The best accommodation, Strawberry Hill, and the reason many people visit the Kingston area in the first place, is not in the city but within the Blue Mountains. All leading hotels in security-conscious Kingston have guards.

Altamont Court Hotel

Hotel Four Seasons

Indies Hotel  



Kingston Hilton Hotel



Morgan's Harbour Hotel & Marina



Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel



The Courtleigh Hotel and Suites



The Jamaica Pegasus

Altamont Court Hotel
1-5 Altamont Terrace
Kingston
Phone 876/929-4497

Location: New Kingston
Website: www.altamontcourt.com
Room Information: 58 units
Prices: Year-round US$125 (£63) double; US$160 (£80) suite
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover(y), MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, coffeemaker, hair dryer, safe, Wi-Fi

This hotel offers a less-expensive alternative to larger competitors such as the Hilton. It might remind you of a motel, thanks to exterior hallways and furniture like you might expect within a well-kept roadside inn in Florida. The staff here is less alert and well informed than you might hope for, but rooms are comfortable and there's a sense of well-ordered decency and thrift. Each of the rooms has either two double beds or one king-size bed, and all units contain a small private bathroom with tub/shower combination. The hotel's most alluring feature is its large swimming pool.

Facilities:
Restaurant; bar; pool; Jacuzzi; room service; babysitting; laundry service/dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility.
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Hotel Four Seasons
18 Ruthven Road,
Kingston
Phone 876/929-7655

Location: Kingston 10. Near Halfway Tree Rd, Kingston
Room Information: 76 units
Prices: Year-round US$150 (£75) double
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover(y), MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, fridge (in some units), iron, safe, Wi-Fi

Small-scale, well maintained, and respectable, this is one of the most appealing hotels in Kingston, thanks to a sophisticated design that combines a once-private home with a rambling series of modern wings, courtyards, gardens, and fountains. Rooms are cozy and comfortable, but the spiritual core of the place is the Elizabethan-inspired bar and restaurant. Owned by two German sisters, this place enjoys something approaching cult status in Germany. Guest rooms evoke the furnishings of a well-maintained, upscale motel, and are usually decorated in wicker or plantation-style furniture. Most rooms have French doors opening onto private balconies or patios, overlooking either the garden or the pool. Each unit comes with a small private bathroom. Oh, and don't be confused by the name: It has absolutely no association with the big Four Seasons hotel chain.

Facilities:
Restaurant; 2 bars; pool; gym; limited room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms
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Indies Hotel
5 Holborn Road,
Kingston
Phone 876/926-2952

Location: Kingston 10. Near Intersection of Trafalgar Road
Room Information: 15 units
Prices: Year-round US$67-US$70 (£34-£35) double
Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, iron, safe

On a small side street in the heart of New Kingston, opening onto a flower garden, this half-timbered building with double gables features a small reception area decorated with potted plants. The adequate and reasonably comfortable bedrooms, restaurant, and bar are grouped around a patio. Each unit is furnished with a small bathroom with a shower. There's a friendly atmosphere and good-quality budget meals. The fish and chips are good, and they also bake pizzas, serve steak with all the trimmings, and sometimes cook lobster thermidor.

Facilities:
Restaurant; bar; limited room service; laundry service; dry cleaning.
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Kingston Hilton Hotel
77 Knutsford Blvd,
Kingston
Phone 876/929-7439

Location: Kingston 5. The center of New Kingston.
Room Information: 303 units
Prices: Year-round US$140-US$239 (£70-£120) double; from US$346 (£173) suite. Children under 12 stay free in parent's room
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover(y), MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, hair dryer, safe, Wi-Fi
Free Parking

This imposing mass of pink stucco pierced with oversize sheets of tinted glass is an almost peas-in-the-pod version of the Pegasus : If you were to wake up in the middle of the night at either hotel, it would take a minute to discern which hotel you're sleeping in. The main core of the hotel is an 18-floor tower, containing 190 of the guest rooms. The remainder of the units lie within the two-story lanai wing, where rooms have balconies and windows that actually open onto views of the surrounding cityscape and/or the pool area. Rooms in the lanai wing are a bit cheaper than those in the central tower, and have a decor that's just a bit older. In 2006, the hotel was undergoing a complete refurbishment, accentuating designs that manage to mix an English colonial theme with Jamaica-inspired touches of bright colors and jungle-tropical patterns. Bathrooms are tiled and modern looking, with all the contemporary comforts. On site are four restaurants, the most elaborate of which is the Palm Court Restaurant. Less formal dining is available in the Terrace Cafe.

Facilities:
4 restaurants; 2 bars; nightclub; pool; 2 tennis courts; gym; sauna; business center; limited room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility.
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Morgan’s Harbour Hotel & Marina
Port Royal
Kingston
Phone 876/967-8040

Location: Port Royal, Kingston 1, Port Royal.
Room Information: 60 units
Prices: Year-round US$188 (£94) double; US$225 (£113) suite
Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, minibar, beverage maker, hair dryer, iron, Wi-Fi
Transportation: Take the public ferryboat that departs every 2 hr. from near Victoria Pier on Ocean Blvd.; many visitors arrive by car or taxi

On the premises of this yachtie favorite is a 200-year-old redbrick building once used to melt pitch for His Majesty's navy, a swimming area defined by docks and buoys, and a series of wings whose eaves are accented with hints of gingerbread. Set on 9 hectares (22 acres) of flat and rocky seashore, the resort contains the largest marina in Kingston, plus a breezy waterfront restaurant and a popular bar (where ghost stories about the old Port Royal seem especially lurid as the liquor flows on Fri night). Longtime residents claim that the ghosts of soldiers killed by a long-ago earthquake are especially visible on hot and very calm days, when British formations seem to march out of the sea.
The well-furnished bedrooms are laid out in an 18th-century Chippendale-Jamaican style. Medium-size bathrooms are tidily maintained, each with a shower in the bathroom. The Buccaneer Scuba Club organizes dives to some of the 170-odd wrecks lying close to shore.

Facilities:
2 restaurants; bar; outdoor pool; room service; laundry service; nonsmoking rooms.
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Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel
17 Waterloo Rd
Kingston
Phone 876/926-2211

Location: Kingston 10
Room Information: 35 units
Prices: Year Year-round US$135-US$145 (£68-£73) double; US$280 (£140) suite
Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, minibar, (some) beverage maker, hair dryer, iron, safe

This house is on the western edge of New Kingston, near West Kings House Road. Built in 1924 for a young bride, it was converted into a hotel in 1959. At one time it was the family home of the well-known hotelier and Island Records mogul Chris Blackwell. Set in 1 hectare (2 1/2 acres) of gardens with a backdrop of greenery and mountains, it's now one of the best small Jamaican hotels, although the rooms are rather basic and not at all suited for those who want a resort ambience. Most of the bedrooms are in a new wing. All units have neatly kept bathrooms with shower units.

Facilities:
2 restaurants; coffee shop; 2 bars; pool; fitness center; limited room service; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility.
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The Courtleigh Hotel and Suites
85 Knutsford Blvd
Kingston
Phone 876/929-9000

Location: Kingston
Room Information:127 units
Prices: US$185 double, US$249-US$445.00 suite. All rates include complimentary Alexander's Sunrise Breakfast
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover(y), MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, kitchenette (in some units), coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron, safe, Wi-Fi

We often prefer the Courtleigh to the Hilton or Pegasus because it's a warmer, friendlier place, and has a more personal atmosphere. The prices are affordable as well. The six-floor hotel is the filling in the "sandwich" between the Hilton and the Pegasus, standing at the core of the business district. The well-furnished bedrooms live up to the standards of its two neighbors. We like the mahogany furnishings, evocative of the West Indies, and always request one of the units with a four-poster bed. The suites are particularly notable here, including such extras as big desks, two TVs, a dining table, a kitchenette, and a walk-in closet. Each comes with a midsize, tiled private bathroom with a tub/shower combination. The rectangular pool is often a rendezvous for business clients, and Alexander's, the hotel restaurant, is worth a visit even if you're not a guest.

Facilities:
Restaurant; 2 bars; pool; gym; limited room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; coin-operated laundry; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility.
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The Jamaica Pegasus
81 Knutsford Blvd
Kingston
Phone 876/929-3690

Location: Kingston 5
Room Information: 300 units
Prices: Year-round US$192-US$304 (£96-£152) double; US$350 (£175) junior suite
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover(y), MasterCard, Visa
In-room Amenities: A/C, TV, minibar, hair dryer, safe

A favorite with business travelers, the Jamaica Pegasus barely outclasses its nearest rival, the Hilton. It's located in the banking area of Kingston, which is also a fine residential area. After a major renovation, the hotel is now better than ever and is the site of many conventions and social events. The hotel combines British style with Jamaican warmth, arranging watersports and sightseeing. Each of the well-furnished bedrooms is of moderate size and contains bathrooms with combination tubs and showers and balconies opening onto mountain, sea, or cityscapes. The decorating, in dark tones, often brown, makes you yearn for the lighter pastel look of most Caribbean hotel bedrooms. Several floors of luxuriously appointed suites form the Knutsford Club, which offers special executive services.

Facilities:
3 restaurants; 2 bars; pool; 2 tennis courts; fitness center; 24-hr. business center; room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; jogging trail; rooms for those w/limited mobility.
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