Sandals Ochi

A Cautionary Review: Transparency Matters I’m sharing this review as a heads-up for future travelers. While the hotel has its charm, the experience fell short due to some critical issues that were not disclosed upfront. The property is divided into two separate locations, a fact not mentioned on the hotel’s website. One part is idyllically located by the seaside, while the other is perched on a hill, accessible only by shuttle. Unfortunately, our "sea view" room—booked with high expectations—turned out to be on the hill, far from the beach. Another major drawback is the lack of elevators anywhere on the property. This makes it unsuitable for guests with mobility challenges or for those who prefer ease of movement. The resort is full of stairs, but there are no ramps or accessible pathways to compensate, which is both inconvenient and exclusionary. Adding to the disappointment, the dining experience left much to be desired. The main buffet and reservation-only restaurants offered bland and uninspiring meals, falling far below expectations for a property of this caliber. That said, there is one silver lining: the staff. Their warmth, dedication, and genuine smiles were the highlight of our stay. Their exceptional service deserves praise and is the reason I’m giving two stars instead of one. While Jamaica has provided me with wonderful memories in the past, this stay at Sandals failed to live up to its reputation. Transparency, accessibility, and improved culinary offerings would go a long way in elevating the guest experience—but for now, I’ll be looking elsewhere for future vacations.

I loved the property, food and friendly staff. I did not like this: I went to breakfast on my last day there, returned to the room long before checkout time but the key card was deactivated and I could not get into the room to finish packing my suitcase. The card was eventually reactivated, however the experience made me feel that the hotel was sending a message: "your money is almost finished, please leave". I was not pleased.

This resort was a disappointment. We were expecting more from Sandals, the resort was very outdated and needs an overhaul. The resort is split into 2 sections, I section is on the beach side and the second is on the other side of the road. This is not very well explained in the advertisement. Make sure you pick the right side depending if you are pool or beach people. You are able to do both but its a bus transfer and only about 10 min but not just steps away. The beach was very short with very little room to do anything. the beach is split up into 3 sections, with no umbrellas in 2 of the sections. The food was just OK, nothing spectacular. We stayed in a butler room on the beach side but that was a waste of money, the butlers are too busy on the hill side to give you any decent service (on the hill side it is mostly butler rooms). We waited over 1.5 hours to get anything then stopped asking. Our room had very little hot water and on 2 of the days no water at all for several hours. The shower in our room had no door so it was always cold (because very little hot water). The room was OK, just needs a spruce up, the furniture was worn. I believe this is one of their oldest resorts and it shows it. If you want a cheap vacation with subpar service and food this is for you. We were at their St Vincent resort and that was excellent, so I was expecting more from this resort. I wasn't expecting the same levels as that was their newest resort but was expecting more than what we got. I knew it was older when I booked but a lot of the staff was just doing the bare min nothing extra, just barley doing their jobs. I would not go back and now would think before I booked another Sandals vacation.

Shericka, the fitness instructor is one of the bright lights of this resort. Be sure to attend one of her fitness classes as it is a great workout. The rest of the property is ok. What you aren't told is that there are 3 properties separated by a busy street and you are constantly taking a shuttle to go between the properties. During dinner, Delores, sp??? the guest relations manager went around and introduced herself to the 3 couples dining and while we were the first to arrive and were sitting with the other couples, she passed through the restaurant several times and would even look our way. Not great treatment for Sapphire members but as whole the staff was nice. As this,was our first experience with Butler Service,it was not what we were expecting. There were a couple of instances we could not contact our bulter, but again since there were three different properties, we mostly used the butler for transport up and down the hill. Finally, while we understand we were not diamond status, it would have been nice to be acknowledge at the dinner instead of having to ask and afterwards given our Sapphire pin and necklace..

We went to this resort as it was our honeymoon and cost a lot of money. We were very disappointed overall. We stayed on the hillside with butler. We had to change rooms twice. The second room was damp and our clothes got damp. I was in tears on our fifth day and we got moved again! Room service wasn't great, waited nearly 2 hours one evening. It boasts 16 restaurants but they close often! No hot water, fan in bathroom not working. Sunbeds on beach old and uncomfortable. Some staff were friendly, some weren't. Would not stay again. Over priced and not worth the money!