Beaches Ocho Rios

“Great Holiday despite hotel closing.”

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… more

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.

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“2.5-Star Resort with 5-Star Prices”

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 fu… more

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.

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“not worth the price”

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 … more

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.

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“Would not recommend”

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 … more

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.

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