Sandals Grande Riviera Beach and Villa Golf Resort - Luxury All Inclusive

We stayed the Sandals in Ocho Rios Aug 25th thru Sept 4th and thought we would have a wonderful time. We arrived late on the 25th and gotten taken to our room. At the time of booking we paid to upgrade to have the butler service because it was our 25th wedding anniv. but were taken to a room where the air conditioner did not work and were told all the butler cottages were taken. The food sucked because we went at a time where their hotel was not up to capacity most of the restaurants were either closed or not open most evenings. It stated in the preview before booking that all these restaurants are availabe. It is not the customers fault you wern't booked to capacity. We booked based on what the hotel looked like from the internet but were so diappointed. Everything was so outdated. It was dirty and it doesnt matter what upgrade you pick you probably won't get it as others we talked to had the same thing happen to them as us. We will never again go to this hotel. The one good thing is they have wonderful bartenders. Most are so happy and pleasant.

This is said to be an 18+ resort since 18 is Jamaica's legal drinking age but my boyfriend and I didnt see anyone who was below age 21. Very mature crowd, it was only couples there. Any additional tag alongs like the third and forth man/woman out were apart of wedding parties which there seem to be a dozen of them out there durring our stay. We left May 6th and just returned last night (May 12th). All week were weddings so the resort was very busy but it cleared out by 1pm (Jamaica time, or 2pm if you want to go by USA's eastern time) and therefore didnt effect our service, traveling around the resort, or customer service which is delightful. The resort consist of the manor, the riviera, and beachfront rooms. We stayed in the JASMINE GROVE Room on the Riviera side and it was beautiful!!! If you like the elgant cherry or dark wood look you would like it very much. Electronic safes are in all rooms. You make up your own code which is great. we changed ours every day! We got to learn the names of almost all housekeepers on our floor (fourth floor) so we felt safe if we forgot a piece of jewelry & forgot to lock them aaway. All staff was helpful, housekeeping came twice a day once at about 8am when they feel everyone is out to breakfast and then lastly at 6pm. Restocking of the fridge is 12-ish which is when it gets its warmest and lots of bottle watter would be needed. I cant say any food was bad, and thats hard to say because we ate everywhere twice (6 restaraunts), and been to all the bars (7 - in total including the piano bar) multiple times as the drinks were great and unique. Each bartender had their own special drink such as "The Bob Marley" which was a frozen daiquir/slushy drink that was red at the bottom yellow in the middle and green on the top. Although its all inclusive certain restaraunts offer champange or wine by the bottle anywhere from 38 - 400 dollars extra which they will charge to your room (same rule apply for the over priced spa which I went to only because they had a mothers day special of $120. Usually its 195 or a little over 350 per couple). There is a shuttle that take you around to all three sections of the resort. Shuttle runs every ten minutes and the last run on the shuttle is 2AM so please keep a watch or your tush will be darting across that road at 2:05AM in the dark of night to get to your room hoping one of the local residences dont plow you down with their car as it gets real dark n they dont have the luxury of multiple street lights nor do some adhere to speed limits(you can tell by the big sign their govt have posted down the road ten minutes away that boasts the number of road fatalities they had in yrs 2007, 2008, and 2009) ....anywho staff began to seem like family as we learned names and faces & they treated us just the same, even got to know familair faces of the construction crew who greeted us just as warmly every morning. I would definately recomend to couples trying to have time together & spark up a little romance. I admit being away from the little one for mommy & daddy time did spark back up love all over again and it was great. Any other place will never live up to Sandals Grande!

When we arrived our room ended up being on the manor side of the resort. We didnt know there were two sides and our room was at the top of the stairs overlooking a parking lot. We went to the desk to complain and were told no rooms were available that night to move us however the following morning they informed us that we were upgraded to a room on the ocean side and they would take care of all our luggage while we enjoyed our day at dunns river falls. When we returned we just had to go to the desk receive the key to our new room. The service was FANTASTIC. All the staff greeted you with smiles and tried to make your vacation the best one ever. Could not have enjoyed our honeymoon more.

The hotel was great.

The resort was very nice and expansive. The main pool at the manor was great, my favorite part being the slide. The food was ok, not the best quality, but some great options Dino's was yummy for a pool snack. More night activity options would have been good, but Jake's Bar on the manor side was our nightly favorite. Be prepared when you arrive for the two hour bus ride to the resort!

This is an amazing place. Obviously as an all inclusive not everything is going to be the best quality of food. As long as you understand this going in, you will be more than satisfied. Once thing people should realize is that the staff is paid very poorly, and you should be willing to tip them on the sly. We snorkeled, ate at beautiful restaurants, talked with amazing other vacationers, and swam with dolphins for an added cost. This experience is what you make of it. If you are looking for fine dining atmosphere, this is the place, but if you want fine dining, go and pay per meal somewhere. I am convinced that the main interest of the employees at Sandals is that the customers are satisfied at all times, from the second you get there to the second you leave!

I have been to Jamaica 8 times over the years and have stayed at many different all inclusives and this is the only one I would not return to. Many of the less expensive resorts provide much better food and have excellent customer service. Even the people that came over from Dunn's River property to visit for the day were unimpressed by the 1 1/2 hour waits for dinner, regardless of what time you dine. Do yourself a favor and stay at the Dunn's River location. The property is split up and many activities are across the street and you must take transportation. The villa rooms on the manor side are amazing but again, you must take transportation to the beach across the street. Odd layout. Took several calls and days to receive shampoo and conditioner. Bring your own.

the staff was very friendly and the food was good,but it was too far from the airport almost 2 hrs.the hotel was old with very poor workmanship and maintenance,but clean.makes me look harder at the age of a resort next time.

The service was top of the line. The staff are very kind and helpful. I would recommend horse back riding. We had a wonderful time and I don't have any complaint about this place except it's about 1 hour and 45 mins bus ride from Montego bay airport but it is totally worth it. The golf course was spectacular and it's only about 12 mins away from resort.

The staff was extremely kind and accommodating. The night we arrived there was a party with entertainment and a large buffet. Different activities are offered every day. The beach is stunning. The water sports are also fun. If you want to go snorkeling call first thing in the morning and put your name down because the slots fill up quickly. Many bars and places to get food. We will be returning next year with friends.