Roswell, NM Travel Agent
Jennifer Letcher

Independent Destination Wedding Travel Agent

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Sandals Ocho Rios

Sandals Ochi – An Unforgettable Vacation!

 

Man, what a vacation! Did you know that Sandals Ocho Rios in Jamaica is the largest Sandals resort? With over 100 swimming pools, this is your place to go if you are a pool lover.

 

The drive from Montego Bay's MBJ airport is around an hour and a half. Just like in my last blog about Beaches Ocho Rios, I suggest grabbing the throw-up bags from the plane just in case. This was our first time not taking the Sandals free transport. We were traveling with eight adults and decided to take a private transfer. I can tell you that the Sandals transports I've been on are long and driven safely as Sandals would want. Our private transfer drove like a local. It took us longer to get our private transfer due to the traffic at the airport. We left a good 30 minutes after the Sandals bus, but we ended up passing it along with a lot of other drivers! The Sandals buses I've taken have never done this. Anyway, we made it to the resort in record time and safe!

 

Due to the crazy Microsoft outages on July 19, 2024, airports were chaotic, and everything was getting delayed. Our flight was no exception. However, with any travel, you have to be ready for this and go with the flow so you don't ruin your vacation. After a few hours of delay, we were finally able to leave DFW. Because of this, our first day was spent traveling. When we got to the resort, we checked in with our amazing butlers (I could write a whole blog just on them) and then went to dinner at the Sky Terrace. My husband was thrilled to get lobster.

 

As I mentioned, this is the largest Sandals Resort, and because of that, you must take the Hop to other parts of the resort. This is a small transfer bus. We stayed on the hillside manor, and to get to the beach, you must take the Hop. It’s a short ride that requires you to cross a main road. The first stop from the hillside is the Beach Club. If you are a beach person, I wouldn't recommend this resort because the beach is small, and the sand is not soft to walk on. However, it was still pretty, and the sound of the ocean always puts me in a good mood.

 

Saturday was a day of fun, sun, and Jamaican rum! We spent the day down at Sandals Beach Club. Maxwell and Dave know how to make a drink. You can find them at the swim-up bar.

 

Restaurants

 

While there, we ate at Sky Terrace, The Southern Table, Valentinos, Soy, Tapas, Mariners, Dino’s Pizzeria, Le Gourmand, and the Jerk Shack. We ate and ate this trip! The resort has a variety of food, so everyone should be able to find something they like. I enjoyed the food every time we ate, and my favorite was the sliders from Tapas—they were amazing. Our go-to snack was the Jerk Shack or pizza. One thing we were really sad about was not getting to go to Kimonos. Even though we had reservations, they would only sit parties of 12, and we had plans for the white party, so we ended up leaving without eating. When we let our butler know, she definitely took care of it. We met with the food and beverage manager and the butler manager, and they apologized and said that shouldn't have happened and they will make sure reservations are honored in the future.

 

Fun Day of Excursions

 

Tuesday was an amazing outing. We climbed Dunn's River Falls. This was my second time; my husband and I did it back in 2013 on our honeymoon, and it brought back so many great memories. You have to be pretty fit—knee problems or back problems would make it tough. You need water shoes because you are climbing a super slippery rock waterfall. A guide helps you up, and they have a videographer that follows you around. Surprisingly, we found that $40 for the whole video and pictures was a good deal, so we bought it. Then, our tour guide took us to the Blue Hole. I didn't realize we'd be climbing another waterfall to get to the jump sites. It was so much fun. I was nervous at first about jumping, but once I did the first one, the next three were a breeze. After that, we were taken to Linda’s Café for some jerk chicken and rum punch. Lastly, we floated down the White River with two tour guides and an awesome dog named Stranger, who went down the tubing with us. He would ride in our floats, swim, or run down the side. After that, we returned to our resort. It was a great day and a fun way to spend it.

 

Paint and sip

Sandals offers a variety of exciting group activities, including Beach Olympics, bingo, cornhole, and paint and sip sessions. We opted for the paint and sip experience, which was a first for me. At Sandals, you need to purchase a bottle of wine to participate, and with that, you receive two canvases.

 

The resort brought in E. Thompson, a talented local painter who also sells his artwork. We had such an amazing time during this activity, and our paintings turned out great! Mr. Thompson guided us step by step through the process, making it easy for beginners and experienced painters alike.

 

I highly recommend this activity if it's offered during your stay. It's a fantastic way to unwind, get creative, and take home a unique souvenir from your trip.

 

Overall Experience

 

We spent most of our time in our private pool. Since we were four couples, we rented out the four-bedroom villa that came with a butler. We had the most amazing butlers, Cameka and Alshane. I recommend everyone ask for them. When we got back on Tuesday, they had a party thrown for us in our backyard. We had so much food, music, drinks, and they hung out with us. When we weren’t at our private pool, we liked to hang out at the main pool on the hillside—lots of interaction with bingo, volleyball, and name-that-tune games. It was a great time to hang out and use the swim-up bar.

 

Downfalls

 

Being the largest Sandals resort and like three resorts in one, there are some downfalls. If you stay on the hillside, it’s a long walk up. They have golf carts that come around to pick you up, but it's not on a regular basis, and sometimes you really have to flag them down. If our butler was on duty, we could call them, and they would pick us up. However, some days they got off at 8, and some days at 10, so if we were leaving later than that, we either had to flag someone down or make the long walk back up the hill. Having to wait for the Hop reminded me of the end of a day at Disney World, with everyone in line to get on the bus back to the hotel, hoping there are enough seats. This is what the Hop felt like some days. One of the couples we were with was really upset that there isn't a pastry coffee shop. There’s nowhere to get some ice cream, sweets, and a cup of coffee. But at the returning guest dinner we attended, we learned they are building one, so everyone was excited. Other than that, anything that came up wasn’t going to ruin our vacation. If you have the mindset that you’re going to enjoy your vacation no matter what, you can always have a good time.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Despite a few minor inconveniences, our stay at Sandals Ochi was nothing short of spectacular. The resort's vast array of amenities, fantastic dining options, and exceptional service made our vacation unforgettable. The excursions added an extra layer of adventure and excitement, making each day unique and memorable. Sandals Ochi's size and variety ensure there's something for everyone, whether you want to relax by the pool, explore local attractions, or indulge in gourmet cuisine. We can't wait to return to this tropical paradise and create even more wonderful memories. If you're considering a trip to Jamaica, Sandals Ochi should definitely be at the top of your list!



Jennifer Letcher

Destination Wedding Travel Agent

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Hello, fellow adventurers!I'm thrilled to introduce myself as your dedicated travel agent, Jennifer Letcher, with an insatiable love for all things travel! Exploring new destinations and creating unforgettable experiences for my clients are my passions, and I cannot wait to share my expertise with you.A Journey of Specializations:Over the years, I've honed my skills and focused on specific areas o...  Read More >>>

An expert luxury advisor with five star luxury travel packages. With a luxury travel company, Vincent Vacations.



13 Reviews & Success stories

Perfect get away to celebrate my birthday.
Perfect get away to celebrate my birthday.

Jennifer Letcher set us up for the perfect get away to celebrate my birthday. All we did was say we wanted a beach resort, all inclusive and I wanted to get a stamp on my passport. She threw out some suggestions, we gave her some suggested dates, and away she worked. Put 3 destination packages together from leaving our local airport to our return home. Even hooking us up with a person to help get us through customs and get my passport stamped. She made it so easy! Thanks Jennifer!
-Paula Menefee

Just perfect
Just perfect

Our trip was perfect! Jenny did a wonderful job planning our trip from booking our flight, our private taxi to and from airport, and the resort was beautiful. Thank you Jenny! Look forward to working with you on our future adventures.
-Julie Swinford

It has been 10+ years since I traveled outside the US
It has been 10+ years since I traveled outside the US

So it has been 10+ years since I traveled outside the US. I had so many questions and concerns. Jennifer was right back with me getting my answers and calming my concerns. I must have changed my mind at least 5 times and she was so very patient. I am so glad we chose her for our travel agent. I would say it was a trip of a lifetime but I assure you we will be calling Jennifer many more times in my lifetime. Life is short. Call Jennifer. Plan and take the trip!
-Dena Reneau

13 Reviews

My Areas of Expertise

Learn more about this travel agents destinations, interests, and supplier partners.

Destinations

  • Costa Rica
  • Caribbean
  • Bahamas
  • Puerto Rico
  • Jamaica
  • See All >>

Interests

  • Adult Only
  • All Inclusive
  • Bachelorette Parties Girlfriend Getaways
  • Beach Vacations
  • Couples Romance
  • See All >>

Supplier Partners

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Sandals South Coast 2022
Sandals South Coast 2022

  Sandals “Sexy” South Coast   Should you enjoy a five or seven day vacation at South Coast? That is the question I recently asked myself. My husband and I, along with two other couples, just returned from the wonderful Sandals South Coast in Jamaica. I wish to share our recent enjoyable experience with you.   The weather: Overall the weather in Jamaica is near perfect the year around. Typically, the daily temperatures fall between 73 and 89 degrees F. While we were there in March of 2022, we had temperatures between 82 and 90 degrees F. We only received one day of Liquid Sunshine! Jamaica is known to experience quick pop up rain showers during the day that are short in duration. One occurrence we encountered on this trip were abnormally high winds during the last two days of our trip. We had never witnessed such uncommon winds during our previous vacations, so we opted to spend the days at our pool to escape the uncomfortable 30 - 40 mile per hour seaside gales.   What to do? Sandal resorts are all-inclusive. This includes all drinks, snacks, and food, in addition to all of the water sports offered at the Aqua Center*. In 2013 my husband and I spent our honeymoon at Sandals Royal Caribbean, but for some reason we never got to enjoy paddle boarding, and since 2013 my husband has never allowed me to forget it! So, this year he had this leisure activity at the top of our “to do” list. It was our first time and we had so much fun! I fell more times than I stood up, but the laughs we shared were worth our feeble attempts to learn. Again, this entertaining activity, and a guided snorkeling adventure we thoroughly enjoyed are part of the all-inclusive Sandals experience. My husband and I are already planning our next return getaway excursion to Sandals.   Other included water activities:   Scuba diving and all equipment (If Padi-Certified) (If not, for an extra fee you can get certified on property.)   Hobie Cats, Paddle boards, kayaks, water skiing, glass bottom boats, tubing, windsurfing   The best entertainment: At Sandals South Coast one gets to experience day and night entertainment shows. We attended the Caribbean Carnival Beach Party where one of the members of our traveling group was “volunteered” to come on stage to compete in a fun competition. We were delighted by fire blowers, tropical dancers and an amazing balancing act! For our second night we watched the Reggae Live Show. We began in the amphitheater where we heard and saw very talented singers and dancers. Then our party was escorted outside to enjoy a circus themed show.   Throughout the resort, there are monitor screens advising you of upcoming nightly activities, and around the numerous pools there are constant activities to keep you entertained.   Places to eat: The food is always outstanding at Sandals. South Coast has nine dining places to enjoy, ranging from very casual to resort evening attire. Our absolute favorite was Schooners! During the day we dined on Jamaican Beef Patties, a must try for all, and at night we were served surf and turf, paired with Prince Edwards Mussels, which were delicious. I highly recommend that upon arrival you make reservations for dinner at Schooners. Even though reservations are not required, due to its popularity all available tables will be taken, so it is better to have a reservation.   The beach: South Coast is a protected area, and you want to remember the rule to not remove anything from the ocean. With that being said they have a great stretch of a 2-mile beach that is separated in two different parts. One is close to the front of the resort, while the other is near the Over the Water Bungalows. In my opinion you want your seat to be on the second part of the beach.       Is the drive worth it: So, I started out by asking do you wish to enjoy five or seven days at South Coast? Well, it all comes down to the extended drive from the airport. The distance from Montego Bay to South Coast is 90 minutes of navigating small, rough roads, accompanied by exhilarating driving. So, if you are only staying five days, one full day is taken for transfers, thus your last (fifth) day is gone. Furthermore, since you must be at the airport three hours before your flight departs and it takes 90 minutes to get to the airport (without traffic), then that last fifth day is lost. If you arrive in the morning, you can still enjoy at least half a day. So, with a five-day trip you are only getting three full days to enjoy South Coast. So, in my opinion for a South Coast vacation, I recommend the seven day trip. But, please contact me and we can discuss the particulars, then allow you to decide the length of your amazing trip. If you are ready to book your next vacation to Sandals South Coast, the best time to plan is now; rooms are booking up fast. I am a Jamaican Travel Specialist and I would love to help you plan your next holiday excursion.

Jamaica 2020
Jamaica 2020

Traveling during Covid-19 can be tricking. Does your location need a negative Covid test? Does it require Covid vaccinations? What happens if I test positive while away? These are all questions I can help answer when booking with me. I was able to travel to Jamaica November 2020 during Covid. We had such an amazing time and were still able to enjoy it all. I would love to help you plan your next vacation.


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