Jamaica for Less Than $1,000 a Week : Prices include six nights’ lodging and round-trip air from LAX, but not meals.

An increasing number of resort hotels, in cooperation with charter companies, are offering packages, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, for less than $1,000 per person for six nights or, occasionally, seven. These packages are always for the least expensive room, double occupancy, with no meals--but, as a Jamaican might say, “Hey, mon, it will get you there.”

Prices can change suddenly--and are expected to drop 15%-25% this summer, so always check ahead. (Although Jamaica temperatures average about 85 degrees year-round, with constant trade winds, humidity, which averages 75%-80%, can rise in summer.) You’ll get the best rate, including air fare, through a travel agent or charter package operator (see Guidebook for more details). Be sure to ask about weekly specials. Most packages cannot be booked through the resorts themselves.

MONTEGO BAY

* Hotel Montego--This hotel is mentioned only because it’s the cheapest charter package in Jamaica. Those who just want to get to the country at a rock-bottom price may go for this. Near the international airport, it’s clean and friendly, but a hefty half-hour walk from any beach. $579.

* Seawind Beach Resort--Right on the beach, this place is popular with Canadians (who always seem to spot a good deal). Guest rooms are in two 10-story towers or two-story buildings closer to the beach. Rooms are clean, if basic. Staff is friendly;there’s a fun disco that looks like the inside of a cave. $700.

* Wexford Court--Across the street from the ocean, with a good, informal restaurant serving Jamaican food, the three-story hotel has cheerful rooms overlooking the ocean or garden and pool. $749.

* Fantasy Resort--Right in the heart of the Gloucester Street tourist drag and across the street from the ocean, with a good pool, this eight-story hotel has balconies, nice simple rooms and friendly service. $759.

* Holiday Inn Rose Hall--Six wings of three-story buildings set perpendicular to the ocean means only a limited number of the 500-plus guest rooms have ocean views. But the rooms are clean, the main building filled with shops, the long stretch of beach impressive. There’s also a daily kids’ camp. An excellent buy for those who like big tourist hotels. $819.

* Wyndham Rose Hall--A big beautiful resort (500 rooms) near the Holiday Inn, but classier. Good beach, lots of shops, nice landscaping. $909.

OCHO RIOS

* Hibiscus Lodge--Set on a cliff hanging over the ocean (you’ll have to walk or drive down the road to a beach), this is the best deal on the island. Landscaping is gorgeous, with stone walkways leading through gardens and down to the grotto bar, where chairs are on swings. Rooms are simple and have no telephone or TV but there’s an outdoor TV “room,” and folks come from all over to eat at the hotel’s Almond Tree Restaurant. $719.

* Shaw Park Beach--Oceanfront hotel on a good stretch of white-sand beach. $819.

* Ramada Mallards Beach Hotel--Huge, concrete eyesore, downtown near the cruise-ship terminal. Good beach, clean rooms, but hallways and lounge areas are dowdy. Breakfast included. $889.

NEGRIL

* Poinciana Beach Hotel--Just down the road from Sandals on a nice stretch of beach, this is a popular hotel with three-story pink-stucco buildings. There’s also a children’s program. Breakfast included. $900.

* Rock House--On the cliff end of Negril, with no beach, but very popular with artsy types. Thatch-roof rondavels perched over a labyrinth of seaside grottoes. Rustic but fun. $739.

* Charela Inn--Lushly landscaped, with a good beach. Rooms are very nice, with four-poster beds and wicker furniture. There’s a free cruise each afternoon. $988.

* Negril Beach Club--Rustic but with a nice beach; there are hummingbirds in the pretty garden and some rooms have kitchenettes. $658.

* T-Water Cottages--Breakfast and salad-bar lunch are included at this beachfront hotel. Lots of coconut palms. Simple but friendly. $819.

* Summerset Village--Way down a side road from the ocean, near the tourist souvenir stands; not a great location. $609.

* Samsara Hotel--Bare-bones basics, dilapidated rooms, on a cliff so no beach--just a rock ledge for jumping into ocean. Only good thing about this place is that there often are live reggae concerts on the beach Monday nights. Many charter companies sell Samsara. Avoid it. $700.

PORT ANTONIO

* Admiralty Club, Navy Island--Fun, informal cabana resort a 10-minute ferry ride from Port Antonio harbor. Airy lounge and bar on second floor of the lodge building, with views of Port Antonio and reggae dancing on the beach Thursday nights. Sometimes the price includes scheduled air transport from Mo-Bay; other times you’re advised to rent a car for the five-hour drive from Mo-Bay, or two hours from Ocho Rios. $1,000.

* Bonnie View Plantation Hotel--Set high on a hill above Port Antonio, this place has pleasant rooms and great views of the Blue Mountains and is the perfect spot for watching the sunset. Transport from Mo-Bay not included. $742.