Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay

So, I’ve thought long and hard about how to review this hotel fairly because there were some very good things about it and overall I had a lovely time and a great holiday. However, there were definitely some issues that I wouldn’t have expected given how the hotel sold itself. The good: firstly the staff absolutely 100% make this resort. They are friendly, helpful, cheerful and just all around brilliant. I don‘t recognise any of the complaints about staff in the other reviews, everyone we interacted with was great and so helpful. The location is beautiful. The beaches are lovely and well kept. The resort was clean and tidy throughout our stay. The rooms are a decent size and well laid out. The beds were comfortable, the water pressure in the bathrooms was good. Breakfast was excellent and we never had an issue getting a table. Drinks were well made, bar service was great. We also didn‘t have any issues with beach service, we weren‘t ignored and the ladies were lovely, and we definitely weren‘t tipping American amounts so that‘s not the explanation for why other people have had issues! We were checked in pretty quickly, same for check out. We were offered a drink at check in and help with our cases. We had no billing issues. Front desk were helpful throughout the stay. When our airport transfer was late, staff were concerned and made enquiries on our behalf without us asking. To the not-so-good: Rooms - we upgraded one of our rooms to ocean view. What we got was a room stuffed in a dark, dank corner behind the pool hut. We could sort of see the ocean past the pool hut, pool etc but it was a terrible location, the terrace was mosquito central, it was dark, and throughout the day we were right next to the party pool zone so no ability to relax in the room, it was just too loud. Ironically the other “garden view” room had a much nicer view of the ocean and wasn’t in party central - and yes we did check that the rooms hadn‘t been mixed up. Work that one out, if you can. We had a lot of mosquitos in the room. Mosquitos are to be expected in Montego Bay, as are other bugs, but ideally your room is not infested. We had the room sprayed but they still kept coming, we saw them emerging from the drains on more than one occasion. The evening food and bar situation needs a radical overhaul. We were sold the resort on 7 a la carte restaurants. At no point in our stay were that many restaurants available. At most, there were 5 open on any given night, and normally only 4. One night, there were only three open and there were hour long waits to get seated, which is unacceptable. The opening hours and days for the bars and restaurants didn‘t seem to follow either the in room information or any set pattern, so every night we just had to go out to see what was available. The fish grill was open only 2 nights of our entire 2 week stay. The Barracuda bar closed at 6 some nights, 9 other nights, occasionally at 10 o‘clock as advertised. When it was closed, the only evening bars were the Piano bar which was loud and busy, or the lobby bar which is in DESPERATE need of air conditioning - it is a sweltering pit and, room situation not withstanding, it was the place I got bitten the most. Facilities were also closed at random to paying guests in order to facilitate conferences. The other problem with the evening food is the lack of choice. The a la carte restaurant menus are typical for an all inclusive in terms of lack of choice - but here there is no evening buffet to fall back on if there is nothing you can eat, or want to eat. One of our party was vegetarian and there just isn‘t really any choice for vegetarians. One of the restaurants doesn‘t have a vegetarian main at all, others had a single option which wasn‘t always a complete meal (e.g. a very small ratatouille served without carbs or protein). My final gripe is that for those outside the preferred club, there was no quiet beach or pool to sit at during the day. Both beach areas and pools were party pools playing loud music. Overall I think the hotel is more aimed at Americans coming over for three or four nights, and not Europeans who typically are staying for a longer holiday. It was nice. If you can get it on a deal, you probably won’t feel cheated. I probably wouldn‘t return though.

Over all I was truly satisfied with the resort, the staff and the food. Great trip for a friends 40th birthday celebration!

Great bartenders and service staff. Food was excellent. But the check-in/out staff left a lot to be desired. We missed out on many amenities that came with our honeymoon due to miscommunication and they did very little to try to make it right before we left. Seriously considering not rebooking. This was supposed to be our dream vacation, and the best experience of our lives, but we both left with bad tastes in our mouths. We had hoped they would try to make things right, but all they did was give us the phone number of a manager and said we would have to call them. They didn't even offer to have a manager talk to us while we were there. That is not what we call good service.

We met Mrs. Cassandra Johnson-Wint a couple of years ago at Secrets Montego Bay, Jamaica, and she instantly felt like family! For our recent wedding anniversary trip, we booked again—and Cassandra did not disappoint. Every single day, we were greeted with thoughtful gifts and surprises in our room. She even decorated our door! Her attention to detail and genuine care made our celebration unforgettable. Cassandra is truly a top-tier concierge—absolutely the tip of the spear!

The hotel is no longer top quality when it comes to food, service, and staff. I came here in 2018 before they sold the hotel and the experience was much better. Now I would not come back here. Please be aware of the discount for the Spa. They told me they were charging me the discount because of the vouchers we had but when we got home we found out that they charged us full price instead of the stated discount price on the voucher! They will also hound you to join there hotel program which made our vacation very stressful. Beware!