Sandals Resorts anyone?

[bronco300]

Has anyone ever gone to a Sandals Resort? We are about to pick one for a honeymoon...but i thought maybe i'd check and see if anyone has taken a trip there...they are all-inclusive; meals, drinks, water sports, land sports, tips, just about everything except some activities you want to do on your own...we'd be allowed 2 dives per day if we take a course there for $70ec...they also have boats to take you out snorkeling..or som resorts have some "swim with the dolphins" or "Stingray City"....some you can take a mid sub down, or some type of helmet attached to a constant line of air...one place even has your own little mini sub you can take, havent read much on that one...but anyways...they look amazing and we're pretty set on Sandals Negril in Jamaica because they are known for great scuba experiences and have a 7mi long beach...but anyways...just wondering

 

[scubanoah]

hi luke, I've never stayed at a sandals but all inclusive is the only way to go. i have been on many trips and it is just so much more relaxing when you dont have to think of all that. be very cautious about that scuba course too!

 

[bronco300]

yea, someone else mentioned a trip to belize that wasnt all inclusive and looked nice but then i thought of all the things comparing them and it just seems like much less of a headache...and why be careful about the course?

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
yea, someone else mentioned a trip to belize that wasnt all inclusive and looked nice but then i thought of all the things comparing them and it just seems like much less of a headache...and why be careful about the course?
Alcohol included as well? If you drink, this could be a deal maker or breaker,, also ask if its only beer/wine and if they charge for "SPECIALTY" drinks ea Pina Colada, Margaritas, etc etc

 

[bronco300]

well i dont drink so i could care less about that part but most have about 6 restaurants and 5-6 bars to go to whenever.

 

[dragonzim]

Hey Luke
My wife and I just stayed at a Sandals on St Lucia on our honeymoon 2 months ago. It was nice. They had 5 different restaurants that we could choose from and everything was included. Food, drinks, snacks, diving, pretty much everything. If you are thinking about diving you would be better off taking your certification course before you go though. If you take the course there you are only able to dive with them or at another Sandals. Its not a full blown certification course like you would get with a PADI or NAUI course.
If you have any questions let me know here or send me a PM.

 

[bronco300]

thanks! i'm not really concerned about the certification as i doubt i'll be going scuba diving much other than this ever...so a real cert won't really do much for me except waste more money
what type of room did you get? you think its worth the money to get more than just the standard?

 

[dragonzim]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
thanks! i'm not really concerned about the certification as i doubt i'll be going scuba diving much other than this ever...so a real cert won't really do much for me except waste more money
what type of room did you get? you think its worth the money to get more than just the standard?

We stayed in a 1 bedroom, Concierge level room. The concierge level gives you access to a staff of people that take care of things like booking excursions and making sure you have everything you need in your room. Looking back, I dont really know that it was worth the extra money for that stuff, but it also put us on the top floor of the 4 floors there which was nice. It was quieter up there and we had a fantastic view that we would not have had if we were on one of the lower floors.

 

[maelv]

My wife and I have gone to Sandals Resort in Jamaica. We stayed at Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay and we visited Sandals in Ocho Rios. It really depends on what you are looking at doing. Here is a short little breakdown of what we thought.
Montego Bay: Younger crowd...mid twenties/early thirties....partying all night. So if that is what you want to do....go there, their first resort....Excellent italian restaurant there
Royal Caribbean: A bit more of an older crowd. Relaxed atmosphere...definitely the prettier of the two resorts. Laid back, not too much partying, we caught the bus to Montego Bay site to get our dancing in. Awesome little Thai restaurant on a small secluded island that you catch a little ferry to..NICE...romantic
Ocho Rios: Didn't really spend much time there...looked like it was nestled in the middle of the rain forest though...pretty cool...the only reason we went was because we did the waterfall tour. Trust me DO THE WATERFALL THING...LOL...it is cool. It is closer to the Cruise line ports, so you'll have more tourists there.
The thing about the sandals resorts is that you "pay at one and play at all"....so you can run back and forth on little excursions to any of the resorts. They messed up on our booking so we got the hook up and stayed at two resorts in the upgraded suites...
Shoot me an e-mail if you have any other questions Luke....and CONGRATS brother....

 

[bronco300]

thanks buddy!!! we have held a place at sandals negril...its supposidly their known place for great scuba etc....i cant wait!!!!

 

[threed240]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
thanks buddy!!! we have held a place at sandals negril...its supposidly their known place for great scuba etc....i cant wait!!!!
The scuba there is great!! We went to Negril in May of this year, and we didn't stay at sandals but we wished we had. We stayed at Point Village Resort, which was nice but the Sandals had much nicer rooms, and the beach was larger. By the way, there is a ---- beach next to Sandals, and next to Point village at the Hedonism. Crazy, didn't go there, but its crazy. There is a sunken spanish ship right of the coast in front of Sandals, very cool.

 

[maelv]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
thanks buddy!!! we have held a place at sandals negril...its supposidly their known place for great scuba etc....i cant wait!!!!
You'll have a blast.....and I didn't go to get drunk, and didn't (well with the exception on my birthday with a pretty big group of folks we met)....but my motto was......if it was frozen, it was fruity, and it came with an umbrella....I wasa sippin'
Have fun Luke!

 

[bronco300]

Originally Posted by Threed240
The scuba there is great!! We went to Negril in May of this year, and we didn't stay at sandals but we wished we had. We stayed at Point Village Resort, which was nice but the Sandals had much nicer rooms, and the beach was larger. By the way, there is a ---- beach next to Sandals, and next to Point village at the Hedonism. Crazy, didn't go there, but its crazy. There is a sunken spanish ship right of the coast in front of Sandals, very cool.
lolol, thanks for the information...not sure what it'll do for me,lol

 

[bronco300]

Originally Posted by maelv
You'll have a blast.....and I didn't go to get drunk, and didn't (well with the exception on my birthday with a pretty big group of folks we met)....but my motto was......if it was frozen, it was fruity, and it came with an umbrella....I wasa sippin'
Have fun Luke!

thanks, i think it'll be a blast, we're not going till next year, but i can wait, gives us time to save up enough for everything...i cant wait

 

[threed240]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
thanks, i think it'll be a blast, we're not going till next year, but i can wait, gives us time to save up enough for everything...i cant wait

Yea mon!

 

[dual45s]

My wife and I went for our honeymoon back in October and we can't wait to go back! Almost everything is free. If you plan on doing any of the off-resort excursions, expect to pay (bubble helmet dive, zipline canopy tour, etc.) The wife and I didn't leave the resort so we didn't pay anything extra. Let me tell you it's rough coming back to real life and trying to wean off of a bottle-of-rum-a-day habit. We were at Montego Bay and the description was pretty accurate about it being a day and night party (we're 24 so it was great). My one complaint was the spot they took us snorkeling wasn't spectacular, saw a couple interesting fish, but I'm sure the scuba would have been way better. But when it came down to it, I had more important things to attend to than taking a resort course that wouldn't translate to a real cert later on. Long story short, if I could afford to stay there for a month, I would, nothing beats coming in fresh out of the ocean still in boardshorts and a towel and being served a 14oz steak. Amazing.