Sunset Jamaica Grande?

[Ashley0802]

Has anyone been married or seen a wedding at Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios? I have a few kids coming with my party and it seems like a fun place for both adults and kids. Any suggestions would help!

Thanks!

[YoursTruly]

I would recommend you doing a search for the SJG thread. There were quite a few brides on there that had a wedding or is planning on it. Maybe you can PM them with specifics. Best of luck

[Ashley0802]

Thanks!! i dont think i shortened it to SJG, so thats probably why nothing came up.

[allaboutodd]

I just got married there on December 12, 2008. I can post my review once I have settled in. It was amazing to say the least and I have pictures as well. I know how you feel because I was looking for someone to guide me as well. Majority of the brides here are Riu brides so I will promise to get back on here shortly with a review!

[Ashley0802]

Thanks girls!! I look forward to reading your review.. and I will check out the travel site!

 

You have taken a lot of stress about finding a place off my shoulders!

[AnnaC]

I haven't seen a wedding here but stayed here a few years ago and still miss the chicken breast stuffed with ackee. The hotel was nice and the food was good. The only drawback was that the beach was small.

[Ashley0802]

I have been to other resorts around there, but when I was there it was being remodeled, so everything was torn apart, so I know their beach is small but there is so much other stuff to do around Ocho that I think we will be fine.

[sally]

I have heard mixed reviews about this resort. We stayed at ROR and only went into Ochi twice........ I did not think I would like to stay down town. The SJG looked in need of a refurb and the beach was tiny. I tink this would be ok for a holiday but maybe not for a wedding if your looking for a beach location IMO

[allaboutodd]

Sorry it took so long but here is my review that I posted on Tripadvisor. It kind of touches on sally's last post about it being downtown. There are perks for being downtown (remember NO ONE can get on the resort unless they are staying there). I enjoyed being downtown and couldn't of imagined what I would have done if I stayed at Sandals or Riu for an entire week. I would have either left broke because of all the shuttles I have to take shopping, excursions, etc. or I would have been bored out of my mind. SJG was a walk, skip, jump to the marketplace and other duty free stores.

 

I was weary like every bride would be upon reading some of the reviews on this site. Upon arrival, I put all my worries aside and realized that I am getting married and to make the most of it.. It ended up being that I didn't have to - the resort truly is wonderful.

 

If you are a RITZY type person and expect people to wait on your hand and foot then NO - this resort is not for you. Please go to one of the chain hotels that cater to your every spoiled need. Sunset is a Jamaican owned chain so if you want to truly experience the culture, livelihood of Ocho Rios, Jamaica then this resort is for you.

 

Location and Local Area: The resort was located in the midst of the town and people of the area. You walk out of the resort and the marketplace is right there. Be strong and firm and they will leave you alone. We got some great deals in the marketplace and you have to understand that WE are the main income of Jamaica. Many of those people struggle to make ends meet and they bother you constantly because that is their only means of acquiring money. If the market isn't for you, there are a multitude of shops available outside the resort that are duty free. Margaritaville, Taj Mahal duty free, are all in walking distance..

 

Staff: Many of the staff were very friendly. The entertainment crew definitely did their best in ensuring their guests were entertained. Apparently we went during a slow season so there weren't many guests there but they still did their best in making sure people participated.

 

WEDDING (FOR MY BRIDES): My wedding was stress and worry free. I met with Esther (who is great) a day before the wedding to finalize plans and everything was taken care of within 30 minutes. The next day I came down and the wedding was a dream come true. I booked the Melody of Love package and the DVD that came with it was beautiful. I did not like the pictures as much from the resort and we did bring our own photographer but the resort's photographer is not pushy at all and still takes extra photos for you to view and possibly purchase. I got my hair and makeup done at the resort. I'm pretty picky about my makeup and was tentative about my hair but they did a GREAT job with my hair and my makeup I had to touch up a bit more. Overall good job! Everything was worry-free (I stressed out way too much prior to the big day) and it turned out wonderfully.

 

Hotel (General): This is the only thing I felt they need to improve. The rooms ARE outdated. There are no marble floors like Riu but the room is sufficient enough. Just as everyone else has stated, you spend only a couple of hours in the day in your room anyways so I felt it did not matter much. The resort itself is gorgeous, there are a multitude of pools and the slide is FUN. I did not go to the beach much because it was not as I imagined but the many pools onsite made up for it. We did go canoeing and utilized their free watersports. In addition, we had some problems with the hotel staff and accomodations.

 

Upon our arrival back from our Dunn's River excursion, we were told that they were attempting to contact us the entire day because we were due to checkout. They wanted us to prove paperwork that our stay continued on for 3 more days. Luckily, I kept copies of everything and showed them our confirmation and reservation paperwork. Without it, I would be scared to see what happened. The entire ordeal lasted about 40 minutes and we were frustrated with how they handled it. It worked out but because we were prepared - they were not. In addition, our remote did not work in our room and we had to call 6 times before someone came up to replace it. They are very slow with housekeeping and maintenance so make sure everything is in working order and your room is to your liking RIGHT when you check-in.

 

Excursions: We did two excursions - Cool Runnings Dunn's River and H'evan Scent. Both were great! H'evan Scent is more for the adventurous type with ziplining and ATVing through the mountains. Cool Runnings was a ton of fun and lots of partying and dancing on the way back. Be careful if you get seasick easily..

 

If you want to enjoy the nightlife - go to Margaritaville. Monday night was a great night to go because it's free for SJG and they play a mixture of music as well as a mixed crowd. Great music! We had a blast..

 

Overall: EVERYTHING WAS LOVELY and we throughly enjoyed our stay there. I would love to go back tomorrow if I could. The staff was great and honestly the GOOD outweighed the BAD. I do give my recommendations for this resort because I respect how hard the Jamaicans work to get the little money they have into their pockets so being that it is a true Jamaican owned chain - they attempt to give you the most in their culture through their resort.

 

**I apologize for the lengthy review but I remember going through this myself prior to going and promised myself I would provide one once I got back**

[allaboutodd]

Btw if you would like to see pictures. Please just private message me and I can send them..