We travelled to Ocho Rios Grande Riviera for one week from November 5th to the 12th, 2011. We were a group of 11 people. My friends had recently married and invited a group of friends to join them on their honeymoon. This was my 3rd trip to Ocho Rios and the most expensive of all my travels.
I must first say that my wife and I are not being fussy people at all. My wife has worked in the hospitality business for years and is very patient with service in her industry. I have never had a complaint about any of the previous resorts I've stayed at, and I typically do not stay at high star resorts because I’m not one that needs to be pampered and have high expectations so a 3 to 4 star is adequate for my needs. Every resort has good points and bad points, that's life, but the Grande Riviera was nothing but a disappointment. I spent a lot of time doing research on all the resorts and places I've been to and I don't typically base my choices on what I read but I am compelled to write this review in hopes that I can save at least one person from a "Grande" disappointment. This trip was also to mark our 10 year anniversary of marriage, so I thought I would kick it up a notch and spoil myself and my wife, and what better place to have a special trip but at a Sandals resort……..a resort that I’ve always wanted to go to but could not afford. You can imagine the excitement we all had after watching videos, reading reviews and brochures for months prior to our departure. We were like kids waiting for our summer holidays. I was betting on a trip of a life time.

When booking our trip with Merit Travel in Sudbury Ontario, we were told we could upgrade to a concierge room with ocean view which we did because that’s one of the big reasons we go on vacation……..to enjoy the views of the ocean!!!! We paid approximately $4600.00 for the both of us and were assured by our travel agent that it will be money well spent. We flew with Air Canada out of Toronto. The flight was great, no issues there. We landed in Montego Bay and were told to enjoy a nice cold glass of Red Strip at the Sandals Lounge. I really enjoyed this and felt pretty special at this point. We jumped on the bus and proceed to Ochi and the group was so excited. I had little reservations at this point but when I saw the entrance to the resort my heart dropped a little but I reminded my wife that you don’t judge a book by its cover.
Well check in was the start to what would be a very disappointing week. At this point the couples who had though they had booked an ocean view room quickly came to the realization that this was not the case, but to top it off they couldn’t find our paperwork. The 9 other people in our group received rooms. Some people in our group had not upgraded their room, so they were satisfied with their accommodations. When they finally found our paperwork they indicated that according to their information we had not upgraded our room and therefore we were given a basic room at the back side of the hotel, above the gym, with no concierge service, away from our friends. The resort did deliver us some beverages but we were told that they were unable to give us the upgraded room we had booked which we had documented confirmation. We were told that we had to wait until Monday to get confirmation from their head office on which type of room was booked for us. Head office is closed on weekends which would mean that we would have to settle for the basic room for the weekend. By the look of the room I would have gathered that it wasn’t used very much nor maintained on a regular basis. Lights were burnt out, our bed was broken in many areas and the balcony had no view. Not a good start to a great vacation but I thought I would sit back and have an Appleton Rum and distress a little. When I enquired about the whereabouts of my favorite rum…… a rum I drink at home…… I was told that they don’t carry it. “What!!! I’m in Jamaica and they don’t offer any Appleton rum at this resort!!!!!” I could not believe it. Not only did they not carry Appleton Rum, but most of the premium liquor that was in the brochure, like Crown Royal for instance, was nonexistent at the resort as well. I started to feel a little cheated.

It was late in the evening and we all decided to go down and grab a snack. I will say that the grounds at the Grande Riviera are beautiful. The staff does a wonderful job at keeping everything lush, green and clean. As I am a very positive person and try to find the best in everything, I said to myself, ‘At least I am close to the gym and I won’t have to walk too far in the morning for my workout’.
Well Monday rolls around and the morning was mostly a write off trying to deal with our current situation. The hotel confirmed that our paperwork was indeed correct and that we had booked and paid for an upgraded room with concierge service, but not ocean view. We spent the majority of the afternoon packing and unpacking our luggage, while our friends bathed in the Jamaican sunshine. This room was in the Manor facing the pool, which was much better then our previous room. The excitement of being in our new room was short lived because little did we know that the section below us was under construction. Needless to say that there is nothing like being woken up in the early morning by the sound of a jack hammer. The room was shaking and I wasn’t due to the love making!!!! I gather they were removing tile from the room below us.
Then came the strong smell of epoxy resin caused by the installation of new flooring. My friend thought I was into the Jamaican smoke but I assured him it wasn’t the smoke that was making me high but rather the smell of the epoxy. Due to my wife’s asthma we had to avoid the room so she would not get an asthma attack do to the strong odors.
When our Sandals management contacts had finally acknowledged that we were put in the wrong room type for the weekend, we were told by the guest services manager that we would be compensate for their error. We were not told how we would be compensated, therefore my wife would take an hour out of her day to try and find the guest services manager in question to determine how they would compensate us and every day she was told not to worry that something was in the works. He finally did provide us with a $100 voucher for a ½ hour massage the day before we checked out of the hotel. This made it complicated to try and use the voucher seeing that we only had a day left at the resort. Unfortunately we were not available for the massage, therefore we gave it to our friends who were on their honeymoon. We had to pay an extra $100 to upgrade their massage to a one hour massage. Our compensation ended up costing us money!!! It was looking like that we were not going to be truly compensated for the mix up of our room category.

As for the food and beverages, it was not at all what I expected. Breakfast and lunch was more of what you’d eat at a 3 star resort. I have never waited so long for food and service anywhere in my life and I managed to lose weight during the week. I was only offered a coffee twice during our stay. My wife was offered tea once and it was served cold. Another reason I love Jamaica is for their Bleu Mountain Coffee, but like the rum it was nonexistent.
I once waited almost two hours for our pizzas, only to discover that they made a mistake and never made my wife’s pizza. Hungry again!!! And please know that these types of examples could be made for each meal during our stay.

On day 3 of our vacation, my wife was commenting that I was not saying please and thank you as I always do. I told her I was becoming frustrated on having to wait all the time. One day I wanted to see how long it took me to get a drink at the pool bar so I timed it…….35 minute wait and there wasn’t even a line up in front of me. We did manage to get great service one night which was the Oriental themed dinner but I believe the service was so good because the general manager Mr. Rupert was sitting close by. This was one of the times I was asked if I wanted a coffee. The snack bar by the beach was not the greatest either and by the weeks end I got tired of eating dry hamburgers on a burnt bun, cold fries, chicken and natchos . Just one question…….. How do you run out of nacho chips and cheese each night????

I will tell you that, as much as all these things were are great disappointments the biggest disappointment was the staff serving our meals and beverages. As much as I love the Appleton rum and Bleu Mountain coffee, the one thing I love most about Jamaica are the Jamaican people. They are kind, friendly and social people. Well this was not the case here at the Grande, it’s like they were trained not to talk to the guests and to be as professional as possible. It was clear that the staff where not permitted to chat with the guests. The staff that I did manage to talk to were constantly looking around as if somebody has watching them. Between the lack of friendly staff and Jamaican music, I would have never thought I was on the greatest island in the Caribbean and that is the greatest disservice to their guests.

Our stay at the Sandals Grande Riviera Resort was by far the most disappointing vacation destination I have ever experienced. I now have no desire to ever stay at a Sandals resort. My new nickname for Sandals is ‘Scandals’, because I truly feel the literature and videos were all a scam to try and lure me to this location in Jamaica. I should have stayed at the Rui as recommended by friends.

I would never complain nor take the time to write this letter, but I love Jamaica so much, that I want to provide feedback to hopefully improve this facility for future guests who will chose this resort as their Jamaican getaway.

Too much hype for this resort, food was GREAT, but activities lacked for an all inclusive as we have had better. Many guests did not get the room that they booked and restaurants only booked reservation at 2 of the restaurants, but the was always empty seats. Go figure!

All resorts have mixed reviews, but try to ignore the negative ones that are posted. We couldn't have had a better time. A fellow traveller put it best: "no trip is going to be absolutely perfect, find the things you enjoy the most at the resort, and continue to do them."
The shuttle bus to the resort was approx. 90 minutes, our driver was very friendly and pointed out different landmarks along the way which was quite intersting.Driving in Jamaica is a wild ride, try not to pay attention to the traffic.
Once at the resort, our baggage was unloaded and check in took approx. 10 min. Our room was not available, so we were able to grab some lunch and a much needed cold beverage. Pack your swim wear in your carry on, so you can enjoy the pool right away, and not waste time waiting for your room. We stayed in the great house on the riviera side. I would recommend opting for a villa, with concierge (stocked mini bar). Most of these have a private shared pool. It was somewhat noisy in our room in the evening, as sound echos up from the main level bar and lobby. The rooms down the hall may have been quieter, but we were directly over the bar lounge (room 7110). All the staff members are friendly and are very genuine. They are very hard working, it is not uncommon to have the same server for late dinner and see them the following morning for breakfast. The ocean view room was well appointed, flat screen t.v. comfortable bed, usual amenities. Spa shampoo, conditioner, body cream and aloe are provided. 110V power, no need for adapters, etc. If you need to be "connected" it's $10/day or $43/week for wi-fi access. We had trouble calling the 800 number to confirm out departure flight, having computer access would have made it easier. Ocean view rooms have a nice balcony with table and chairs. Food was great, I'm a professional cook, so I am alway somewhat critical of food when we travel. Breakfast was nothing special, but there was always something. Fresh fruit, omelettes made to order, usual stuff. Lunch, we usually went to the snack bar for fresh wood oven pizza or grill food. This also doulbled as the late night snack bar. The lunch buffet had salads and hot food, that was leftover from the previous night's dinner. It was decent, but we preferred the fresh pizza. The restaurants we ate at were the Bayside on the beach side of the resort. Very small portions, meant to be a 4-5 course meal. I felt they tried too hard to be fine dining and the quality suffered as a result. Valentino's also on the beach side, very nice Italian themed, get there early or make reservations, wait times can be up to 45 min. at most of the dinner a la cartes. Awesome food, especially the beef tenderloin. Our favourite was the Manor located in the great house on the riviera side, no need for the 3 min. shuttle trip and waiting time. Nice selection of Carribean inspired dishes. Had three meals here! China Doll was also great. Food and beverages really determine how your stay will be, they do a great job at Sandals. Book Kelly's dock side restaurant as soon as you walk in the resort. We were unable to get in as they book almost a week in advance. Alcohol is all top shelf brands and the bartenders are knowledgable and make some mean drinks. Ask Rolston for a "TOP GUN" you won't be dissapointed.
If you want a chair at the main pool, be prepared to get up early, unless you have butler or concierge service. There are NOT ENOUGH lounge chairs or unbrellas available. To claim your seat for the day, simply put your beach towel on one, we usually did this by 8 am to get good seats. Forget about scoring a nice gazebo like you see in the resort brochures, they are always reserved for buttler suite guests, as are the prime spots around the pool. Sometimes the reserved chairs remain vacant all day which we found very unfair. This was by far our biggest dissapointment.
The only tour we did was the Dunn's River Falls bus trip $54 per person. Had a great time, you don't necessarily need water shoes, if your feet are tough, bare foot is fine. Sandals with straps also work. The rental for the shoes are 6-10 dollars. The flea market has all the tourist goodies you would expect, the people are a bit pushy trying to sell their products.
There is also a free daily market shopping tour accross the road from the resort. Similar products are found in each booth. Nothing has a price on it so, there is lots of room to bargain, the first price they tell you usually drops by half if you walk out. Once again bring small bills, most vendors don't have change for a $20.00. Nice people, but slightly pushy. Just say "no thanks" and it is understood that you're not interested.
The resort gift shop is way overpriced as are most hotel shops, save your cash for the airport shops or the markets, they have the same stuff at way better prices. Don't forget the Rum at Duty Free!
Overall we were very satisfied with our stay and would return to Sandals again.
One more thing, bring small U.S. bills to tip the baggage guys at the airport and the bus driver to the resort. Totally optional, but they do get you to the resort in one piece and a couple dollars go along way in Jamaica. I heard the average weekly pay is around $80-$100 dollars.
Hope this review helps!

My wife and I got back from here very recently and were very impressed. The property is very clean and the staff is constantly working to keep it that way. We were in a "luxury room" (lower priced) in the Seaside Resort, the size was very adequate. It was slightly larger than a standard King Size Bed Hilton Garden Inn room. Very nicely done with granite and tile, nice furniture and flat screen TV with many international channels.

Some of the good points: Beautiful and well manicured property, Extremely friendly and interactive staff, Lots of places to explore, awesome pools, excellent drinks, Extremely clean. Food was very good at the restaurants, did not have a bad meal.

Minor negative points: The supervisor at the sports area was less than friendly (the rest of the staff there was tops especially Nemo and Baby Shrimp), service in the restaurants was adequate, but left more to be desired (they did not check back to re-fill drinks very often), size - it is so big, can be good and bad at the same time.

Some tips: Talk to the staff and have fun with them, your service will go way beyond expectations. Keep in mind that the property is 5 star level, the service closer to 4 star. Although the staff is great and fairly attentive it is not staffed well on the service side to cater to your every need without some patience, you may have to wait to get your drink. It is almost as if they want the atmosphere to be friendly and less strict, I enjoyed it. I have stayed at 5 stars with impeccable service, but it is impersonal...

Comments about some of the reviews I have seen on here. Some staff will except tips even though forbidden, many will refuse we found though. Often you will see guests give tips for some of the exceptional service. We wanted to tip, but were refused. I was asked for a cigarette by one person that I was talking with after the end of his shift, so this is possible, did not bother me. Typical strong drinks are strong (mai thai, rum punch, long island etc.) many of their special drinks (fruity ones like jamaican smile, purple rain, hummingbird) were not strong. They are light drinks though and made with light liquors like baileys so they are not going to get you drunk. They are more than happy to add extra rum when asked, I did this often with the hummingbirds. They use good liquors (Vodka, whiskey, gin, etc.), not well/bottom shelf (the rum is questionable though). Their mixers blue cacao and the like are local brands, not sure there is a top shelf of these, again I didn't care. Drinks were very good though. Red Stripe/light is the only beer. The ride from the airport is 1.5 hours or better, feels much longer after a long plane trip and the excitement to get to the resort. Driver was courteous, but there are several so I am sure there could be a bad one in the bunch. They did not ask for tips, but did point out that they are not affiliated/employed with the resorts...hint hint hint. Most people did tip. A couple bucks seemed more than adequate.

Some of the staff will do things they know are wrong, you can tell because they mention the supervisors and straighten up (2 instances I saw in my week long trip).

I would have given a 5 if I was more promptly served and drinks/orders were taken quicker at the restaurants. Overall it was very good and I would definitely return and do recommend.