Tag Archives: luxury included

Join the party at OCHI

The Jamaica FAM Trip continues…after a lovely lunch on the beach at Beaches we boarded our bus for Ocho Rios. It’s almost a 3-hour drive from Negril to Ocho Rios, so we stopped in  Montego Bay for a brief rest at  Sandals Montego Bay.

It was close to 7pm and dark by the time we reached Sandals OCHI, formerly known as Sandals Grande Rivera.

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This Garden of Eden is Sandals largest resort…

Recently undergoing a 60 million dollar transformation, Sandals OCHI Beach Resort is the ultimate party and entertainment resort in Jamaica!

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OCHI is divided into the hillside and seaside sections, all with lush landscaping. 529 rooms, villas, suites offer fantastic mountain and ocean views and an exclusive all butler village on the hillside.  As with all the others,  this Sandals also offers Club Sandals and Butler Elite.

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The Hop is a shuttle that takes guests between the Seaside and Hillside and OCHI Beach Club. It runs continuously all day.

Gourmet Discovery Dining

With one of the largest assortment of dining options, you won’t go hungry at OCHI.

Hillside: Dino’s Pizzeria (pizza), Great House Cafe (Jamaican), Le Gourmand (French), Manor Houses (Jamaican), The Jerk Shack (Jerk), The Southern Table (buffet breakfast and lunch, American South dinner).

Riviera/Seaside: Bella Napoli Pizzeria (pizza), Kelly’s Dockside (grill – Butler only), Reef Terrace (pan-caribbean), Tapas on the Riviera (international), Valentino’s (Southern Italian), Vista/Sky (buffet breakfast and lunch, seafood dinner).

Club Level and Butler Level also have room service option.

Luxury Included…

As with all Sandals Resorts, a myriad of land and water sports are available, weekly events, entertainment, bars, 7 main pools and 22 hot tubs.

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OCHI features one of the best night spots, a genuine speakeasy that will take you back to the 1920’s! The Rabbit Hole offers wonderful entertainment, signature drinks and a  fabulous time. The thing is, harking back to the speakeasy time, you’ll need a password to get in and you have to find the place…there is no signage.

I’ll give you a hint…it’s on the hillside. That’s all I’m sharing. It’s well worth the effort of finding it, don’t miss out!

Complimentary green fees at Sandals Golf & Country Club including transfers.

Sandals OCHI is on a15 minute drive from Sandals Golf Club. Green fees and transfers are included which makes this resort a great choice for a golf group or avid golfers.  Designed by PK Saunders and rates 4 star by Golf Digest magazine. They offer complimentary “welcome to golf” clinics for adults and kids. Caddies are required for a small fee and club rentals are available and you can room charge.

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Available at an extra charge:

The Red Lane Spa offers a complete list of treatment options. (The Red Lane Spa offers a sauna and steam room and hot and cold plunge pools in the zen garden which are free for anyone to use.)Touring offered by Island Routes, laundry/dry cleaning available, private airport transfers, a photo shop, and special occasions options like a candlelight dinner on the beach.

*Sandals has a “no tipping” policy for all team members except Butlers and Spa Therapists.

Overall, this resort is lively and fun with lots going on all the time. A great choice for a group of couples vacationing together, active couples or golfers. Lots of excursions are available in the Ocho Rios area as well, including the famous Dunns River Falls waterfall climb.

Full photo tour on my Facebook page.

Sandals Negril Resort

Sandals Fam Trip continues Sunday as we leave Sandals Whitehouse and travel to Negril to tour Sandal’s Negril and Beaches Negril before heading to Ocho Rios, our home for the next two nights.

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The drive is about an hour from Whitehouse to Negril. Upon arrival, we are greeted with cold towels and a refreshing drink. We tour the resort and enjoy a goodbye drink, no alcohol, we’re working!

Sandals Negril offers some of best sunsets in the Caribbean!

 Dining

There are seven (7) restaurant options available: Barefoot by the Sea (beach dining), Beach Bistro (beach grill), Bella Napoli Pizzaria(pizza), Cucina Romana (Italian), Kimonos (Japanese), Sundowner (Jamaican), Bayside (buffet/French)

Room Service offers 24 hours for Butler guests and 7am-10pm for Club Sandals.

Weekly Chocolate Symphony on Wednesdays.

Accommodations

Sandals Negril offers swim up rooms, these are the Crystal Lagoon Butler Suites. And they overlook the beach and ocean.

There are 226 rooms spread over 14 categories including Club Sandals and Butler Elite. This property features the Millionaire Honeymoon Suite with Private Pool Sanctuary, along with other rooms listed in Sandals Love Nest class.

Luxury Inclusions

Nightly entertainment such as beach parties, talent shows, Caribbean night, etc… compliment the myriad of land and water sports. 3 freshwater pools, 1 dive certification pool and 3 whirlpools. Along with 5 bar/lounges.

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Luxury Extras

Red Lane Spa treatments, beach cabanas, Scuba Certification, Island Routes excursions, laundry/dry cleaning, photo shop, special private dinners and more are available at an extra cost.

As always, there is a “no tipping” policy for all team members except Butlers and Spa Technicians.

Find a full album of photos of Sandals Negril on my Facebook page.

 

Whirlwind Sandals Resorts Fam Trip

I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend a 4-night exclusive FAM (familiarization trip ) with my agency to Jamaica. We were invited by Sandals Resorts to learn about their fabulous product and become Certified Sandals Specialists.

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Over the next few weeks, I will review and recap the Sandals and Beaches Resorts that we visited while on our trip.

  1.  Sandals Whitehouse European Village (stayed 2 nights here)
  2.  Sandals Negril Resort and Spa
  3. Beaches Negril Resort and Spa
  4. Sandals Montego Bay (just a rest stop)
  5. Sandals OCHI (formerly Grande Riviera)(stayed 2 night here)
  6. Sandals Royal Plantation
  7. Beaches Ocho Rios Resort and Spa
  8. Sandals Golf & Country Club (not a resort )

Yes! That is a lot of touring…this was definitely a working trip, including a 4-hour workshop to become a Certified Sandals Specialist, lead by the incredible (seriously, didn’t feel like 4 hours, went by very quickly) Iesha Hibbert.

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I absolutely fell in love with Jamaica. The people are so welcoming and friendly everywhere and Sandals Resorts are unparalleled. Luxury Included is the truth. Each Sandals Resort has its own unique vibe and there is a perfect resort for everyone.

I cannot wait to go back with my own family to Beaches, it’s moved to the top of our travel bucket list. And I cannot wait to help my clients plan their wonderful memory making trips, whether they be family trips to Beaches, a nice change from the theme parks. Or a romantic getaway for mom and dad for a complete change of pace.

Stay tuned for the reviews and see photo tours on my Facebook Page.

Contact me if you would like more information on planning your own visit to paradise. 🙂  barbara@atimetotreasuretravel.com

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