We did book this as a package tour from Dallas, but we wanted to avoid the all-inclusive gated communities all over Jamaica. These hotels are great for some people, but whilst we were nervous on our first trip to Jamaica, we were also anxious to see something of the local island and culture. The Merrils Beach resorts are a great balance. It’s indeed all inclusive, so you do get the buffet dinners each night, but it’s also locally owned and run. Merrils doesn’t have the big gates and set-back properties. This is right off the main road running through Negril. There is a gate with security guard, but it’s never closed and the guard offered us drugs. However, unlike the gated communities, there were not the same hoards of locals hanging about waiting for the "rich American tourists" to set foot onto their territory. Other than offers of ganja, no one bothered us either on the property or when we ventured out. This was not the same for other vacationers, who painted us a very different picture when we picked them up from the big resorts on the way back to the airport.
The average price for the garden rooms per night was $90 in high season, but booked as a package, the price is much more reasonable. The rooms were lovely. The property is two stories, and we had a top-floor room with a huge balcony overlooking the gardens and a big room decorated in the traditional Caribbean style. There was air-conditioning and telephones but no TV.
Merrils 2 is one of three sister properties all along the same stretch of 7 Mile Beach. You can wander between all three hotels and eat or use the facilities at each, but they are all pretty much the same. There is a nice pool beach bar and dinner buffet on the beach. The buffet dinner had plenty of choices, but the goat curry seemed to consistently be there. It was a good buffet, but nothing amazing. There was enough food, fruits, and desserts for us to be happy. Because it was included in the price, we did eat here some nights, but we also liked to try to food from other cafés and restaurants on occasion. The staff helped us book the excursions we took and were very friendly.
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