Lisa Juvinall

Review of Sandals Grande Ocho Rios

This was my husband and my first time to an all-in...

This was my husband and my first time to an all-inclusive resort and our first time to Jamaica and we had an absolutely amazing time. The food, the drinks, the entertainment. All of it was wonderful.
When we arrived at the Sandals airport lounge we were told it would be about 20 minutes until the next shuttle. Our group was called about 10 minutes later for the shuttle, so I would recommend using the restroom right away when you get to the lounge.
Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted with cold towels which felt amazing in the heat. We were led back to the club lounge where we were provided with cold drinks while we checked in, and then shown to our rooms. We stayed on the beach side in a Riviera Honeymoon Luxury Club Level Villa room. We loved the location close to the beach, pools, and restaurants. The concierge made everything easy for us scheduling our dinners, couple s massage, and excursion based on our wants and needs. Also, the resort orientation led by the concierge was very helpful and entertaining.
There are sixteen restaurants on the property, four of which require dinner reservations. We dined at three of those restaurants, and we loved the food at Kimonos and Kelly s Dockside. The atmosphere at Kimono s was also a lot of fun. Valentino s, the Italian restaurant, was a bit of a letdown. The food there was okay, but the hostess and wait staff were a bit cold compared to the other staff we interacted with at the resort. The pizzas at Bella Napoli were really good, and my husband loved the jerk burgers at the Mariner. Also, the breakfast buffet at the Sky Terrace was good. Peter, the omelet chef, was very skilled and made very good omelets to order.
We did the Tropical Paradise massage, a couple s massage on the dock. It was wonderful. The massage therapists were very attentive and skilled, and listening to the sound of the waves and feeling the slight breeze was very relaxing. After the massage, we were served sparkling wine on the dock. I highly recommend it.
The evening entertainment was fun. My favorite nights were probably the talent show, which included a fire dancer, and the steel drum band, the Silver Birds.
We celebrated our anniversary while at Ochi. On the evening of our anniversary, when we returned to our room there was a piece of cake on a plate that said Happy Anniversary left for us. We thought this was very thoughtful.
As for excursions, I was torn between Dunn s River Falls and the Blue Hole. We ended up choosing to go on the Blue Hole excursion, which also included river tubing and zip lining. We had an absolute blast, especially at the Blue Hole. I highly recommend it.
As for the staff, there were many great people, but a few stood out among the rest: Playmaker Javada was AWESOME. Always super pleasant to be around, and genuinely excited to see people. Whenever he was around, I knew a good time wasn't far off. Bartender Monique made the greatest Bloody Marys. They were delicious and spicy, and she was always friendly to us. Shaneka the concierge (I hope I spelled her name correctly!) was also extremely helpful and friendly. She instantly remembered and recognized my husband and me, and definitely took care of us.