Ocho Rios, Sunset Jamaica Grande Review

Overall Rating

We went to the Sunset Jamaica Grand from July 12-17. It was better than we could have ever hoped! We read a mix of reviews on this place, so we were definitely sceptical. Here is a breakdown of our vacation in paradise.

Flight: We took a direct flight on Continental. Direct is definitely the way to go. We had to pay a little more money for this flight but it was worth it.

Arrival: When we got to Jamaica, the airport was great. Very efficient and very clean. We went through all the stops: customs, luggage etc. It was all a breeze. Tip: We were waiting along the running revolver rack for our luggage for about 10 minutes. We didn't see it and then I noticed a whole bunch of luggage neatly laid out next to the rack. That's where we found ours. Don't forget to look there too. After getting our luggage, we went to the resort pick up area. It is huge and every resort has it's own little shop. We went in and filled out information for the hotel and for the bus to get to the hotel. Then they directed us to the company that we paid for to take us to the hotel: Jamaica Tours. We booked them through Orbitz. We went to Jamaica Tours, signed the information and then somebody took our luggage right out to the bus for us. This guy did ask for a tip afterwards, we tipped him $2, so if you don't want to tip, haul your own luggage to the bus area. We got on a small air-conditioned bus. It probably only sat 20 people. The beginning of the 2 hour trip was bad. The roads are all under construction, so the ride was really bumpy. I get a little sick on boats when the sea is really rough and I did begin to get sick on this bus ride because it was a lot of stop and go in the beginning. After a while though, the road is fine, no bumps or construction. We stopped at a rest stop about halfway through. Our bus stopped at the RIU and then at our resort. They are only 10 minutes apart, so that wasn't bad. Our driver did ask us if we smoked and we just said no and that was that. Before we got off the bus, the driver kindly asked us to tip. Once again we gave $2.

Hotel arrival: When we arrived at the Sunset Jamaica Grande we were extremely impressed. The lobby was beautiful and clean. Everyone there was super nice. We waited on line to check in for about 10 minutes, not even that, and while we were waiting we got a really delicious rum punch drink served to us. As soon as we were done checking in, we went right over to guest services and made dinner reservations. You can only make them up to 2 days in advance. We arrived on a Thursday and booked both our Friday and Saturday dinners right then. No problems! Then we took our luggage to our room. We did it ourselves, although they do have people there to do it for you but we were tired of needless tipping.

Room: We stayed in the beachfront cabanas. Now we were sceptical about these rooms too because we read tons of reviews on this place and no one ever mentioned staying here. Best decision ever! First of all, only 2 adults per room. No kids! Second of all, the high-rises involve waiting for elevators. The beachfront cabana rooms are only 2 floors, so you never have to wait. Ever! We stayed on the first floor. If you are going to stay in the cabanas, definitely ask for a first floor room. We had a nice little patio on the first floor whereas if you are on the second floor you have a balcony about half that size. The room was clean, the maids were very friendly. FYI: In the shower there is soap, shampoo, and lotion. There is also a hairdryer and an iron with an ironing board.

Extra: We did leave the deposit for the safe. Every day we locked up our expensive items and never had a problem!

Pools: All beautiful and clean.

Bars: Be careful! They use over-proof rum in their drinks. The first day we were there we made the mistake of drinking too much. The problem is the rum there is like Everclear here. You can smell the rum in the drink but you can't taste anything. Every day they have a different drink of the day and they are all amazing! That is all that we drank. When we wanted a frozen drink, we asked for a Hummingbird, which is a strawberry-banana Daiquiri with rum. It is yummy! Devon at the main pool bar is the best!

Food: The breakfast buffet is great. We ate there every morning. The French Toast is amazing! During the day, we always ate at the 2 pool grills. The jerk chicken is awesome. At night, we ate at the buffet the first night. It was OK. Nothing to brag about. Every other night that we were there we ate at a restaurant. Reservations were super easy to make. Like I said when we first arrived, we booked for 2 days and then we went back on Friday to book for Sunday. Easy and effortless. The food was flawless. Presentation amazing! We loved every minute of eating here. We went to Il Diva, Ginger Lily and the South Beach Grille. All were awesome! We did go to Caf Jamalicious on our last day for lunch. It was good. A different kind of food but good.

Beaches: South beach is the nicest. They have donut rafts for you to relax in while in the water. They were the best! North beach is really rocky, although that is where all of the water sports for the hotel are located. On South Beach you can rent items for the water like jet skis. TIP: Watch out for sea urchins. They nest in the seaweed.

Activities: Many of the daily activities are geared towards children. We made our own fun during the day by laying in the donut rafts and drinking. They have cup holders. At night, there were shows and stuff. Just things to watch. No audience involvement or anything. If there is one complaint we had it was this. We wish there was more to do. We did make our own fun though. We went out to trampolines in the water on the North Beach side. We also went kayaking and on the Hobie Kat boat. We went down the waterslide a lot. We played pool and ping pong too. Plus one day we took the snorkelling gear and went into the water. Tip: If you like shells, check out the beaches when no one is around. I found the best shells in Jamaica. I brought them all home and put them in a glass jar.

At night: If you are a couple, definitely take some drinks and walk out to the gazebo pier. There are chairs out there and you can just sit, talk, drink and look at the stars. It is really romantic. The club isn't worth your time. We went there at about 11 pm and it was terrible. Maybe it gets better later?

Towels: Towel service is easy. They give you 2 cards when you check in. You exchange them at one of the 2 towel huts to get towels. We took our towels with us everyday back to the room, since the huts close at 6 pm and we were usually still out there past that time. Then the next morning we would bring the towels back to the hut for new towels. During the day, if our towels got really wet, we would just exchange them. No problems!

Craft Market: We did venture out to the market. We were nervous, but it was fine. You walk out of the resort and make a right. Then walk down and it will be on your right. Everyone asks you to buy their stuff. Just relax and don't get annoyed. If you want to buy something, BARTER! My fiance bartered for everything. We got some great deals. Tip: Go early in the am before it gets too hot.

Extras:
Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruise to Dunns River Falls:
This cost us $138 for 2 people. We booked this through Jamaica Tours. Best decision ever. The boat picks you up by the beach. You walk down the South Beach further than our hotel. Suggestion: Leave about half an hour prior to the boats arrival time. We stopped at a lady at the end of the resort who sold us a voucher for water shoes. You need water shoes to climb Dunns River Falls. They were only $5 to rent. She gave us the voucher after paying her. Right before you get on the boat, at the end of the dock is another lady. She has a release form for you to sign before getting on the boat. Once on the boat, they offered us punch and water. No alcohol! They save that for the ride home. Then they explained the trip. First we went snorkeling. It was awesome. Then we went to the falls. Really cool. You hold hands all the way up. Suggestion: Bring a waterproof camera. There are plenty of people there who are willing to take your picture. They do offer at the end to give you a video of your climb, we didn't buy it though. If you choose to buy it, I think it was $40 and you get it when you get off the boat at the end of the trip. The best part was the ride home. So as soon as you get back on the boat, they give you rum punch and Red Stripe. Suggestion: Sit in the front of the boat. I took motion sickness tablets and it was a good decision. The way there it is smooth and calm but the way back is a crazy roller coaster of fun. I started with rum punch while my fiance had Red Stripe. The boat flies up in the air and crashes down into the water and you are constantly getting soaked. It is so much fun. Eventually I switched over to Red Stripe. He had to hold our beers with his fingers over the top to keep the salt water from going in. It was awesome. I guess if you don't want to get as wet, you can sit in the back. They do make you put all of your stuff below deck, so it doesn't get wet. Although I kept my waterproof camera and snapped some pictures of us getting drenched. Once you are closer to the drop off point, they teach you dancing and by that time we had guzzled so many Red Stripes that we were all about dancing. They do ask you to tip them when you leave but you will want to tip them. I think my fiance gave them $20. They were awesome!
Jet Skiing:
We went down by the South Beach to rent a jet ski. You can always barter a price. One lady told us $140 for an hour. We came back the next day and bartered with someone else for $100 an hour. She took the $100 and then we went out around the harbour for an hour. It was fun.
Spa:
Due to the fact that we had just gotten engaged before we left, we wanted to treat ourselves. We paid for a couples massage, which was really nice. It was 45 minutes and we laid next to each other, though we each had our own person massaging us. It was $130 for the massage, plus we left a $26 tip for them to split.

Photos:
A guy came around and took a bunch of pictures of us in the pool. We went to the photo shop to see them, we ended up getting one, a 5x7 for $10 and I bought a frame that was $14 to go with it. It was a nice investment because they even wrote whatever we wanted across the photo.

Champagne Sunset Dinner:
This is an option that you can pay for at guest services. Since we wanted to treat ourselves, and we are big on food, we opted to pay to have this dinner on our last night in Jamaica. The dinner is $140, plus we tipped our waitress $28 and the chef $10. He came out to the table to check on us, which we loved, so we gave him a small tip. If you are looking for romance in an ideal setting with amazing food, pay for this dinner. We were on the beach, alone. They set up a table for us with champagne and everything. We had one waitress, just for us. Her only job is to cater to us. The dinner is 5 courses and includes a shrimp appetizer while the dinner was surf and turf. We like to go out to dinner in NJ and there has been times where we have spent $160 for 2 of us to eat and drink. This meal was well worth the money. Not only was the food to die for but the atmosphere was amazing. We booked our dinner for 6:30 pm, although you can book at 7:30 pm or 8:30 pm too. We watched the sun go down from our table and then later at night we had the moon and stars above us. TIP: Bring your camera. The waitress will take as many pictures as you ask her to.

Leaving: We had to get up really early on the last day that we were there. I was afraid that we wouldn't get to eat because the bus left at 7 am but the buffet didn't open until then. Boy was I wrong. When we went into the lobby to check out, which took seconds, they had a continental breakfast waiting for us with coffee, tea, juice and an assortment of muffins, pastries and croissants. It was really nice. We got on a regular size bus this time. It was a full size normal bus. We only stopped at RIU and then made the same trek back, the bus ride was much smoother. Most of us slept the entire ride.

Airport leaving: Immigration went fine. We actually had some time to kill before our flight took off, so we ate lunch at the Jamaican Bobsled Cafe in the airport. They had really delicious wings soaked in a guava rum sauce. Tip: You can bring rum on the place. After you get through immigration and everything, you will enter the shopping area. There you will find shops and restaurants. We went into a liquor store. The guy assured us that we could take the alcohol on the place. Wray rum is supposedly the best kind of over-proof rum. Regardless, we bought tons of rum. My fiance bought two big bottles and it cost him $20. I bought a bunch of little bottles for gifts and they cost me $13. They put his bottles in a cardboard carrier. Though they told us we could get on the plane with the bottles, we were worried, so we stuffed everything in my bag. Low and behold, they do check the bags again before getting on the plane but they don't care about the rum! People were walking on with the cardboard carriers. I guess the people in Jamaica want you to buy their rum. So make sure you buy rum at the airport after going through immigration and all that. TIP: We put money aside for the departure tax but they never asked us for it.

All in all, this was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. We plan to go back to this resort. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Members' Comments oncvelchik's Review

• tyeates on 16th Sep 2007

  A helpful review, because the writer spoke of everything from start to finish. The writer was also very positive. It is wonderful to hear people are happy with this resort.