Written from the perspective of a 31 y.o. single Canadian woman travelling with four adult friends looking to party and have a good time. When reading my review, keep in mind that I’ve travelled all over the world (i.e., backpacking) but this was my first experience at an all-inclusive resort and, based on my experience, I don’t think I will be doing all-inclusive trips again anytime soon. I found myself going off-resort everyday to escape the hordes of Canadian tourists (mostly elderly couples and families). I am the type of traveler who likes to mingle with locals, experience the local culture, and take in the natural beauty. I found that staying at an all-inclusive resort (this one or any other I would assume) did not provide any of those experiences. The only locals we encountered were the resort staff and overly aggressive street vendors and hustlers off-resort and, though there were nice landscapes visible from the resort, it was too noisy and crowded to really enjoy it.

1. Staff: The staff was very friendly and helpful but if you want good bar service you have to keep tipping.

2. Food: The buffet was actually pretty good; always a stocked salad bar and at least 4-6 hot meal options. I found the Jamaican food on resort was not so good but luckily we were in town so it was easy to grab cheap ($3) roti, patties, and curries in town to change things up. In between buffet hours, there was a grill that sold burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and hot dogs. So if you get hungry in between meals and up to 2AM you could grab those. It was all pretty good except the hot dogs, the wieners were disgusting. The à la carte restaurants were just okay; not a big improvement over the buffet which was already pretty good. We had a 9PM seating at the La Diva Italian restaurant and it feels like they served us leftovers... it wasn't good. Go earlier if you can. Ask for a table on the terrace. The Caribbean South Beach restaurant on the other hand was quite good and right on the beach! I had snapper in a coconut milk sauce that was amazing. We also tried the Ginger Lily Chinese restaurant which was decent but indoors with too much A/C.

3. Booze: The liquor on the resort wasn't that great... I found it hard on my stomach and was downing Pepto Bismol like crazy. After day 4, we had to go out and buy ‘real’ liquor. Being in town meant that we could buy bottles of Appleton Reserve, Grey Goose vodka and other top-shelf booze (they even sold Crown Royal!) at good prices (under $20) at the supermarket. Don’t buy liquor in souvenir shops, you’ll get ripped off.

4. Night life: My biggest disappointment was the fact that there was virtually no nightlife to speak of. The only action past 11PM was at the Jamaic'n Me Crazy disco where the handful of obnoxious 20 year olds travelling with their parents hung out. There was also the option of going with other resort-goers to Margarita Ville but who wants to go to Jamaica to hang out with a bunch of other tourists? I don’t. I was hoping to go to a real reggae club but it’s not very safe to go in town after dark without a local… Even with a local it can get quite sketchy…

5. Beaches: On cruise ship days (there were cruise ships docked in the marina 3 of the 7 days we were there) the beaches on the resort were over-crowded and the line-ups at the bar were ridiculous. The beaches are man-made. The South beach, which is the largest and nicest (white sand) beach, faces the bay which is basically a big noisy marina… The view consists of jet skis, boats, and cruise ships. The North beach which is not as nice (yellow sand and pebbles) and smaller has a better view and is quieter but I still found it to be noisy. There are other better beaches off-resort but you’ll have to pay for a cab and entry… We didn’t go to these. And what’s the deal with people who ‘reserve’ lounging chairs at 7AM and don’t vacate them the whole day, come on people, let’s share!

6. Ganga: The ganga was pretty good but not as good as what you can get in Canada. DON’T buy it at the airport, it’s garbage. Buy it in town, it’s not hard to find, people will come right up to you and offer (well to guys, not to girls so much). Everyone has it for sale, the trick is getting the good stuff… The hash was potent! I’m not a big fan of hash to start off with but the hash (not the Jamaican gum) gave me the spins. So much so that I nearly fell in the shower twice after smoking a joint; my friend actually did fall in the shower. Very few other people on the resort smoked up. The gazebo is a great place to smoke if no one else is around; otherwise smoke on your balcony. DON’T leave your product lying around in your room, the staff will tell you to hide it. Marijuana is ILLEGAL so be discrete.

7. Shops: A word of advice, bring US currency for on-resort tipping and JA currency for shopping in town as you generally get better deals on food and merchandise in JA dollars. Also, BARGAIN; if they make you a price, offer them half. If they don’t accept right away, walk away and they’ll likely change their minds. There are several open-air markets that sell souvenirs; I strongly recommend to the fenced-in one on the main road just outside the resort which is a ‘no-pressure sales’ market. You will get harassed at the other markets and the merchandise is lower quality.

8. Excursions: The excursions offered by the resort were very expensive (US$60 or more per person). We opted to bargain with the vendors in town and got much better deals on everything (at your own risk, people are very poor so watch your wallet). You MUST go to Dunn's River Falls either with a tour group or by cab (the latter was much cheaper $6/person for a cab and $20/person for park entry). The Bob Marley compound was okay. NOthing too exciting to see there but I'm still glad we went. Instead of a tour we bargained with Don Juan a local hustler on the beach. We gave him $40 the day before to buy beer and water which he brought in a cooler with ice (you can drink in cars there) for the ride. He charged us $25 each for the ride and it cost $20 each to enter the Bob Marley compound. He also took us to visit a marijuana field but I really don't recommend it; we feared for our lives.

We have been taking winter vacations for the last 10 - 15 years, and this resort had to be one of the best, for the price.
My wife was worried because of all the bad reviews, but we were VERY pleasantly surprised with what we walked into. We travelled in a group of 16 from January 21, 2012 to February 4, 2012

GETTING there: We booked with Air Canada, because of the price, and especially because of the flight times. we have never booked with them before, because they were usually the most expensive, and had the worst flight times. We hate coming back on the midnight flights and were encouraged to book because of the best flight times. We were very surprised to see the best price and flight times. Once we had all booked and paid for the trip, we were sent e-mails stating that the flight time had changed, from early evening arrival home, to arriving home after 1 a.m.. Not much we could do . when we arrived at the hotel, we asked the reps why the flight was changed, and we were told that the flight had not changed, and it has been at that time since they started working there a few years ago............hmmmmmmmmm......BAIT AND SWITCH.........ya think. If booking with Air Canada, make sure the flights are going to be what they say they are, unless you don`t care about flight times.

HOTEL ROOMS: Very clean and spacious. Great view of the beach and bay. Hit and miss, with the phone service, from room to room. Doesn't always work, but keep trying, it will work, usually on the second or 3rd try.
BARS: Lots of bars, but, as in any resort, very under staffed and a bit of a wait. They paid no attention to the the guests at the swim up bars. Standing in long lines was faster than the waiting at the swim up bars. Shortage of certain liguors and creams made drink choices difficult depending on the bar and time of day. One of our fav drinks was made with RUM CREAM, and depending on which of the 6 bars you visited, they may be out of it, until they got their next order. You could always get it, but not at all the bars. This hotel has a NO TIPPING POLICY, which is unfortunate, because it doesn't give the bar staff anything to work for, and the service is slow. If you want to give a tip, you have to hold it in your hand, and shake hands with the bartender.
BUFFET RESTAURANT: LOTS of choices and some of the best food we have ever gotten at a buffet restaurant. Always fresh and when they run out, it is replaced almost immediately.
Again, the buffet was understaffed , which is understandable, since the average wage in Jamaice is about $500 month. The unemployment rate in Jamaica is approx 50%.
A LA CARTE restaurants: We were a group of 16 friends and family, and not one person had any complaints about the food served in the 3 restaurants. Food was great, although portions were very small, as it is in most Fine Dining establishments, the service was terrific.

HOTEL STAFF: VERY friendly and willing to accomidate your every need. No problems with management and staff. They make the best, with what they have to work with.

AIR CANADA REPS: Senior and Veronica. What a waste of time. There posted hrs stated 9 - noon. Some days , they were there till 3, most days they showed up late, and a lot of the time, they were not at their desk during posted hrs. They were helpful in arranging excursions, but thats about it. If you flew with Air Canada, part of the deal was that they would make all your A La carte reservations. Don't waste your time. Its better to make them yourself in the front lobby. We were a party of 16, and requested that we all eat in the same restaurant, same time, same day. We didn't expect to be seated at the same table, but same time and restaurant would have been nice. They had us all at differant restaurants, differant times and days. Which really up set a few people in our group. When we confronted our reps, we were told it was the front desk staff's fault. When we went to the front desk, on differant days and times, speaking to differant employees, they all told us it was COMPLETELY up to our reps, and any and all errors were %100 their responsibility.
For the second week, we made SPECIFIC reservation requirements, and AGAIN, they mixed everything up.
If you are trying to pay for an excursion with traveller checks, through the reps, don't bother, unless you sign your name EXACTLY the same, everytime. A member of our group, tried to pay with travellers checks. He had passport in hand and signed the checks in front of Senior. Senior refused to take them, as the signature was not EXACTLY as was first signed on the checks. Who, signs their signature , the exact way everytime? This upset our group member enough, that he was brought to the point of wanting to grab Senior and pull him over the desk.

BEACH: Beautiful beach in a quiet bay. No real waves to speak of. No peddlers, as there are in Mexico and Cuba. The beach is a private beach, with security at each end. If you wish to walk the whole beach, and go past the security, you will be hazzled as soon as you go past security, but the rest of the stretch is fine. If you go in the ocean, make sure you have water shoes on, as there is seaweed and sea urchins in the water, A couple of our group stepped on them, and if not for the onsight nurse, they would have been in a lot of pain for the duration of the trip. The nurse was very quick, and painless in removing the barbs. I have read bad reviews about the cruise ships coming in and blocking the views. The ships do come in 2-3 days a week, and are there for 8-10 hrs. The only view they block is that of the old run down docks at the far end of the bay. They are not a nusiance.
TOWN: The town if Ocho Rios is at the end of the hotel driveway. When you leave the hotel property, you are told to go RIGHT, to the tourist section. You will be hazzled every step of the way , to buy everything from drugs to crafts. For the most part, I found it entertaining, but for most of our group, it was very irratating, and they would not go back to Ocho, for that reason only. the only time you got a break, was when the cruise ships were in, and there were police everywhere, making sure the pests didn`t bother you. If you go left, you are taking your chances. We did go left, because we went in a group, of some very large guys, and we didn`t have a problem. If you want to go left, ask the Air Canada reps, and they will have a taxi there in about 20 minutes,, no charge, who will take you to the safe spot of town. He takes you to specific shopping areas, that is a high pressure shop. Once finished there, he will take you to a SHANTY shopping area, that is just as high pressure. I was kicked out of the shanty area, because myself and a lady friend were just sitting and not shopping. We were told to go back to our bus, because we were sitting and not shopping, even though 10 members of our group, were shopping and spending money. Not impressed.

PRICES: EVERYTHING is very expensive. A lot more than prices in Canada. Considering that Appleton rum is made in Jamaica, all stores were asking at least $30 for a 26 oz bottle. They were asking at least $30 for Blue Mountain coffee. You could talk them down to about $17 for the coffee, but they usually wouldn`t budge on the booze. We have been to Cuba and Mexico, and their Rum and Tequila, respectively, are a fraction of the price you can but it for in Canada. It was suprising that they were trying to sell it for so much, considering it is made there. They need to take a lesson from Cuba and Mexico. They would probably make more money if they priced it reasonably and they would sell more. None of the stores we entered, except for the shanty shops, were owned by Jamaican nationals. they all seemed to be owned by East Indians, which may account for the gouging. Booze and cigarettes are cheaper at the airport. Appleton Rum, 12 year old, 26 oz bottle, is $19 and cigs, only Canadian brand they sell, is Rothmans, is $27 carton
TOURISTS: Whenever we travelled Mexico, most resorts were overrun by loud, obnoxious Americans, which is why we switched to Cuba, which we discovered , was overrun by loud, obnoxious Quebecuois. This resort was differant. it was about 95% Canadians, 2% Quebecuois, and about 3% Americans and Europeons. It was nice to have a nice, peaceful, vacation and not have to be bothered by rude, obnoxious Americans and Quebecuois.

POOLS: They were plentiful and clean, never overcrowed. As usual, the only thing missing, was enough lounge chairs. Even getting up at 6, didn`t guarantee that you would get a chair by the pool or beach. Even though we were up at 6, trying to reserve seats, by placing towels on them, didn`t mean you had them when you finished breakfast. There were a few Quebecuois, that didn`t know that towels left on the seat, meant that they were reserved. Many arguements took place because of this.

ACTIVITIES: Pool games and activities, took place in just one pool, which was nice, because the rest of the pools were quiet and led to some relaxation. Evening activities in the Entertainment area were plentiful and sometimes colorful.

OVERALL: The staff are VERY friendly and accomodating. They live by the phrase NO PROBLEM. Could use more staff and lounge chairs . EXCELLENT choice for the money. Would recommend it to anyone. If bookng with AirCanada, it is well worth it to book the MOBAY VIP lounge at the airport. For the extra $30 per person, it is well worth it to not have to wonder around the airport for 3 hrs. The VIP room gives you a cool , comfortable area to wait for your flight. Open bar, free food, TVs, friendly staff, and showers. This can be booked , in advance, through your Air Canada reps at your hotel

This hotel was one of the nicest I have stayed in. Our room (on the 11th floor) was spacious, clean, comfortable and had a nice view of the sea. The food was excellent and of quality at every mealtime. The staff are polite and helpful, nothing is too much trouble. The reception staff are friendly, efficient, polite and helpful while being proffessional. The drinks were good and as far as I am aware not watered down. The bar staff, again were a credit to the hotel.
Location is good as once out of the grounds your in Ocho Rios main street with shops, bars and market. Only downside as with any other hotel, the spa and beauticians are expensive. They wanted to charge the equivalent of £40 for a manicure and pedicure and a salon down the street charged only £16. Not the falut of the staff, but greedy owners. They are putting themselves out of business which is a shame.
Be up early for a sunbed around the pools. There is lots of beds on the beach but they go by 10 oclockish.
There are plenty of lifts so this hotel is suitable for disabled. They are in constant use and guests are never waiting more than a few minutes.
Got a good deal with alpharooms so would deffinately go back.

My family and I stayed at the Sunset Jamaica Grande for 1 week mid Jan before we cruised. I have to admit that after reading some negative reviews about the hotel I was dreading it.....Well I am pleased to say that overall our stay at the hotel was very good. The food is very nice, (I actually thought the buffet was better than the a la carte) for breakfast there are 3 egg stations and contrary to what some people have said about the wait, I know that I never waited more than 5 min for my omelette in the morning. The bars were fab with plentiful supply of rum punch amongst loads of offer drinks. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly to us. When we had our welcome meeting we mentioned to our rep Andrea from Virgin Holidays that we had no fridge in our room and by the time we finished our meeting and went up to the room, the fridge was there! I must also point out that Andrea was also very nice and treated us well and done all the things for us a good rep should do....again not too sure about the previous negative comments on this site.

My two slight criticisms are that yes the hotel beach is quite small but there is plenty of room by the pools or you can also use the public beach which quieter and is immediately next door! Regarding sun lounges you have to get them early otherwise you will be waiting for some to be free in the afternoon. My second issue is that after we returned from the cruise and stayed for 1 night more before we returned home, we were not given a room of equal standard to what we had before and the return check-in was way too long. Our room for the first 7 days was clean, decorated, flat screen tv etc... our room for that 1 night could have been cleaner and it seemed to me they only put us there because we were due to leave the next day. (that's why I gave four stars instead of five)

Overall I would say the service is very good and I would stay there again.