Honeymoon at Sandals, Ochi Jamaica
Honeymoon at Sandals Ochi, Jamaica
Thinking about staying at Sandals Ochi in Jamaica? Here’s our honest honeymoon review, what we loved, what we’d do differently, and everything you should know before booking your trip.
My husband and I got married May 20, 2023, and began our honeymoon vacation two days after at Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We had such an amazing time, that I wanted to share our experiences with anybody who may be considering this destination for a wedding, honeymoon, or vacation in general. I would recommend this destination and resort to anybody that asked. So much so, that we plan to go back to this same location for our 5-year anniversary. We stayed for 6 nights and never found ourselves bored or out of things to do.
The Resort
The resort is about an hour and a half away from the airport, but the Sandals airport transfer services made the entire process a breeze! I will recommend being sure you bring some cash for when you arrive at the airport for tips for the people who are transporting and assisting with your luggage. This was one mistake that we made, as we did not have any small bills. Those assisting were happy to take USD, so it was not necessary to exchange your currency.
The resort itself has two separate, gated areas that are separated by a residential road. Our room was located on the “upper” lot, but there is a shuttle on site that is almost constantly picking up and dropping off at a few different locations on site to bring you between the two separated areas. The upper lot had its own restaurants and pools, and the lower lot had the same as well as beach access.
The entire resort never felt overcrowded no matter where we decided to spend part of our day, whether that was at the beach or at the pools, or even at the restaurants. The only time it felt crowded was when we wanted to rent a couple paddle boards. That was the only time we were told there would be a wait for anything, but we decided to pass and just lounge on the beach which wasn’t a bad alternative!
The Room
We stayed in the Honeymoon Grande Luxe Poolside Villa Club Level Room. Upon arrival, we were brought into a back room where they provided drinks and snacks and were then shuttled directly to our room when it was ready. We were extremely happy with our room choice, as although the pool is shared with three other rooms, we never had to “share” the pool at any time we decided to use the pool associated with the room. That may be because there are so many other options on site when it comes to lounging by the pool.
Our room was decorated with rose petals when we arrived as we noted that it was our honeymoon when booking the vacation, which I thought was a sweet touch. The room itself was fairly simple but was perfect for a vacation planned with the intention to spend most of your time relaxing at the pool or beach with drinks. The room did come stocked with drinks.
Activities
When we were originally planned the vacation, we had booked the Shopping Tour and the Luminous Lagoon Experience. We ended up skipping the shopping excursion, because we were enjoying ourselves just fine at the resort and the resort did have some shops on site. We were able to get all the necessities we had forgotten, like water shoes and sunscreen, as well as souvenirs.
The blue lagoon excursion was absolutely amazing, and I would highly recommend this tour. It was about an hour and a half bus drive in the evening and then a boat ride through the luminous lagoon that glows because of the algae in the water. The boat driver then stopped to allow for some time to swim through the water and there is a photographer along for the ride from which you can purchase the photos at the end of the boat tour with cash or Venmo. It was an unforgettable experience.
Being that it was our honeymoon, of course we booked a couples massage. This was done at the bungalows over the water which added a nice, relaxing touch. The masseuses were great, and they offer you some products after the massage is done for purchase that you can charge to your room, should you decide to purchase any of their products.
I firmly believe that even if you decided not to book any excursions or spa treatments, you would not find yourself bored. The staff on site is extremely nice, and they always seem to have something going on throughout the day and night. The pool staff are always holding fun events and getting their guests involved. The shows that they hold in the evenings are also extremely fun and interactive, so I would recommend stopping by at some of their shows and parties. Be sure to bring some white attire for the all-white party!
The Food
I am a self-proclaimed foodie, so one of the main reasons that we chose this destination as opposed to any of the other Sandals resorts was the fact that they had 16 restaurants on site. I wouldn’t say that their food absolutely blew me out of the water quality-wise, but the number of options that were available on site and the 24/7 availability to order food or go to one of the late-night food spots on site, was a plus. The locations and views on site was also a plus as how can you complain about lunch right on the beach or over the water? Our favorite spot, of course, was Soy Sushi. Being a foodie, I have to recommend having some early dinners and then going to the sushi spot after for a little second dinner.
Overall, again, I would highly recommend this destination for your next vacation. When we first booked this location, we were originally a bit skeptical because of some things we were reading online about Sandals resorts, however, our expectations were highly exceeded from the beautiful views to the endless amount of activity options. This is definitely a vacation that will need to be planned in advance, as it seems that their rooms book up fairly quickly.
