My partner and I stayed at the Sandels Grand Ocho Rios resort this August for our honeymoon. It is a couples only resort.
It is a very big resort. It used to be two seperate hotels but has know been transformed into one resort. As a result there are two of everthing within the complex, two receptions, two spas, two gyms etc to choose from. One within the beach front hotel and another within the hotel set back into the moutainside.
They call the beach front building 'The Riviera'. To stay here it is basically a couple of appartment blocks and a few seperate cottages. There is obviously the beach which is well prepared for water sports. You can use Canoes / Kayaks, Windsurf, use the Hobie Cats, Hydrobikes, Paddle Boats, Snorkel, Scuba-Diving and take a trip on the Glass Bottom Boat . There are whirlpools and swimmingpools dotted all over the place and no-where ever feels crowded. In fact we were there for two weeks and most days we would lay under a gazebo out in the sea till 5.30pm and we would be the only people left on the beach.
The building set back in the mountain side is called 'The Manor'. It has an appartment block as well as villas dotted around in clusters which are called The Villas
of Eden. Some villas were shared between four couples, others between two and we were very lucky to have our own villa all to ourself.
There are 17 different categories of rooms and suites within the two complexes, so there is a room to suit every pocket. Seeing as it was our Honeymoon we pushed the boat out and stayed in the Romeo and Juliet Suite.
It was a villa in two halves, at one end was the lounge, kitchen and fully stocked bar. By fully stocked I mean, beer, red wine, white wine, champagne, coke, lemonade, apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, ginger beer, bitter lemon, gin, vodka, rum etc. It is quite a nice touch as Sandalsphone you a week before you arrive and ask what drinks you would like! I'll have them all I said!!!!! Whatever you drank was replaced the following morning, we were in paradise. A nice touch was that during the afternoon there was always a surprise left in the fridge for us. Sometimes it was a selection of fruits, cheese and biscuits, a selection of desserts, little sandwiches etc.
At the other end of the villa was the bedroom, dressing area, seperate toilet, sunken bath and his and hers wash basins with vanity area. The bed was comfy and the living space was just right. It wasnt a huge area but it certainly wasnt cramped. The villa is colourfully decorated, a true caribbean feel to it.
So what was in the middle of the villa I hear you say, well it was our own pool and a jacuzzi. It was set within a walled courtyard, so it was completely private. It really was the icing on the cake!
We also had a butler assigned to our villa. He gave us a mobile phone on our first day there so that no matter where we were within the resort he was only a phonecall away. He arranged all of our trips out of the complex for us, (no standing in a queue waiting to get to the excursions desks for us), he would run us an evening bath on our return to the villa with scattered rose petals and candles, (bliss) he would collect us from our villa in the evening and take us out to one of the 8 restaurants or 3 bistros where we were reserved one of the best tables and he would always be on hand with anything we needed or wanted to know. On the rare occasions when we didnt want to dine in one of the restaurants he would also bring food to our villa for us. Our butler would also arrange tee times on the days Trev went off to play golf at the Sandals Golf Course. Transfers are free as is the actual game and the hiring of the clubs, but you do have to pay for a Caddy who walks around the greens with you and offers help if you want it on the shots to take. Trev said it cost about £25 so pretty much in line with what you would expect to play for a round here in the UK.
The food at all of the restaurants was wonderful. Our favourite was Orchids (thai, chinese and indian) and Arizona set out on the dock in the sea (mexican). But no matter where we ate the food was always great. Our only problem was that we never had room for a dessert. The food was always served wih a smile and what ever you wanted was 'No worries' a saying you get very used to hearing.
The Manor side of the resort really was the place to be and always seemd busier than The Riviera. I think this was because the pool at The Manor is slightly better and larger. It also has gazebos around the pool which you can lay under if the heat gets too much and it is much welcomed shade. Tha gazebos have curtains around all four sides so as the sun moves you can pull the curtains to maintain the shade. Each is also equipped with a ceiling fan and light and everynow and then a cool mist is squirtted into the gazebo. They really have thought of everything!
Within the complex are some entertainers called 'The Playmakers'. It is their job to make sure everyone is having fun. They organise games to play, pool basketball, drinking competitions, table tennis leagues, squash games, etc and they also supply the evening entertainment which is certainly worth going along to experiance. By takin part in the games you earn points and at the end of your stay you can take away a prize based on how many points you have earned...for most people they managed to walk away with a bottle of rum at least.
They organise large BBQ's on the beach and sing and dance, big discos and also once a week take a bus load of people to a local nightclub if thats your thing!!
When you have finished partying you can head off to the Red Lane Spas! They offer all the treatments you could possible want and you can either have your massage within the Spa or they can take you out to one of the gazebos set out in the sea, oooohhhh sweet bliss!!! It isnt cheap but then show me a Spa that is?? i think we paid £200 for a his and hers massage that lasted just over the hour!!!!
Something I didnt realise before we arrived at the resort was that the two hotels are seperated by a main road. So to get from The Manor to The Riveria you had to get on a minibus to take you there. I thought it would be a chore and that I had made a mistake in booking this particular complex, but quickly learnt that the buses come very regularly, a one leaves another arrives and this continues all night, so you are never stuck around waiting for more than 5 minutes. Also to get from your villa within the mountain side to the Manor building there are little bus stops outside each cluster of villas, you may have a wait of 5-10 minutes but a little milk float type of vehicle will come and pick you up and take you where ever you want to go.
As I have said we went there for our honeymoon but if you wished, they can marry you for free out there!! They will arrange your flowers, your cake, breakfast in bed the following day and a champagne reception, sounds perfect and a lot cheaper than our wedding it has to be said!!!!
It is a fab resort and I think they were due to start re-furbishing The Riveria just as we were leaving, so it can only get better. There really is something for everyone, whether you want to lay in the sun and soak up the rays or do something a little more adventurous its all there for you.
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A bit more than we'd normally spend, but it was your honeymoon, and the butler sounds wonderful! I think Jamaica is great wherever you stay!
cocoklo 29.12.2006 19:29
This looks great.. I could really use some of this right now.. Hehe.. Chloe x
Jojo16021977 20.12.2006 15:01
Hi! Thanks for your comments, price wise you are right it wasnt cheap but no where near as expensive as you might think. It cost us £4100 for two weeks during the school summer holiday times. When you think we stayed in one of the top 3 suites and just how much is included in a Sandals holiday, compare that to other so called all-inclusives and I think it was a bargain!
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