FAQs
Q. Why should I choose a Villa?
A private villa is a unique vacation experience! The relationships formed with the staff and management allows guests to feel like they are actually a part of the Jamaican culture, think of our villas as your “Jamaican” home away from home. The villa experience is about personalized attention and service. Have a special meal request? No problem. Would you like having a private beach or pool all to yourself? Lounging in a hammock in your own private tropical garden? This is all possible when renting a villa through our company. Privacy, the ability to set your own schedule, genuine relaxation, and the opportunity to experience true Jamaican luxury.
Q. What is the maximum occupancy of a villa?
As a general rule, villas have a maximum occupancy of 2 guests per bedroom. Therefore if you are a party of six, we suggest a three-bedroom villa. If you are a party of eight, a four-bedroom villa is most suitable, etc. Since villas are wonderful accommodation choices for families, additional children may be accommodated beyond the maximum occupancy if enough bedding is in place at the particular villa chosen. In some cases, additional adults can be accommodated, however additional person charges or cot fees may apply
Q. What is the minimum night-stay?
Most villas have at least a two night minimum, however you must check the details of the individual villa you are planning on renting as the limit may vary. During the Christmas/New Year's holiday, most owners will allow 7 nights for Christmas week and 7 nights for New Years week. There are some villa owners that require 10 or 14 nights over Christmas and New Years.
Q. Are the rates per person/per night?
Rates shown on our site are daily prices per villa. For example, Amedis has 6 bedrooms with a maximum capacity of 12, priced at $3000 USD per day. The break down per person would be $250 USD per person, per day.
Q. What are the dates for high & low season?
Most properties have two rates, one for high season and one for low season. High season runs from mid December to mid April, and low season from mid April to mid December each year.
Q. Is a deposit required to book a villa?
Most villas do require a deposit to secure your dates. This can range from the price of one night’s stay up to 50% of your total. It all depends on the villa. This information can be found on their individual pages on the website
Q. Is tax and gratuity included?
Most private villas include tax in their rates. Staff gratuity however, is not included and we suggest a minimum of 10% in high season and 15% gratuity in low season for staff services. Gratuity is based on the total villa cost and should be paid to the staff directly at the end of your stay. We suggest you split the gratuity between the staff instead of leaving one lump sum. Using your own discretion, you may choose to give a larger portion of the tip to the staff member who provided the majority of the services or who provided services above and beyond the call of duty.
Q. What are the available services ?
Housekeeping- Housekeeping services are offered to all villas, most without an additional service fee.
Chef- In most cases the chef will come at an additional $60 USD per day cost. However villas such as Amedis, and Sea Breeze come with a chef included in their daily price.
Butler- A butler is included in the pricing of Amedis and Sea Breeze Villa. Also available upon request for an additional cost at the other villas.
Security- Some villas have security guards who live on property in separate housing.
Babysitting- Nannies are available upon request
Transportation- South Coast Villas Ja has an airport transport service that cost $100 for up to 4 guests. The vehicle will pick you up from the airport and take you directly to the villa.
Tours- We have partners with StoffinJA to provide day tours to main attractions across the island. You can check out their brochure here .
Q. What additional costs should we plan for?
Food, transportation, tours & excursions, and incidentals (e.g. phone calls) are not included in the cost of your rental. Food costs can vary greatly depending on food preferences and quantity. Simple meals like a traditional Jamaican chicken fricassee with rice and salad can be more affordable. If you prefer multi-course meals or entrees requiring imported ingredients, seafood, steaks, etc, then the food cost can rise significantly. An estimated average would be about $55. - $65. USD per person per day /less for children. Food costs can fluctuate in Jamaica just as in the states. We have a team of drivers available at your request and airport transportation can also be arranged.
Q. Can I use my cell phone in Jamaica?
Jamaica's cellular system operates on the TDMA and/or GSM network. If your cell phone is TDMA or GSM compatible and your provider has a roaming agreement with Jamaica you may be able to use your phone. Be warned however that the roaming charges can be very expensive. We recommend you check with your cellular service provider in advance to make sure of compatibility. Alternatively, you may also rent a cell phone in Jamaica and set up a temporary account with Jamaica's cellular provider. The chip costs about $5 USD and credit is applied to make calls and use data as needed.
Q. Do the private villas in Jamaica have Internet access?
Yes, 99% of the private villas in Jamaica have internet access. You can check the "Amenities" option on each villa link to be sure your villa choice has Internet.
Q. What is the electrical system in Jamaica?
Jamaica's electrical system is the same as the U.S. 110 volts / 50 cycles so you will not need an adapter if you opt to bring items requiring electricity such as hairdryers or portable stereos.
Q. What is the currency in Jamaica?
The official currency in Jamaica is the Jamaican Dollar. Currently the exchange rate South Coast works with is approximately $1.00 USD = $145.00JMD (subject to change). The exchange rate may be different when you go to exchange money into Jamaican Dollars at banks, licensed exchange bureaus in the airport or in resort towns. Most establishments also accept US dollars, traveler's checks, and credit cards.
Q. What should we bring with us?
Jamaica has a tropical climate and day-time temperatures are usually in the 80's or 90's, so light summer clothing is recommended. You may wish to bring a light sweater for winter evenings when the temperature can get into the 70's or for air-conditioned restaurants. In general, Jamaica is casual in style and we therefore recommend you not bring expensive jewelry along. Please do bring personal toiletries such as toothpaste and shampoo. Sunblock and mosquito repellent are also good items to have handy. Villas provide bed linens and bath towels, however you may wish to carry your own beach towel. You may also reduce your grocery budget by bringing NON-perishable food items like canned tuna fish, peanut butter, cereal, etc. Items such as these are not locally produced and can therefore be fairly expensive.
Q. What are my payment options?
We have a chip reader powered by Stripe payment. Your deposit can be made villa the reserve page of the villa you have decided on. The balance will be handled upon departure with the chip reader.
Q. What are our cancellation policies?
In general, private villas reservations are nonrefundable. We therefore highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance is available to all clients within the continental United States and can be added to your booking anytime, but not once you have advised of cancellation of a reservation. Please read all coverage details that pertain to pre-existing health concerns.
Should you need to cancel your reservation, and have not taken travel insurance, we will always do our best to negotiate a refund, or a credit for a future stay, for you with the property owner, however success cannot be guaranteed. If we are able to negotiate a refund for you, an administrative fee will be attached.
Airport arrival
You should arrive at the Montego Bay airport (MBJ). Once you clear immigration and customs, you will proceed to the arrivals hall where your luggage will then be taken by a porter. Your driver will personally meet and greet you at the airport. He will be just outside the glass doors holding a sign with your name/your villa/South Coast Villas Ja. If you decide to take your own mode of transport, make sure you take the relevant villa address and telephone numbers provided.
Check In / Check Out
Please note that the CHECK IN TIME IS 3PM, CHECK OUT TIME IS 11AM. Your staff will be happy to greet you!
Villa Arrival
Upon arriving at your private villa, you will be greeted by the friendly staff, who will give you a tour of the property. You can then select your rooms and relax thereafter. The cook would have prepared your choice of meal and will be served at your preferred dining area. At the end of your stay, the bill for your food purchased will be given.
Staff
The villa staff usually work 8-10 hours per day. For the staff, an appropriate gratuity is 10% – 15% of the villa rental (10% in Winter and 15% in Summer) and the drivers tip is normally $20 a day. Before you depart for your vacation, we will ask you to fill out a Food and Beverage Request Form. This will tell us what you would like for your first dinner and first breakfast. This means that the cook will go out and pre purchase the groceries to make your first meals. Once you are in Jamaica, you can then reimburse him in cash for the groceries. At this time, you can then discuss the types of foods you would like for the rest of your stay, if any one has any allergies or food dislikes etc.The chef will do the grocery shopping for you, however, if you would like to go to the grocery store, you are also welcome to accompany the chef and see what is available.
A good budget is about $45-$65 per adult for 3 meals and about $20 per child per day. Meal costs are variable and depending on what you do choose, this will affect the budget. Choosing items such as lobster, shrimps or imported meats will increase your budget. Also, be aware that local lobster and conch are delicacies that have seasons. The lobster season is closed April 1 to June 30 and the conch season is closed July 1 to October 30.
Occupancy: Your villa has been approved for 2 people maximum per bedroom. Additional guests may be allowed with an extra charge. However, any breach in the maximum approved occupancy, may result in your stay being cut short. Where unexpected extra persons have not gained the approval of the owner and South Coast Villas Ja to stay on the property, guests may incur a nightly extra person charge that must be settled in cash before departing the villa.
Reasonable Care: Please take reasonable care of your personal property and lock away important items either in the villa safe, or in a luggage compartment known to you. South Coast Villas Ja is not responsible for loss or stolen items.
Damages: Any damages to the villa property must be noted and discussed with the head of household before your departure. Please also contact the South Coast Villa Ja office at (876) 577 4598 so we can assess the severity of the damage. Damages can be paid for at the villa or can be deducted from your security deposit.
Loud Music: We want you to have a great time at your villa but please be considerate of your neighbors and have outdoor music turned down by 10pm.
Smoking is only permitted outside of your villa. Please use the outdoor living spaces, verandas and grassy lawn areas for this purpose. Smoking in the home may result in a loss of your security deposit.
Your villa Chef/Cook - Your chef is very versatile and is happy to take your requests, they can also make recommendations for you. It is best to sit down with the cook and work out a schedule for the week. Let your cook know when you will be going out for lunch or dinner so he/she won’t buy groceries for those meals.
Meal Time - Please give the cook some indication of your preference in scheduling of mealtimes. They will do their best to accommodate you so that you can do the relaxing and touring, while they prepare some of the best villa cuisine on island!
Pool Safety - Swimming pools are not guarded and swimming is at your own risk. Please take extra care when around the pool as the deck can be slippery. Keep an extra close eye when children are in and around the pool.
Impromptu events are not permitted. Please advise us if you expect visiting guests or else extra person charges may apply and be taken off your security deposit.
Events and villa staff – If you do have an approved event to be held at the villa, and you want the regular villa staff to participate, we will need to gain the approval of the particular staff that will be able to work. A fee of $50 per staff per event, can be paid for their service. You can pay them this directly after the event.
Weddings – If you are having a wedding at a villa, congratulations! Your villa wedding is going to be gorgeous and will be something you and your guests will remember for a lifetime! You should have already organized your wedding coordinator and have all your vendors in place. Please abide by the noise policy, and extra persons policy. All wedding reception meals must be catered by an outside company which prepares the food offsite. As most villa do not have commercial kitchens, you may use the villa kitchen for prepping and reheating only.
Food/Grocery Bills – Please clear your food and grocery purchases with the cook 1 to 2 days BEFORE you depart the villa. If the cook has accumulated the bills for you, you can tally this with the cook and pay him/her in cash and reimburse the cook. It is important that ALL FOOD/GROCERY/LIQUOR BILLS are cleared 1 to 2 days prior to your departure.
Check Items – Please remember to double check the rooms of the villa for your personal belongings. It is extremely costly to ship things back home and separate courier and administration fees will apply.
Day of departure
On the morning of your departure, enjoy your breakfast before leaving the villa. Your driver will inform you of the pick-up time from the villa. While we wish you did not have to leave our wonderful island, we have to remind you that you need to reach the airport at least 2 hours prior to your flight time.
We look forward to making sure you have a memorable villa vacation in Jamaica!