Secrets St. James Montego Bay

While the facilities are looking a little worn and need some TLC (thank you Helene), the staff are among the most pleasant of any resort we have been to. Top notch Spa services. Food is as expected for an all inclusive - but Altitude next door at Breathless delivers. Kudos to the Coco cafe. More efficient than Starbucks, consistent, high quality coffee drinks. Beach is among the best we’ve had in Secrets brand.

Relaxing Christmas and new year 18 day holiday Secrets st James preferred room number 4418, spacious room with beautiful ocean views. Room well equipped with everything you’d need. Travelled from UK and my Dyson air wrap didn’t work in the sockets but it was so hot and humid I don’t think it would have made much of a difference! Beach was stunning, loungers comfy, beach service was great from Carrie -Ann, shenice, great cocktails, our favourite being the Bob Marley. Food was good across the story, we tried altitude at breathless, the fish net and the restaurant at breathless all were good. Our favourite in secrets was the Bordeaux French restaurant. Entertainment team worn tirelessly and have delivered daily but over and above on Xmas and new year. We did a few tours including negril, Margaritaville, ricks cafe, grant river bamboo rafting, hip strip, Tracks and records (Usain Bolts restaurant in montego bay), dunns river falls (our favourite) and the illuminous lagoon. Sadie Dixon tours and Leon the taxi driver from the resort were our tour guides, felt comfortable and safe with both guides. A special mention to Jhanelle at the piano bar, exceptional service with the biggest smile, Carrie- Ann, Kelly -Ann, Stacey -Ann, the ever professional Joy who always took time to speak with guests, Romane, Audley our pool towel guy, greeted us every morning with a smile. To be honest all of the staff were very welcoming and friendly, there’s too many to mention personally. The hotel is a little dated in places and after 18 days things were noticeable, however our stay was superb, nothing spoilt it apart from the odd rain shower, we really enjoyed a much needed relaxing holiday, big shout out to Pam and Paul from Canada, sorry we missed you both on our last day, hope you enjoyed your spa day, safe travels home on Monday, it was a pleasure to meet you both.

Let's start with the positives: - 5 stars for the resort itself. Very nice, well-kept, nice beach - 4 stars for the rooms. Very nice, albeit a bit tired. No privacy in the bathroom area. - 4 stars for the servers in the restaurants. We had some excellent servers, albeit one at the Italian restaurant needs an education in customer service. - 3.5 stars for the food. Some restaurants were very good (e.g. Bordeaux) while others not so much (Blue Mountain). The buffet was disappointing. Not very fresh and you have to line up to get in. And now the negatives: - 3 stars for the staff in general (e.g. bartenders). Some are good, while others shouldn't be working in the service industry. - 2 stars for the Concierge(s). Some were very disorganized and unprofessional. It shouldn't take 2 days to figure out whether a cabana is available for booking. - 2 stars for the cleaning staff. They either do a very superficial job or forget to clean your room, despite being reminded. - 1 star for the staff at check in. Total incompetence. Bell hops can't figure out bags, rooms aren't ready when promised, and nobody knows what the heck they're doing. - 1 star for the hostess at the New Year's dinner. They upsell you and then are totally disorganized when it comes to seating. And they're rude about it.

We visited over the Christmas period having visited in 2022 when we had an amazing time so booked again. However we noticed a marked difference the Christmas decorations were minimal in comparison as was the whole of the Christmas experience having to pay for wine to have a Christmas Eve meal and again on Christmas Day! The Christmas buffet was not as good as our previous experience. The Christmas parade was so much smaller and no party on the beach as previous. Many of the restaurants were closed less staff. Rooms have become tired in fact the whole site in in need of paint and up keep. The holiday was no where near as good and we will not return. The cabanas by the pool are over priced and not used limiting the beds around the areas. There is less staff available which appears the reason the restaurants are not all open every evening.

Secrets Montego Bay is a true gem. Its perfect location, just 15 minutes from the airport, sets the stage for an unforgettable experience. The people here shine with genuine pride in their Jamaican heritage, beautifully showcasing the rich culture, vibrant music, delicious food, and warm smiles of this unique island.