TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We had a lovely 10 day trip to Sandals Ochi. As per usual in any Sandals/Beaches in Jamaica the staff were all fantastic, the food was good and the grounds beautifully kept. We stayed Beach side which we did prefer but visited the main pool a few times and some restaurants on the Hill side. The hop trip is very convenient. The french restaurant for breakfast was worth going to. In fact the food and service was very good wherever we ate. We are diamond guests and have been to several other resorts and the things that we felt didn't have the same appeal that is usual for Sandals were.. It didn't have the same feel of the traditional ' love is all you need ' resort, to be fair, we knew when we booked that Ochi is referred to as a ' party resort ' and there were groups we met celebrating weddings etc which on the whole isn't a problem, what we didn't appreciate was a couple of times the ' parties ' that groups had in the hot tub in front of our room, the second one went on until 12.30am. To be fair we didn't ring reception and complain but I om sure staff were aware. To wake up in the morning and see beer bottles chucked on the grass in front of your room isn't what you want, although that says more about the type of guests than the resort or staff!! We mostly enjoyed the beach side pool, it had the happy mixture of fun but small and friendly. The girls looking after us were all fantastic and we barely went long without a drink on our sunbeds. Zoe really stood out on our last day, she was so bubbly and so excited to be working at Sandals, she even came back from her lunch early because she said she got bored and wanted to come and work again, we took this chance to have a good chat to her and listen to how she has a dream of working on weddings one day. The swim up pool bar attendants were good fun too and it was lovely to see Jaheem again, he used to work at Beaches Ocho Rios in the past and is still doing an amazing job of looking after guests. The let down at this pool was the music on the Friday, the DJ insisted on playing the music so loud that despite being the far end of the deck from him you couldn't have a conversation with the person next to you, also he seemed to be the only one enjoying the type of music he was playing, I don't know what has happened to Bob but we only heard his music on one occasion!!! Arrival was a mess, the people working at the airport really didn't seem to know what was going on, after such a long journey from the UK it was no fun to be left sitting around for another half hour or more whilst they tried to work out what they were doing. Our driver thought he was dropping all the guests at Hill side when in fact he didn't only have to drop at both sides but also Sandals Plantation as well, not his fault but he hadn't been updated. This was better than our friends transfer because her driver was called back to the airport from Kingston because they had forgotten a couple of guests making her transfer even longer. Then when we finally get there ( after a 2hr transfer ) we were left sitting about for another 20 mins before being shown to our room where we were greeted with a letter telling us of all the perks for being diamond guests and top of the list.... " As diamond guests you will be welcomed with ' private in room check in ' Sandals get your act together, either take off this privilege from your list or simply have one of the Loyalty team start their day an hour later and work an hour later, it is no good telling guests ' sorry, the staff had gone home by the time you got here ' the UK flights always come in at that time. It does feel like a kick in the teeth. The loyalty team were lovely as usual but sadly they are swapped sides of the resort all the time so we never seemed to have the same people for more than a day or 2, we felt this with the entertainment team too, we do enjoy getting to know the staff during our holiday but was difficult to do. On the whole this is a lovely resort with something for everyone however busy or quiet you like it. Food is good, staff are fantastic and the resort is beautifully kept including the rooms. A big bonus of the resort is the fact that the Butlers don't save all the sunbeds. We have witnessed this at other resorts where Butlers reserve beds that sit empty for the majority of the day. We have never felt comfortable having a personal servant when staying at Sandals resorts.where the service is always so good. We were able to walk to the pool at 9-10am and still get beds by the pool and the resort was almost at capacity. Although Sandals Ochi wouldn't be our first choice if there was a good deal to be had we would definitely return.

This was our fifth trip to SO and it continues to be one of our favorite Sandals resorts! Mike McHugh from Dream Makers Vacation Services made all the arrangements and we were so pleased that he was able to secure the exact room number that we had requested. He never disappoints! We stayed for the first time in the Garden Cottages and were very pleased with the location and condition of the room. Newly renovated and wonderful water views. We stayed Beachside the entire time and enjoyed Soy, The Reef, Vista, Neptunes and Sweet Wood which is a wonderful new food truck by the Beach Club. We had not been to the resort in a little over a year and were very pleased to see so many improvements. Fresh paint, new plantings and no evidence that a hurricane had been through months before. The only noticeable (and somewhat startling) change is the fact that the large bamboo grove by the quiet pool wa completely gone due to the hurricane. It still looks great, just different for sure, We keep coming back to Sandals and to Jamaica mainly because of all the wonderful people and this trip was no exception. A special thanks to our housekeeper Novina, who greeted us when we arrived and kept in touch with us throughout our stay to ensure we had everything we needed. Other standouts were Rafika, Miss T, Angelique, Amekia and of course Andrew at Soy,Kimberly, Tavis, Ashley, and Javon at Vista, Tovi Ann, Krystal, Obrian, Jovi Ann and manager Grayson at the Sundowner Bar, our friends Shodice and Keisha at the Loyalty Office (two 2027 trips booked!), Shain and AlJay who kept our drinks stocked in our room, Nodora at the spa who provided the best facial ever, and last but not least Davian, baggage handler and singer at the front entrance who has been our friend since our first trip to Ochi in 2023 and remembers us every time. Looking forward to returning in May and seeing all of our friends again.

Loved the place. A white knuckle ride from Sangster Airport in Montego Bay for an hour and a half, but we arrived in one piece. Upgraded room at the Hillside upon arrival which was a nice touch. The resort is split into two but the hop bus connecting them is frequent as are the golf carts to take you up the hill from great house reception. Our top 3 restaurants were Le Gourmand, Tapas on the Beach and Kelly’s Dockside. Valentino’s also a notable mention. Le Gourmand is best for breakfast, followed by Vista Sky and then Southern Table. We found the food to be good rather than great but no complaints. We have stayed at Sandals Barbados before and found the general service from everyone so much better in Ochi. Something like Cafe De Paris would be great here too. There’s a little ice cream cart at the beachside and a soft serve at hillside (often broken,) coffee machines as well but not as good as a Cafe de Paris. Probably wouldn’t come back here as there’s so many other Sandals to choose from. We got a look at Dunn’s River so if we come back to Jamaica we’d probably try there or Montego Bay. Great trip though and definitely worthy of five stars.

We are regular Sandals couples, having been visiting various Sandals over the last 22 years. We met friends at Sandals, who we still go on holiday with and have a great time. Staff at Sandals Ochi were helpful at all times and as accommodating as they could be. There are a few issues that need to be addressed by management following our recent visit. We arrived at Kingston airport at 5.35pm. Through immigration quickly and a slight delay with luggage. We then found the Sandals desk and were taken to a small lounge by 6.30pm. Then the wait began. We finally left the airport just before 8pm and didn’t arrive on site until just after 10pm. The organisation at the airport was definitely lacking, transport should have been arranged much quicker, it is not as if they didn’t know we were coming. This leads me on to my first complaint. We are Diamond guests, we don’t ask for much but the first benefit of being Diamond is in room check in. Why did this not happen? When I questioned it at a later date the excuse was that we had arrived too late. You know we are coming so surely this could be allowed for. We have been Diamond status since 2019 and have been to various other resorts including Ocho Beaches, Grenada and Barbados and every time I have had to remind the person checking us in of this issue. The excuse for late arrival is not appropriate at either of the other resorts mentioned as we arrive late afternoon. Why offer it , if staff are not expected to carry it out? The other issue that needs to be addressed is regarding the loud music. At the seaside pool, music was played at a reasonable level , however when a DJ playmaker came, the music was turned up so loud that my friend and I couldn’t hear ourselves speak. It seemed that the DJ’s were playing for themselves and not the holiday makers they were meant to be entertaining. Three times one morning I asked for it to be turned down, each time after a few minutes it was turned up. I don’t have a problem with loud music but sitting about 100 meters away from the speakers and not being able to hear my neighbour is quite ridiculous. On the positive side, the room we had was ok, nicely positioned on the beachside. Loved the steak at the Reef, Eleanor’s barman was great, he made the best drinks. Very much enjoyed surf and turf at Sky. Entertainment at the hillside was good too. Sandals Ochi could benefit from a Buches, a nice outside bar similar to the one at Dunn’s by the Greek restaurant and a Cafe de Paris.

Patrice with the entertainment was absolutely awesome!!! She helped us have the best time. We loved the volleyball and karaoke.