Beaches Ocho Rios, A Spa, Golf & Waterpark Resort

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.

Our wedding was great. They did a good job with helping us through everything. We upgraded and paid for a sit down meal and also an extra hour with the bar and whatever so we could dance after dinner. But the dinner was very long and drawn out that people were leaving before dessert! So we wasted the extra hour for nothing because everyone left. And the resort was not what we hoped or what we paid for. It was way too much money for what we received. 1. Our room smelled musty and moldy and flooded the first night. There were mold spores on the wall. I was planning to get ready with all the girls in our room and there was no way I could do that. There wasn’t even a full length mirror. 2. They moved us, no charge, to a larger room. This one didn’t flood but it was so dark, we couldn’t get any light into the room. So we also couldn’t get ready in there. 3. The new room had a walkout with really poor design, we couldn’t even use it. The floor sloped so we slipped walking down and walking up. I’m not exaggerating haha it was tile and very slippery. 4. We had cockroaches in the room and also noticed them at one of the restaurants we were eating at. 5. Our friends and family had similar issues. Some even had to empty their own dehumidifier daily or it would over flow. 6. The restaurants were clearly understaffed. We often waited until our meals were done before we even got water. Or we had to go to a near by bar to order and get our own drinks. If we did get drinks, we never had the chance to get a refill. 7. One of the staff was opening the sun umbrella for us and it fell onto my head. The metal bar that wings out. Right on the head and pretty hard. All I got was a sorry. I had a headache and sore spot from that one! 8. There was one night that we were all swimming and when we got out there were no towels at all to use. We were all just walking back to our rooms soaking wet without towels 9. You could tell tips were expected and one bar tender even said to my father in law that he should remember to tip his bar tender! For a company that says they’re all inclusive and we do not tip it should be made clear to not ask for or expect tips. They shouldn’t even accept them as it makes people who can’t or don’t feel uncomfortable. There were multiple times that we felt uncomfortable because we didn’t tip. I will say the majority of the staff were extremely nice and helpful but could only do so much. It’s just not what we paid for and not what Sandals/Beaches advertises. We didn’t experience anything like that at our previous visit. For the money we paid, we shouldn’t have experienced any of the above. If one thing happened and they fixed and the rest was perfect, we would’ve been totally ok with it. But there were so many things that were not right and everyone in our party, all 39 of us experienced similar issues. That was kind of embarrassing to us because we chose this place due to their reputation and it was not at all what it should’ve been. Again most of the staff was great, actually it was mostly the entertainment team that was great. Jason being our absolute favorite. We’re honestly hesitant to go to another sandals resort but are hoping things are much better in December for our honey moon that’s already booked. We’re very disappointed in this beaches resort.

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!!!

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!

10/10 beautiful experience. Akeem from entertainment was there to help and was a friend the whole time, the staff in general was very nice and very friendly. the food was very good, and with it being all inclusive, it was extremely easy to relax and enjoy all that the resort has to give.