We have been visiting Jamaica since 2014 and we continue to go back every year. Each trip we tend to book a week long stay at one of Jamaica’s Sandals resorts. Sandals is an all inclusive adults-only couples resort with 15 different locations across the Caribbean. Jamaica has 6 of these locations (we’ve visited 5 of them). I wanted to make my first post on Montego Bay as it’s the closest resort to the Sangster International airport. This Sandals location is less than 10 minutes from MBJ which is great if you’re trying to maximize your time on the resort. Everything at Sandals is included in the price you pay (room, food, alcohol, on-resort activities, scuba diving, transportation) so when you arrive at the airport there is a private Sandals lounge to wait for the bus shuttle to the resort. We have visited Montego Bay prior to COVID-19 and also during COVID-19 so I’ll highlight the major differences between our visits.
Club Mobay: Sandals partners with the airport to offer an additional add-on “fast pass” called Club Mobay. This is a VIP experience that essentially gets you through the airport and customs faster. Prior to COVID-19, we purchased this once and arrived at the resort at the same time as guests on our flight that did not have the pass. Typically we would skip purchasing the pass as it’s $80 per person and we didn’t feel that it was a big time saver in prior years. However during the summer of 2020, we were thankful to have it. We heard rumors of 4+ hour lines to get through the airport due to the COVID testing that Jamaica was requiring so we opted to purchase the Club Mobay pass. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by a Club Mobay employee and we began our journey through the airport. The first thing we had to do was get our temperature taken and join a line to fill out a health questionnaire. We immediately noticed that the regular line was backed up very far (almost to the gate) and our line only had a few people waiting. Once we filled out a questionnaire about our health status we walked to the testing area. After another temperature check we watched as the healthcare workers labeled our COVID test tubes with our information and then walked to the line to have our nose and throat swabbed. The testing space was held outdoors and the test itself lasted less than 5 minutes. Once we completed our test we headed to the Sandals lounge to have a welcome drink. I was very nervous about the testing process so once we were finished I was able to relax and get excited about our vacation. All in all, we spent about 45 minutes to an hour at the airport navigating through customs and testing before we made it to the lounge. When we got to the resort, we talked to other guests without the Mobay pass that were there for 3-5 hours… not fun! The Sandals lounge at the airport has wifi, snacks and drinks while you wait for your shuttle to arrive (or your private transportation if you’d like to pay extra for it). We hopped in our ride and drove about 7 minutes to the resort. The Montego Bay location is wonderful because of how close it is and during non-COVID times you can literally be sitting on the beach less than an hour after landing. If you have a short trip planned, I’d recommend staying at this location so you can maximize your time on the island. I’d skip the private transportation if you’re staying at the Montego Bay location unless you prefer to ride with your spouse alone. If you are staying at one of the resorts further across the island (1+ hour drive), you may opt for private transportation. It’s truly a preference!
Arriving at the resort: Once we arrived we were greeted with cool towels, a signature welcome cocktail and a “welcome home”! This is a Sandals tradition. We had our temperature taken again at the entrance. We had a longer than usual wait in the lobby on this trip due to the COVID restrictions. Usually we have a resort tour with other guests that arrive on the same shuttle but due to COVID, each couple was checked in and walked to their rooms separately. If your room isn’t ready the guide will usually provide a tour and offer a dining option while you wait for your room to become available. Luckily our room was ready upon arrival so we unpacked and decided to walk around this large resort.
Room options: There are many room options at Sandals varying by price. The most basic (and affordable) room option is the Deluxe Level category. These are still amazing rooms but they are usually on the backside of the resort which can mean no ocean or pool view. Most of these rooms are located in a garden area and may be further away from restaurants and activities. This can sometimes be a good thing if you prefer a more quiet/secluded area. There is a mini fridge in the room with wine, beer, soda, water and fruit drinks. This is typically the room category that we book. The next level room is the Club Level category. Club level rooms vary in price based on location and in-room offerings. Some club level rooms may face the ocean or have access to a secluded pool or a private soaking tub. All club level rooms include a fully stocked in room bar (with liquor) and 24 hour room service. This is a great option if you plan to spend a decent amount of time in your room. We tend to only sleep in our room so we have only stayed in a club level room once or twice. The next level room is the Butler Elite category. This is everything that the Club Level room offers plus… you guessed it, a butler! We will be staying in our first butler room this coming summer (June 2021) and I’ll provide my write up on it once we have a chance to experience it. From what we know, you are provided with a cell phone to contact your butler at any point during your stay to request anything you may need. We were once at the Ochi resort and saw the butlers driving golf carts chauffeuring couples around the resort to go to dinner, attend activities, etc. The butler can also make dinner and activity reservations for you. This comes in handy if you don’t like to or forget to make reservations when you arrive. It’s best practice to make your reservations on the first day that you arrive because they fill up quickly (we learned this the hard way). The butler room also includes a private shuttle to and from the airport (instead of the bus) and many other small luxuries throughout your visit. We have attended dinner before (staying in a deluxe room) and watched a butler come into the restaurant and decorate the table next to us with flowers and candles for their couple. We’ve had friends that have had a butler room and they end up becoming friends with their butler and keep in contact after their visit. Many people we’ve met on resort have said that they didn’t fully utilize their butler because they felt a bit awkward and didn’t want to bother their butler while others have said anytime they need a drink, they call their butler. I’m sure it’s a personal preference but we are low maintenance people so it will be interesting to see how we enjoy the experience. We booked a butler room for this summer because the room was the same price as a club level room due to the sale they had while we were on resort last summer. The service level at Sandals is already amazing so I’m curious to see how the butler room compares.
Dining: My favorite part, food! The food at Sandals is 5 stars. Literally, it’s 5 star culinary rated. This is awesome considering that it’s a massive resort serving hundreds of couples per day. Each resort varies on the number of restaurants they have and the type of cuisine they serve. Montego Bay has 12 restaurants on site and with the included transfer option they offer to visit their neighbor resort (Royal Caribbean) there are a total of 21 restaurants to choose from while staying at Montego Bay. Bayside is a buffet style restaurant that offers breakfast lunch and dinner. We typically eat breakfast here because they open early enough for us to eat and allow our food to settle before we scuba dive at 8am. It’s a quick at your own pace option with views of the ocean. Cucina Romana is an Italian restaurant serving al-a-carte breakfast and dinner. Ironically the steak here is phenomenal. If you have no morning plans and want a slower paced start to your day, the breakfast here is also great. The Oleander Room is a dinner only restaurant that overlooks the beach and ocean. The food here is Jamaican cuisine. We liked the food but we had an issue with sand flies when we visited in July. Tokyo Joes is a stir fry dinner restaurant that we love. You can customize your food here and the restaurant sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The Cricketers Pint is a fun Irish pub themed dinner spot and they serve a great fish and chips! Stewfish is a beachside Caribbean cuisine restaurant with a great ambiance but since it’s on the beach, you may be swatting flies throughout your dinner. Butch’s is our absolute favorite restaurant on this resort. It’s known as a steak and seafood/surf and turf option that serves dinner only. This place fills up quickly so be sure to book your reservations on your first day. We ate here 2x during our last trip. The last fine-dining dinner restaurant option is Soy which is a sushi bar. Oddly enough, the dessert here is wonderful. There are a few low-key lunch restaurants called the Jerk Shack offering jerk chicken, The Mariner Bar and Grill and Dino’s pizza. These are open for lunch and late-night dining. Our favorite spot that we eat at multiple times a day is Cafe de Paris. This place is dangerous. They offer coffee, tea, pastries, crepes and all kinds of other sweets. We usually go in the morning for iced coffee, after lunch for another coffee or tea and then a few times throughout the day for a dessert or snack (no shame).
Activities (included): As I mentioned earlier, most everything is included at Sandals. This means that all of the water sports are totally free and you just need to make a reservation to take advantage of the fun. They offer kayaking, water skiing, tubing, sail boating, snorkeling, hobie cats, paddle boarding and our favorite.. scuba diving! You do have to be a certified scuba diver in order to scuba dive for free but if you aren’t, they provide lessons at the resort to get your certification. This is actually how my husband and I got our scuba license. We had the option of getting certified at home (we live in Georgia so either in a lake or pool) or getting certified in Jamaica in the ocean. We chose the ocean. The instructors at Sandals are extremely helpful and we were able to get our certificates within 3-4 days. The included scuba diving has become another reason that we love coming back to Sandals. Throughout the resort you’ll also find tons of land activities like table tennis, shuffle board, volleyball, pool, basketball, tennis (they have free lessons!), lawn chess, croquet and board games. They also have a gym on site with free fitness lessons like yoga. This is a great way to meet other couples at the resort. We went snorkeling on our first trip to Sandals and met a couple that ended up becoming great friends of ours and attended our wedding a few years later. There are so many opportunities to make friendships with the other guests or the entertainment staff at Sandals. During the day, the entertainers will start up different activities throughout the resort. You can walk around and see different games going on like volleyball or flag football, a DJ at the pool taking requests, people relaxing at the beach or even in a secluded pool area. There’s a section of the resort and an activity for everyone.
Activities (not included): Without a doubt, you can spend the entire trip taking advantage of the included activities and not spend any additional money on the off-site excursions if you wanted to. If you get bored somehow with all of the included options, there are also additional excursions and activities that you can book for a fee. Some of these are off-site excursions or local tours to nearby attractions like Dunn’s River Falls, dune buggies, rafting, zip lining, horseback riding, cliff jumping, cycling, ATV’s, rum tours and catamaran cruises. There is also a spa on the resort where you can book massages, manicures and pedicures, facials and hair styling. We have done all of the excursions at Montego Bay and enjoyed the ATV and cliff jumping the most. We also tend to get a massage towards the end of our trip to decompress after all of our activities. We enjoyed going off-site because we were able to see the “real” Jamaica. The tour company that Sandals partners with is called Island Routes and they are a very organized group with great customer service. The guides are local Jamaicans that love to share their stories and island history with the tourists. Many people worry that Jamaica is unsafe and they don’t go off-resort but we’ve never had any safety issues. The tour guide picks you up in an air conditioned bus and a guide stays with you during the excursion that you’re doing. I’d recommend going on at least one off-site excursion so you can say that you did it!
Pricing: Pricing for Sandals varies on the room category you choose but I want to highlight that Sandals offers returning guest and pay in full discounts. We utilize both of these discounts every time we visit. If you are on vacation and re-book your next trip while you’re still on resort, Sandals will give you an additional percentage discount on top of whatever sale they’re running. They also provide a 5% discount if you pay in full. We love Sandals and have only skipped one year of visiting (the year of our honeymoon – we went to Europe instead) so we always take advantage of the on-resort rebook discounts. You can also book your trip up to 2 years in advance. So if you aren’t sure of what dates you’d like to come back, you can book up to 2 years in advance and make date changes. Be sure to read the fine print because there may be additional charges if you change your original dates. They honor the discounts that you receive when you book your next trip, but if the room price changes I believe you have to pay the difference. We haven’t had to change dates before so this hasn’t been a factor for us. It’s likely that your first trip to Sandals could be pricey (I think we spent around $5,000 USD during our first 7 night trip) but we also chose a club level room and purchased additional off-resort excursions. It would have been much cheaper had we chosen a deluxe level room and only did the included activities. We have had 9 night trips for under $3,000 with all of our returning guest discounts and promos. Sandals also rewards returning guests with different perks and rewards when you come back like in room sweets, a bottle of rum, bonus points, recognition gifts, t-shirts, massages, etc. When you hit 70 nights, you get a free 7 night vacation. They also have a returning guests dinner that they host and it’s always a fun experience to run into other guests you may know or staff members you met from previous trips.
Overall, we loved the Montego Bay resort. The only downfall (if it bothers you) is that since it’s so close to the airport, you occasionally see and hear the airplanes flying overhead. This doesn’t bother us because we’re aviation nerds but we did hear other guests complaining about it. This is a large resort and there are so many different activities to do during your visit. We went scuba diving every day (I’ll have a separate post about that experience) and took advantage of a lot of the included activities during this trip. Jeffrey especially enjoyed the water skiing and tubing. We spent a lot of time at the over the water bar relaxing and watching the sunset. We also liked the private hot tubs and pool areas throughout the resort for the times that we wanted to be more secluded. We have been to this location twice now and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to visit Jamaica.
