The 10 Best Hotels in Montego Bay, Jamaica, From All-Inclusive Icons to Villa Hideaways
Montego Bay is one of the Caribbean’s great hotel destinations — a place where legendary resorts meet new expressions of luxury. It’s a city that merges vibrant culture with polished hospitality, where days are measured in ocean breezes, barefoot walks, and the clink of glasses at sunset. From timeless icons to adults-only escapes, these are the very best hotels in Montego Bay right now.
Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, a solo escape, or a Caribbean family vacation, Montego Bay has a hotel for every kind of traveler. Some resorts stretch across hundreds of beachfront acres with golf courses and private villas; others offer sleek boutique style steps from Doctor’s Cave Beach. And with Jamaica’s second-busiest international airport just minutes away, it’s one of the easiest destinations in the Caribbean to reach — with nonstop flights from major cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Travelers come to Montego Bay for its natural beauty — white sand beaches, calm turquoise waters, and picture-perfect sunsets — but they stay for the service. Many of Montego Bay’s best hotels include private butlers, dedicated villa staff, gourmet dining, and full-service spas. The resort scene is a blend of all-inclusive powerhouses and hidden-gem boutique hotels, from historic icons like Round Hill to the overwater bungalows at Sandals Royal Caribbean.
The best hotels in Montego Bay, Jamaica according to our editors
This guide to the best hotels in Montego Bay includes properties suited for romance, wellness, adventure, and pure relaxation. All are based on editorial insight and direct experience. These are the best hotels in Montego Bay, Jamaica right now.
#1 Half Moon
The first thing you feel is space: 400 acres of sea-meets-garden serenity. Half Moon isn’t just a resort; it’s a private world. You wander among villas with their own butlers, past equestrian trails and through the whisper of palm trees along two miles of beach. There’s golf with a sea view, a world-class spa hidden in a tropical jungle, and a sense of time slowing down. At Eclipse, the most recent addition, sleek beachfront suites melt into the sand. Half Moon doesn’t sell luxury; it simply lives it. In short, this is the number one hotel in Montego Bay. Period.
Top Tip: Book a villa with a private pool for a full-on estate experience.
Round Hill Hotel and Villas
The air is scented with sea salt and history. You arrive at Round Hill and feel like you’re stepping into a vintage photograph—only everything is sharper, more vibrant. The rooms? Designed by Ralph Lauren. The villas? Private estates with pools and staff. The vibe? Effortless glamour, like a beach party where everyone is famous and no one is trying too hard. This is the kind of place where you spend all day in a linen shirt and feel overdressed. Round Hill isn’t flashy. It’s something rarer: cool without trying.
Top Tip: Choose an oceanfront room in the Pineapple House for Ralph Lauren design and sweeping views.
Sandals Royal Caribbean
You take a boat to get to your room. That’s the first hint this is different. The overwater bungalows at Sandals Royal Caribbean float above turquoise silence, each one a shrine to seclusion. Hammocks hang over the sea. Bathtubs face the horizon. The resort’s elegant feel shows in its main house and afternoon tea, but the vibe is wonderfully relaxed. And then there’s the private island—an adults-only fantasy of cabanas and cocktails a few minutes offshore. This is escape perfected, whether you’re in one of the legendary overwater villas or a traditional room.
Top Tip: Don’t miss the Thai restaurant on the private island—reachable only by boat.
Tryall Club
It starts with your own villa—a true home, with staff who greet you like family. Then the views open up: endless Caribbean, fairways winding between palm groves. The Tryall Club is less resort and more private estate, a 2,200-acre sanctuary of gardens and sea and quiet, and it’s all villas. Golf is legendary here. So are the chefs. And every villa feels like it was designed just for you. We always say that nobody does villas better than Jamaica, and that’s particularly true here.
Top Tip: Ask for a villa with an oceanview infinity pool for ultimate relaxation.
Zoëtry Montego Bay
Wellness isn’t a feature here. It’s the atmosphere. Zoëtry Montego Bay is a boutique dream of 49 suites, all ocean-kissed and open to the breeze. There are no check-in desks—just champagne and a sense that everything will be taken care of. Organic cuisine, yoga on the pier, and spa treatments under a thatched roof: this is where stress disappears. There’s no rush. No noise. Just time to reconnect with what matters—or nothing at all.
Top Tip: Take your time at the spa and get there early, it’s a destination unto itself.
S Hotel Montego Bay
Hip, local, and unmistakably Jamaican. The S Hotel is where Caribbean cool meets urban energy. Located right on Doctor’s Cave Beach (one of my favorite beaches on the island), the S blends boutique style with cultural swagger: island-inspired decor, a buzzing rooftop lounge, and a restaurant scene that feels like a night out in Kingston. The Spa is sleek and modern, the vibe effortlessly social. This isn’t a resort pretending to be Jamaican. It is Jamaican—authentic, fun, and a little bit wild, and increasingly popular.
Top Tip: Head up to the Sky Deck for cocktails and the best sunset views in the city.
Sandals Montego Bay
This is where it all began. The original Sandals still feels brand-new, thanks to constant reinvention. The beach is the kind that lives in postcards, the energy high but never overwhelming. Swim-up rooms, overwater wedding chapels, firepits on the sand: Sandals Montego Bay is an adults-only playground that knows what it’s doing. And the service? Instant. You want champagne at sunset? Done. A massage before dinner? Handled. This is all-inclusive done right.
Top Tip: Book a beachfront walkout suite to step directly from your room onto the sand.
Secrets Wild Orchid
There’s a sultry edge to Secrets Wild Orchid. Maybe it’s the swim-out suites that lead straight into turquoise pools, or the firelight glow that takes over the beach at night. The property feels expansive, yet intimate—an adults-only fantasy with 24-hour room service and suites made for sleeping in. The Unlimited-Luxury® concept means you never reach for your wallet, and the drinks never stop flowing. Secrets doesn’t shout. It seduces.
Top Tip: Reserve a Preferred Club suite for exclusive pool and beach access (I loved the Preferred Club and its swim-up rooms on my last stay).
Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters
Tucked away in a quiet stretch of coast in an area we call “Greater Montego Bay,” Hideaway is the kind of place where mornings stretch into afternoons without ever checking the time. The rooms are sleek and modern, the dining surprisingly elevated, and the adults-only vibe keeps things calm. There’s a hydrotherapy circuit to rinse away reality, a martini bar that gets better by the hour, and pools that mirror the sky. This is serenity with service (and you can book it on Marriott Bonvoy points).
Top Tip: Try the Culinary Experience chef’s table dinner for a private gourmet tasting.
Secrets St James
Classic and confident, Secrets St James is a calm counterpart to its livelier sister, Wild Orchid. The aesthetic leans colonial Caribbean, with dark woods and marble finishes, but the feeling is beach-forward bliss. Days start with breakfast on the balcony and end with moonlit dinners steps from the sea. There are moments when it feels like time has slowed—when a walk on the pier or a drink by the fire pit becomes the highlight of the day. It’s romantic. It’s refined. It’s Montego Bay at its most graceful.
Top Tip: Make time for an early-morning walk to the end of the pier—it’s quiet magic.
Why to Stay in Montego Bay Right Now
Montego Bay has always been a legend in Caribbean travel. But today’s Montego Bay is more than just a gateway—it’s a destination in its own right, one that balances the grandeur of its past with the innovation of modern hospitality. These ten hotels show the many sides of the city: elegant, intimate, energetic, and serene. Whether you’re chasing barefoot luxury or looking for your next favorite rum bar, Montego Bay has a hotel waiting for you.
