Built on a man-made beach 5 miles (15-minute cab ride) from Montego Bay, this hotel had everything we wanted: all-inclusive offers, a location on the beach and close(ish) to town, and a reasonable rate.
Upon arrival, you’ll notice that it’s set up like a fortress. No one goes in or out without security knowing about it. That made me feel safe. The hotel is down a quiet road near the marina.
The hotel welcomes you with a beautiful, covered open-air lobby filled with tropical plants, a large bar, lounge chairs, and giant couches. Nearby was an enclosed game room with pool tables. Just outside the lobby was a large pool with a bar in the middle, and beyond that, the beautiful blue ocean. This particular area of the Atlantic is not quite as pretty as Doctor's Cove Beach, but that's only due to the coral reef that makes the water dark in spots. This hotel is perfect for snorkelers, and the snorkeling is free!
Everyone that works there goes out of their way to make sure you are happy. At check-in, we inquired about a room on an upper floor of one of the towers. We had to wait another hour to actually check in, but we got a 10th-floor ocean-view room!
The room was clean and fairly standard: two queen-size beds, dresser, desk, etc. Also, there was a small locking box (you get a lock and key at check-in). The outside balcony was really nice to go out on and gaze at scenery. The food at the hotel was good. There are two "fancy" restaurants, a Chinese and an Italian place, but they were booked up, so we ate either at the pool "pick-up window" (burgers, fries, jerk chicken, etc., but the fries were the only good thing) or the buffet restaurant - the pasta was the most delicious thing, but definitely try some of the local fare! The made-to-order omelets in the morning are good, too. They have a little bit of everything.
The hotel will arrange any excursion you want. There is a $6 bus that takes you to go shopping, see the city, and explore an overlook. A free hourly shuttle takes you back and forth to Margaritaville. We arranged to have a "private" taxi take us to Dunn's River Falls for $80 roundtrip. There is a daily group tour, but we wanted to be on our own time.
We bought our package on Expedia, and they would only sell a one room package for 3 adults (not 4). Well, we had a fourth, so I called the hotel. They said the room would be "tight," but would allow it for $80 extra/night (for AI). Expedia would not add a fourth to the itinerary for the package, so we cancelled our roundtrip airport transportation and took a cab. As for it being "tight," it wasn't. It was a normal room with two queen-size beds. We stay in them all the time with four people!