Montego Bay- Good Attitude Made it A Good Trip
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned from a June trip to Sandals Montego Bay. Here is the low down. The resort itself is pretty nice. The Honeymoon Beach Front Room was Fabulous. You could not get any closer to the beach...truly it was only two steps from the sand. Also, the room was nice. The watersports were great and always ready for you to jump and go for it. The Bar service was great, you can get WHATEVER you want and there is never a line. If you think the drinks are weak, just ask for a kick! There are tiki huts with nice lawn chairs and tables on the beach.On the negative side, the pools are small and nothing to call home about. The food is below average. The only good thing to eat is at the Grill by the beach. However, they have more than just hamburgers and hotdogs (kabobs, jerk chicken, quesidillas ect...) The buffet is terrible and so are the restaurants with the exception of Tokyo Joes. I have been on several cruises and was expecting the food to be on the same level as it is on cruises, but it is much worse. AKA don't go for the food. Also, the nightlife doesnt really start until after 11pm. That was really too late for us. We like to party and have a good time way before that hour. I could not have gone to this resort for longer than I did....3 nights. I might have been able too if the food had been better.We had a good attitude and thus had a good time. You have to decide for yourself if it is worth the money. It is not super expensive in my opinion and you don't get a super exclusive resort either.
A great resort!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I was a bit nervous about our vacation to the Sandals Montego Bay resort after reading some of the negative reviews. However, it turned out to be wonderful. We arrived at the resort on June 14 for 6 nights and we were very pleased with everything. Our room was upgraded 3 levels. We were in the Almonds block and this particular block of rooms has been recently remodeled. The rooms were very large with jacuzzi in the bathroom, canopy over the bed, large balcony. We could not have asked for a nicer room. The food was excellent in all the restaurants and the bar service was great too. This was our first visit to an all inclusive resort with the Sandals chain, but we were very impressed and plan to return to another Sandals resort soon.
What A Great Honeymoon!
by A TripAdvisor Member
We decided to spend our honeymoon at Sandals Montego Bay and we were so glad that we did. They truly treat you like royalty! Once we landed we found out every quickly that the airport did not have air-conditioning so it was very hot. Luckily, our bags came around very fast and we were on our way to Sandals. Upon arriving at Sandals Montego Bay we were taken straight to the air-conditioned Concierge building and given a cold towel and champagne while we were being checked in. Next, we followed our bags to our Honeymoon Beachfront Suite. I cannot say enough good things about the Concierge service. If you have the extra money, you should get the Concierge Service!! You get a minibar in your room and they keep it stocked daily with Jamaican Rum, RedStripe, champagne, sodas, and etc If for some reason you were to drink it all, all you would have to do is call up the concierge and they would gladly bring you more! When eating out or getting drinks from the beach grill we found the sodas to be watered down, so we found the glass bottled sodas from the minibar to be very much needed! The mixed drinks from the bar were not watered down at all, very strong. Also, it is very easy to make reservations, set up a dinner at the suite, or set up a tour just by calling the concierge. Others without concierge have to stand in line at the front desk to make reservations and etc The Beachfront Suite that we were in was in very good condition and the rest of the beach and facilities also seemed to be in very good condition, so I am not sure why people are complaining about the facilities in their reviews. Also, the planes flying overhead did not bother us at all. The Beachfront Suite was at the very end of the resort and very private. We enjoyed walking through the gardens during the day everything was so colorful. The only problem we had with walking through the garden was at night. We would get dressed up for dinner and the sprinkling system would be running and there may be times where the water was being thrown one day we spent a lot of time around the water sports. We tried everything, scuba diving was awesome!! If we were not in the water we just relaxed on the beach. As far as the food is concerned, we enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is buffet style with anything that you could ever think of. Lunch was also buffet style and there was something different everyday. I am not sure why people have complained about the buffet in their reviews the choice of food was great. If you did not like the buffet then you could go down to the beach grill where they had tenderloins, kabobs, hamburgers, fries, ice-cream, chicken, etc You will not go hungry! I am surprised that no one has mentioned the stray cats that hang around the resort especially around the tables at lunch and dinner. They were not much of a problem but they were still there. We ate dinner at a different restaurant every night. We found the food to be excellent with very many choices. One night we traveled to the Sandals Royal Caribbean to eat at the Thai Restaurant. They have great egg rolls!! Be sure to make reservations for this restaurant the day you arrive or you may not get to eat there. It fills up fast!! We also traveled over to Sandals Inn one night for dinner to eat at the Carlyle. No matter where you choose to eat you are treated like royalty. They pulled out my wifes chair each time, put our napkin in our lap, and never reached across the tablethey always walked around. It was hard at times to get refills on drinks though. During the middle of the week we decided to take a shopping tour. If you have concierge service then there is a day where a concierge will go with you and provide even more information, and take some beer while on the tour. We were taken to a craft market where the people jump right on you wanting you to buy their stuff. Anything that they had to sell could also be bought in other stores, but you can get them at much better prices from the shacks we visited by bargaining. We felt safe at all times; there was no threat of It was a neat experience. We also visited a shopping mall full of upscale jewelry stores. You can bargain here as well but the prices were still to high. We went on the Dunns River Tour on Thursday and a concierge named CJ went with us! CJ was great! Aka Trouble What happens on the bus, stays on the bus. The bus we took was not cramped at all. It was a great trip. CJ brought us beer, champagne, and soft drinks for the trip. There were a few close calls on the roads but it was not because of our driver, it was those other maniac Jamaicans. Climbing the falls was a very neat experience. On the way back we stopped at Sandals Dunns River to have lunch. It was more of a hotel setting with a much larger pool, but a much smaller beach than Sandals Montego Bay. Overall we visited 4 Sandals Locations, and we found Sandals Montego Bay to be the Best Sandals location and it had the largest beach! Sandals Inn had a public beach across the street and it was full of Jamaicans at the time, it did not look safe! We felt very safe behind the walls of Sandals Montego Bay, and we did not feel confined. It is a very large resort. When it was time to go home the concierge calls up a limo for those with concierge service and you are taken to the airport in style!!
A LIT BIT OF HEAVEN PART II
by A TripAdvisor Member
Well we have just returned from our second trip to Sandals Montego Bay and this trip was even better than the first time. We spent 6 wonderful nights from May 22nd thru May 28th 2003. We were married on May 24th.
The wedding was wonderful and I would recommend getting married this way to anyone looking to save money and not deal with any stress. You get to pick out the different locations to be married on the resort, however unfortunatly it rained on our day only! so we were married in the chapel, which turned out to be great. If I had to plan it over again, I would still get married inside of the chapel and take all of my photos in the wedding gazebo. I would not recommend having a large wedding party during their peak season. I had about 10 guest and there was a big problem for dinner. Our reservation was at 7:30 however we did not get seated until after 9pm. But the management staff were extremely helpful and did make sure we were properly compensated and they made the rest of our stay wonderful. I highly recommend buying the professional made wedding video. Mine came out absolutely wonderful. I have watched it eight times already! The photo album is beautifully done. Aqua Sun is the company that puts both the photos and video together and its well worth the money. Their staff is very professional.
The wedding reception itself could use some work, however all you really need is cake and champagne since dinner follows. The reception area was set up nicely inside one of the restaurants. (again due to the rain) we brought our own wedding music which made the video even better. ONE CAUTION make sure the wedding coordinator checks her cd player prior to playing music. Her cd player did not play our first dance song too well, which was extremely upsetting however due to the professionalism of Aqua Sun the song was redone and put on my wedding video without any errors. Again Kudos to Aqua Sun.
Back to the resort We stayed in the newly remodeled section which is now referred to as Water's Edge Concierge. It was a pleasant surprise because we were just there in August of 2002 and stayed in the same section of the Almonds Block. THe room was beautiful! Nicely decorated, nice patios overlooking the ocean, big bathrooms with spa style tubs and a bar and refridgerator that was replenished daily. All of my family and friends who came to the resort for the wedding loved the room!
I was a little worried prior to coming by reading all of the negative reviews, especially the ones about the nightly entertaiment being non existant, if anything there was more entertainment this trip then the last trip. Some friends of mine participated in Lovers Night which is held on Saturadays and won first place. As a prize they won a trip to go on the party boat for free. Of course we joined them (not for free) but it was worth every cent! I would definately recommend going on the party boats. They are the boats with the name of Tropical Dreamer or Day Dreamer. We had a wonderful time.
The food was good. Great variety even for the pickest eater. The service you receive from the moment you arrive is incredible. There is absolutely no tipping allowed but the service is better than what you get when you are expected to tip! They cater to your every need. David is truely the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
High Honers go out to Jillian you know I love you girl, Kayan Love you too!, Qinchie you are wonderful! and Alicia stay sweet. I miss you all and can't wait to return.
The drinks are plentiful and great and not watered down at all. Well unless you are a heavy drinker but I am not and neither is my husband and the drinks suited us just fine. A lot of them were even too strong for my taste and I had to have them toned down a bit.
THe beach was nice, however I myself am not a swimmer so the beach and pool would not be something I would have a comment on.
Overall this is truely a wonderful resort. There is lots of entertainment, (oh yeah the playmakers are wonderful too) the night club is opened every night after the nightly entertainment.
We are already planning our 3rd trip for next year. I plan to vacation here as much as possible, although I do want to try a few of the other Sandals but Regardless I will be spending a few days at the Best which is here at Sandals Mo Bay!
We did visit the other two Sandals in Mo Bay and out of the 3 this was tops!
I think I covered everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Time at Mo Bay
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at MoBay from May 3 to May 10. Overall it was an excellent vacation and we are very glad that we chose Sandals MoBay.
Beach: The best beach in Jamaica didn't dissapoint. Lots of loungers, towels always available, and there was always shade avaliable. The ocean was unbelievably warm. My favorite part was just walking around in the ocean or sitting on one of the floating decks and relaxing. Yes planes are load but didn't bother me. I thought it was neat. Didn't hear any planes after 9:30 PM.
Room: The room was small but comfortable. Maid service was excellent.
A/C worked great (thank goodness!). Had no water on last morning of trip though. Great ocean view and it wasn't in one of the more expensive blocks. Only a 2 min walk to the beach. Loved eating on the beach from the beach grill (hot dogs, pizza, kabobs etc.)
Weather: Awesome!
Entertainment: Pretty good. Really liked the beach party on Tuesday night. Also liked Raggae night and the Bob Marley songs.
Food: The food was always good. Liked the Italian place the best. Had to wait about 45 min for fook at the OK Corral. Went to Royal Caribean for supper one night and it was excellent. Only complaint is that not all restaurants open every day.
Tours : Excellent and expensive. Went to Dunn's Falls and had a great time. Will never forget that great experience. I recommend that (all day) tour if you only leave the resort once.
Drinks: I don't drink much but they seemed fine to me! I hope you like Rum.
Overall we had an excellent time and recommend this place. Was it expensive? Yes! Would I do it again? Yes!
Forum Posts
Sandals Montego Bay
by anita_72
Anybody been to Sandals MoBay? What are your thoughts about the resort. As well, the web sites all indicate that they have 5-star gourmet restaurants. Is it truly gourmet? The last all-inclusive I went to in Cuba had a so-called gourmet restaurant which required 1-week advance booking but everyone who went to the restaurant seemed to indicate their distaste. What were yours and others thoughts about the resort in general. I figure the restaurants are the last reason why I would go to a resort but it would be a bonus to know that the food is actually good.
Thanks!
Anita
Re: Sandals Montego Bay
by msi1995
Well! It is something like that in Cuba but they speak English. Not a bad place but nothing like on the web site or in the ads. Don't forget to pack some peanuts in your bag.
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