Montego Bay With Kids
Jerk from a drum, a beach with a reef, and the all inclusive week most families come to Jamaica for.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Montego Bay good for kids?
Yes, if you pick the right resort. The family all inclusives have kids clubs, slides and shallow pools, and the falls make a great day out for kids five and up.
How many days do you need in Montego Bay?
Five nights for a resort week with one day out. Seven if you want Negril too.
Is it safe to leave the resort?
With a hotel driver or an organized tour, yes. Families go to the falls, the Martha Brae and the jerk stands every day of the year. Wandering on foot outside the Hip Strip is not the plan.
When is the best time to visit Jamaica?
December to April is dry and warm. Summer is hotter and wetter, and hurricane season runs June through November.
Which resort for a family of five?
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall or Half Moon, depending on budget. Both have rooms or villas that fit five. Send me your dates and I will price both.
The All Inclusive Week, Done Right
Montego Bay is where most families fly into Jamaica, and most of them never leave the resort. That is fine for a rest. It is a waste of Jamaica.
My version is five or six nights at a resort that fits your crew, plus one day out to the falls and one evening at a real jerk stand. The kids remember the falls. You remember the jerk.
Getting Around
You will not drive here, and you do not need to. Resort transfers, hotel taxis and tour buses cover everything on this page.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Rose Hall
East of the airport. The big family all inclusives, a golf course and the Great House. Most families end up here.
The Hip Strip
Gloucester Avenue along the water. Doctor’s Cave Beach, shops and smaller hotels. Walkable and lively, and the only area where you can wander.
Ironshore and the east coast
Between Rose Hall and the airport. Quieter resorts and villas with pools, a good fit for three generations.
Half Moon
Two miles of beach, villas with their own pools and cooks, a kids program and horses. The grand old Jamaican resort, and it earns it.
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall
A family all inclusive with a water slide, a kids club and rooms that fit four or five. Easy, close to the airport and the one I price first.
Royal Decameron Cornwall Beach
On the Hip Strip, a few steps from Doctor’s Cave Beach. Simple rooms, plain food and you can walk out the gate, which the big resorts cannot say.
The Three I Build Every Montego Bay Trip Around
Doctor’s Cave Beach
The town beach, with a small entry fee, clear water over sand and a reef the kids can snorkel from the shore. Go in the morning before the cruise crowds walk down from the pier.
Dunn’s River Falls
An hour and a half east in Ocho Rios. You climb the falls hand in hand in a chain, 600 feet of cool water over limestone. Water shoes, a guide and a morning start.
Bamboo rafting on the Martha Brae
Forty five minutes east near Falmouth, a raft captain poles you three miles down a slow green river on a 30 foot bamboo raft. Kids can swim from the raft in the calm stretches. About an hour on the water, no experience needed, and the quietest thing you will do all week.
Family Time, Built In: Montego Bay
The resorts handle the pools and the kids clubs. These are the pieces I add so the trip feels like Jamaica.
A jerk stand on the roadside
Luminous Lagoon after dark
Horseback riding in the sea
Reggae on the beach, early show
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
Doctor’s Cave Beach. Shallow, calm and five minutes from the Hip Strip hotels. Chairs, a snack bar and water clear enough to see your feet. The place to be when the resort pool gets loud.
Five Things To Eat In Montego Bay
Jerk chicken
Beef patties
Ackee and saltfish
Bun and cheese
Cold coconut waterNicole’s Perspective
Why Jamaica is an easy yes for families
The reason is simple. The resorts are built for kids, the flights from the East Coast are short, and the island has real things to do when you leave the gate. I price Jamaica for families all the time and it rarely loses.
The families who come back happiest did two things outside the resort. One falls day, one jerk night. That is the whole trick.
The Day Trip: Dunn’s River Falls
Ocho Rios is about an hour and a half east along the coast. Book a small group tour or a private driver, climb the falls in the morning, then eat jerk in Ocho Rios before the drive back. Water shoes for everyone, a dry bag for the phone, and skip it if the kids are under five.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked Montego Bay
How Many Days
Five nights is the sweet spot. Seven lets you add a second day out.
Three resort days, one falls day in Ocho Rios, one morning at Doctor’s Cave and a jerk dinner.
Add a day west to Seven Mile Beach and the cliffs at Rick’s Cafe before the sun goes down.
Cruise ships dock at Falmouth and Montego Bay. One excursion, the falls or the beach, and back on board early.
Montego Bay With Kids, Answered
Is Montego Bay good for kids?
Yes, if you pick the right resort. The family all inclusives have kids clubs, slides and shallow pools, and the falls make a great day out for kids five and up.
How many days do you need in Montego Bay?
Five nights for a resort week with one day out. Seven if you want Negril too.
Is it safe to leave the resort?
With a hotel driver or an organized tour, yes. Families go to the falls, the Martha Brae and the jerk stands every day of the year. Wandering on foot outside the Hip Strip is not the plan.
When is the best time to visit Jamaica?
December to April is dry and warm. Summer is hotter and wetter, and hurricane season runs June through November.
Which resort for a family of five?
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall or Half Moon, depending on budget. Both have rooms or villas that fit five. Send me your dates and I will price both.
Ready To Put Montego Bay On The Calendar?
Send me your dates and your crew and I will tell you which resort fits, what the rooms really sleep and which day to leave the gate.
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