Editor Pick
Turtle Beach Towers
- October 20, 2004
- Rated 1 of 5 by
Smitha Guru from Atlanta, Georgia
We stayed at this hotel when we were forced to move to Ocho Rios after the rain cancelled the cricket match in Kingston. This was the only place where we found accommodation since all other Ocho Rios hotels were filled with other Indians in similar situations.
Our initial mistake upon entering Ocho Rios on a wet day was not taking up the Sandals offer of $215/night, all inclusive. Not knowing the rates for the all-inclusive option, we declined it and instead stayed at Turtle beach towers at $66/night. The room was very, very basic and the bathroom was not to my liking at all. Since it continued to rain for the reminder of our stay (except the last day), I positively hated the place, but to be fair, it is probably the weather that prejudiced me.
Also, we had left a half eaten cake on the table, and when we returned, half of the other half was gone. I don't really mind sharing the cake with the room service, but I think ethically and professionally, it is wrong. It might be just a piece of cake, but that made me hesitate to leave anything valuable in the room, and I was always walking around with everything in my bag.
It’s very close to the beach and the one good day we had, we had good fun bathing in the beach (it had some seaweed). The hotel is in front of Margaritaville, which is a HUGE advantage for those wanting a night life. But the hotel itself is more like an apartment complex and does not have any activities or entertainment that the next door hotel, Sandcastles, seemed to have. Seeing the large number of locals in the complex, I suspect it doubles as a residential property for locals.
If you not purse pinched, would recommend staying in a better hotel. Jamaica is a beautiful country, and you would enjoy it better at a better hotel. Unfortunately, the bad weather combined with the bad choice of hotels we made in Kingston and Ocho Rios made Jamaica our only vacation that I've actually looked forward to returning home from.
From journal Weekend in Jamaica