“Wonderful place”
Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort
Started after a 9.5hr flight, downside was being hustled into the coach without a drink and being asked for a tip, offered weed at every opportunity. Slow journey to resort but air conditioned and did stop for a drink overall time on coach was 1hr 20mins.
If you can afford to book a room at concierge level it really is worth doing so, we did and upon arrival at the hotel (we stayed manor side) we were allocated a butler named Bertram Brown who was excellent and made us very welcome(hope you are reading this George!) after a glass of champagne we were driven to our room shown around, romeo and juliet suite was secluded and private.Everything in the suite made us feel very important.We were able to select our own personal premium brand drinks.Bertram did all this for us including offering to unpack our things , he made all our dinner reservations ( we never queued) we were escorted there too. Also a lovely personal touch was the meticulous way he folded towels into swans and his marvellous floral arrangements and soft music awaited us every night when we returned to dress for dinner.We always thought it was the maids touch until he admitted it was him.
If you book this level of room you will be given a mobile with the butlers personal numbers on.If you lose this a charge of $100 would be payable.We decided not to take it out until the last night where we promptly lost it! Be careful.
The staff are huge football fans and will all go out of their way to say hello.Be it the butlers , waiters or gardeners.
Entertainment was very good if a little americanised.
Tanesha and Tasha were particularly entertaining.
Jerome the photographer was also very good and approachable.
The weather was superb . The good thing was being able to take a bus to another sandals resort.We went twice to Dunns River because the beach was much bigger there.
There were nine restuarants to choose from and only one disappointed. us.We found Valentinos cramped and stuffy.A highlight was being able to dine on the beach one night.
Very romantic!
Food on the whole was good , clean and if your not afraid to try different things , very varied.
The Romeo and Juliet was located on the far end of the Manor side but we didnt find this a problem and quite often walked to the riviera side as opposed to getting the bus.One way to walk off the huge breakfast. The shuttles were very regular.
We took along mostly Jamaican dollars but found that everything was in US dollars and the locals seemed rather grumpy accepting their own currency.
Mainly Americans at the resort but were all extremely pleasant.
We saw a wedding take place there.Did seem a little tacky and rushed.
Overall we would like to say that it was our first sandals holiday and it wont be the last.It's going to be hard to beat.
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