Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort, Ocho Rios

.../> The hotel:
The Sunset Jamaica Grande is a hotel in the 'Sunset' group of hotels. The hotel is the largest of the three in the group and is rated as a 4 star standard. The hotel is made up of one main building and two tower blocks which are very easy to spot from a distance due to their bright yellow colour!



Location:
The hotel sits on the edge of the bay and in a prime position directly on the beach ...
...located 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Montego Bay airport. Across from the hotel in the opposite bay is where all the cruise ships dock - far enough away for there to be any noise disruption but, close enough to watch them go by.



First impressions:
I knew what it looked like from looking at it on the internet and from pictures in brochures so I knew what to expect in terms of the building exterior but, it really ... more

When I travelled to Jamaica with work we stayed in a few hotels in different locations and the one we stayed in whilst in Ocho Rios was this one. I have to admit that although I was looking forward to it I was a little disappointed to be moving from the hotel we had stayed at in Negril as it was a luxury hotel. So I was hoping that this one would be nice in its own way!

The hotel:
The Sunset Jamaica Grande is a hotel in the 'Sunset' group of hotels. The hotel is the largest of the three in the group and is rated as a 4 star standard. The hotel is made up of one main building and two tower blocks which are very easy to spot from a distance due to their bright yellow colour!

Location:
The hotel sits on the edge of the bay and in a prime position directly on the beach which is also private to hotel guests. The hotel is located 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Montego Bay airport. Across from the hotel in the opposite bay is where all the cruise ships dock - far enough away for there to be any noise disruption but, close enough to watch them go by.



First impressions:
I knew what it looked like from looking at it on the internet and from pictures in brochures so I knew what to expect in terms of the building exterior but, it really does hit you how big the hotel is as you pull up. The lobby is very large with a reception desk immediately to your left. However there is a large area with lots of seats and as there are no windows the breeze that blows through is brilliant! There is also a small bar located further back in the lobby and a gift shop to the right hand side as you walk in. The lobby is all tiled and is because of the very open plan design it doesn't feel crowded at all even though it has an awful lot of guests coming and going.
Even though I was impressed by the size of the hotel and how well equipped the lobby seemed to be, after getting my bearings I realised that although impressive in size, the decor is just basic really and not to the extent that a guest would be wowed by luxury as it is more just average. I think I was more inclined to feel this way though because I had just come from a much nicer hotel! Also it doesn't help that to make this hotel feel more of a package hotel than luxury hotel, you get the obligatory orange wristband to wear to show you are staying here and therefore enabling you to use the all inclusive facilities!

The rooms:
The rooms are set out in three sections - there are the two tower blocks and then also a section next to one of the towers where the rooms are across just two levels. All together there are 730 rooms. My room was in this third section and on the second floor. I notice that those on the ground floor do actually have access to walk out across the gardens to the beach and also pool area which is a plus as not all ground floor rooms in some hotels have the access and have patios with no gate or gap in the wall to allow guest to just walk straight out of the room onto the grounds. The reason this is an advantage is that if placed at the far end of the corridor it is a long walk back to the doors to get out onto the grounds! Of course being on the second floor I had to endure this walk but, I soon got used to it!
The room I was in was a Cabana Beach front type which had a king sized bed and average sized patio. These rooms are generally recommended for honeymooners or wedding couples and due to the location I can see why as they were in a quieter location than the tower rooms which had a lot more people going up and down the lifts. However I still thought that the room was pretty basic and more 3 star like than 4 star due to the basic decor and amenities in the room. It was clean which is always a plus point but, I felt the bathroom was also very basic which although equipped with a shower over the tub, toilet and sink; it just lacked anything that made me feel like I was in a 4 star hotel. The room also had a telephone and TV along with a wardrobe where the safe was also kept. I can only say that the room was comfortable and provided what it needed to which was somewhere to sleep and have a wash.
Other rooms at the hotel are all located in the two tower blocks. These consist of a resort view, which overlook the area of Ocho Rios, an ocean view which overlooks the sea from a side view, an ocean front which is a full sea facing room and finally the one bedroom suites which have a large bedroom and bathroom and a separate living room which has a second bathroom. These are on the corner of the towers meaning they have two balconies. I felt what let the rooms down was that there was no mini bar in the room - whether this be so that you could get a drink without having to go all the way down to the bar or even so you could store a drink you may have brought back with you it would have added to the rooms amenities. There are ice and water machines in the corridors but, again this means leaving your room if you suddenly fancied a drink during the night and had no cold drinks to hand.

Food and drink:
I ate at four different places during my stay in the hotel - two of the reservation restaurants, the grill and also in the main buffet breakfast room. I will start with the main breakfast room. This is located just down from the lobby and directly behind the main pool. It is quite a large place as it caters for buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner and of course has to accommodate a lot of guests! The name of this place is 'Grande Palm' and is open for breakfast from 7am-10am, back open for lunch from 12pm - 2.30pm and then again for dinner between 6.30 - 10pm. All meals are served buffet style and having tried all three I was impressed by the selection. For breakfast there is plenty to choose from with a variety of hot and cold food along with plenty of choice for drinks. Hot drinks are served at the table but, you can help yourself to juices. Lunch and dinner are very similar in style really with a choice of hot and cold food. Of course the hot food is different to breakfast though and this is where I tried curried goat for the first time which was very nice indeed! Staff are very good at clearing tables and if you require hot drinks these are served fairly quickly considering the size of the place.
I ate at the Grill bar when actually leaving the hotel as we didn't have time to sit down properly to lunch so got a burger and fries from the grill bar where it can be wrapped up to take away. I thought it was a very nice burger as done on the grill it had that grilled taste to it that I like! Really nice and a good way to get a quick snack to either take around the pool or to take back to your room. I noticed how busy it was in here when I was waiting for me food and a lot of people ordered the Jerk chicken which looked so nice but, because it took longer to do I didn't want to risk missing the bus!
The two reservation restaurants I ate in were the Chinese one named 'Ginger Lily' and 'LaDiva' the Italian restaurant. The Italian one has a lovely atmosphere as it is all dimly lit with candles and the music is very low. It would be an ideal place to eat for a special occasion or as a couple. The food was lovely and very filling and the only niggle I would have is that the food seemed to take quite some time to get to us - I am not sure though if this was because of the size of our group as there were ten of us eating and I imagine it might have slowed down the chef slightly! The Chinese restaurant was completely different and was decorated in an oriental style with reds, gold's and blacks. The meal we had here was from a set menu and this was because for this meal we met up with even some other colleagues taking our party size to twenty! The meal again was very nice and also very filling. Drinks were readily available for us and they did provide bottles of wine for the table rather than us ordering by glass.
I think overall the restaurants are of a much better standard than the rooms are and this is one of the reasons the hotel can call itself a 4 star over 3 even though the rooms are pretty basic. Along with the ones I have mentioned there is also a Caribbean/American themed restaurant, a cafe serving snacks and drinks and a coffee station where guests can help themselves to hot drinks when the main restaurant is closed in between meals. I would definitely eat in those I had a meal in again if I was ever to go back to the hotel.

Other facilities:
The other facilities of the hotel bring me to the other reason the hotel is classed as a 4 star. There are simply lots of facilities to hand and plenty to keep everyone entertained. To start with the hotel has 5 swimming pools one of which has a swim up bar and one which has a fantastic slide attached to it in the form of a lighthouse. The lighthouse has two slides one of which takes riders into the pool and one which takes riders into the sea! If the pools aren't enough there is then a good choice of water sports too which include kayaks, water trampolines, paddle boats and water bikes. There is also then the land based activities such as tennis, a full gym and sauna and a full service spa. Apart from treatments in the spa everything is included on the all inclusive so it is ideal for those that are on a budget but, wants lots of things to keep them occupied or active.

The hotel also deal with weddings and many couple marry in the gardens or in the gazebo that is on the end of the walkway out to sea which is ideal to be away from the rest of the hotel. The hotel can arrange weddings for large groups or even just the couple on their own and if with a large group they have rooms that you can then hire for the party afterwards. These rooms are also ideal if staying at the hotel on business and needing meeting rooms. I am not sure of costs to hire these rooms though unfortunately.

If staying at the hotel with children there is also a children's club and they have plenty of activities to keep the little ones happy. The club is open for children aged 2-12 years old and is open from 9am - 7pm. The hotel also has its own small casino which is not included on the all inclusive of course so be careful not to lose too much money! There is a gift shop in the hotel lobby too but, for cheaper presents for people back home the local market is only 5 minutes walk away and there are lots of things you can pick up here that you won't find in the hotel. In the evenings if you do want to stay in the hotel they have different events on during the week such as a 'Caribbean beach party' or a 'Pirates party' along with a nightclub open until the early hours every evening which is named 'Jamaica'N Me crazy'

Price:
The hotel is generally sold as part of a package deal through most tour operators and prices start at around £750 per adult and around £450 per child for 1 week including flights but, this varies depending on season. Also child prices vary and you may be able to get free children's place again depending, on the time of year.

Overall opinion:
I said I was sad to have left the hotel we stayed in before this one because it was a luxury hotel - I did miss my room at the other compared to this one as it was much more comfortable and had better amenities to keep me occupied in the evening when I wanted to relax on my own before another busy day with work. However this hotel has got so much going for it in other areas that it is easy to see why it is so busy constantly - I would imagine you would get a lot of repeat guests here as the prices mean that for a Caribbean holiday it is not bad at all. When you take into account that the hotel can provide nice food for a week or so and lots of entertainment then you can't go wrong. The hotel is within easy reach of the local restaurants, shops and bars so if you do want to explore there is plenty around it. I would definitely stay here again as really it has everything you could need for holiday. If you want to relax then there is enough space to do so and if you want activities then there is also that too. A good choice of hotel in Jamaica. 

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