Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort Ultra All-Inclusive
- OPHarbour
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 10
- Reviews
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2
- Photos
Editor Pick
Would I Come Back? Definitely!
- January 11, 2010
- Rated 5 of 5 by
wavyhair77 from Embrun, Ontario
Hi, my name is Michelle and I’m a Sandalsholic. I’m a three-peat user and I can’t get enough of it.
My husband and I travel to the Caribbean about once a year and we always have a great time at a Sandals resort. We arrived in Ocho Rios on the 18th of December and once we retrieved our luggage, we went to the luxurious Sandals lounge (I knew about the lounge from other posts) and relaxed with a Red Stripe in our hands and waited for our shuttle.
Once the shuttle was ready, the porter (not a Sandals employee) took our luggage to the bus and we traveled about an hour and a half to the resort. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were greeted with an almond scented fresh towel and a glass of bubbly. The front desk person checked us in and I think our room number was 2717. From our balcony we look out directly to the Main pool and we can see the ocean from afar.
About 5 mins after we settled in our room, there was a knock on the door and we were surprised with two warm chocolate cupcakes and a pair of t-shirts for the returned guests. Also there’s an invitation to the returned guest dinner, having been to another returned guest dinner before, we knew we had to go to this one.
Each morning, we check the activity planner and plan our day accordingly. I like to be active while getting a tan so the planner was great for me.
Being that the weather didn't cooperate, we went hot-tubing quite a bit, try different ones around the resort. Some are hotter than others, and some are hidden!
Food: We ate at the Market Place for breakfast, everything tasted fresh and lots of variety. Hubby has a sweet tooth, and he said Jamaica has the best dessert/bread out of all the countries we’ve been to in the Caribbean. Every night we had dinner at different restaurants, we went to Valentino’s, Manor, Kimono’s, and the Beach Party was awesome. If you can, stay for the show after on the beach, because it was hilarious. If it wasn’t for Colin’s help at the front desk, we wouldn’t have been able to go to Kimono’s at Dunn’s River. Originally we had a reservation for 6:30 but afterwards, we realized that our shuttle to Dunn’s River didn’t leave until 6:30 and we weren’t going to make it on time. So Colin called and got us a reservation at 8:00 and I’m glad he did because our "Blasian" chef was very entertaining.
Spa: We had three full days of rain and so one day my husband sent me to the spa for a treat. I got the Head to Toe facial and foot massage combo. My face felt so good and I was so relaxed afterwards.
We didn’t get a chance to do any excursions or any water sports because it rained so much, but we did get to hang around the bar and watched people play games to win prizes. The gift shops at either the Manor or the Riviera side both have draws at 6 p.m., you need to fill out a ballot and be present at the shop by 6 and you might get lucky and win some free merchandise. Altogether, we won three bags of Blue Mountain coffee, a Sandals baseball cap, a CD and a t-shirt. We were lucky!
The returned guest dinner was great; we were treated to lobster as appetizer and the dinner was turkey with all the trimmings. After the dinner, we were given a 1L bottle of rum and our Sandals necklace as a gift. They really know how to say thank you and make you feel special.
All in all it was a great vacation despite the sucky weather. Would I go back? Definitely.
Michelle and Derek
Canada
Read, Sandals Grande Ocho Rios!
- March 14, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
jcarlsward from San Francisco, California
I usually don't post to sites (I don't take the time). However, I just finished a letter to the management of Sandals that I thought I could post here as a reference to others, and that way I don't have to write about our experience again...
Mr. Drake,
I wanted to write you a short email in regard to our stay at you Sandals Grande Ocho Rios location.
My brother, father and mom was there a few weeks before Christmas (Dec -08) for my mother’s 60th birthday.
We stayed in two top floor "suites" overlooking the water, with a concierge on our level.
The reason I am writing this email is my parents absolute content with their vacation and myself being impressed with the hospitality of your co workers.
Our vacation was a great success.
Let me start with Dwight
Dwight, the concierge on our floor, really "got it". He understood this was a vacation of a lifetime for my parents and treated them accordingly.
My parents not being used to being pampered really appreciated his willingness to help and explain how things worked at the resort.
He helped us daily with small tasks and errands that really made a difference. Please tell him that my entire family says Hi!
He also arranged for flowers and chocolate on my mom’s bed after our candle light dinner on the pier. Thank you.
The boys in the scuba boat
My mom had never snorkeled before and was somewhat terrified of going in the seemingly large waves.
The two "guides" let everyone in the water and thereafter dedicated their time to my mom to make sure she got in the water
Once she was in one of them swam with her and she had an experience of a lifetime, thank them all for a great job.
The "evaluator"
There was an Sandals employee who were there the same days as us who also made an impression on my family.
I don’t recall his name; however, he was some kind of "evaluator" who traveled all Sandals to grade them and evaluate the properties as well as operations.
He stayed as a guest at the resort but he was walking around with the general manager at many occasions discussing the resort as a whole.
He paid attention to my parents and made sure they were taken care of. The fact that he remembered their names and checked in with my mom on her birthday made a lasting impression.
Mr. Drake, thank you for having a great staff.
I understand that occupancy is down in your industry; however, with service minded people on your team I am sure you will do really well.
Thank you
/ Sincerely Jonas & the Carlsward family.
So for you who read my post: Make sure to upgrade to concierge level, don't do it until they call you and give you a good price on it :-) Also, for you who go here, be prepared for a relaxing vacation, "IRE"
Awesome Resort
- February 16, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
tdbd83 from Green Forest, Arkansas
Our stay in the all inclusive Sandals resort in Ocho Rios was amazing. Our room was very large and extremely clean. The service was amazing. We were treated like royality, we wanted for nothing. The food and drink we unprecedented. The night life was great. There was something to do every night. The best activities were the beach parties. They were the best!!! Everyone should visit!
Editor Pick
2007- Jamaica Vacation
- March 1, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
HDRyders from In, New York
This resort is an Ultra all-inclusive. All meals, drinks, many water activities, & entertainment are included in your stay. There are two sides to the resort. The Manor side is located across the street and in more secluded than the Riveria side. the riveria side is located closest to the Ocean and in my opinion is were most of the action is. There are lobbys located on both sides as well as numerous restaurants, photo shops, swim up bars, activities, night clubs, spas, gift shops, and pools. We booked a Deluxe Grove room, but were upgraded to a Plantation Villa with a shared pool. We traveled with two other couples, so were were all put in the same vills. A quick shuttle ride takes you from side to side. Our Villa was located up the hill form the lobby, a short walking distance, but we usually opted for a jittny ride to our villa. Our Villa contained four suite. When you enter the room you walk into a spacious sitting area with a sofa, coffee table and a desk. On the far wall are french doors that open up to a view of the shared pool, the mountains and off to the left the ocean. The patio is furnished with a table and two chairs. Off the sitting room is a small kitchenette equipped with a coffee maker, sink and a fridge. The fridge contained water, pop and wine. The kitchen also had a good supply of coffee and tea. The bedroom was a nice size with a king-sized bed, amiore with a tv, a chair, night stands with lamps and an alarm clock. the room also had an iron, ironing board and a safe. The bathroom has a hair dryer. A supply of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and sun screen were also included.
There are pools and hot tubs located on both sides, we spent most of our pool time on the Manor side. We ate on both sides of the resort. There are activites on both sides of the resort so check the schedule that they leave in your room each night.
Ruined my Honeymoon
- July 4, 2006
- Rated 1 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I have never been so disappointed with a vacation in my life. The staff was rude and unexperienced. We got married there, but everything from checking in to the honeymoon was the most stress of the wedding. They are not accommodating at all.