Honest Review of Beaches Ocho
Rios: Why I Will Never Return
Let me start off by saying that our family has previously
visited two Sandals resorts before coming to Beaches Ocho
Rios. We have been to Sandals Antigua and South Coast, both of which were
amazing. The level of service that my wife and I experienced was exceptional,
from the moment we arrived at the resort until we left. The food,
entertainment, pool, beach, and bar service were all fantastic. Falling in love
with that level of service, we eagerly booked a vacation for our children and
were excited to celebrate our 15th anniversary during our Beaches Ocho Rios 2024 trip. We also brought along my parents, who
were celebrating their 40th anniversary. We booked our Beaches Ocho Rios trip at Sandals Antigua in June 2021.
Fast forward to June 18th, 2024.
We flew from Orlando to Montego Bay. The flight was smooth
and enjoyable. Upon landing and exiting the plane, we purchased Club Mobay to expedite our passage through Jamaica Customs,
which I highly recommend for anyone visiting Jamaica. Our family breezed
through customs, collected our bags, and had time to grab a drink and a bite to
eat before boarding the bus.
The bus ride to the resort took two hours. Considering we
were heading to Beaches, a family resort, I expected some form of entertainment
for the kids on the bus, even if it was just a movie. However, this was not a
major concern as I was prepared to entertain a 1-year-old and a 7-year-old.
We arrived at the resort around 2 PM (3 PM EST), exhausted,
hungry, and hot after being up since 4:30 AM. We dropped off our bags in one of
the rooms that was ready and immediately headed to the Bar-B-Q for some food.
Unfortunately, the hamburgers and chicken nuggets we got were subpar, with the
nuggets being as hard as rocks. Although my kiddo is a lover of chicken
nuggets, they were disappointed.
During our stay, we mainly ate at the Bayview for lunch and
dinner. If you are expecting the same level of food quality as Sandals, you
will be disappointed. The food was often dry, overcooked, or tough.
For our anniversary, we went to Neptunes
on the water. Our experience started poorly from the moment we asked to be
seated, with long wait times despite many open tables. It was evident that they
were not adequately staffed. After waiting for 30 minutes, we finally got
seated and had to wait another 15 minutes for any service or water. When we did
get our bread and water, we were already frustrated. The Caesar salad portion
was tiny, and the main courses of shrimp and steak were disappointing. The
steak was so tough that both my wife and I struggled to chew it, and the small amount of potatoes made no sense. We left the meal
unsatisfied and upset. Some might suggest we should have opted for a private
dinner for our anniversary, but I believe we shouldn't have to pay an extra
charge for a decent meal. This experience made us feel like we were not
receiving the quality of service that had made us choose Beaches, based on our
previous Sandals experiences.
Meals and Food:
- Breakfast
is good.
- Lunch
and dinner were disappointing, with dry, overcooked, and tough food.
Resort Experience:
- The
resort is in dire need of a major overhaul. As this is a resort island, my
expectations were higher. The pool bars had massive missing tiles with
sharp edges, which is a cause for concern, especially at a family resort.
Resort Staff Experience:
- The
staff were amazing and very helpful.
Pool Experience:
- Regarding
lifeguards and their duties: As a parent, I am ultimately responsible for
my child's safety, but the lack of vigilance by the lifeguards was
concerning.
In conclusion, while there were some positive aspects, the
overall experience at Beaches Ocho Rios was
disappointing compared to our previous visits to Sandals resorts. The resort
needs significant improvements to meet the standards we had come to expect from
the Sandals brand.