TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Zoe, is the most amazing young lady that goes out of her way to take care of you while enjoying the beautiful beach. The best of the best at Ocho.

We have just returned from a fantastic 10 days at Ochi Beach resort in Jamaica as returning guests from some 9 years ago. That time we stayed on the hillside in one of the butler rooms, this time we opted for the Riviera side of the resort. Here is an honest review of our stay this time around. It’s a lengthy transfer from Montego Bay and we arrived late in the evening and shown to room 4222 and were immediately blown away with the view (if not the room itself, but I will get to that). We could not wait to see what the view looked like in the morning and we were not disappointed. The room is directly over the Sundowner bar and has a shared balcony and is truly one of the best views we have had anywhere. The room itself has not been refurbished and strongly needs it. Drawers don’t close, doors don’t align, bathroom is old and needs refurbed and the bed is at a ridiculous height, somewhere in the air and if you are afraid of heights you may never sleep. But, that being said, it was clean, had everything we needed and the view made up for it. The resort has also not fully recovery from the hurricane last year and some bits are just, not nice. The beach by the small pool is dreadful, it needs sand to cover up the many ditches, pipes and cables acting as trip hazards. The pools have chipped tiles and the tables in many of the restaurants have chips and scratches that take away the look of a quality experience. The resteraunts offer the usual mix and we did not have a bad meal throughout our stay and we made use of just about all of the outlets on offer. The entertainment team work hard to look after the guests and there are some good interactions and some that didn’t meet with our taste and were a bit crude and lacked class, it may be your thing but Miss T didn't do it for us personally. We enjoyed the Rabbit Hole speakeasy and love the concept. Denise is a fantastic entertainer but she is let down by the backdrop to her stage which has flaking paint and obvious damp. Do better Sandals please as it spoils from her fantastic show. We also enjoyed Miss Ethel’s where Howard, the ever present barman was always there with a smile to ensure your glass is never empty. We stayed in a Club Room level this time and did not miss the butler experience, we did put in a couple of requests for via the concierge service, some were acted upon, others ignored, including a shower problem where we only had scalding hot water. It took me having to produce a cup of tea, made from my shower water, for any action to be taken. I don't expect everything to be 100% all of the time, but I do judge a hotel on how it deals with problems when they arise and, unfortunately they did not always meet the mark. Most of the staff work hard at making sure you have a good time, there are definitely some grey areas beginning to creep into the 'no tipping' policy as we did see a number of tips being offered out and received. I have no objection either way but a clearer policy would be helpful from Sandals. We did notice a decline in the quality of the entertainment on offer. The last time we were there he beach parties were extravagant and fantastic, perhaps if you go regularly you will hardly notice this, but with a 9 year gap it is very noticeable. The white night used to be opulent, now it's just a silent disco. Its good, but not grrrreat. To sum up, this resort is showing its age but the staff are genuinely what makes it. With a bit of investment it could be a top place once again. Would we return again? It’s unlikely but that is mainly due to the transfer time as it’s just too long after 2 flights from the UK, but we would consider other Sandals resorts, but not ready to sign up for cult status just yet

Loved the people here, Especially Candice, Courtney and Saskia - you guys made our trip one to remember!

Recently came back from a 12 night stay at this resort. Have previously stayed there on 5 occasions, but not since 2018. We stayed in a NV1 suite on the Hillside. Room number was 7552 and was situated in really good location easily within walking distance of main Manor building so not reliant on Butlers/Jitneys to take you to your room. Butlers were Omar and Jazeen, who we requested based on positive social media reviews. Both very knowledgeable and have been in post for a number of years - would recommend. Room itself was nicely appointed and had been refurbed since we last stayed there. Much lighter shades throughout made it a more pleasant atmosphere although, we recognise that some may prefer the older colonial look, with dark mahogany furniture throughout. Our suite was on ground floor in block of 4, which meant that we had easy access to shared pool. Only issue with this room that we has regular visits from centipedes, which were easily dealt with using some nifty footwork. Received complimentary private transfer from MBJ which took about 1.45 hours, but that was at 9pm without bathroom break. Other guests arrived in shared shuttle immediately after us, so other than being more comfortable transfer, not a time saving one. We ate breakfast predominantly at Southern table where there was a decent choice of food. Used Mariners, Great House and Dinos for lunch and all good with usual Sandals lunch menu. Top tip - if you like quesadillas, go to Great House as opposed to Mariners. Best restaurants for us were Le Gourmand, Valentino’s (both were outstanding) and Kelly’s. We did take shuttle to Dunns River resort and ate at Edessa, which was nice. Food at Returning Guest dinner was disappointing to say the least and as a ‘showpiece’, they really need to get a grip of this. However this was offset by great compère (entertainment manager) and some fantastic table hosts. As a certified diver, went on the 9am dive on 7 mornings. Really great crew at the dive centre and great to see Dennis still there after all these years. All dive team and boat captain were excellent and although there was some great banter, you always felt safe. In my opinion, it is the staff that makes this resort so special, and throughout our trip, we met some of the most friendly and helpful staff members. To think that most had been affected either directly or indirectly by Hurricane Melissa, and see them ‘giving their all’, such a short time after these events is truly humbling. We had so much great service and cannot remember all the names but would like to thank Zoe, Alecia (pool servers), Frederico, Michael, Renaldo (Valentino’s ), Philip (le gourmand), Asagne (entertainment), Milton (Kelly’s).

My stay has been OUTSTANDING. Jerk chicken, drinks, every single member of the wait staff, bar staff, A+ breakfasts, dinners, and the most memorable views waking up on the ocean side. A few ppl who made my trip extra spectacular were Shawn on the landscaping team, Patrice from entertainment team, and the woman who provided an excellent massage Tuesday night. I will be coming back