Commonly Asked
Questions:
Villas
Does every villa include a full staff?
How much should we tip the staff
and how does it work?
Does the villa have a hair
dryer, CD player, etc.?
Does the villa come with a crib,
highchair, cot, etc.? Or can I rent one?
Do the villas have internet/wireless
access?
Booking a Villa
Is the price listed on your website,
per person, per week or per night?
How far in advance should a villa
be booked?
What do I do if I need to cancel
or reschedule my reservation?
What types of payment do you
accept for villa rentals?
Food/Groceries
How do we shop for food?
Do the grocery stores
accept credit cards and travelers checks?
How do I pay for groceries?
How much will the grocheries
cost?
Is there a place to buy good wine in
Jamaica?
Is the water safe to drink in Jamaica
and especially the villas?
Jamaica
What is the weather like in
Jamaica?
When is hurricane season in
Jamaica?
What do I do if I get sick?
Money
Do the ATM machines dispense US or
Jamaican Dollars?
Can I use US Dollars or do I have
to exchange my money to Jamaican Dollars?
Phone Service
Will my cell phone work in Jamaica?
What can I do if I need
my cell phone but it will not work in Jamaica?
Can someone call us at our
villa?
Answers:
Does every villa include
a full staff?
Yes, all villas include a staff. The amount of people
in the staff will vary by villa rental, however most villa
rentals include a cook, maid and butler.
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How much should
we tip the staff and how does it work?
10-15% of the total villa cost is recommended to be distributed
the day you leave. You can either divide up the tips yourself
and distribute to each person, or you can give one lump
sum (probably to the cook or butler), and have them divide
as they see fit.
Here are some suggestions on allocating the tips:
Cook-50%
Maid-25%
Gardener-25%
If your villa has a butler we suggest:
Butler – 40%
Cook – 40%
Maid – 20%
We typically place the tip in individual envelopes for
each staff member. We give it to them when the van picks
us up for the airport.
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Does the
villa have a hair dryer, CD player, etc.?
Each Villa has it's own page on our site. Please look
for the "feature" list on that page to see what
is included in the villa. If you don't find the information
you are looking for, please feel free to send us an e-mail.
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Is the price listed
on your website, per person, per week or per night?
The prices listed on our site are for a one week
stay (7-nights), usually from Saturday to Saturday.
The prices that are listed will clearly how many
bedrooms that price applies for. This will vary
depending on the villa. All prices are listed in
US Dolars.
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How far in advance
should a villa be booked?
We suggest that you make a reservation for your
villa rental, as soon as possible. Especially if
you are planning on traveling during the holidays.
Around Spring Break, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years, the villas have a tendency to get
booked anywhere from 6 months to a year, or more
(especially for Christmas and New Years), in advance.
Please read our information on booking
a villa for all of the detailed information about
when deposits and final payments will be required.
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What do I do if I
need to cancel or reschedule my reservation?
We require all changes/cancellations to be made in writing.
Please read information about booking
a villa for all of the detailed information regarding
our policies.
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Does the villa
come with a crib, highchair, cot, etc.? Or
can I rent one?
This varies depending on the villa. If you do
not see this type of information listed under
the "features" section on the specific
villa page, please send us an e-mail
and we can contact the home owner directly to
find that information.
Approximate Rates:
Cots/roll-a-ways - $50/week + $150-250 for extra
person (rate depends on the villa).
Cribs with sheets - $50/week
Highchair - $35/week
Car Seat - $40/week or $6 a day
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What types of payment
do you accept for villa rentals?
We accept check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, American
Express and Discover. Please read our information about
booking a villa
to find out all the details about when we require deposit
and final payment. Also, see our Credit
Card Authorization Form.
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How do we shop
for food?
There are a couple options:
1. You can let the villa staff purchase all the
food on your behalf based on a menu that you prepare.
The staff will present you with an estimate for
the cost of food and transportation and return any
change along with the receipt. Some villas have
prior arrangements with the grocery store to provide
groceries in advance of payment: please check with
your villa staff. The daily cost for food and beverages
per adult per day runs about $35-40 per person depending
on whether you are a light or heavy eater. The cost
would be more if you add in alcoholic beverages
- especially imported wines and champagnes.
2. You go to the market and grocery store either with
the cook or by yourself and purchase the food. We find
that a trip to the market with the cook is quite interesting.
Making at least one trip to the market and grocery store
will also give you a perspective on the cost of food in
Jamaica.
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Do
the grocery stores accept credit cards and travelers checks?
Yes most of the larger grocery stores do accept
credit cards: General Foods, Ocho Rios, Scotties,
Discovery Bay, L&M Supermarket, Runaway Bay
and Shoppers Fare in Montego Bay.
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How do
I pay for groceries?
Plan on having to go to the grocery store that the
cook did the shopping to pay for the groceries.
Sometimes the villa staff can take an imprint of
your credit card and just return the signed receipt
for you.
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How
much will the groceries cost?
The daily cost for food and beverages per adult per day
runs about $35-40 per person depending on whether you
are a light or heavy eater. The cost would be more if
you add in alcoholic beverages - especially imported wines
and champagnes. It will also be more if you have food
such as lobster or conch, especially if it's out of season.
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Is
there a place to buy good wine in Jamaica?
Yes you can purchase wine and liquor in most supermarkets.
They have a fair selection of South American, French
and Australian wines; but a more limited selection
of California wines. Prices may be slightly higher
than in the US. We advise our guests to bring in
wine if they have very specific requirements (2
bottles per person allowed).
If you have a favorite bottle of wine let us know.
We can check with a supplier to see if they carry
that wine and arrange to have it delivered directly
to your villa. Let us know the wine you are looking
for and we can provide you with the pricing options.
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Is
the water safe to drink in Jamaica and especially
the villas?
Yes. The island of Jamaica has modern water treatment
plants which makes it safe to drink water throughout
the island. Some say that the water has a bit too
much of a chlorine taste, however it is still safe
to drink. You can request that the staff purchase
bottled water (which is readily avilable at most
stores), and you can use that to drink if you wish
or just to use to take with you on day trips, for
your convenience.
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What is the weather
like in Jamaica ?
Here are some average weather tempatures:
Jan 77
Feb 77
Mar 78
Apr 81
May 82
June 83
July 83
Aug 82
Sep 82
Oct 82
Nov 80
Dec 79
Average rain fall, in inches:
Jan 2.7
Feb 1.8
Mar 2.3
Apr 2.5
May 5.9
June 5.5
July 2.9
Aug 5.2
Sep 6.1
Oct 7.4
Nov 5.5
Dec 3.6
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When is hurricane
season in Jamaica?
Hurricane season is from August to November.
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What
do I do if I get sick?
There are a number of doctors in Ocho Rios area.
Your villa staff will know how to reach a doctor.
For serious problems, we recommend Montego Bay Hope,
a new state-of-the-art medical diagnostic and treatment
center which has a link with a hospital in South
Florida should you need to be transported off the
island. Before your visit, please check with your
insurance company so you know what procedure to
follow just in case you do develop a medical emergency.
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Do the villas have internet/wireless access?
This just depends on the villa. Quite a few villas
have internet access now however it may be DSL,
Wireless, etc. Check under "features"
for each villa to see what is provided in the way
of internet access.
Also, you can access the internet from Internet
Cafes in all of the towns where our villas are located.
If you want to bring your laptop to Jamaica and
your villa does not have access, you can easily
purchase a NetKyaad
for specific pre-paid minutes of internet time.
The cheapest card offered is $100 for 100 minutes.
This card will need to be purchased in Jamaica at
one of their retail locations. To use this service
you will need access to a phone line.
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Will my cell phone work in Jamaica?
Some cell phones will work in Jamaica,
it just depends on the service provider you have.
Jamaica’s cellular system operates on the
TDMA network so it is not compatable with CDMA,
GSM or 3G networks. Cable & Wireless and Digicell
are the Jamaican providers and have roaming agreements
with most service providers.
Check with your cell phone service provider, before
you leave, to see if you will have service in Jamaica.
Make sure to ask your cell phone service provider
if there is something that needs to be added (usually
a service such as World Class Roaming) to your phone
to allow you to make an receive phone calls outside
of the United States.
Also be sure to check with your cell phone service
provider to see how much it will cost for you to
make and receive calls. Usually it will cost you
to make calls, receive calls, check voicemail, etc.
Even if you don't take the call and your phone rings,
you may be charged, so be sure to check. Typically
we have found that the cost is about $1.50 per minute.
Fees typically go up for text messaging as well.
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Do the ATM machines dispense US or Jamaican
Dollars?
Most ATMs will dispense Jamaican Dollars, however
some are starting to dispense in USD as well.
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Can
I use US Dollars or do I have to exchange my money
to Jamaican Dollars?
You can use US Dollars in most places but you will
probably not get the best exchange rate. And remember
that you will get your change back in Jamaican Dollars.
For street vendors and in the outdoor markets you
should use Jamaican currency.
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Can someone
call us at our villa?
Yes. Jamaica uses the North American Dial Plan,
so people can call you at the villa from the US
or Canada by dialing 1+ Area Code and the 7-digit
telephone number. From other countries, callers
should use normal international dialing procedures.
The area code for Jamaica is (876).
We will provide you with the villas phone number
before you leave on your trip.
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What
can I do if I need my cell phone but it will not
work in Jamaica?
If your wireless telephone will not work in Jamaica,
rental phones are available from Cable & Wireless
or Digicell. Expect to pay about $5 USD per day
for rental and access charges. A deposit of approximately
$225 USD is required for International calls; this
should be applied to your credit card, not paid
in cash. Any unused amount of your deposit will
be refunded. All charges are computed in Jamaican
dollars, so the exchange rate at the time charges
are incurred will affect the exact US dollar amount.
Websites:
Cable
& Wireless
Digicell
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