2015 - Jamaica

 

 

We have spent our autumn vacation 2015 in Jamaica...

14 days all in all, at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Ocho Rios on the north east side of Jamaica.

Hotel "Sandals Ochi Beach Resort" and diving with its Aqua Center

 

Sandals hotels are well known for their all-inclusive packages that also include all sport activities like tennis, golf, windsurfing, sailing and of course diving. It is supposed to be an "all you can dive" package, however, only supposed to be....

So we thought to choose a nicely located hotel on Jamaica Island, the part of the hotel that is close to the beach and the diving center so that we can go diving three or four times a day.

In fact, they offer only two free of charge dives a day. If you want to do an extra one (like early morning or night dive) they categorize it as a special dive and you have to pay extra (approx. 40 USD per person). What was even more annoying is, that during rough sea there is no chance to go diving, no shore diving possible.... So be lucky with the weather if you reach out Sandals Ochi Beach.

The good thing is: The guys from the dive center are nice, friendly, competent, especially Londsdale. It was a pleasure to go diving with them. Don't blame it on them, they cannot change or influence the rules of the hotel chain... 

To summarize diving: Nice area, clear water, warm temperatures, nice corals, but hardly any fish. Everything fished out, no recreation zones, fire fish close by catching also the small little fishes, unfortunately talking about fish life pretty boring. A bid similar to the main coast of Yucatan...

If Jamaica is not starting activities like in St. Lucia with no diving / no fishing zones they run into the risk that not only fish population is shrinking, but also coral life is getting impacted...

 

How about the hotel: Nicely located, try to get one of the rooms at the beachside, otherwise you need to take a shuttle to reach out the beach area. Beach area itself is rocky, the sand which is there was brought across. Beach is small, but nice, everything artificial. But they have nice and small little pools, nicely spread over the area and quite.

The hotel itself is quite huge, but you just do not notice this because of all the smaller buildings, small little pool areas, small little restaurants. Looks and feels more like a village than a huge and massive hotel complex. Congratulations to the designer and architect, well done...

Staff is friendly, food is excellent, especially at the Italian restaurant Valentinos, Neptunes restaurant, SOY sushi bar, and so on. If you stay at Riviera Beach Front complex don't miss to take one of your dinner at the Great House Estate area (towards hill side). They have very nice restaurant there as well, especially the Manor House with local food.

But: Best places to go out for dinner are: Reef Terrace with excellent local food, nice cocktails and breath taking view as well as Kelly's Dockside Restaurant on the jetty...

Best place to stay is the Riviera Beach Front complex, with rooms in the Ginger Lily Area or the Ocean Palms Bungalows. Don't take the Harbor Club rooms, they are in one of the massive complexes and not really in a quiet area.

Best places to take a rest and enjoy pool and ocean view is the Harbor Club Main Pool. There is a small little pool and a whirlpool, a nice pool bar, an Italian restaurant "Bella Napoli" with excellent pasta and pizza, and a beautiful terrace with a nice view over the ocean front.... And some friendly cats that are happy if you host them... 

 

Below you can find a map showing the area and impressions from the hotel, the countryside and from diving at Ocho Rios. 

Have fun looking at the pictures and share with us our nice memories.