Cheap Budget Accommodation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I first heard about Rooms on The Beach from two people who had been to Jamaica on vacation. They had previously stayed at this hotel and really enjoyed it.

Having read some pretty bad reviews on several online travel guide sites, and hotel review sites, it was with great hesitation that I booked 2 nights stay at this hotel in Ocho Rios. When I arrived, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The first thing I noticed was how big the beach is. It was MASSIVE!!!

Rooms on the Beach is meant to be a cheap budget hotel, but it certainly does not look cheap and budget at all. The grounds are well maintained and the rooms are excellent. From my room on the second floor I had a fantastic view overlooking the beautiful white sand beaches of Ocho Rios. Although this is not an all-inclusive resort, you can pay for a separate meal plan to have all your meals included.

I took many photographs of the hotel and written a review on the forums, which you can find in our Rooms On The Beach Review thread.

The hotel is right on the middle of Ocho Rios (or “Ochie”as it is fondly referred to by Jamaicans) and is just off Main Street, where all the action is. You certainly won’t require a taxi if you are too drunk to make the 10 minute walk back to the hotel! If you are planning to stay in Negril, then you will be happy to know that there is a Rooms on the Beach in Negril too. Rooms on the Beach – Negril will be very similar to Rooms on the Beach – Ocho Rios.

Prices at the hotel vary depending on who you book with. Our members on the forum have used auction tools to get excellent travel deals on the internet, in a lot of cases up to HALF THE PRICE of the standard rate!! Security at the hotel is tight. You can have visitors over, but you security will call and ask you if it is ok to let the person in. The staff are super friendly, and the hotel has a nice relaxed feel to it. When it came to checking out, the hotel reception staff were more than happy to let me leave my bags behind the front desk until I was ready to depart Ocho Rios.

If you are on a budget, and looking for a cheap place to stay, then you can’t go wrong with Rooms on the beach. With a little bit of forward planning, you can get a very cheap vacation in Jamaica.

Jamaica on a Budget

Jamaica Vacation on a Budget

Travelling to Jamaica for a cheap vacation is a very easy task with just a little time investment.   With a few hours of research on the Jamaican Travel Forum it is possible to cut your Jamaican vacation cost in half, maybe even more! If you are a budget minded traveler read on.

The first step in planning your cheap vacation in Jamaica is finding out what part of the island you want to stay in, and how you will get there from one of Jamaica’s two international airports. If you want to cut out the expense of a long journey from the airport to your hotel or cottage, you can stay in a resort town such as Montego Bay, which is next to the airport.

When it comes to picking out cheap lodging in Jamaica, most of the best deals are NOT FOUND ON THE INTERNET! Most of what you will find on the Internet are the big resorts pushing their vacation packages while the “little affordable places” are lost trying to show up when you search for vacation deals in Jamaica. By networking with other people that live or vacation in Jamaica, you can find deals like:

CHEAP LODGING IN THE OCHO RIOS AREA

“Beachfront 2 bedroom cottage with full kitchen 15 minutes away from Ocho Rios for $50.00 a night”.

Another gem I found was a similar cottage right next door to the beach front one, that costs only $40 a night. I’ve talked to others that have stayed at a place in downtown Ocho Rios for around $35 a night (not near the beach). These are not the type of deals that you will find on-line, but rather the type of deals that you will find by networking with the members of a Jamaican Travel Forum.

CHEAP FOOD IN JAMAICA
Finding cheap food in Jamaica is sort of a no brainer. If you eat where the tourists eat, you will pay an arm and a leg. If you find out where the locals eat, you will pay 2-3 times less and the food quality will be much better.

Examples of great tasting cheap Jamaican food:
Roadside stands that are away from the tourist areas – generally you can eat a meal for $3.00-$6.00. If you want a beer to go with your meal they are around $1.50 compared to up to $6.00 at the tourist places.

Jamaican restaurants where the locals eat – an excellent example of this is found on this Jamaica trip report where the forum member ate at a tourist restaurant one day and at a local’s restaurant the next. The member found the local place to be about half of the price and she found the food quality much better.