Jamaica

If you keep your expectations in check, the hotel is pretty good. The price \ is it worth it ratio is debatable (did I pay for the Jamaica name more than anything else perhaps?) but this is different for everyone. Overall, the hotel is a typical all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. The food is better than most places, with a few exceptions. I was disappointed in the lack of fruit and vegetable selection at breakfast and lunch. I was also disappointed with the lack of choice and places to eat during the day. You get the buffet, a food truck, jerk hut and a coffee shop / ice cream place. That's about it. Would be nice to have more options. You can order a-la-carte via the television, but the choices are minimal and time to bring food is pretty much 45 mins to an hour minimum. The rooms and resort are comfortable and relatively clean. I hated the pillows, but they were typical hotel pillows (way too soft for me). Beds were comfortable (a bit firm for some people maybe, but that's how I like my bed) My one minor negative here is that, while damage does happen in every hotel, they seem to be behind on some repairs. We saw more than just a few re-plastered walls in hallways or dining areas, but not repainted yet at all. Beach in Bloody Bay is always amazing. The water is calm, clear and access is relatively easy. Snorkeling even locally in the bay will allow you to see starfish, minnows, barracudas, crabs, needle-nose fish, and the occasional sting ray (it is an ocean). Pools are clean and there are plenty of them. There seems to be a lack of towels sometimes if you want fresh ones. There seemed to be very few towel locations (I can think of 4 and that's it). However, I only tried to refresh my towels once (and nothing was available around noon-1pm that day), as our butler ensured we had beach towels stocked in our room every day. We had a swimout from our room. It was clean, and really nice. Be warned that most of the swimouts, because of the orientation of the hotel, will be in the shade for most of the afternoon. Sun in the morning, shade by about 1230pm-1pm. We went in January, and the swimouts were almost all in shade, and, because of the time of year, not really used by a lot of people since the water temperature was pretty cold in those pools. Staff was amazing for us. I have no complains about the staff. We took diamond club and had a butler. Honestly should rename that position because they aren't butlers in any traditional sense (and some people seem to think this means they do whatever you tell them to). But ours (Oshane) was one of the nicest folks, and helped us out with restaurant reservations and any minor issues we may have had throughout our stay. Booze is typical all-inclusive. Tons of cocktail sugar drinks you can order and get a headache or bad hangover from. For diamond club, I would have expected a bit more of a selection of more "premium" booze, but it was very small (I think Grey Goose was the most recognizable booze I was allowed to get for vodka). Most of the booze, however, is the headache inducing cheap stuff. Its Jamaica, and they don't serve Appleton?! The resort seemed to be in a deal with Wray and Nephew liquors. Fine, but Appleton Rum is really famous, and to have a resort in Jamaica basically not serve it is kind of weird. If you want particular types of booze or bottles, be prepared to pay (a lot and easily overpriced) for those bottles separately.

This was our second trip to a Secrets Resort (Secrets Cap Cana in 2019). It was also the first time we traveled at "peak season". Overall our stay was great and met our expectations (though we'd say Secrets Cap Cana was a step above this resort). There were many positives about the resort including all the staff - they were great! There were a variety of food options and overall the food was good. There was plenty of space to eat and drink outdoors. Our room had a partial ocean view and generous sized balcony which was great on the the few afternoons where we had some rain. There are two resorts on a fairly "compact" piece of property, and while I wouldn't call it a "party atmosphere", if you are a "people person" either of the Secrets Resorts here would be a great option (if you want plenty of space to yourself or a quieter atmosphere, this may not be the resort for you - an upgrade to the preferred rooms give you access to separate beach and pool areas which are a bit less crowded). There were a few evenings where corporate events were held on the beach but they were very good about respecting the quiet hours and the events ended at 10 (I think, may have been 11). We're early risers so we didn't have an issue finding lounge chairs on the beach (our preference over the pool), but if you like to sleep in you'd have trouble finding a chair (at least one with an umbrella/shade) - again, this likely isn't as much of an issue of you are preferred guest. Even though the resort was very busy, we only had to wait one evening for a short time for a spot for dinner. All restaurants (except some seating at Himatsu) were first come first served, which we preferred. With the exception of Oceana, all the restaurants are in one area, and if you had to wait, you were given a "pager" so you could grab a drink at the piano bar and sit outside while you were waiting. The beach area(s) while not expansive was very well looked after. The water was beautiful, and the walk to the bar was very reasonable (as busy as it was, it was far quicker to make the short walk to the bar yourself, rather than wait for service on the beach). The resort could use some "TLC"; on the surface everything is fine, and it is clean, but if you notice details you can see that some areas do need some extra attention. Overall, we had a great time. The only reason we would choose a different place next time is that we prefer something a little less crowded, but if that isn't an issue for you, we'd recommend this resort.

The resort is huge - takes about 25 minutes to walk from one end to the other. The staff are all hard-working and so so so friendly and nice. The food is delicious and the grounds are so well maintained.

The while place was keep clean constantly. The staff were all very friendly and very helpful.

the staff were wonderful...they worked extremely hard to make sure we had a good time, and we did. the sand and beach were equally fantastic. There were 5 of us (my wife, kids, and mom) and everyone had fun. The only negative was the food...it was ok some days and not so great others. There was also a lack of variety.

Check in and check out The check in was slow and unorganized. We were not handled with care. After waiting 3 hrs in immigration, we had to wait another 1h for our room. So we did not get into our room until 5pm. The elevator was not working as we were told, we were on the top floor. When checking out, our flight did not leave until 7pm. Asked the checkout our room one hour later, they told us 25US per person per hour. Food The food was ok. The drinks were ok. Staff The staff at this resort was not as friendly. However found some gems such as Kemar, he was an attentive server. We got what we paid for I guess. It was not the best experience but it wasn't the worse. They need to be more client focus in my opinion.

Was not impressed with having to line up and wait to get in to eat. Preferred having to reserve your time at the specialty/ala carte restaurants; not having food/snacks available 24/7 sucks. Also for smokers you designated areas to smoke; however I saw numerous butts all over! Placing more ashtrays could help!

This was our first vacation post COVID and Sandals RP did not disappoint. This is an intimate all Butler property where the staff go above and beyond. A big thanks to our Butler Tamara who exceeded our expectations. Overall, the food was very good with many options. You have full exchange privileges at Sandals Ochi, which provides over 20 dining options. Albeit, the staff at Sandals Ochi were not as friendly. Probably because it is a massive property and they don't get to know the guests as well. The demographic at this property are professionals over the age of 40. It is not a party resort. If you are looking for excitement, this resort is not for you. If you are looking for rest and relaxation while being constantly pampered to, look no further. The resort is situated on a cliff, which means you walk down to the beach and some of the food areas. There are no elevators in the east or main buildings. Something to consider if you have mobility requirements. The Beach is amazing, however there are not enough umbrellas on the east beach. If you are looking for shade, you need to claim your spot early. The west beach have ample umbrellas. A big thanks to the Beach Butlers who made sure we always had a drink and snacks. The room was clean and serviced daily by housekeeping. Like all Sandals, the property grounds were immaculate. It is about a 2 hour transfer from the airport. For safety reasons, the driver will only stop at sanctioned rest stops. It is best to take advantage of the rest rooms before leaving the airport. The drivers are not Sandals employees, so you can tip them if appropriate.

This resort should be on everyone's bucket list. Everything is perfect from the moment you arrive. Amazing staff, beautiful grounds, great food, many inclusions that you pay extra at other resorts. Rooms are quaint, beach is heaven.

Overall a very good experience, location was great, activities were good, kids friendly, staff was also nice. If there were more seafood options available it would have been great, seafood options were very limited