When you travel, your accommodations set the tone for your entire vacation. When you think about the great vacations that you’ve had in the past, what are the things that come to your mind first? It’s likely that you remember the great beaches, museums and other attractions that you explored, but in terms of sheer quantity, you probably have more memories of being “back home” in your room than just about anything else. Whether it’s enjoying a romantic evening with your spouse, playing a board game with the family or just kicking back and listening to the waves, the place where you stay is going to leave you with some of your favorite vacation memories. Naturally, you want to choose the right place.
In a Caribbean nation like Jamaica, resorts are generally the most popular types of accommodations. Renting a private villa, however, has emerged as a new alternative – and many travelers are finding that it’s absolutely perfect for their needs. Resorts and private villas have their own sets of benefits and drawbacks, and this article will attempt to provide a balanced view of the pros and cons of both types of accommodations. If you’re planning a Caribbean vacation this year, should you stay at a resort or rent a private villa? Let’s dig in.
Pros and Cons of Renting a Private Villa
Complete Privacy
Arguably, the best aspect of renting a private villa is that you really do get to enjoy complete privacy. It’s always quiet, and it’s never crowded. You don’t have to worry about being bothered by unruly guests, and you’re free to let your kids be kids without worrying that they’re disturbing others. You can focus on enjoying the location rather than an artificial, closed-in version of that location full of loud college students on spring break.
Unique Amenities
At every private villa, the ultimate goal is to give guests the feeling that they’re vacationing in true luxury. A private villa can’t offer everything that a resort can, and many villas compensate for that by offering amenities that resorts can’t. Those amenities may include free laundry services, a private driver, a personal chef and a membership to a neighboring resort. With a resort membership, it’s like having the best of both worlds because you have the ability to enjoy the resort’s perks during the day and come back home to quiet and privacy at night.
No Hidden Costs
One of the greatest things about renting a private villa is that the cost is very predictable. If you have any travel experience, you know that the “sticker” price you see when booking a stay at a resort is never what the stay will actually cost. We’ll discuss that in greater detail in the next section. When you rent a private villa, on the other hand, the price you see is the price you pay. The amenities are always included.
Nearby Activities May Vary
One of the benefits of resorts is that staying at a resort is always a safe choice. Let’s suppose, for instance, that you have a business trip coming up. You’re not going to have much time for fun, but you obviously want your accommodations to be nice. If there’s a resort in your destination city, you might choose to stay there because you know that the resort experience is more or less the same everywhere you go.
Choosing a private villa, on the other hand, requires a little research because the activities available on site may differ drastically from one villa to the next. Sometimes, a private villa will actually be on the grounds of a resort, which means that you won’t need to leave the property to visit the beach, go shopping or play a round of golf. That, however, isn’t the case everywhere. Before renting a private villa, you’ll want to learn a bit about the surrounding area.
Pros and Cons of Staying at a Resort
Endless List of Amenities
The more time you spend at a resort during your vacation, the more the resort earns from you. On one hand, that means a resort is actually designed to prevent you from wanting to leave – but on the other hand, it also means that you can stay at a resort and have a spectacular vacation without ever getting lost, fighting your way through traffic or looking for parking spots. At a major resort, you can usually expect to find a large gym, multiple swimming pools, more than one restaurant, on-site shopping, a golf course, direct beach access and more. You can easily stay at a resort for a week and still not see everything the property has to offer.
Planned Activities
If you’re the type who finds it difficult to decide what to do during your vacations, you’ll love the fact that many resorts offer numerous scheduled activities that take place every day. Some of the activities at a large resort may include music, dancing or art classes. A resort may offer guided walks or local history lessons. Sometimes, those activities are even included in your daily resort charge, although popular activities will sometimes fill up quickly – so make your reservation early.
Plenty of Room Options
One of the great things about staying at a resort is that there’s usually no shortage of room options available. If you’re on a tight budget and just want a basic room, you’ll find something at an affordable price if you’re staying in a city that has plenty of resorts competing against one another. If you’re looking for a higher-end suite, resorts can also offer those. A resort will have a limited inventory of upgraded rooms, though, and the costs can be very high because those rooms sell out quickly. On average, you’ll enjoy more space for the money with a private villa.
Conveniences Always Cost Extra
One of the worst aspects of staying at a resort is that you’ll need to pay a daily resort fee on top of the fee that you’re paying for your room. A typical resort charges a daily fee of up to $35. Resorts will tell you that the fee pays for things like pool chairs, gym usage and “free” Wi-Fi – and the fees are always mandatory, even if you don’t plan to use those amenities. In some cases, the daily resort charge doesn’t even include Internet access. In that case, you’ll need to pay an additional fee if you want to get online in your room – and you’ll probably want to pay that fee because using your phone and paying roaming charges would cost even more.
The fees don’t end there. The great thing about staying at a resort is that almost anything you could possibly want is available. The bad thing is that you’ll always pay extra for it. If you rent a car, a resort will usually charge a daily parking fee. The parking lot will be a long distance from your room, though, so you’ll also need to pay a daily valet fee – plus tips – for easy access to your vehicle. The on-site restaurants at a resort are typically excellent, but they’re also usually far more expensive than other restaurants in the surrounding area. If your room doesn’t include a microwave – or you need an extra rollaway bed – the resort can provide those things. However, you’ll need to pay for them as well.
One of the things you must consider when comparing private villas vs. resorts on a cost basis is that the “sticker price” for a resort stay is never what your final price will actually be. Once you factor in all of the surprise fees, your actual cost for staying at a resort can easily be double the advertised price.