Sandals Resorts

#1
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WestTNVFL

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#1
Me and the future wife are looking into Sandals resorts in Jamaica for honeymoon this July. We want to do the all inclusive route. Would like some input on thoughts about Sandals and if the butler service is worth the extra money? Thanks
 
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#2
#2
WestTNVFL said:
Me and the future wife are looking into Sandals resorts in Jamaica for honeymoon this July. We want to do the all inclusive route. Would like some input on thoughts about Sandals and if the butler service is worth the extra money? Thanks
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Yes, I went way back when I got married and it was worth it but I was in the Bahamas. I know the ride to sandals Jamaica used to be kinda hairy though. Bad roads and such. My advice, stay off the public beaches and go in large tour groups. Have fun.
 
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#3
#3
Why go through all the hassle of traveling out of the country only to confine yourself to an all inclusive resort?
 
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#4
#4
Been to Jamaica a few times, always all inclusive. Any of the higher rated resorts in the montego bay area will be perfect for a honeymoon. Short drive from the airport, lots of R&R. Not sure about Sandals or Butler service.
 
#6
#6
We've been to Sandals Whitehouse, I think they changed the name to Sandals south coast or something. It was awesome. It was about an hour and a half drive from Montego Bay but that was the only negative. It's away from everything, which we liked, but if you go with one of the resort in Montego Bay you can hop between the different properties. We enjoyed the exclusivity, since it didn't feel like we were missing out on anything by just being lazy and drinking all week.
 
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#7
#7
We, too, did the Sandals Whitehouse in 2008.

We had a good time. I don't remember too much about it; like others said, the drive from Montego Bay was pretty far.
 
#8
#8
OP, take the same amount of money you are using for Jamaica and go to Hawaii. It is so worth it. You will not be disappointed. Use Jamaica as a 5 yr anniversary present.
 
#9
#9
GreveHaller said:
OP, take the same amount of money you are using for Jamaica and go to Hawaii. It is so worth it. You will not be disappointed. Use Jamaica as a 5 yr anniversary present.
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Everyone I've talked to says Hawaii is significantly more expensive, but I've never been. Would love to see the comparison of a full week priced out
 
#10
#10
CanadianVol said:
Everyone I've talked to says Hawaii is significantly more expensive, but I've never been. Would love to see the comparison of a full week priced out
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I just got back from my honeymoon there for 10 days in July. We had a ton of airline miles and stuff so it wasn’t that big of a hit on the budget but without then it probably would’ve come out to around $10,000 for the trip. Could’ve done it somewhat cheaper by not staying at a resort on Maui, but everything out there in general is more expensive. True AI resorts are far and few out there. There were a couple but it didn’t really fit what we wanted.
 
#11
#11
WestTNVFL said:
Me and the future wife are looking into Sandals resorts in Jamaica for honeymoon this July. We want to do the all inclusive route. Would like some input on thoughts about Sandals and if the butler service is worth the extra money? Thanks
Click to expand...

The food is awful at all inclusives....does not matter which one...
 
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#12
#12
Jamaica is also a ****hole... you will see it once you land at the airport.. there are far vested options in the Caribbean. There is a reason for all inclusive It’s not really safe to leave the resort especially at night
 
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#13
#13
I was just looking at the South Coast Sandals this morning. They have new over water cabanas that look pretty cool. We are looking to go somewhere in April, we went to Belize a year or so ago and loved it. We may end up going back there but I kind of wanted to go somewhere different.
 
#14
#14
The benefit of all-inclusive resorts and cruises is the convenience. Eat what you want, drink what you want, don't worry about cost. That being said, my experience has been that the food is only mediocre, for the most part. If fine dining is a priority or if you don't plan on drinking a lot, there might be better options.

As for the seclusion of the resorts: if you travel much in the Caribbean, you'll understand. Most countries are quite impoverished, with a stark contrast between the luxurious accommodations inside the gates and the piecemeal, tiny "homes" that most of the locals reside in. Driving is crazy, markets are very pushy, and drugs are everywhere. I've never been out at night (except in Cozumel) due to safety concerns, but I do have friends that were mugged at gunpoint in Jamaica.
 
#15
#15
OP - why Jamaica? You might have a very valid reason (free trip, others going there too, etc...).
 
#16
#16
I asked a friend who goes every year. He said Butler service is not worth the $$$ but that concierge-level is. As for locations:

Depends on what you are looking for --
Best party/nightlife: Ocho
Most romantic: Southern Coast
Best beach/scuba: Negril
Best value: Mobay
 
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#17
#17
kiddiedoc said:
I asked a friend who goes every year. He said Butler service is not worth the $$$ but that concierge-level is. As for locations:

Depends on what you are looking for --
Best party/nightlife: Ocho
Most romantic: Southern Coast
Best beach/scuba: Negril
Best value: Mobay
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OP, we’ve been to South Coast, Ochi, and Negril (and Royal Bahamian for our honeymoon) in the last 4 years and that’s as good a breakdown as I’ve seen.

I’m sure some people have negative views of the country but we’ve loved every trip. I know all inclusive can catch shade at times, but for us, it just works. We’re running wide open 50 weeks a year, and a week requiring zero thought is kind of nice. Plus, we’re early to mid 30s so maybe we just don’t know any better.

My aunt and Uncle go to one of the Montego Bay Sandals every year and love it (I think it’s Royal Carribean). She’s a wedding planner so she’s sampled all but about 3 of their properties but that’s where they continually end up.

We actually rebooked Negril for this year because it fit our style the best (slow, unscheduled, relaxed). It’s the first time we’ll repeat a resort.

We’re actually trying the bottom tier this year, but we’ve always done either Butler or Concierge to this point. Personally, Butler didn’t appeal to me because I don’t like ordering people around, but, my wife loved it. Plus, the butlers are almost always excellent at their jobs and end up being friends. If you can get a deal it might be worth a shot if you’ve never had service like that.
 
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#19
#19
We did the one in St Lucia for our honeymoon and it was just what we needed. There were also 2 other Sandals there so we could visit and eat at all of them.
 
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#21
#21
GreveHaller said:
OP - why Jamaica? You might have a very valid reason (free trip, others going there too, etc...).
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Mainly budget reasons. We went to a local travel
Agency here in Memphis last week and Jamaica seemed to come out a lot less than the other islands mainly because of the flights. We originally thought St. Lucia but it was almost 7k.
 
#22
#22
Iam4utalways said:
Cayman Islands seemed more visitor friendly than Jamaica or Mexico.

Think aloha.
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The Caymans are stupid expensive. We did an AI at the Grand Sunset Princess in Riviera Maya, found it on bookit.com . Got an unbelievable deal. The food was good, service and convenience were outstanding, and they gave us a free chef’s table dinner for our honeymoon. I would definitely recommend it. We also had our own private outdoor shower, which was awesome.
 
#23
#23
WestTNVFL said:
Mainly budget reasons. We went to a local travel
Agency here in Memphis last week and Jamaica seemed to come out a lot less than the other islands mainly because of the flights. We originally thought St. Lucia but it was almost 7k.
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You will have a good time. Screw the haters in this thread. Enjoy your soon to be wife and relax
 
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#24
#24
I heard that Sandals opened a new one in Jamaica with over water bungalows . That would be amazing IMO. You should look into that.
 
#25
#25
Coug said:
Why go through all the hassle of traveling out of the country only to confine yourself to an all inclusive resort?
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Underrated question... plus, you can get the same experience, if not better, for half the price of Sandals.
 
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