Rating:
"Excellent food. Great resort. Service could use some work, but overall really good food and condition for it's age. Beach was clean, water was warm and there were always lots of entertainment staff trying to get you involved in games."
Reviewer: reviewer4892
Date: Dec. 15, 2011

Rating:
"This past February 8th marked myself and my husband's one year anniversary. I know that most people say that your first year of marriage is "blissful" and although it was in many respects, it also proved to be a rather trying year for my husband and I since I fell ill just days after our wedding last year. Now, bear with me because I know you might be reading this review and thinking to yourself, "what does any of this have to do with a traveler's review?" but trust me when I say that our experience in Sandals MoBay helped to turn what was a rather unfortunate year into a beautiful anniversary experience.

Last year for our honeymoon my husband and I were to spend a week in the Bahamas at the Sandals resort there. After becoming ill and having to cut our trip short, we quickly retreated back to New York. Not only was my illness a cause of our early departure but in all honesty, the Sandals Bahamas resort was just not what we expected, especially fo our honeymoon. We were given a very standard room and a very "cold" reception. We could never tan by the pool because there were never enough chairs or towels for everyone to use. The weather was also terrible (again, no fault of Sandals) but after blow after blow, we just called it quits. Sandals was nice enough to credit us for the 3 nights we weren't using and offered us a year to use the credit.

My husband and I decided to try Sandals again for our one year anniversary so we booked Sandals MoBay because of it's super close proximity to the airport and because it was close to many local attractions. I read some of the reviews on here and some other travel boards and although they were less than stellar, I was excited about our trip. We booked a "higher" accomodation: a honeymoon concierge walkout room and prayed for good weather.

From the moment we boarded our Air Jamaica flight, we knew we were going to have a great trip. The flight was filled with many people of Jamaican descent who were going back home to visit their families, and so the mood of the airplane was one of happiness and familiarity. It felt really wonderful to be immersed in such a positive atmosphere. My husband and I flew first class and again the service was excellent.

Once we touched based in MoBay, we were immediately escorted to the Sandals holding room. This was a beautiful room with lovely, soft lighting and made of dark cherry wood. There was a bar with beer on tap as well as other drinks available to everyone as well as a clean rest room to use. It was definitely very impressive. My husband and I settled in to wait for our shuttle when a Sandals driver named Raymond came over to us with two beers. He told us he would be treating us to the VIP treatment and then escorted us outside. My husband and I had NO idea what we were in store for but when we saw a Mercedes Benz with a Sandals flag waiting to escort us to the hotel, we were floored! Raymond took us on a leisurely drive back to the resort and gave us a mini tour of the road on the way from the airport to the hotel. He offered us some traditional Jamaican treats as well as a SUPER delicious rum drink. He was positively infectious with his personality and we couldn't help but be giggling with excitement as he pulled up to the front entrace.

Now, we thought that it must have just been pure luck that we met someone as accomodating as Raymond, but when we pulled up, we were greeted by the bellhop named Nicholas. Nicholas was a young man with a calm and easing smile. He firmly but joyfully told me not to touch any luggage and told me "Relax, you are on vacation mon" and then pointed us in the direction of the check in lounge.

We were escorted into, again, a beautiful room with low lighting and a very tropical feel. There were gorgeous ceiling fans overheard and faint tropical music in the background. This is where we met MARVIN. Right from the start, he was extremely accomodating, cheerful and helpful to us. After completing some paperwork and drinkng some champagne, Marvin escorted us to our room. Now, I was prepared for a modest Honeymoon concierge room, but lo and behold, Marvin escorted us to an upgraded room--actually THE best upgrade there is. We were taken to the Prime Minister's Suite which is a 1600 square foot one bedroom suite complete with a livingroom, diningroom, kitchen, HUGE master bedroom and a marble bathroom the size of most NYC apartments. However, the best feature was the fact that we had a gigantic patio/sunning area where we often ate breakfast and sometimes suntanned when we wanted to get away from the crowds at the beach. The rest of the hotel is also VERY nice. I had read reviews that the hotel was "old" and needed repairs, but I felt quite the opposite. Considering that this was the first Sandals hotel ever built, the hotel looks BEAUTIFUL! I also made it a point to walk around the ENTIRE hotel to make sure that my review wouldn't be biased considering we were in the BayRoc estates (which are beach front villas) but even the non-villa portion of the hotel was colorful, up-to-date and charming!

Our first day there proved to be a cloudy one, but that didn't stop us from having a great time! There are non-stop activities available to everyone including pool, ping pong, daily shows, board games and of course, secluded and COVERED hot tubs that can be used even in the stormiest of weathers! OF COURSE, you can always just perch yourself at the bar to enjoy one of the many delicious cocktails available. Our favorite? The Sunshine Margarita! That night, we were treated to a live reggae band that sang many of our favorite tunes. Everyone had gathered around to hear them sing and even though it was a cloudy day, it was feeling awfully sunny in our hearts and souls.

Our second day was a great beach day and we got to experience the benefits of MoBay in the glory of the sun. Beach volleyball games ran rampant as well as water sports activities. The hubby and I are not good swimmers so we decided to just park ourselves right on the beautiful white sands of the beach and partake in some doggy paddle in the shallow waters off the shore which were so absolutely blue and clear. Hubby and I fancy ourselves somewhat of beach connosieurs since we often vacation in our homeland of Greece. We often find it difficult to find beaches comparable to those in the Aegean Sea but I can honestly say that this beach was amazing! The sand was soft, yet not hot and the water was clean, clear and crisp--perfect for the scorching hot day this proved to be!

My husband and I also enjoyed all of the food--especially at Tokyo Joe's. We had a GREAT waitress at Tokyo Joe's by the name of Renay who was just the sweetest!!! She recognized us from the beach earlier that day (how DO they keep track of all of their visitors? It's amazing!) and she was just very sweet and helped to make our dining experience terrific. We also did the romantic dinner for two and we HIGHLY recommend this as well! It was SO romantic and the food was excellent. I had the Swordfish and my husband had the Filet Mignon. Sitting on the pier eating as the ocean waves surround you and the stars offer the lighting for your dinner is an experience everyone should have! Our waiter DAMIANAN (sp?) was also TOP NOTCH. He was pleasant and friendly and made himself scarce at the right moments without affecting the quality of his service.

Unfortunately, our stay at the resort was VERY short but in that short amount of time, we couldn't help but fall in love with the country, the resort and most importantly the PEOPLE of MoBay and Jamaica. I only mentioned a few of the Sandals MoBay employees: Raymond, Nicholas, Renay, Damianan and ESPECIALLY MARVIN, but the truth is, every single one of those employees made us feel right at home from the very first moment we got there.

I jokingly told one of my friends, "I must have been Jamaican in my past life" but in all honesty, I've never felt quite as comfortable and familiar in a foreign country before like I did there.

We are already planning our next trip to Sandals MoBay, definitely for our next anniversary and quite possibly, for some time even sooner than that, but we highly recommend this hotel to any couple looking for a quick (or long) getaway that is filled with lots of fun, sun and wonderful food and people!!!!
"
Reviewer: MrsKikis
Date: Feb. 10, 2010

Rating:
"I stayed at both the Sandals Montego Bay and visited the Sandals Royal Caribbean. The Montego Bay seemed more lively of a resort and the Royal Caribbean was more upper class and more laid back. I would give the Montego Bay 4 stars and the Royal Caribbean 4.5 stars. The service was very good a both resorts. The food was okay compared to some of the other all inclusives I have stayed at. The beach at Sandals Montego Bay is very nice and very long! I have also stayed at two of the Sandals resorts in St Lucia and I would say they are a bit nicer that the Jamaica resorts."
Reviewer: Tomoko
Date: Dec. 23, 2009

Rating:
"Located 5 minutes from the airport in Montego Bay. Five restaurants on the property. You can go to Sandals Royal Caribbean as well during the day and eat there as well. Buffet for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was a la cart. Lots of activities and tours to participate in."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Apr. 05, 2008

Rating:
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Sep. 19, 2007

Rating:
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Mar. 30, 2005

Rating:
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Nov. 25, 2004

Rating:
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: May. 14, 2004