Beaches in Ocho Rios

[Vanessa L]

DH and I had to cancel a Conquest cruise :( We are looking to book a shorter cruise, perhaps a 5 day. I've noticed that the 5 day Imagination stops at Ocho Rios. I've done the Falls and the rafting. We had planned to do Sunset Beach over at Mobay when booked on the Conquest. Are there any beaches that offer a similar all inclusive like Sunset in Ocho Rios? I noticed that Carnival offers Bamboo Beach at $39pp. Wondered if that was worth it, or if anyone knows of anything else--perhaps booked outside of Carnival? Any info would be helpful. We are looking to book some time in February and have no desire to run, run, run, thus the beach option. This will be a much needed R&R trip.

[WarmWaters]

I will share my findings of my research on the beaches of Ochee with you all. Please correct or add to some of the info that I gathered from various posts so far if some of the info has changed or are incorrect.

 

Beaches : Ocho Rios is not the best port for beaches, most of the best beaches are at the All Inclusive resorts that you will have to pay for a day pass for. Snorkeling and diving in Ochi isnt very good. the water tends to be murky and cloudly and there arent as many fish as you would see in other places in the carribean.

 

Turtle Beach : the short walk was less than 10 mins if your ship docks at the main pier,Turtle beach is to the left. As you exit the pier stay to your left and follow the and follow the paved path past all of the yachts/sailboats in the marina. Or enter the gate leading to Ocean Village in the port, or go through Ocean Village to the entrance to the beach there. Entrance fee is $1, it is safe here, gated beach, there is a fence to keep the locals out. Its a very nice small beach that offers good snorkeling, beverages and food. you like busy seaside beaches with lots of people and plenty of water sports, the public beach preferred by locals. (The northeastern end of the bay isn't public-it's part of the Jamaica Grande Hotel.) Swimming conditions are excellent there, and it has water-toy rentals and changing facilities. Vendors selling everything from straw baskets to fresh pineapple and hair braiding.. I went about up to my waist in the water and encountered no rocks. We used are beach towels from the ship but I did see some sun beds. There were a few beach huts that served drinks with limited food. The pink building is the restrooms. I was there about 1 1/2 years ago and the water was dirty - lots of garbage floating around. The sand was not the best in the Caribbean but the area was clean and safe.

 

The beach at Margaritaville - short 2 block walk from the ship to the right of the pier to Jimmy Buffets famous restaurant and bar near Ocean Island Village. You can see it from the ship, relatively hassle free for you to enjoy, security keeps the vendors out, but is not the nicest beach. It offers plenty of action and excellent food.

 

A water slide in the bar that starts on the second floor Jacuzzi on the second deck near the entrance to the water slide and there are plenty of chairs in the sun. We had lunch and sat on the beach, which is small and crowded, with a few vendors selling some things. The view wasn’t very nice. There is like a big oil tank that ruins the scenery. You walk down and if you go into the restaurant you can get a wristband that allows access to the beach and use of the chairs. Music, food, the beach is private and u can use it as long as u purchase something(drinks,food) I wasn’t very impressed with Margarittaville or the beach, although I’m glad we experienced it and had some jerk chicken for lunch and a couple Margaritta’s. It’s a good cheap alternative to a tour or cab ride to a beach. $3 to get in and $5 for a chair or umbrella. If you buy food/drinks you won't need to pay to access. It is a great place to spend the day, but it is not a true visit to Jamaica. Their hamburgers are the BEST!! Last visit a guy charged us to use the beach chairs, we did eat and drink at Margaritaville later on. has the water slide, beach (safe from hawkers) . if you are eating and not just drinking they will seat you out by the beach.. you can still hear music, big pool, pool bar etc. It's a very easy walk, and Margaritaville in the Island Village with countless stores - duty free, jewellry, coffee shop, movie theatre, etc. the slide there goes into the pool, not the beach. the pool is not very deep and small. the beach is also right by the pier, there are watersports and beach volleyball. The beach area to the right is the beach at Margartiaville (the pool is right on the beach. Once you pass through the pink building, you simply walk across the parking lot and enter the Island Village complex, several different shops there, there's a green-space area in the center of this complex.

it was $3 to get in Margaritaville's Beach. Its not not a beach I would describe as a postcard picture for the Caribbean. It is where the ship docks. So you have a view of the ship and pier, no real waves to speak of, plenty of sand. They do have beach chairs and security to keep the beach patrons from the vendors. is adjacent to Margaritaville. You just go down some steps off the back and there it is. You need to pay or if you purchase food or drinks you can use it for free. You could probably spend several hours there and have a nice day.

 

Mahogany Beach - It was ok. We were not overly impressed. Did not have beautiful water or good snorkeling. The beach had zero waves, and it very small.

It was a small beach and rather dirty, but not horrible. I liked the beach area itself (waiters to bring drinks, plenty of shade, etc.) but the water was murky and the bottom more mud than sand when we were there. There were some jet-skis, you could rent them. a booth set up selling food, beer and souvenirs. There was also a woman there braiding hair. Hassled here to buy drugs. We snorkled at Mahogony Beach (Peat Taylor drove us) and it was some of the best, two local boys took us on a small boat out to a reef, we have some great pics of our ship right behind us.I think we paid $80.00 total for the two boys to take us out to the reef. It was just the four of us and they brought food and they went down and brought out sea life , we were literally surrounded by more sea life than anywhere else we snorkled. We paid $60.00 and gave a $20 for a tip. Mahogany has all the water sports if you are looking for that avenue. Given the choice of Reggae or Mahogany I'd go to Reggae again.

 

Reggae beach is a very long beach, very clean, no one hassles you and there is also restroom, if you want to be away from the crowdwd beaches, then reggae beach is the place, there is however no lounge chairs there..."my impression of Reggae Beach. The beach and water are very pretty however there really wasn't anywhere to sit or put our things other than a picnic bench that was about 30ft away from where we entered the water. I have to admit I was a bit uncomfortable when a group of teenagers hiked around the point (thus not having to pay an entrance fee) and parked themselves on each side of the bench. Reggae Beach is not a big tourist beach - mostly locals here. Some people have recommended Reaggae Beach as being a nice beach Reggae Beach is a beautiful beach. We were there last week and it was one of the prettiest beaches I have been too. It is not crowded and it has shaded areas for you. I don't recall if there were umbrellas but there is shady palm trees for you to get out of the sun. Our families did some snorkeling there but I don't know if they saw a whole lot. There is food available...jerk chicken, chicken nuggets for the kids at a very reasonable price. The drinks were cheap too. Our guide, Marva Shaw, took us to Reggae and the bus stayed with us the entire time. There is a 5.00 per person entrance fee and 2.00 per child 12 and under. This beach will give you a real Jamaican feel as you will not see a lot of tourists. Go and enjoy. it is secluded and not full of motorized sports. Reggae Beach was a gorgeous white sand beach. The beach also did not have vendors trying to sell you something every 5 minutes! What a plus!! I know she offered other options for people less inclined to do water activities

 

beach at Dunns River Falls, you have to pay $ 15 to get into the falls to go there. Snorkeling ; did the snorkeling/dolphin cove/Dunn's River Falls and loved it, underwater formations were much more interesting and more colorful than those we saw at Grand Cayman.They were snorkeling in an area where there was a waterfall coming down right at the shore - had a great time.

 

All-inclusive resorts : Extremely relaxing …highly recommend this instead of the usual overcrowded shore excursions

 

Sunset Beach Resort was a very pleasant surprise! For $20 pp, you get a day pas that allows you full access to the grounds and includes all food and beverages. There are three swimming pools, hot tubs, a snack bar, a restaurant, three beaches, lounge chairs and umbrellas, the facilities are very clean. Bus fare was $2 pp each way. .. I think this is one of the best day trip deals in the Caribbean. We took a 3-5 minute cab ride to the Jamaica Grande Hotel. - Ask for the beach chair pass. They will 1st assume you want the $60 all-inclusive pass. The hotel is very nice. Beautiful pools with waterfall cascading . Volleyball . Ok beach. Lots of seaweed on the floor in the water. A total gross-out. Plus sharp rocks in the sand. Stay by the pool. Plenty of deck chairs. Music by the pool. The bathrooms were hard to find and filthy. relaxing day sitting poolside. If docked in Ocho Rios, you could walk along the beach to the Sunset Jamaica Grande for the day if you want to visit an all-inclusive. Sunset Jamaica Grande - reservations@sunsetochorios.com

 

Sunset Jamica Grande has no water park.$60 per adult (12+ years old) and $30 for children UNDER 12.All drinks, food, non motorized water vehicles, pools, hot tub and beach included. Read great reviews on tripadvisor. http://www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com We LOVED it and want to take a vacation there! You will love Sunset Beach. Just take a JUTA cab at the pier, only $2 p person. You could walk to Sunset beach it is so close The resort is only a few miles down the road. They will let you in the gate and register you at the desk, it is all outdoors. After paying, they will hold onto your cabin card. If you want a beach towel, ask at the desk. They will give you a towel card to turn in at a counter for your towels. The beach was great, the pools were fun and the food and drinks were great too. no reservations needed.. you just show up at the front gate and they will have someone take you in to the front desk where you will pay.. We were there last month and its well worth the money... Make sure you try the jerk chicken.. its wonderful!

 

Once off the ship you can walk along the public beach all the way to the private beach and go to the lobby of the hotel to buy your "plastic bracelets" for the day. Very family-oriented resort and also fun for adults!! The sunset Jamaica Grande is the best option for many reasons including the fact that you can walk to the location.

The walk from the pier to Sunset Jamaica Grande is VERY safe. You just walk along the beach. You can take a cab ride from the pier to the hotel for a few bucks if you don't want to walk. When the ship pulls in, you can't miss the huge, bright yellowresort. Its very family friendly. Several pools, things for teens, quiet area, etc. No need to book in advance. No tipping either. Once you pay the rate for "day pass" you dont have to pay for anything else. All the hotels have JUTA taxis available for your return to the ship... they take your sail and sign card, very well organized. It is a very nice place, not really fancy, but nice.We left out belonings out and never felt they were not safe

 

Shaw Park Beach Hotel - the cost is $60 per person. The cruise line offers a Shaw Park Beach break for $30.00 USD each. Take a JUTA taxi to the Shaw Park Beach Hotel and request a day pass. Last fall, they offered them for $40 per person which included beach access, a beach lounger, full lunch, all the alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks you want, and non-motorized watersports. The staff was very accommodating and we had a wonderful, relaxing day at their hotel. The total cost was about $100 for two people when you factored in the taxi each way.

 

resorts of Sandals, Dreams, Couples or Sans Souci Resort & Spa. It’s worth the price of admission, which will run anywhere from $65 to $85 per person. However, the price includes all water activities (sailing, water skiing, etc), lunch, and alcohol. It’ll cost about $30 for a roundtrip taxi ride to most of the resorts, but you can haggle the price. Some are for families and others are for couples only. It’s best to contact them before your cruise and secure your reservations as often they get booked and will not allow day visitors.

 

Sans Souci: is always wonderful. $70 pp. The facilities are absolutely beautiful.Couples-only adult resort, very romantic. As with most of the resorts in Jamaica, there are two beaches; one for the normal folks, and the other is for clothing-optional enthusiasts. This area also has its own clothing-optional pool, bar, and snack bar. Kneeboarding, paddling around in various water craft, and enjoying themselves in the pool. However, the majority of the day, they spent drinking a wide variety of local concoctions with lots of rum.

 

Riu Ochos Rios $80 clubhotel.ochorios@riu.com

 

Sandals - $85 (but try emailing the manager for a better rate his address is lgrant@sdr.sandals.com)

 

Bamboo Beach Club -This exclusive retreat features a beautiful beach, unlimited food and drinks, a live DJ, fun entertainment, complimentary towels and lounge chairs. 39.00

 

If you'd rather splash in one of the island's emerald, sandy-bottomed rivers, consider a trip to Irie Beach on the White River, about a 15-minute drive east of Ochi (turn south off the road to the Sanda ls Golf and Country Club). Very secluded.

 

James Bond Beach in Oracabessa - a 20 min. drive east from Ochi. Goldeneye, the Ian Fleming Estate, is set in rural and dramatically scenic St. Mary parish. It is renowned as the former home of "James Bond" novelist, Ian Fleming, who spent nearly 20 winters at this Oceanside retreat, penning 14 of his famous "007" thrillers there. Fleming crafted all his James Bond novels here is a fun place, you can order food/drinks, it is never crowded. ,Goldeneye is a 15-acre hideaway on a bluff between the sea and a lagoon. Ian Fleming's original house surrounded by luxuriant gardens, forest-shaded villas overlooking the sea.Goldeneye is also historic.. Goldeneye is a magical place on a seaside bluff overlooking the Caribbean. His hideaway is now available as an exclusive private villa estate. His first James Bond novel was Casino Royale in 1952.

 

Sea Grape beach, near Discovery Bay, has water sports and activities. We were pleasantly surprised. This was a secluded, free, clean beach! It had jetski's which all four of us played on, they had tubbing, catamaran's, food and drinks. The people were very nice, not pushy at all. We were told not to pay any prices that the Jamaicans offer for anything so when they wanted to charge $60 for the jetski's for 1/2 we told them that all we could pay was $40...done deal! They were very accomodating.

 

“Ya Mon!” Enjoy !

[twinkletoes4445]

WarmWaters....

 

Wow, that is a lot of great information! Thanks for taking the time to post this lengthy review. I'm going to save this for when we return to Jamaica.

[Vanessa L]

WOW!! Thank you so much for posting this. As the other responder noted, I have cut and pasted this for future reference.

 

Anyone else with options/opinions on beaches for Ocho Rios please let me know. I know Sunset is supposed to be nice but docking in Ocho Rios, it'd be all the way across the island and not convenient anymore :(

[CruzinScotty]

I did a google search for Reggae Beach and came up on this thread. Lots of great info.

 

Anyone have anything recent to update this info. I'll be on the Carnival Liberty in July.

[kooljamming]

I will share my findings of my research on the beaches of Ochee with you all. Please correct or add to some of the info that I gathered from various posts so far if some of the info has changed or are incorrect.

 

Beaches : Ocho Rios is not the best port for beaches, most of the best beaches are at the All Inclusive resorts that you will have to pay for a day pass for. Snorkeling and diving in Ochi isnt very good. the water tends to be murky and cloudly and there arent as many fish as you would see in other places in the carribean.

 

Turtle Beach : the short walk was less than 10 mins if your ship docks at the main pier,Turtle beach is to the left. As you exit the pier stay to your left and follow the and follow the paved path past all of the yachts/sailboats in the marina. Or enter the gate leading to Ocean Village in the port, or go through Ocean Village to the entrance to the beach there. Entrance fee is $1, it is safe here, gated beach, there is a fence to keep the locals out. Its a very nice small beach that offers good snorkeling, beverages and food. you like busy seaside beaches with lots of people and plenty of water sports, the public beach preferred by locals. (The northeastern end of the bay isn't public-it's part of the Jamaica Grande Hotel.) Swimming conditions are excellent there, and it has water-toy rentals and changing facilities. Vendors selling everything from straw baskets to fresh pineapple and hair braiding.. I went about up to my waist in the water and encountered no rocks. We used are beach towels from the ship but I did see some sun beds. There were a few beach huts that served drinks with limited food. The pink building is the restrooms. I was there about 1 1/2 years ago and the water was dirty - lots of garbage floating around. The sand was not the best in the Caribbean but the area was clean and safe.

 

The beach at Margaritaville - short 2 block walk from the ship to the right of the pier to Jimmy Buffets famous restaurant and bar near Ocean Island Village. You can see it from the ship, relatively hassle free for you to enjoy, security keeps the vendors out, but is not the nicest beach. It offers plenty of action and excellent food.

 

A water slide in the bar that starts on the second floor Jacuzzi on the second deck near the entrance to the water slide and there are plenty of chairs in the sun. We had lunch and sat on the beach, which is small and crowded, with a few vendors selling some things. The view wasn’t very nice. There is like a big oil tank that ruins the scenery. You walk down and if you go into the restaurant you can get a wristband that allows access to the beach and use of the chairs. Music, food, the beach is private and u can use it as long as u purchase something(drinks,food) I wasn’t very impressed with Margarittaville or the beach, although I’m glad we experienced it and had some jerk chicken for lunch and a couple Margaritta’s. It’s a good cheap alternative to a tour or cab ride to a beach. $3 to get in and $5 for a chair or umbrella. If you buy food/drinks you won't need to pay to access. It is a great place to spend the day, but it is not a true visit to Jamaica. Their hamburgers are the BEST!! Last visit a guy charged us to use the beach chairs, we did eat and drink at Margaritaville later on. has the water slide, beach (safe from hawkers) . if you are eating and not just drinking they will seat you out by the beach.. you can still hear music, big pool, pool bar etc. It's a very easy walk, and Margaritaville in the Island Village with countless stores - duty free, jewellry, coffee shop, movie theatre, etc. the slide there goes into the pool, not the beach. the pool is not very deep and small. the beach is also right by the pier, there are watersports and beach volleyball. The beach area to the right is the beach at Margartiaville (the pool is right on the beach. Once you pass through the pink building, you simply walk across the parking lot and enter the Island Village complex, several different shops there, there's a green-space area in the center of this complex.

it was $3 to get in Margaritaville's Beach. Its not not a beach I would describe as a postcard picture for the Caribbean. It is where the ship docks. So you have a view of the ship and pier, no real waves to speak of, plenty of sand. They do have beach chairs and security to keep the beach patrons from the vendors. is adjacent to Margaritaville. You just go down some steps off the back and there it is. You need to pay or if you purchase food or drinks you can use it for free. You could probably spend several hours there and have a nice day.

 

Mahogany Beach - It was ok. We were not overly impressed. Did not have beautiful water or good snorkeling. The beach had zero waves, and it very small.

It was a small beach and rather dirty, but not horrible. I liked the beach area itself (waiters to bring drinks, plenty of shade, etc.) but the water was murky and the bottom more mud than sand when we were there. There were some jet-skis, you could rent them. a booth set up selling food, beer and souvenirs. There was also a woman there braiding hair. Hassled here to buy drugs. We snorkled at Mahogony Beach (Peat Taylor drove us) and it was some of the best, two local boys took us on a small boat out to a reef, we have some great pics of our ship right behind us.I think we paid $80.00 total for the two boys to take us out to the reef. It was just the four of us and they brought food and they went down and brought out sea life , we were literally surrounded by more sea life than anywhere else we snorkled. We paid $60.00 and gave a $20 for a tip. Mahogany has all the water sports if you are looking for that avenue. Given the choice of Reggae or Mahogany I'd go to Reggae again.

 

Reggae beach is a very long beach, very clean, no one hassles you and there is also restroom, if you want to be away from the crowdwd beaches, then reggae beach is the place, there is however no lounge chairs there..."my impression of Reggae Beach. The beach and water are very pretty however there really wasn't anywhere to sit or put our things other than a picnic bench that was about 30ft away from where we entered the water. I have to admit I was a bit uncomfortable when a group of teenagers hiked around the point (thus not having to pay an entrance fee) and parked themselves on each side of the bench. Reggae Beach is not a big tourist beach - mostly locals here. Some people have recommended Reaggae Beach as being a nice beach Reggae Beach is a beautiful beach. We were there last week and it was one of the prettiest beaches I have been too. It is not crowded and it has shaded areas for you. I don't recall if there were umbrellas but there is shady palm trees for you to get out of the sun. Our families did some snorkeling there but I don't know if they saw a whole lot. There is food available...jerk chicken, chicken nuggets for the kids at a very reasonable price. The drinks were cheap too. Our guide, Marva Shaw, took us to Reggae and the bus stayed with us the entire time. There is a 5.00 per person entrance fee and 2.00 per child 12 and under. This beach will give you a real Jamaican feel as you will not see a lot of tourists. Go and enjoy. it is secluded and not full of motorized sports. Reggae Beach was a gorgeous white sand beach. The beach also did not have vendors trying to sell you something every 5 minutes! What a plus!! I know she offered other options for people less inclined to do water activities (Loungers have since been added)

beach at Dunns River Falls, you have to pay $ 15 to get into the falls to go there. Snorkeling ; did the snorkeling/dolphin cove/Dunn's River Falls and loved it, underwater formations were much more interesting and more colorful than those we saw at Grand Cayman.They were snorkeling in an area where there was a waterfall coming down right at the shore - had a great time.

 

All-inclusive resorts : Extremely relaxing …highly recommend this instead of the usual overcrowded shore excursions

 

Sunset Beach Resort was a very pleasant surprise! For $20 pp, you get a day pas that allows you full access to the grounds and includes all food and beverages. There are three swimming pools, hot tubs, a snack bar, a restaurant, three beaches, lounge chairs and umbrellas, the facilities are very clean. Bus fare was $2 pp each way. .. I think this is one of the best day trip deals in the Caribbean. We took a 3-5 minute cab ride to the Jamaica Grande Hotel. - Ask for the beach chair pass. They will 1st assume you want the $60 all-inclusive pass. The hotel is very nice. Beautiful pools with waterfall cascading . Volleyball . Ok beach. Lots of seaweed on the floor in the water. A total gross-out. Plus sharp rocks in the sand. Stay by the pool. Plenty of deck chairs. Music by the pool. The bathrooms were hard to find and filthy. relaxing day sitting poolside. If docked in Ocho Rios, you could walk along the beach to the Sunset Jamaica Grande for the day if you want to visit an all-inclusive. Sunset Jamaica Grande - reservations@sunsetochorios.com

 

Sunset Jamica Grande has no water park.$60 per adult (12+ years old) and $30 for children UNDER 12.All drinks, food, non motorized water vehicles, pools, hot tub and beach included. Read great reviews on tripadvisor. www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com We LOVED it and want to take a vacation there! You will love Sunset Beach. Just take a JUTA cab at the pier, only $2 p person. You could walk to Sunset beach it is so close The resort is only a few miles down the road. They will let you in the gate and register you at the desk, it is all outdoors. After paying, they will hold onto your cabin card. If you want a beach towel, ask at the desk. They will give you a towel card to turn in at a counter for your towels. The beach was great, the pools were fun and the food and drinks were great too. no reservations needed.. you just show up at the front gate and they will have someone take you in to the front desk where you will pay.. We were there last month and its well worth the money... Make sure you try the jerk chicken.. its wonderful!

 

Once off the ship you can walk along the public beach all the way to the private beach and go to the lobby of the hotel to buy your "plastic bracelets" for the day. Very family-oriented resort and also fun for adults!! The sunset Jamaica Grande is the best option for many reasons including the fact that you can walk to the location.

The walk from the pier to Sunset Jamaica Grande is VERY safe. You just walk along the beach. You can take a cab ride from the pier to the hotel for a few bucks if you don't want to walk. When the ship pulls in, you can't miss the huge, bright yellowresort. Its very family friendly. Several pools, things for teens, quiet area, etc. No need to book in advance. No tipping either. Once you pay the rate for "day pass" you dont have to pay for anything else. All the hotels have JUTA taxis available for your return to the ship... they take your sail and sign card, very well organized. It is a very nice place, not really fancy, but nice.We left out belonings out and never felt they were not safe

 

Shaw Park Beach Hotel - the cost is $60 per person. The cruise line offers a Shaw Park Beach break for $30.00 USD each. Take a JUTA taxi to the Shaw Park Beach Hotel and request a day pass. Last fall, they offered them for $40 per person which included beach access, a beach lounger, full lunch, all the alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks you want, and non-motorized watersports. The staff was very accommodating and we had a wonderful, relaxing day at their hotel. The total cost was about $100 for two people when you factored in the taxi each way.

 

resorts of Sandals, Dreams, Couples or Sans Souci Resort & Spa. It’s worth the price of admission, which will run anywhere from $65 to $85 per person. However, the price includes all water activities (sailing, water skiing, etc), lunch, and alcohol. It’ll cost about $30 for a roundtrip taxi ride to most of the resorts, but you can haggle the price. Some are for families and others are for couples only. It’s best to contact them before your cruise and secure your reservations as often they get booked and will not allow day visitors.

 

Sans Souci: is always wonderful. $70 pp. The facilities are absolutely beautiful.Couples-only adult resort, very romantic. As with most of the resorts in Jamaica, there are two beaches; one for the normal folks, and the other is for clothing-optional enthusiasts. This area also has its own clothing-optional pool, bar, and snack bar. Kneeboarding, paddling around in various water craft, and enjoying themselves in the pool. However, the majority of the day, they spent drinking a wide variety of local concoctions with lots of rum.

 

Riu Ochos Rios $80 clubhotel.ochorios@riu.com

 

Sandals - $85 (but try emailing the manager for a better rate his address is lgrant@sdr.sandals.com)

 

Bamboo Beach Club -This exclusive retreat features a beautiful beach, unlimited food and drinks, a live DJ, fun entertainment, complimentary towels and lounge chairs. 39.00

 

If you'd rather splash in one of the island's emerald, sandy-bottomed rivers, consider a trip to Irie Beach on the White River, about a 15-minute drive east of Ochi (turn south off the road to the Sanda ls Golf and Country Club). Very secluded.

 

James Bond Beach in Oracabessa - a 20 min. drive east from Ochi. Goldeneye, the Ian Fleming Estate, is set in rural and dramatically scenic St. Mary parish. It is renowned as the former home of "James Bond" novelist, Ian Fleming, who spent nearly 20 winters at this Oceanside retreat, penning 14 of his famous "007" thrillers there. Fleming crafted all his James Bond novels here is a fun place, you can order food/drinks, it is never crowded. ,Goldeneye is a 15-acre hideaway on a bluff between the sea and a lagoon. Ian Fleming's original house surrounded by luxuriant gardens, forest-shaded villas overlooking the sea.Goldeneye is also historic.. Goldeneye is a magical place on a seaside bluff overlooking the Caribbean. His hideaway is now available as an exclusive private villa estate. His first James Bond novel was Casino Royale in 1952.

 

Sea Grape beach, near Discovery Bay, has water sports and activities. We were pleasantly surprised. This was a secluded, free, clean beach! It had jetski's which all four of us played on, they had tubbing, catamaran's, food and drinks. The people were very nice, not pushy at all. We were told not to pay any prices that the Jamaicans offer for anything so when they wanted to charge $60 for the jetski's for 1/2 we told them that all we could pay was $40...done deal! They were very accomodating.

 

“Ya Mon!” Enjoy !

 

Awesome Inforamtion. Note that some of the prices for day pass has since increased.

Edited April 19, 2009 by kooljamming

[MemaSue]

I was wondering how you get to this beach,Bamboo Beach Club:) I read the excursion on CCL web site and it said nothing about transportation??Thanks in advance

[surfclam2003]

Awesome Inforamtion. Note that some of the prices for day pass has since increased.

 

 

I called Couples San souci on Monday and they told me if you show your ship pass the price is $50

[JohninDC]

MemaSue,

There is a 25-30 minute bus ride to/from Bamboo Beach Club. The beach and water are fine, with security to keep things safe. My problem when we did this last month was a timing issue - we arrived at BBC at about 9:30 AM and the spring break crowd immediately started slamming rum punch. The only non-alcoholic drinks available were free lemonade (very sweet) and cokes and water from the bar ($2 for each water bottle. The music boomed and they played every line dance song you've ever heard of in between the shows. It was fun for a while, but not exactly the relaxing beach break were were looking for. Good luck!:)

[rsns]

Would love to know where the last two pictures on your post were taken! We are being sent to Ocho Rios instead of Cozomel and are looking for something to do. Thanks!

[ALEZ]

We are thinking of trying Bamboo Beach. Is this the best way to go or is there something closer by the ship that would be just as good or better? Most of the reviews I have seen are from Bamboo Beach when it was within walking distance of the ship. Are there any activities at Bamboo or just the dancing and singing entertainment? Does anyone know of a good beach with something like volleyball?

[rangerrobin]

Wow, thanks WarmWaters!

[iceman262]

We just came back from Bamboo Beach Club and it was fantastic. It's actually located on Reggae Beach and is one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever been to. The staff were wonderful and very attentive. There was entertainment going on all the time - lots of live shows that were really fun. The food and drinks were good. Obviously we weren't there during spring break so it had more of a family feel to it. It was all inclusive of transportation, food, drinks, towel - we took the combo tour with Dunn's River Falls, but you can also just do the Bamboo Beach Club portion. Anyway, it was well worth the money!

[daddybuff]

We just came back from Bamboo Beach Club and it was fantastic. It's actually located on Reggae Beach and is one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever been to. The staff were wonderful and very attentive. There was entertainment going on all the time - lots of live shows that were really fun. The food and drinks were good. Obviously we weren't there during spring break so it had more of a family feel to it. It was all inclusive of transportation, food, drinks, towel - we took the combo tour with Dunn's River Falls, but you can also just do the Bamboo Beach Club portion. Anyway, it was well worth the money!

 

Did you book this on your own or thru the cruise ship?

[nidaco]

My husband and I have made reservations (online) for next week to Sunset Resort in Ochos Rios. This is one of the AI recommended in an earlier post. It's $60 per adult and $40 per child. There's also the option to add on transportation which is an additional $9. We did look at the reviews on TripAdvisor.com. Those were very interesting, either loved it or really tore the place apart. We're going to take the chance and go.

Originally, we were not going to leave the ship, but I came across this post. It was what I'm looking for.......pool, beach, looks clean, safe,close to ship, drinks and food included. The water slide looks like fun too.

We're also booked for Nachi Cocum Beach Club in Cozumel next week as well (second time there). It will be interesting how the two compare. There's only a 10 dollar difference between the two. Will report back when we return. If you have gone in the past month to Sunset Resort in Ochos Rios please give us your opinion of the place. :)

 

Nicole

[we3k9]

My husband and I have made reservations (online) for next week to Sunset Resort in Ochos Rios. This is one of the AI recommended in an earlier post. It's $60 per adult and $40 per child. There's also the option to add on transportation which is an additional $9. We did look at the reviews on TripAdvisor.com. Those were very interesting, either loved it or really tore the place apart. We're going to take the chance and go.

Originally, we were not going to leave the ship, but I came across this post. It was what I'm looking for.......pool, beach, looks clean, safe,close to ship, drinks and food included. The water slide looks like fun too.

We're also booked for Nachi Cocum Beach Club in Cozumel next week as well (second time there). It will be interesting how the two compare. There's only a 10 dollar difference between the two. Will report back when we return. If you have gone in the past month to Sunset Resort in Ochos Rios please give us your opinion of the place. :)

 

Nicole

please let me know when you return, i am looking at doing this in april on the freedom cruise, i have a party of 6 so it will be costly for me to do this and i want to make sure it is worth it. i am looking for shaded places for my mom and aunt to hang out while we are there and i want to know if the lobby / lounge is air conditioned so they can get out of the sun, thanks nicole, will you be posting to this thread?

[willhunt]

please let me know when you return, i am looking at doing this in april on the freedom cruise, i have a party of 6 so it will be costly for me to do this and i want to make sure it is worth it. i am looking for shaded places for my mom and aunt to hang out while we are there and i want to know if the lobby / lounge is air conditioned so they can get out of the sun, thanks nicole, will you be posting to this thread?

 

We will also be there in April on the Freedom.

 

Already done the falls, so a great day at an all-inclusive sounds very nice.

 

Looking forward to nicado reporting back.:)

[nidaco]

please let me know when you return, i am looking at doing this in april on the freedom cruise, i have a party of 6 so it will be costly for me to do this and i want to make sure it is worth it. i am looking for shaded places for my mom and aunt to hang out while we are there and i want to know if the lobby / lounge is air conditioned so they can get out of the sun, thanks nicole, will you be posting to this thread?

 

Okay, I'm here to report back and I'll try to address your concern.

 

I really enjoyed our day there, however I wish we were there longer. We were there from 9:30-3:00 b/c of the ship leaving. If you did not have your mom and aunt, you could definitely walk there. Maybe a mile or so. We actually payed for the transfer ($9 pp) which was a waste of money. The $9 is in addition to the $60.

 

I did not run into any air condition. The Lobby was covered but open with fans running. It was a little breezy that day so I was almost a little chilly. There was shade and you could move the lounge chairs where you want them to go. I'm fair so shade is important to me. Shade is limited on the several beaches at the resort. Much more shady areas/umbrellas around the various pools. But remeber, you'll be going in April and it will be warmer.

 

Plenty of pools and I think three hot tubs. I counted at least three bars by the pools. My dh felt the best drinks came from the bar in the lobby. The only beer available was Red Stripe. Dh felt the drinks were really strong. I drank a lot of diet coke b/c I drank too much the night before so I can't really comment about the mixed drinks.

 

The bathrooms were very clean. I thought the resort itself looked pretty good too.

 

There was a buffet (pasta, veggies, steak, fruit salad, salad, etc) as well as the grill which offered fries, burgers, fish sandwich, etc. We ate from the grill and the salad area. The fried fish sandwich was pretty good. I was surprised not to see any hand sanitizers like you do on the ship. I would bring my own hand sanitizer next time.

 

My dh participated in a beach vball game and also went on a non-motorized boat ride.

 

Would I recommend this place? Yes, as long as you're there for at least 5 hours or so. My dh would recommend it to those who are looking to do a lot of drinking. It is a pricey day if you have family but I would go again if we weren't going to do the falls. Once I figure how to post pictures I'll do that too. Hope this helps. If you have other specific questions, please ask away. :)

 

Nicole

[nidaco]

We will also be there in April on the Freedom.

 

Already done the falls, so a great day at an all-inclusive sounds very nice.

 

Looking forward to nicado reporting back.:)

 

 

If you've done the Falls, give this a try. It was a very relaxing day. :)

 

Nicole

[Redsfan]

giving this a bump in case anyone is looking for the same info...anybody have updates on this thread?

[wtrcruise]

Thanks for the information in case others are looking I'm sure that the prices are out of date.