Beaches Ocho Rios

Only here due to a friend’s wedding. First time in Jamaica, for the price of this resort and what we got is ridiculous. Food was inedible most of the time. Did enjoy the tortellini at the Venetian. And the omelets in the morning, but other than that, extremely subpar even for an all inclusive. The rooms were decent, beds were comfortable and the a/c worked. Most of the workers were very nice. Definitely needs to be updated a ton! Half the time the activities didn’t happen that were on the board. This is my first impression of beaches/sandals and it is not a good one for me. Did also enjoy the snorkeling that was provided at no cost. The weather and the company of the wedding party made this trip the 3 stars.

This resort was the best all inclusive resort we have ever been to. The staff were very welcoming and kind. The staff catered to our vegetarian diet. The water slides were amazing and my children had the time of their life. There were eggless crepes on demand as well as soft serve ice cream and pizza. This resort set the bar that I don't think any resort can match up to. It was very sad hearing they may be closing their doors but I hope if they reopen they maintain this standard.

This was a family trip. This is a great place for kids, not so much for adults. On the plus size, bed was super comfy, and the view was great from penthouse honeymoon junior suite...shared roof top with a fantastic ocean and hotel view. Furnishings rather dated. Food was good. Service average, not overly friendly until they started trying to get you to book again, then it was the hard sell. Beach very small and difficult to get a decent spot and forget about getting a shaded spot at the pool unless you want to get up at 5am. Overall not worth the cost...will not return to this location.

A Bittersweet Goodbye to an Amazing Resort!||We had a fantastic holiday at Sandals/Beaches—just as we’ve come to expect from them. About a month before we were due to travel, we found out the resort was closing. As it turned out, it was closing on the very day we were due to leave. We joked that we might be the last guests... well, guess what? We were! Our flight was the last one out of Jamaica on the 31st of May, and we literally had the entire resort to ourselves.||We were given an upgraded room without even asking—complete with an amazing sea view and beautifully kept gardens. The room was huge, and the aircon was so effective we had to ask for extra blankets. That’s the level of ‘cool’ we’re talking about!||The food? Spot on. Plenty of choice every day, and because the resort was quiet, we could dine wherever we wanted with no waiting around. We tried every restaurant and never had to queue once—a VIP experience without the price tag!||What really made the trip though? The staff. Every single person was warm, friendly, and genuinely wanted to know how our holiday was going. They didn’t just tick a customer service box—they actually cared.||Even as the final guests, they kept all the facilities open for us. On the very last day, they even opened the water park just for my daughter—how special is that?||Would we go back if it wasn’t closing? 100% yes. No question.

This was our first time out of the country and Sandals Resort made it a memorable one with great staff, hospitality, food, entertainment and the landscape was beautiful! Also, we met a lot of nice people that added to our dream vacation. Thank you for the warm welcome and lovely staff, it made our dream vacation one to remember!!!

The Good:||Stunning ocean views and well-maintained grounds.||Most staff were friendly and helpful.||Pools and water slides were excellent. There were always a lot of fresh, clean towels available. ||The food offered plenty of options, and getting reservations was not very hard.||Snorkeling was fun on the one day we were able to go out on the water.||The Not-So-Good:||The resort is showing its age, with peeling paint, chipped tiles, and other small maintenance issues. Nothing major, but noticeable.||Pool tables were poorly equipped, with only one usable cue stick and one set of balls for two tables.||Tennis courts need new nets and an overhead sun screen. Borrowed rackets and balls were old, and it was too hot to play comfortably in April.||For the high price of the resort, these issues should have been addressed.||Service Problems:||Only one out of five or six days has water sports available. On some moderate-wind days, activities could have been offered, but they still kept the red flag up. Again, the wind was moderate and not a safety issue in the afternoon. A few water sport staff around the sailboats were unhelpful or borderline rude, which left a negative impression despite most being friendly. The water sports staff would asked us to come back later, but they weren’t available later and did not help with the promised refresher lesson. ||We booked a zip line excursion with “all-day upgraded tickets” costing around $1,000 for four people. We were told we could spend as much time as we wanted, but transportation scheduling with multiple resort stops meant the return van had to leave around 1:00 when the entire group was departing, this limited us to just the zip line and one other ride. With the red flag day, there was really nothing to do but fight for a pool spot back at the resort. ||You also need to get up early to reserve your spot around the pool. People get up very early and put towels down to reserve and they would keep "their sport" for most of the day even if they were not there. Because of this, it was hard to get four chairs together. ||The mixed drinks seemed watered down. Normally, I only need a couple of mixed drinks to start feeling it. Not the case here. I could drink several with no effect. The same issue with my wife. ||Bottom Line:|The resort has a beautiful location, good food, and a good water slide, but aging equipment, inconsistent service, poor drinks, and limited activity availability make it feel far overpriced.

The airport in Ocho Rios had no flights for us to flight into. The room’s ac did not work properly. The cold water facet did not work at all. Requested wine, beer and it was NEVER delivered to room. The restocking of the refrigerator was poor. The food was mediocre at best. At the French restaurant, the table we were seated had small worms on table cloth. We asked for a new table but waitress just brushed them off. There were too many pushy vendors selling their merchandise. They were obnoxious. The pool staff at the slide area did nothing. They hung out under the cover joking and carrying on with other staff. No one asked if we wanted drinks. They would pick up drinks when we were not even done. Being a first timer, was not given instructions about what restaurants were open and when or where to find the information. For a 4 star resort, it was a 2 (at best) star experience. NEVER AGAIN!

We had this vacation booked for over 6 months. Admittedly, we were a bit nervous to find out two days before our arrival that the resort would be closing at the end of May. We weren’t sure what to expect. This was also our first time leaving the country with our teenage daughters. |In spite of all that, I can’t help but share our experience. |After clearing customs in Montego Bay (not too stressful for a family of 4), we were directed to the Sandals/Beaches Welcome Lounge. Our luggage was checked and we only waited about 10-15 minutes to be escorted to the shuttle. I’ll admit the ride TO Ocho Rios was long. Our driver, Delroy kept us entertained and it’s no fault of his. He was nice enough to stop halfway for a quick bathroom break. We were driving in the middle of the afternoon so there was traffic. By the time we arrived, it had been at least 2 hours, possibly a little longer. |Upon our arrival, we were greeted with cold towels and brought into the lobby and introduced to the concierge team while our luggage was brought to the room.|I think we can all admit that the facilities are a bit “tired.” As with some other reviews, I did pick up on an odor of musty/mildew in the main lobby area. Many of the exteriors had chipped paint or rotted trim. Our room itself was very clean, again dated, but had everything we needed. The housekeeper was very good about keeping everything stocked and we never needed to ask for anything. It was clear, though, that the staff has done a lot to keep things up around the resort as a whole. We constantly observed painters, landscapers, etc. I cannot imagine the effort it takes to upkeep a resort where there is a constant turnaround of guests, coupled with being close to salt water (which we all know can wreak havoc!). |The food at the resort was OK. The breakfast buffet was outstanding every day with a huge variety of hot and cold options. The BBQ Park burgers and nuggets were favorites for our kids. The soft serve machines were a welcome treat as well! We were invited by the concierge team to a “welcome back” dinner for families who had visited previously. This was the highlight meal of the trip (aside from our daughter’s birthday dinner). We had notified the concierge previously that our daughter would be celebrating her birthday. On that day, they came to our room with a small cake and balloons for her. At dinner, the staff sang Happy Birthday. |The activities we arranged for were great…..the best being the snorkeling. It was a new experience for all 4 of us. The Glass Bottom Boat and kayaking were fun as well, just be cautious of choppy seas….only Mother Nature has control over that! Our daughters loved the Water Park, in particular the slides. I enjoyed the lawn chess with one daughter and was able to teach my daughters to play pool, as there were 2 tables within the water park area as well. |Photographers around the resort will take candid photos of the families from time to time and everyone gets a complimentary photo session on the beach. While we were very satisfied with the quality of the photos and the quantity, the price for just the digital photos seemed excessive to us. It was no less than $300 for just 15 of the images and the pricing went up for there. We hadn’t paid for anything else asides for small incidentals and spa|appointments so we took the vacation photo book. After all, it wasn’t an “everyday trip.”|I can’t say enough about the resort staff….from|the concierge team, to servers, bartenders, housekeeping, photographers, activity directors and anyone else that contributes. Everyone we came in contact with was wonderful; so friendly, always smiling and ready to help with anything we needed and joke around at the same time. |When it came time to depart, we left our luggage outside the room and it was brought to the shuttle. The process was very smooth. Fortunately, we had a much larger and more comfortable shuttle for the return trip to the airport. Because we departed the resort at 6am, we encountered no traffic and the ride was only 1.5 hours to the airport. It definitely felt quicker. |All in all, our family had a terrific time and made some great memories. I would hope Beaches is able to showcase the resort once again after the major renovations are complete. Not once did we feel unsafe or ignored. Our family was grateful to have the experience we did!