I’m a newlywed, so it probably goes without saying that I went on my honeymoon a fairly short time ago. My husband and I had picked out one of the Sandals resorts in the Caribbean: Sandals Grande Ocho Rios in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Looking at the pictures online and in their very large brochure, it was hard to imagine we’d be going to such a beautiful place. Everything seemed so vibrant and lush and absolutely gorgeous. Could it really be as wonderful as the brochure said it was?
Yes, it could. And it was.
Accommodations:
My husband and I stayed in a luxury honeymoon cottage. It wasn’t the most expensive room, but it was near the beach. The bed was a king and also a canopy, with a flower print spread and soft, white sheets. The room also included a desk, big screen TV, two mirrors, nightstands, a stocked mini fridge (that they refilled daily), a dresser, and a closet area. The walls were a charming yellow and the floor was red tiled. Though many buildings in Jamaica are not air conditioned, our honeymoon suite had a window unit that we ran non-stop the entire time we were there. There was also, of course, a bathroom with a deep tub, and two French doors next to the bed opened onto an adorable patio with a wrought iron patio set and rods to dry your swimsuits on.
Food:
The food was always excellent, albeit not what it always claimed to be. Breakfast and lunch were served everyday at the two same restaurants, one on either side of the resort. The one on our side was called the Bayside, and it served a variety of breakfast items in the morning (pancakes, muffins, bagels, etc.) and international cuisine at lunch. During our week there we sampled food from India, the United States (made me feel at home), China, Japan, Italy, and various other countries. Each day they served food from a different region. I think my favorite day was when they served Indian food. They made excellent curry.
For dessert, they always had a wide variety of pastries and a frozen yogurt machine. Dinner was served at eight different restaurants, and during our six evenings there we were able to visit five due to reserving a candlelight dinner on the beach on my birthday. I’ll discuss the restaurants below in a separate category. Ocho Rios also has a grill on the beach, which is open at lunch and late at night for the hungry night owls. We were there quite a few times, and although the food isn’t gourmet, it’ll fill you up when you need a snack.
Restaurants:
Valentino’s and the San Gennaro serve Italian, and both were excellent (although I recommend San Gennaro over Valentino’s if you can only do one). The Bayside serves international cuisine a la carte, and again, excellent. The Arizona, which probably has the second best atmosphere next to the San Gennaro because it’s out on the boardwalk, serves American Southwestern food, which you may know as Tex-Mex. Unfortunately, I have to report that the Jamaican cooks really don’t get Tex-Mex (I’m from Texas, so I would know), and so it won’t be what you’re used to. It will be delicious, however. Just not what you expect. Finally, the Reef Terrace serves Caribbean cuisine, and as that’s home cooking for the Jamaicans, it was the absolute best thing we had there. Restaurants we didn’t get to try were Orchids and the Manor. Also, the Marketplace Grill, which we only ate lunch at, is the Bayside’s equivalent on the far side of the resort, so it always served the same things.
Service:
The staff at Ocho Rios was absolutely amazing. They were courteous, helpful, and always hospitable to a fault. Room service tended to not get around to our room until later in the day, but otherwise it was stellar. The wait staff was always very attentive, in particular at the Bayside during dinner and the Reef Terrace. The entertainment staff put together wonderful shows and events and parties, and just about every person that worked there said hello the moment they saw us. We even missed our bus after one of our excursions, and our driver came back for us! And they always sang … waiters, custodians, bus drivers. Everyone sang.
