Why your next Staycation should be at a Boutique Hotel or Villa  Part 1: The reasons

The View from Villa Elia in Treasure Beach, St.Elizabeth 

If you’ve been on social media recently you would have realised that everybody and them mada a go a hotel. Usually, though, they go to All-Inclusive hotels. In this post, I’m here to convince you why you should give Boutique hotels or Villas a try for your next staycation. Before we go any further if fancy and uber-modern amenities and an abundance of food at your fingertips are more your speed, then the average Jamaican Villa or Boutique hotel isn’t for you. They tend to have a more quaint, homely, comfy and rustic charm to them. This post will be about WHY you should give Boutique Hotels and Villas a try and part two will be about which ones you can check out for starters with my signature price rating, of course. Let’s get right into it!

Definitions

Now I’m sure most of you guys know what a Villa is but the concept of a Boutique Hotel may be new to you, don’t worry we’ll break it down for you in this section.

Boutique Hotel

A Boutique Hotel is a small and intimate hotel, with stylish design decor with a personal note. It has a unique character and distinguishes itself from other hotel brands. It is true to its heritage, it provides guests with great and ultra-personalized service. Boutique hotels typically have less than 100 rooms (Source: Xotels.com). 

In Jamaica, most boutique hotels are not all-inclusive. Some might have a kitchenette where you can do your own little cheffings for the time that you are there, in addition to a restaurant on property where you can purchase food if you’re feeling lazy. You’re also free to go off property to purchase food. 

Villa

A Villa is a house, usually in the countryside or near the sea and often one that people can rent for a holiday/vacation (Source: Cambridge dictionary).

Since a villa is a full-on house you are typically going to get a full-sized kitchen. Your food options are typically as follows:

1. You can buy your own groceries and cook your meals. 

2. You can buy your own groceries and ask the staff at the villa (most will have a chef or ancillary staff that double as chefs) to cook your meals (most times at an additional cost).

3. You can give the staff the money and they will do the grocery shopping for you and cook your meals (they typically also bring back the receipt for the gas and groceries fi show yuh seh them never rob yuh).

4. You can just buy food from local restaurants, shops and stalls in the area.

All-Inclusive Hotel

An all-inclusive hotel is a vacation resort that includes at a minimum lodging, three meals daily, soft drinks, most alcoholic drinks, gratuities, and possibly other services in the price. Many also offer sports and non-motorized watersports and other activities that are included in the price as well (Source: Wikipedia)

Well as the name suggests, everything is included, food, liquor, entertainment. There is very little incentive to want to leave the resort.

All - Inclusives Vs. Boutique Hotels and Villas- The Pros and Cons

So let’s start with the cons of All-Inclusive Hotels.

1. They typically are not Jamaican owned and might not hire Jamaican nationals for managerial positions. 

Most of the Large 1000 room + hotels on the North Coast are Spanish owned and the money only goes back into the economy when they hire Jamaicans for housekeeping and bartending jobs etc. Even the contractors can be Spanish and they might import material and equipment to build the hotel from Spain. They also have deals with the airport which is, you guessed it, part Spanish owned. Boutique Hotels and Villas are typically owned by Jamaicans, especially those that might be living abroad or Jamaican returning residents. So by staying at a Boutique Hotel or Villa you’re buying Jamaican🇯🇲.

2. Large and Not very intimate

If you’re looking for a vacation where you’ll be with a 300+ of your “closest friends” then All-Inclusive hotels are for you. Fifty plus people in a pool? Lines to wait on buffets? Yah man just book an All- Inclusive hotel right now. Wanna buck your boss or co-workers? With the deals that most of the All-Inclusive resorts are having currently, it almost guaranteed that you’ll see someone you know when you go to the more popular,affordable all-inclusive resorts (*cough* Riu *cough). Some of them are HUGE as well, it's a full body workout just to make it to breakfast on time, golf carts might not be available all the time to drive you around. At a Boutique Hotel there a typically maybe only two other people in the pool with you at any given time and at Villas you usually get the entire pool and property to yourself. If you end up seeing anybody you know at a Boutique Hotel, you just salt, because the chances are slim.

3. All-Inclusive hotels essentially eradicate community tourism

The big pro of All-Inclusive hotels is that there is everything at the resorts, however, that comes at a major cost to community tourism. With entertainment and food and even souvenirs at your fingertips, you are not inclined to go and explore the hidden gems that these vacation spots have to offer. So what happens to the little granny that sells her fruits on the roadside? Or the pan chicken man? And the lady that makes trinkets and baskets to send her children to school? How do they make a living? When entertainment is provided at the hotels, local attractions close by fall into states of disrepair or close down because of lack of business. Villas and Boutique hotels go hand in hand with community tourism simply because they don’t have every single thing on property like All-Inclusive resorts, and might be a bit boring after the first day. Naturally,you’re going to want to go out and explore what the area has to offer, thus supporting local business owners.

All-inclusive hotels Pros

1. They have EVERYTHING.

 Yes, you name it, most All-Inclusive hotels have it. You can eat till your belly buss, drink till you keel over, do water sports, go to nightly shows, all without leaving the confines of the resorts. Villas and Boutique hotels can be tricky in terms of food in some areas and if a chef isn’t on the property. Food places might be scarce and or far and variety might be limited which is a problem if you don’t have a car or you don’t want to rent one. Entertainment can also be a problem if you don’t want to drive long distances as well, especially in the more off-the-beaten-path locations.

2. They tend to be more modern and bougie

Looking for super modern amenities, shiny tiles, chandeliers, chrome faucets? All-Inclusive hotels are where it’s at. Most Villas and Boutique hotels definitely tend to be more on the rustic side, which can be more of a pro if, like me, that’s your preference. Some even have both indoor and outdoor showers, which might be novel to some and undesirable and too old-school to others. Internet connection might also be shakey depending on where the Villa or Boutique Hotel is, so you might have to put on a data plan for the duration of your stay. This can also be seen as a plus though as you can use the time to unplug and fully recharge. 

3. They tend me to be more easily accessible

If you’re looking for a nice, easy, quick drive to your location then most All-Inclusive resorts are located right off the highways which are good, pot-hole free roads. Some Boutique Hotels and Villas are located in places where you’ll need a vehicle with all-wheel drive to get there or an SUV or you risk ruining your under-carriage. 

That concludes this post guys.  I really hope it makes you make more informed decisions when it comes to choosing where your next staycation is going to be and hopefully you choose a Boutique Hotel or Villa! Please leave a comment or a DM on my Instagram or Twitter if you liked this! Also, feel free to share! See you for Part 2!