one of them. We could’ve gone separately but I prefer to do it again when our son is old enough, as I am sure we will be going back to Jamaica in the future.

Instead we walked to the harbour as one of the large cruise ships had just docked and we wanted to see how big it was. Our son is also kind of crazy about any vehicle, including boats, so we assumed he would love it too. He also loves it when a vehicle makes a ‘beep beep’ sound, and the boat was doing just that but louder! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get very close to the ship and instead had a stroll through Island Village where my partner and son got a smoothie and I had a decaf oat iced latte. My first coffee in Jamaica and I must admit I have had better.

Visiting local markets – scotch bonnet peppers to take home

Following our stroll through Island Village we headed to a little local market to find some scotch bonnet peppers to take home. We love cooking with them, and wanted to take some that are actually coming from Jamaica to freeze at home. At the stall we saw a fruit we’d never seen before, which turned out to be a Jamaican apple. The lady gave us one for free to try. It has the shape of an avocado, and the actual fruit consistency is a bit like a nashi pear, but the taste is not. It tastes a bit sour and we found out our son LOVES them!

After the market we headed back to our apartment to drive to Scotchies for lunch, which is a 14m drive from our apartment.

Jamaican lunch – eating at Scotchies

After Scotchies we went to yet another supermarket (we both love a foreign supermarket, but my partner is even more into it than I am!). We ended up eating another ice cream because why not.

In the evening we had a simple KFC for dinner – I was against the idea but also could not be bothered getting myself food from anywhere else so took my partner upon the offer to get this for us! Our son just had some grilled chicken and mashed potato, which he seemed to love. At home I am way more structured with his food, but on holiday everything seems a bit more relaxed. He has been loving all the food so far, with fish by far being his absolute favourite thing to eat!

After dinner our son had a bath and went to bed whilst we had some red stripe on the sofa before calling it a night.

Day 12: Day 2 in Ocho Rios

Today we are going to visit Konoko Falls, which is a 7m drive from our apartment, and this visit is best told with pictures. We struggled to find the actual entrance, as Google Maps brought us to a side entrance we weren’t able to enter from. A guy who works there offered to drive with us in our car to show us the actual entrance. There was actually a clear sign on the main road, showing the correct way to go, but we missed it somehow and ended up elsewhere with Google Maps.

Visiting Konoko Falls – lush botanical garden and park

The park has a beautiful botanical garden and waterfall you can climb. We did a guided tour and our group consisted of us three and two people from America, so nice and small and loads of time for chats and questions. The guy who offered to drive us to the entrance was also our tour guide, he was super kind and knowledgeable. We walked through the River Gardens and he told us about the history of early inhabitants of Jamaica and told us about various plants and indigenous birds and animals that you can see in the park. When we got to the museum in the park the guide of another tour sang ‘Redemption Song’ with the exhibition showcasing a look at Jamaica’s turbulent past (from Taino Indians to present day era), rare artefacts, maps, pictures and local history, it was really beautiful.

We also encountered a parrot and reptile, which we could hold. Our son was not a fan of the reptile, who he did share his name with!, and my partner wasn’t a fan of either animal. But anyone who knows me knows how much I love birds, and any animal really. Therefore we were able to make the below awkward family picture because I insisted.

You can also climb the waterfall, which my partner did whilst I stayed with our son. The park is perfect to do with a stroller, but you can’t climb the waterfall with it. And our son is too heavy to carry all the way up! Some more pictures from the park and the waterfall:

The greenery in Jamaica is truly beautiful and it’s everywhere, the nature here is incredible.

Water fun in Ocho Rios – beachtime with our water loving toddler

After Konoko falls we drove back into Ocho Rios to get some patties from Juici Patties and to get some lunch for our son. The afternoon we decided to spent at Pleasure Cove Beach (it’s a 9m drive from our apartment). Another opportunity for our son to get into the sea. Probably the last one as we will spend the rest of our time in an all-inclusive. This will be my first one, and I didn’t think I would be a fan!

Pleasure Cove Beach has free entry and there is a restaurant on the beach. The beach was relatively quiet when we were there and we had a lovely time dipping in and out the sea and running round the beach! Our son made friends with some people relaxing on the beach. This means he would just stand in front of them assume attention, which he does always seem to get.

On the way back we stopped to get some more fruit and food for the evening, and we found a pineapple melon. It’s the same consistency as a water melon but it tastes sweeter!

We ended the day the same as every day, with a red stripe in the living room after our son was bathed and put to bed. This was a really lovely last day in Ocho Rios.

Day 13 – 18: All-Inclusive

Today we are driving on to Falmouth to get to our all-inclusive resort. We are staying at Ocean Coral Spring and we will be staying here until we fly back on day 18. Which means we will be staying here for five nights. The longest stay in one place of our trip. We thought it would be good for our son to have a lovely relaxing time, full of waterplay, music and food (all those things he loves most) before we head back to London. It also means that the coming days will look merely the same. I will therefore just give you an update on what you can do at the resort, what our sons favourite activities were and what the food was like.

The drive from Ocho Rios to our hotel takes about 1h5m and our room was ready when we got there. Here we did have a cot for our son, I requested it when booking but I think you can still do it when you arrive. Perhaps best to do it before arrival if you are travelling in peek season to ensure one will be available. The hotel opened in December 2019 and has a very modern look to it.

In the water – enjoying pools and waterplay with our toddler

The hotel has two areas for swimming and a private beach on the sea. One of the pools I would call the main pool, and the other is a smaller pool and a little water park for kids. There were also two small jacuzzi pools around the main pool. Another really fun feature the resort has is the lazy river. It floats you around with a gentle current, whilst laying in a large inflatable. We took our son on this, but he tried to get into the water mostly rather than gently floating.

We did not go in the sea whilst at the resort, as the pool is so much more convenient with a baby!

We brought an inflatable band for our son, so he could be pushed around in the main pool when we were in there and did not have to carry him the whole time. He loved it, relaxing whilst waving at everyone in the pool.

Most days we went to the kids pool first, so our son and my partner could use the slides together (not sure who had more fun!) to end at the main pool. All whilst having food and drinks in between!

There are coconut trees surrounding the main pool and one day when we were sitting at the pool some guys were cutting off the coconuts. They asked if we wanted one to drink from and they opened it for us and added a straw. Our son loves coconut water!

Food – 10 restaurants, snacks, ice cream and coffee

The resort has 10 restaurants, 9 bars, a coffee place and an ice cream shop, as well as a disco, bowling alley and a games room. We tried out as many restaurants as possible. The restaurants available are:

• Martha’s Market
• La Locanda
• Sakura
• Sugar Cane
• Thali
• Route 66
• Red Snapper
• Jamaican Grill
• Snack Bar
• Mike’s Coffee

The restaurants open in the evening at various times, some at 5:00PM, some at 6:00PM and some at 6:30PM. Not all are open for breakfast and lunch, but the hotel provides you with a schedule in reception each day.

Martha’s market is a very large buffet style restaurant we would always go to for breakfast. They honestly have everything. The people working here loved our son and it was so adorable to see how he really embraced their love. I tried soursop here for the first ever time and I wish I had known about it before, it’s now my favourite fruit ever! Our son loved most food here, but his biggest love was for the watermelon, smoked salmon and any other cooked fish.

La Locanda is an Italian restaurant which we did not try.

Sakura is the only restaurant you will need to reserve, you can do it via a QR code you can scan in your hotel room. It’s a restaurant with a Teppanyaki grill, the chef will cook in front of you and make a little show out of it. Everyone gets the same food, but you van obviously choose to eat certain things based on your preference.

We had, prawns, beef, fried rice and vegetables. Our son could have all this too as it was not spicy or salty for him. As you can see from the picture he was in the best mood enjoying the food and the show.

Sugar Cane was a restaurant specialising in Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine. We had really lovely food here. Our son had white fish with a plumb sauce and some of our rice. My partner had curry goat and I had chicken with a really delicious peanut curry sauce.

Thali is an Indian restaurant, which was also very good. Especially the atmosphere inside was lovely.

We ordered our son a butter chicken with rice, and he devoured it all. My partner and I shared a lamb and chicken curry with nan and rice. We also had two starters to share. The portions aren’t massive so when you leave you feel full without being stuffed!

Route 66 is a restaurant serving American BBQ food. It was the only restaurant that was super disappointing and where we had to walk away without eating unfortunately. After we were seated and had ordered our food (grilled salmon for our son, bavette beef for my partner and I), we still hadn’t received our order after waiting for an hour. Our son obviously got impatient, as he was hungry, so we kindly asked how long the food would take. After another 30m wait we finally got the food and our sons salmon was so severely burned it was rock hard and pitch black on one side. We were not willing to feed this to him or to wait any longer for a new one, so we had to decide to leave and go to Martha’s Market instead to get something from the buffet. I am sure the food is good in here, but it didn’t work for us unfortunately.

Red Snapper was the first restaurant we tried on the day of arrival. My partner and I both had the jerk octopus and our son had white fish with potatoes. The food was good and the restaurant is a bit more secluded from the others, closer to the sea, so a very lovely setting.

The Snack Bar was located at the small pool and it served burgers, chicken nuggets and chips. Again one of my partners favourites as a ‘snack’ in between meals was the jerk burger. They do a range of chicken and beef burgers.

Mike’s Coffee serves coffees, iced or normal, tea and loads of pastries. It’s open all day and we had many little sweet bites from here throughout the day.

We would also be drinking cocktails, and they would always make a virgin coconut one for our son – without the sugar! They do love sweet things in Jamaica, as most cocktails were a little too sweet for me, but there is nothing more refreshing than an iced drink in the sun, either when laying at the pool or when cooling down on the balcony.

The Resort – Enjoying family time with our toddler

The resort itself was lovely and definitely a recommendation if you have kids, there are so many things for them to do. Our son was only little but they do have a kids club, kids swimming pool, disco, theatre and bowling alley they can enjoy. In the evenings there is also always a live band playing in the main area where most restaurants are

As mentioned before our son is crazy about vehicles and the resort has many small golf carts driving around which he would run after if they drove by and run around when they were standing still. His dream came through when on the last evening he was offered a ride around the resort. They are normally just for Privilege guests to be brought to and from their rooms but the staff had seen our son running around all excited for days, so it was amazing he was offered a quick ride!

Day 18: Falmouth to Montego Bay to London

Today we are heading back to London. The drive from our hotel to Montego Bay Airport is 46m, but before we leave we are first having our last breakfast at Martha’s Market. One of the ladies working there really loved our son and she was so friendly to him every time we came in. He loved all the attention. We gifted our sons sandals to her for her son, as she told us how much she liked them. He would have outgrown them anyway for our next holiday so why not make someone happy with them.

We got to the airport on time and had to leave the car, open, in the parking lot under instructions of the car company. We made sure to take several pictures of us leaving it there in case something would happen.

Flight Home – ending our 18-day Jamaican adventure

On the way back we did not get the Premium upgrade, but we did get the first row of seats with the extra leg room. Our son was awake for the first part of the flight and slept for the last part. He then managed to sleep through being transferred to his buggy, also stayed asleep when being put in his car seat and was still asleep after the 1h drive from the airport home. He then managed to sleep for another hour whilst being home, so fair the say the holiday knackered him out.

I do know he had the absolute best time, and it was so incredible to see him so happy. It made us happy for him.

We can’t wait to take him on his next trip, we are already looking where that might be!

Jamaica Family Travel FAQ

Is Jamaica suitable for traveling with a baby or toddler?

Yes — we found Jamaica very doable with a toddler. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming, and having our own car made getting around much easier. Like anywhere, it helps to plan ahead, but overall we felt comfortable and well looked after.

How long do you need in Jamaica?

We spent 18 days in Jamaica and loved having the time to slow down. You could see the highlights in 10–14 days, but with a child, having extra days meant less rushing and more enjoyment. We also really wanted to end with an all-inclusive to make sure the ending of our holiday was super relaxing before flying back.

Is Jamaica expensive for families?

Jamaica can be as affordable or as expensive as you make it. Self-catering villas, local food, and driving yourself helped keep costs down, while still allowing us to experience different parts of the island.

Is it easy to get around Jamaica with a child?

Driving gave us the most flexibility, especially with nap times and luggage. Roads can be slow and winding, but they’re manageable if you allow extra time, drive carefully and keep plans flexible.

What’s the best time to visit Jamaica with kids?

We travelled outside peak season, which meant fewer crowds and better prices. The weather was warm and tropical, with the occasional rain shower — nothing that stopped us from enjoying the trip.