Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort Ultra All-Inclusive Reviews and Photos (Ocho Rios, Jamaica)

EASTER VACATION AT SANDALS

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

April 17, 2012

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I just returned from sandals where my girlfriend and i spent a week. as a person who has traveled and being of jamaican heritage the entire staff was very accomadating courteous. But like most vacations there was some dissapointing times but the ...Read more

No worries!

by Cindy Cornett

Clinton, Oklahoma

October 3, 2011

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We traveled to this resort for our wedding which was held Sept. 21, 2011. It was amazing and worry free! Our onsite wedding coordinator Vinette rocks! She was a wonderful person. Her team was amazing. The staff at the Red Lane Spa were great as ...Read more

Very Nice

by jaygoecke

Las Vegas, Nevada

June 9, 2011

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we stayed here in march. The place was nice. Hard to get out of hotel though. Dunns is great.

Fantastic Weddingmoon!

by mrsgatc

Greenville, South Carolina

May 6, 2011

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We arrived April 30th for a 6 night stay to include a wedding, and the wedding of another couple later that same day. We had some initial challenges with our rooms being on opposite sides of the manor side as well as some coordinating issues as far ...Read more We arrived April 30th for a 6 night stay to include a wedding, and the wedding of another couple later that same day. We had some initial challenges with our rooms being on opposite sides of the manor side as well as some coordinating issues as far as the weddings go (to be expected when trying to pull of 2 in one day!) but overall everything was AMAZING.

ROOM: Our room was nice. A little bit dated but well maintained. The maid service was outstanding (although the other couple had trouble getting towels) and our fridge/bar area were well stocked our entire trip. I love that they make little animals out of the towels and add fresh flowers to them. Very simple but fun touch!! My only complaint about the room was that mid-shower the water would either shut off completely, get boiling hot, or freezing cold. I really have nothing bad to say!

FOOD: The food was good. Its what you would expect for an all inclusive resort. It is by no means gourmet but it was very good. The girl who makes the omlettes at the manor buffet is a sweetheart! Dinos was OK. My husband must have eated 6 pizzas there that week so it certainly wasn't too bad! Valentinos was good but really slow. Kimonos was good food but we were a little disappointed that the didn't actually cut any of the food in front of you. This is a Japanese steakhouse style restaurant so it was strange. Definitely spring for the romantic candlelight dinner on the beach if you can swing it! To die for!!

WEDDING: The wedding was fantastic. Flowers were beautiful and everything went really well. The minister is very funny and the ceremony was short and to the point. The cake and the food at the included 30 min reception were not good at all but they were free so I guess its to be expected. ***A word of caution when booking a wedding--the people who book the trip and the wedding are out of Miami. They are great and they will tell you anything you want to hear to get you to book your trip. They have no idea how things work on the resort.*** Just go into it expecting this and be willing to be flexible when you get there and everything will be fine!

WEDDING COORDINATOR (on-site): Vinnette deserves her own section on this. She was incredible. We had 2 weddings booked back to back and were told (by Miami) that this would be fine--no problem mon. Well, it wasn't--but Vinnette worked with us, listened to our ideas, made several phone calls and made it happen! We ended up moving both wedding times due to logistics (one minister, one videographer and our desire to be at each others weddings but NOT do a double wedding). Everything was perfect!! She was so much fun! You can even see her dancing in the background in our video--she clearly loves her job and it shows. She was great--I can't say enough good things about her!

SNAP SHOTS PHOTO/VIDEO: I have to admit, I was nervous about the photo and video services. I had read reviews that said they were terrible, generic pictures. Our videographer, Rashaan (sp?) was incredible. He somehow knew who we were and introduced himself the night before. The whole day he was great--just an all around great guy and the video he did for us was great. He had a lot of fun doing it too. He had them rush it and instead of the 2-3 weeks, he called us at 9:15 the night before we left to tell us it was ready--then he sat and watched the videos with us because he was anxious to see them. Floyd, our photographer was great too. Took 400+ pictures that were all fantastic. He spent a lot of time with us even though we only pre-ordered the 36 photo package. Both were class acts!! Great guys!

EXCURSIONS:
Zip-line canopy tour (Chukka): This was so much fun. The instructors were great although could have been a little bit more patient and taken their time with people. They do this all day and I think maybe lose sight of the fact that its actually pretty scary for some people. It was hard to understand instructions at times but overall everything was safe and fun and I would definitely do it again!
Blue Mountain Bicycle Tour (8:30 am to 4:30 pm): Don't do it. 3 1/2 hour bus ride (they will not tell you this) for a 1 hour roll down a mountain on a bike with barely functioning brakes. The scenery and history are amazing but the tour was very disappointing. The best parts of this are the brunch and lunch that they serve--authentic Jamaican food--and the bus driver. Yes, the bus driver. Clive was great.
Island Vibes Catamaran Cruise (8:30 am to 1:00 pm): This was a blast! We were a little nervous because it is referred to as a booze cruise. We wer all there to have fun but we are far from spring breakers looking to get hammered. You cruise out to the harbor and do some snorkeling and then over to Dunns River Falls. This is one of the most visited attractions in all of Jamaica. It was fun. I don't know that it was the best thing we did but definitely worth visiting. On the way back to the resort the bar is open and the party starts. There is a DJ and the crew keeps everyone entertained--and well hydrated! It was a blast! Would definitely recommend.

Overall everything was great! Close

Horrible Honeymoon- Would NOT Recommend to Anyone

A traveler

Travelocity.com

May 3, 2011

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We went to the Sandals Riviera Grande for our honeymoon April 11-17, 2011, and it was a horrible experience from start to end. When we arrived at the Sandal’s resort, the bus stopped at the Manor side and most of the passengers got off. We were told ...Read more We went to the Sandals Riviera Grande for our honeymoon April 11-17, 2011, and it was a horrible experience from start to end. When we arrived at the Sandal’s resort, the bus stopped at the Manor side and most of the passengers got off. We were told to stay on the bus because we were at the Riviera side and we had a purple sticker on our tag. I watched out the window of the bus and saw my bag had been offloaded and was set aside from the bus. I waited, thinking they would load my bag back on the bus. They did not. So, I scurried off the bus and told them that was my bag and I was going to the Riviera side. They loaded my bag on the bus again, and I double-checked to make sure my husband’s bag had not been offloaded as well. This was very frustrating and chaotic. When we arrived in our room on the Riviera Side, the room was very hot and humid, so we turned on the air conditioner. We attended the Sunday night buffet dinner on the Manor side lawn. When we returned to our room after dinner, we found that the air conditioner had leaked gallons of water into our room. Our curtains were soaked, and the floor had standing water from the patio door all the way back to the bed. Thank goodness we had put our luggage on top of the bed! I called the concierge number and told them our room was soaked with water, and they sent a maintenance man in 45 minutes. The maintenance man did not bring any towels with him, and he asked me to call housekeeping. I pressed the housekeeping button on the telephone, and the man who answered said he was not housekeeping. He said I needed to dial “0” and ask for housekeeping. I finally reached housekeeping told them what had happened in our room and water was all over the floor, and a man delivered 3 towels to our room. When he arrived with the towels, he talked to the maintenance man in a language I did not understand, laughed, set the towels down on the bed, and then left the room. So, I began drying the floor with the towels myself. The mainten Close

No worry's , no problem mon !

A traveler

Travelocity.com

April 11, 2011

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This was an experience of a lifetime . My wife and i went there for our honeymoon on 4/5/11. First id like to say that prior to booking this hotel , I read at least 50 reviews on it and 99% of the negative reviews have no merit. The service was ...Read more This was an experience of a lifetime . My wife and i went there for our honeymoon on 4/5/11. First id like to say that prior to booking this hotel , I read at least 50 reviews on it and 99% of the negative reviews have no merit. The service was above and beyond . The food was outstanding. the people/staff I cant say enough about . Integrity , professional, invisibly attentive, warm and fun. We made a couple of first time travelers mistakes and had it not been for Individuals like Ralston( whom manages all the dining activities in which ever restaurant you find him in Marketplace etc... ) whom basically saved our trip from being a disaster. By returning our most important belongings after we accidently left them on the dining table. Hes a great Friend to know if you like great dining experiences.Our villa house keeper Had a new surprise waiting for us in our room sometimes twice a day . the jitney drivers were great ,shout out Nico and glenmore. Bar experience in a word, Kerome. Seek him out,no FIND HIM ,use the password Purpleskunk and tell him Biggy and sugar sent you! Omar and Ricardo are great also. If you need to eat during the wee hours of the night go see Roy at the grill . Now the activities were diverse and plentiful. and the entertainment staff were great. Id like to personally thank Daine a groundskeeper whom stopped his work to greet us with a smile and an offer of assistance in any way. thanks for the beautiful pictures you took. Speaking of pictures, Dalmar, our complimentary photographer. Thank you for being such a wonderful photographer , professional and all around good person. A must if you want beautiful memories .I could Honorable mention people all day. Like the staff in the Boutique gift shop, Patricia and heather whom went above and beyond their duties to accomidate us . To Damion and Shakespeare at the front desk. Basically, all the staff were excellent. This is our new home awy from home and we will be back. Suggestion though ... next time we Close

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A traveler

Travelocity.com

March 22, 2011

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We went for a wedding (6th trip to Jamaica) and were very disappointed with the hotel. The structures were falling apart and needed paint. The pool was sorely in need of repair. We had to change rooms 4 times. First one had no AC, second ...Read more

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A traveler

Travelocity.com

March 21, 2011

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We went for a wedding (6th trip to Jamaica) and were very disappointed with the hotel. The structures were falling apart and needed paint. The pool was sorely in need of repair. We had to change rooms 4 times. First one had no AC, second one was ...Read more

Treated Like Royalty by ALL the Staff.

A traveler

Travelocity.com

February 27, 2011

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We had a Great Experence with all the staff. If we mentioned a concern to ANY of the staff, It was taken care of. We asked for champagne glasses to be delivered to our room and while we steped outside for a couple of pictures the glasses appeared ...Read more

Nice resort!

A traveler

Travelocity.com

February 10, 2011

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My wife and I stayed in the village up on the hill behind the resort. The staff were there for you're every need. The restaurants were great, especially the one they set up on the pier out over the ocean! The pools were nice and not overcrowded. The ...Read more

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Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort Ultra All-Inclusive

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User Reviews

EASTER VACATION AT SANDALS

No worries!

Very Nice

Fantastic Weddingmoon!

Horrible Honeymoon- Would NOT Recommend to Anyone

No worry's , no problem mon !

Find another hotel

Find another hotel

Treated Like Royalty by ALL the Staff.

Nice resort!

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Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort Ultra All-Inclusive

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User Reviews

EASTER VACATION AT SANDALS

No worries!

Very Nice

Fantastic Weddingmoon!

Horrible Honeymoon- Would NOT Recommend to Anyone

No worry's , no problem mon !

Find another hotel

Find another hotel

Treated Like Royalty by ALL the Staff.

Nice resort!

Compare Rates Across Websites