Sandals Grande Ochos Rios

[4evercruzin]

Has anybody been there using a day pass? What were the positives, negatives?

 

Thanks in advance.

Barb

[KimberlyBear]

We actually stayed there for a week but it was a Beaches resort at that time. Sandals/Beaches are owed by the same people - Sandals is couples only and Beaches is for families. They have changed it to Sandals recently.

 

I really enjoyed our vacation there. It is a beautiful property nestled in the mountains. The beach for the resort is across the street. All the sandy beaches in the Ocho Rios area are man made beaches so there are not miles of white beach to walk along. The beach is nice and we spent most days there. If memory serves me there is a pool at the beach as well along with a volleyball area. You can use all the beach toys (windsail, snorkel equipment etc) for no additional cost. They will also take you out snorkling to a reef that is just offshore ( no charge). They make a run out there several times a day. Towels and lots of lounge chair are available. I loved the food and you have several choices of places to eat.

 

I can give you more info if you need. Not sure what questions you may still have. Just let me know and I will be happy to answer.

 

kimberly

[4evercruzin]

Kimberly,

Did the staff treat you nicely? Do you tip in addition to the gratuity? Is there a lot of traffic to cross the street to get to the beach? What was your favorite part? least favorite?

Barb

[KimberlyBear]

The staff at Sandals/Beaches are absolutely fantanstic. Always smiling, having a good time and making sure you are taken care of. They want to do anything and everything they can to ensure you have a great vacation.

 

There is NO tipping allowed as they will lose their jobs. No hands will ever be stuck out looking for tips (everything is included in the day pass). It is an all-inclusive resort and they mean all inclusie - food, drinks, activities, and water toy, everything is included. There is a bus that runs continously from the main part of the resort to the beach. Just hop on and go.

 

My least favorite thing (which won't affect you) is it is a rather large resort with a fair amount of walking to get from your room to the main building where all the activities and resturants are located.

 

My favorite parts are numerous - the wonderful food, great staff and the caribbean ocean. I cannot get enough water time!!!

 

We are going to go spend the day at Sandals Montego Bay as our cruise ship docks in Montego bay. We are looking forward to that. One note - you will need to book your day pass in advanced as they have very tight security and won't let you on the property unless you are supposed to be there. Our TA has set this up and will have a confirmation for us to take with us. You can also call Sandals direct and set up the day pass.

 

kimberly

[amagar]

We did a Sandals day pass here on a fluke last year while sailing Celebrity Century. It turned out to be a highlight of our cruise. The resort wasn't crowded...as stated above, the staff was outstanding and the facilities superb.

 

Note that we did NOT book in advance. After reading old postings here, we saw that Sandals price varies widely for a day pass. When we emailed the resort a few weeks before, it quoted us something like $80. When we called from the pier, we were quoted $40. It was an $8 cab ride.

 

It was worth it for the jerk chicken alone. I'm not a jerk fan, but this was really outstanding. Also, if you like chocolate and banana, try a drink called the hummingbird.