The hotel is very beautiful and large, however it did feel like we were the only people there. I would stay here again but only for a few days due to it being far from town centre (not within walking distance) and the lack of atmosphere.

The place was covered in art which varied from terrible, to very good, but all in all there was too much art on the walls which made the place look cluttered. There were also a lot of birds in cages on the property. They were very beautiful but I couldn't help feeling sorry for them.

The breakfast was very nice and so was the lunch, however we never ate dinner there as it was very expensive. Instead we caught a taxi to port antonio town centre and bought dinner there.

The view is lovely and so is the building itself and it would be ideal for a wedding or a romantic honeymoon or getaway if you appreciate quite surrounding and like being alone.

The hotel is a short taxi ride away from the Blue Lagoon and San San beach. Boston Bay, famous for its jerk chicken is also not too far away neither is Port Antonio Town Centre, but it is too long to walk to any of these places.

The room was very nice and clean, however I did see a coakroach in the bathroom and called the maid to remove it. But as someone who has lived in Jamaica before, I recognise that coakroaches can just fly in and they are not necessarily accurate indicators of the cleanliness of a place.

I would stay here again

I'm going to try to be generous here, but I think I speak for a large contingent of the 52 people who stayed here for 4 days that this was lackluster in so many many ways.

We cannot blame the poor roads and the lack of infrastructure (making our journey from Kingston Airport in a minibus a full five hours at night) but regrettably, upon arrival, our weary bones were met with rock-hard beds, air conditioning that vascillated between freezing and non-functioning, half the rooms had the smallest televisions ever invented and the pillows were lumpy and stale (that fusty smell).

Breakfast is the meal to eat here, particularly if you like local food. Then go elsewhere. Not sure where, but do not waste your money here. The service is nice enough, but just to give you an example, we were served for our final farewell dinner the same pieces of (unheated) chicken from the lunch buffet - cold and with a wilted lettuce garnish. More than a dozen people pushed the fish away which was beyond "fishy" and off. Those, like me, who braved a mouthful spat it out somewhat indelicately. This is not a place you come to for the food nor the room.

What this eclectic place has is potential ... it is a vast property that has oodles of bizarre (and much of it tacky, such as the painted sofa - literally, someone threw pea green paint on a chaise and so it's all cracking now) art and a checkerboard theme throughout the property. It has a nice pool, it has beautiful open spaces. Great for a wedding, but hire in someone who can cook good food because it's not here. There is a beach not too far away, but things seem to just be somewhat tired ... around this entire area.

The staff were mixed. Personalities had been labotomised from the front desk, but bar staff were charming.

The road trip from hell to Montego Bay was what we ended up with after four days. I would not go back, but would like to hear that someone had given it a good refurbishment.

The Jamiaca Palace Hotel is a massive white building that gives the impression of a colonial hotel.

The place is full of art from who knows where. The rooms are very spacious and clean. The hotel's grounds are lush tropical gardens and are well kept. As far as safety goes, there is a guard 24/7, but Port Antonio is perfecly safe.

What is wrong with this place then, you may ask? Well, not much as far as appearance goes. The service wasn't great, but not bad either.

What got to us was the lack of atmosphere, it felt like we were the only people staying in the hotel. I didn't want an all inclusive party palace, but at least play some music at the bar/restaurant. When there is cruise ship in, the place comes alive and busses drops of passengers to stare at the art.

There is not a beach within walking distance, but you have great views of the ocean/bay and the mountains. The food is average and overpriced at best. Get a taxi and go eat out at San-San Tropez, Mille Fleurs or if you are on a budget go into Port Antonio and have a meal in the bay.

All in all a pleasant stay but the place didn't catch my imagination.

To sum it up: Save, clean, lack of atmosphere.

We ended up at the Jamaica Palace by coincidence, having checked out of the Great Huts down the road.

It's an amazing looking place - it was apparently built in the 1980s but looks older. The buildings and grounds were absolutely immaculate
in every way. There is art and scuptures displayed everywhere - on every wall and corridor and inside the rooms - and much of it was fantastic, particularly in the main reception. The taste of the decor is bizarre - ruffles and swags everywhere, but it kind of works. Each room has a huge circular bed right in the middle which was very comfy, and a sunken bath.

The pool (in the shape of Jamaica) was deserted the whole time we were there, so it was blissful to have it to ourselves. The strange thing was the lack of guests - it felt like we were intruding - almost as if they would prefer not to have anyone staying as it made the hotel easier to keep perfect.

The service (with the exception of one waiter) was very poor - quite attentive, but no smiles.

There aren't any other food options around the hotel and the menus at the hotel are exactly the same every day - after 3 days we were fed up of the choices. But generally the quality of the food was pretty good. Meals are around $10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch, $30 for dinner.

I wouldn't go out of my way to go to the Jamaica Palace for more than a few days - but it's not a bad choice in the area and the hotel itself was lovely.

There didn't seem to be any room for negotiation on the rates - a standard room is $150 including tax.