We just returned from a fantastic vacation at the Sunset Grande resort in Ochos Rios, Jamaica. We have taken other all inclusive vacations over the past several years (Dominican Republic – Punta Cana & La Romana; Cuba – Varadero) and are pleased to add Jamaica to our list!! This was definitely one of the best vacations we’ve ever taken & would go back in a heartbeat!! We visit Debbie’s site whenever we are looking at possible destinations and felt it was important to add this resort review!

Overview
We booked our vacation short notice with Sell Off (Air Canada Vacations was the provider). The flights both ways were uneventful and the staff was friendly and helpful. As we flew into Montego Bay, there was a bit of drive to get to Ochos Rios. Along the way, improvements are being made to the road - twinning the highway between Montego Bay & Ochos Rios so there was additional travel time due to construction. The drive from the airport to the resort ended up taking about 2 ½ hours, but when the road is finished, the trip will probably only take an hour. We stopped about halfway at a place called YOW’s where you could use the restrooms, shop and get something to eat/drink. Be sure and inquire about prices as the refreshments were quite expensive. The drive went fairly quickly as the bus drivers (Jamaica Tours Limited provided the charters) were excellent and narrated along the way. They pointed out areas along the way, talked about the history of the area and even taught us some phrases in their local English language. The weather was awesome the entire week – over 30 degrees celsius each day and most days were full of sun with clouds just passing over. You definitely need your sunscreen in Jamaica!! Amazingly, with that heat, there were very few bugs!

Resort Overview
The Resort itself was in very good condition and kept very clean. There are 2 towers that hold 730 rooms and there are several bars and restaurants that are spread out between the north & south ends of the resort property. There is security at the front of the property that monitors activity in and out of the resort but we felt completely safe when we walked a few blocks to do some shopping. The staff was very friendly and willing to assist however may be necessary. As they say in Jamaica – “No problem Mon” – and they really mean it. There are no problems – only situations that they do their best to resolve. Unlike other resorts that we have frequented, this resort is non-tipping and the staff does not expect tips in order to provide good service. We did tip when we received exceptional service, but we did not feel that it was expected of us. Our room was a standard room with a small balcony, with an ocean view. The resort has 2 hot tubs and several different pools (and swim up bars) that were connected by a lazy river concept. The staff maintained the pools daily with cleaning and chemical maintenance. The one thing that we discovered quickly is that beach space is limited and shaded space is at a premium. Cabanas and umbrellas need to be reserved early in the day (by 7:30am most if not all were gone) if you wish to spend the entire day on the beach. There are two gift shops, one specific to items that have the resort’s logo on them and the other that had a variety of clothing, food and drinks and other souvenirs. We felt the second gift shop was very reasonably priced. We checked out their website before we went & the resort was all that the web page said it was and MORE! www.sunsetjamaicagrande.com

Food
We found the food to be very good. The buffet had a good selection of fresh fruits, meats and cheeses and rotated their selections of local cuisine including Jerk Chicken and a variety of fish. There are several a la cartes, but we only tried out La Diva, the Italian restaurant – which was excellent!! In addition, one of two grills are open all day and late into the night where you can get your burger and French fry fix at any time. The jerk chicken and pork was awesome!!

Entertainment & Tours
The resort held nightly entertainment in their main entertainment centre, local singers, staff & guest talent show, children’s fashion show and a magician. The shows were ok, providing variety and something different each night. One night they even had Crab Racing with para mutual betting - like horse racing! It brought out quite a crowd! We did not manage to visit the disco on-site – Jamaican Me Crazy but it was open from 10pm to 2am each night! There is a casino on site as well for those who like to gamble!

Off resort, we went of the Dunn’s River Safari tour which was fun and entertaining as we went up the mountains to see and hear about some local history of the area. The Dunn’s River Falls was one of the best tours we’ve ever taken – lots of fun climbing as a group UP the falls that are cascading down. A guided tour helps you up the safe path, but be sure & where good shoes with straps or aquasocks!

On Monday night, we headed into Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville which is in the Island Village Shopping Plaza. On Mondays, they provide free transportation from the resort & there is no cover charge for our resort. The sign in the resort also says “free shots” but that was incorrect. The drinks were not free and we paid $13.75 for 2 drinks – a little much for a margarita & a beer we thought! It was a cool party experience though & we’re glad we went. We did not go back to that shopping plaza although we heard others who did and said there were some decent deals there if you’re willing to negotiate with the shop owners. We did some shopping at the other tax/duty free plaza down the street from the resort, called Taj Mahal and we found some cheap blue mountain liquors and some reasonably priced souvenirs. The shop owners barter for a living and can be quite aggressive so be prepared for that before you go. We also went to the Hard Rock Café which was along the way.

We usually do a fair amount of golfing when away on vacation, but this time only went one time because of the location of the courses. We chose to coordinate the transportation & greens fees with our Air Canada rep although you could probably just book directly with the course & organize a cab independently. We played at the Sandals Golf Course which was about 25 minutes away and it was about $120 USD for each of us to play, excluding the cost of the mandatory caddy. We chose to walk and our caddy, Winston carried both of our bags! It had to be over 30 degrees, with high humidity and he never complained once!!