6 Jamaica All-Inclusive Resorts (Adults Only) for a Parental Break in Paradise

Often times, it’s the fear of being stuck on a compound that scares couples away from the idea of an all-inclusive vacation. But the breezy layout of this property on Negril’s famous Seven Mile Beach has an open layout that doesn’t feel like a mass resort at all

The low-slung resort lies cradled by palm trees just back from the beach, with an open-flow plan that puts most guest rooms just a few steps from the pools and sand. The restaurants here are all sheltered from the elements yet open-air. Wherever you sit to eat you can count on enjoying sea views with your meal.

Spend your days sipping a cappuccino overlooking the sea at the buffet restaurant, heading to the beach for a spot of waterskiing (included, of course) or just relaxing with a cocktail at the pool bar. Come evening time, there’s themed entertainment nightly that segues into late-night fun at Sandals’ onsite piano bar.

Dining options at Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa let you mix things up during your stay. On a lazy beach day, you can grab a gourmet pizza from the Naples-style pizzeria to enjoy down on the beach. Go more upscale and romantic at night, with a candlelit table for two at a waterfront seafood restaurant where you eat lobster with your toes in the sand.

If you think romantic, adults-only vacations in over-water bungalows are relegated to long-haul flights and South Pacific locales, we’ve got good news.

Jamaica is home to some of the only true over-water bungalows on this side of the planet. You’ll find them perched over a clear blue Caribbean lagoon in Montego Bay at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island, where butler service at the ready makes guests feel like royalty (Need some clothes ironed or a dinner reservation? Your butler is at your service).

The property’s setting, on a calm and sheltered beach, means it’s almost always possible to head out for a snorkel or tranquil kayaking session a deux. Swim-up pools bars and freshwater relaxation await at the resort’s seven onsite pools, so wherever you wander on the spread-out grounds, you’ll never be far from a refreshing dip.

The resort’s all-inclusive restaurant options are particularly diverse. A typical day’s dining might include a breakfast buffet overlooking the sea to start your day, jerk chicken from a beach-side shack for lunch, and dinner options that range from fresh lobster at an elegant Italian spot to Thai fare on the resort’s private island, accessed via a quick boat jaunt across the lagoon.

Multigenerational travel is booming. Families are going on vacation together and bringing along everyone from the new baby to the grandparents. For couples in that equation, rest assured that you can have your own adults-only oasis right next to a sister property that welcomes families and children when you stay at the Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall.

Located right next to the family-friendly sister property, Hyatt Ziva, the Zilara remains an adults-only oasis where you can wake up late in your luxurious swim-up pool suite, head next-door for a group lunch with the gang (Zilara guests have access to all Ziva restaurants), then retreat back to the adults-only side of the Hyatt for time in your exclusively adult world. Onsite at Zilara, five restaurants and bars are included in your rates. And you can splurge on a treatment from the Zen Spa, where the wellness cabanas overlook the Caribbean Sea.

Nature surrounds you at this luxe Montego Bay getaway where the sound of the lapping sea and the twitter of tropical birdsong are the soundtrack for an idyllic vacation.

The private peninsula locale of this adult-only all-inclusive resort, Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay, makes it feel worlds away from Mo Bay’s bustling Hip Strip tourist drag, a drive of just 15 minutes to the north should you want to shop for souvenirs or mingle with the cruise-ship masses. Being so close to all the attractions of the Montego Bay-area yet so delightfully removed from the crowds is just part of what makes a stay at Secrets Wild Orchid so enticing.

Reservations are never required at the seven included gourmet a la carte restaurants, adding a spontaneous element to your romantic nights here. Guests can also freely access all of the restaurants at the family-friendly sister property, Secrets St. James, right next door.

A typical day revolves around enjoying the beach, pools and many included water sports, which might see you partaking in a scuba diving lesson, learning to sail a catamaran, or quickening your pulse during a water aerobics class — just a few of the many offerings included in your stay.

As long as you don’t mind not being right on the beach (it’s across the street, accessed through the Secrets resorts and open to Breathless guests, too), this contemporary, adults-only all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay might be just what you’re looking for.

While many Jamaican properties skew romantic, Breathless Montego Bay is better known for its party scene. It draws groups of vacationing friends as much as it attracts the couple clientele.

The property’s 150 suites have high-tech touches, such as in-room tablets and electronic lighting and curtain control — great for setting the mood whether you want dim and cozy or bright and alive. Perks that make up for the fact that you’re not right on the beach here include an Instagram-worthy rooftop pool (purportedly the only one in Montego Bay) with a lively bar and the resort’s non-stop schedule of themed parties and dance nights featuring live DJs.

You never need to make reservations at the seven onsite restaurants at Breathless. For seafood, head to Fish Nets where they’re specializing in grilled and Caribbean-influenced preparations of local and imported fish. Get your fix of Latin-America cuisine at Sofrito or keep it simple at Spoon — the resort’s popular buffet restaurant with international fare and tasty salad selections. And don’t miss trying a Jamaican patty (the island’s favorite fast food) at Bare Buns Grill, at the resort’s beach club.

Guests love that they can mix things up during their stays by taking advantage of the included “exchange privileges” at Secrets Wild Orchid and Secrets St. James, across the street, where nearly 20 additional bar and dining options await. Breathless guests are also free to use the beachfront facilities at the Secrets properties, too, as well as the various pools.

Negril is famous for the golden sands of Seven Mile Beach. But when you turn the corner west from there and make for the town’s cliff-fringed West End, you enter a more adult-oriented vacation oasis lined with independent restaurants and stylish little boutique hotels secreted away at the edge of scenic limestone cliffs.

An all-inclusive property for adults only, The Caves feels far more like a boutique hotel than anything else. It sports just 12 thatched roof cottages and one vacation villa, dubbed Clandestino, where guests spend star-filled nights in the ultimate private setting. When you fancy a swim, you can leap right off the edge of the bluff or descend ladders from the clifftops into the impossibly clear seas below.

Daily meals, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks and non-motorized water sports (snorkeling, SUP and sea kayaking among them) are all included in the rates. For something really special, it’s worth splurging on a five-course gourmet dinner for two in one of Jamaica’s most romantic hotel settings. At a candlelit restaurant inside a sea cave burrowed into the base of the cliffs, you can gaze at each other while toasting the good life mere feet from the gentle waves.