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DaniJude
You're My Home <3
Member since 11/06 14815 total posts
Name:
Danielle
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Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
What a wonderful trip! It was exactly what we needed - restful and relaxing. The flight is not bad at all - nonstop from JFK and we took the AirTrain to the airport (thanks everyone for the info on how to do it). It was very easy and worked out great. On our way there we hit some serious wind going against us which made us an hour late arriving - not too bad though.
Once we got to the airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica we were taken into a special Sandals lounge which was very pretty - nice, clean bathrooms, drinks, places to sit down and relax. People came to take our bags and off we went to Ocho Rios. The drive there is a little long but not bad really - it was about an hour and a half to get there and since it was at night the traffic was very light.
The Sandals in Ocho Rios is huge - I didn't think it was going to be THAT big. It would have been difficult to navigate if we didn't get upgraded to a Butler service room. What happened was - it was our anniversary (they knew this) and it was our first time at Sandals. We joined a membership club (free to sign up - you collect points) and they bumped us to the next level up complimentary. The next level up happened to be a suite with a private pool and jacuzzi (Romeo & Juliet Suite - they call it) and that room comes with a Butler/Room Service. We were thrilled considering we didn't pay anywhere near what that costs. Having this service made staying at this particular property MUCH more enjoyable and easy. Don't get me wrong, there are shuttles and jitneys coming to take you around A LOT - like, every 10-15 minutes BUT with the Butler, we had a phone we used to call and he/she was RIGHT there to take us. I have to say, you get spoiled by that and it made it wonderful.
The Ocho Rios location is beautiful, very romantic, secluded, and calming. We loved our room - got TONS of use out of our jacuzzi and plunge pool. We ordered breakfast in every morning which was really great. We made sure to do nothing but rest and relax - no activities on this vaca so when everyone else was going hiking or snorkeling or zip lining we just hung out by the pool or floated in the ocean. We did all that stuff on our HM - this time around, it was all about the ZZZZ's.
The nice thing about the butler is not only are they so friendly and helpful but they made all of your reservations for you - get you the best tables, escort you to dinner and make sure everything was great. Then, they do a nice turndown service every night with flowers, candles, music, etc. It was really sweet and great if you are either on your HM or an anniversary trip.
They were always there bringing us drinks by the pool, by the beach, getting us things we needed, etc. It is a nice thing to have - if you can afford it - to treat yourself to. Also, a tip, if you do book a vaca with Sandals they (99% of the time) will call you before you leave, last minute, or ask you at the front desk if you want to upgrade to the Butler for half off the normal cost which is a flat rate of 400 bucks. Now, we could not afford even that this time around so we declined and then got lucky and got it complimentary BUT anyone can just upgrade, last minute, to it for the flat rate of 400 -- so, if any of you are planning a trip just keep that in mind. We would have thrown the spa treatments out the window in exchange for that service the entire week - definitely worth it! HTH!
The food was good - I was nervous not knowing how it was going to be. Sometimes the service was a little slower than normal but I kept having to remind myself that I'm used to a very quick pace in NY. The Jamaican people are EXTREMELY friendly and helpful - they really are wonderful people. Before we left I had heard some not so great things about Jamaica but NONE of what I had heard was true -- from what we experienced, at least. Even people we didn't really know or who wasn't involved with us would ask how we were, how our day was going, etc. It was just a nice feeling.
The beach and weather was beautiful. It was about 82-85 degrees and sunny daily. The ocean was a dream and the pool at Ocho Rios is huge! We loved it! They had lots to do during the day and at night -- from ping-pong during the day to singing at the piano bar at night - we always had a nice time. There were plenty of other fun couples to meet and talk to also.
The food portions can tend to be on the smaller sides sometimes - but, it is all inclusive so there were times where we would just order extra - they always happily obliged. We hopped over to the other resort (Dunn's) and weren't very happy - the beach was small and the pool was not big either - just one main pool and it seemed a little boring. We were glad we experienced it though - we knew we made the right decision for us with Ocho Rios. I think it depends on your personality -- some people like Dunn's over Ocho and vice-versa. Both are nice - it is just a preference. We heard great things about the food at Dunn's.
OK - hope that helps. I will try to get pics since we took them with an instamatic camera -- I'll see if I can upload them on a disc at CVS or something in order to share.
Definitely worth the money - I mean, if I had spent 4,5,6+ thousand dollars I would have felt a little disappointed but for the bargain we got - we were very happy.  
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Posted 12/9/08 12:37 AM  |
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2PreciousBlessings
The Perfect Pair
Member since 5/06 19861 total posts
Name:
Best Wife & Mommy
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
I am so glad you had a wonderful time in my homeland. I am happy that you had a relaxing and enjoyable trip.
Jamaicans are very nice people overall. We are very friendly and polite. I am happy to know that all the negative things you heard before you got there you proved it to be wrong. It's always good to experience things yourself and not listen to others.
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| Posted 12/9/08 8:07 AM |
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Tulips915
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Member since 8/08 6851 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
We went to the Sandals in St. Lucia for our HM. We had butler service and omg did that spoil us. We had the cell phone too and thought that was awesome! Sitting by the pool and having food delivered was so fun!!
Glad you had a good time!
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| Posted 12/9/08 11:01 AM |
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photoshopbabe
wow....
Member since 5/07 2197 total posts
Name:
linda
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
im so glad u had a good time! a lot of my friends who have went have NOT had a good experience there. in fact, most of them said they would NEVER go back...!!
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| Posted 12/9/08 12:38 PM |
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nov04libride
big brother <3
Member since 5/05 14672 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
Posted by GaryElla
Jamaicans are very nice people overall. We are very friendly and polite. I am happy to know that all the negative things you heard before you got there you proved it to be wrong. It's always good to experience things yourself and not listen to others.
Jamaica is also one of my favorite places to visit, and I don't know why it gets a bad reputation! I've loved it every time I have visited, and one of my best friends is Jamaican! I bring her back the rum each time I go.
So glad you had a great time!
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| Posted 12/9/08 3:24 PM |
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angnick
Life is So Wonderful!
Member since 8/06 6663 total posts
Name:
Angela
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
Thank you for your review!! Sounds great and you helped us for the future!
Any rain?
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| Posted 12/9/08 3:58 PM |
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SweetestOfPeas
J'taime Paris!
Member since 3/06 32345 total posts
Name:
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
welcome back so glad you enjoyed yourselves!
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| Posted 12/9/08 7:02 PM |
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DaniJude
You're My Home <3
Member since 11/06 14815 total posts
Name:
Danielle
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
Posted by angnick
Thank you for your review!! Sounds great and you helped us for the future!
Any rain?
Only two times - both at night.
It was like 3 or 4 in the morning and I woke up because I heard the rain on the roof and outside our doors -- it was actually really pretty and calming! I love the sound of rain when I am trying to sleep -- but that was it! Other than that, sunny and beautiful -- and since it rained late at night it didn't effect us at all!
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| Posted 12/10/08 11:14 AM |
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Atlast07
2 Girls and 1 Boy!
Member since 7/07 3504 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
I am glad you had a good time! That is so great that you got upgraded to the Butler suites. Did you go on any excursions while you were in Ocho Rios?
DH and I are going back to Jamaica (Sandals) in February and we can't wait! I love it there!!!
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| Posted 12/28/08 9:55 PM |
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DaniJude
You're My Home <3
Member since 11/06 14815 total posts
Name:
Danielle
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Re: Just got back from Sandals (Jamaica)
Posted by Atlast07
I am glad you had a good time! That is so great that you got upgraded to the Butler suites. Did you go on any excursions while you were in Ocho Rios?
DH and I are going back to Jamaica (Sandals) in February and we can't wait! I love it there!!!
There are a lot of cool things to do but we kept it low key -- we wanted a true R&R vacation this time around... since we did a lot of stuff on our HM we figured this vaca would be allllll about doing nothing... They have fun water sports on site, they have tennis which we enjoyed b/c it is right there at the resort, they have a rock climbing wall which we did do but as for excursions off the property - not this time. There is Rick's Cafe which we heard was great, there's Dunn's River which we heard was great, there's a fantastic zip-line tour that we heard is a MUST -- and, after our zip-line tour in Hawaii (on our HM) we would recommend doing it anywhere because it is so much fun!
HTH!
ETA: don't forget about horseback riding on the beach! we did that on our HM too and loved it!
Message edited 12/28/2008 11:56:49 PM.
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| Posted 12/28/08 11:56 PM |
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