Why We Recommend It:
The 5 Star Sandals Ochi is a large and lively, adults-only all-inclusive in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
The setting is beautiful – a lush, hundred-acre estate overlooking the ocean – and it has a tremendous array of facilities including sixteen restaurants and eleven bars.
It also has two spa centers, dozens of pools and whirlpools, and, among its many sports facilities, one of Jamaica’s best golf courses and the largest climbing wall in the Caribbean.
Rooms & Suites:
They have 529 rooms, suites, and villas at Sandals Ochi in nineteen different categories. All are spacious, well equipped, and nicely decked out in old colonial style – four poster beds and regal-looking dark wood furniture pieces.
Facilities include 40-inch cable TVs, minibars, mini-fridges, coffee makers, microwaves, marble bathrooms with bathtubs, and Red Lane pampering products.
They all have some outside space too in the form of a patio or balcony, and their splendid villas come with a private pool.
Club Level and Butler Suite rooms have extra perks like in-room bars, access to the Club Sandals lounge, and a dedicated concierge.
Butler level are a step above that and come with, as you may guess, the services of a private butler.
Take a look at your room options now – with prices, reviews, and photos – at Sandals own website here, at Booking.com here, or at Expedia here.
Food, Facilities & Things to Do:
You have sixteen dining venues at Sandals Ochi and food can be ordered to your room at any time. The food choices are pretty much everything you can think of – Asian, Caribbean, French, Tuscan, seafood, tapas, pizza, steakhouse, and plenty more.
Some of the restaurants have a smart casual dress code i.e. no shorts or sandals.
There are eleven bars at Sandals Ochi, including swim-up bars, and, with the size of the resort and the relatively young clientele, they can get very lively.
All food and drink including premium liquors and wines are included in the all-inclusive package.
There are dozens of pools here and the main pool is enormous, has a swim-up bar, and is a very popular place to hang out.
You can order a cabana poolside, along with the services of a private butler, but for an extra charge.
The Red Lane Spa costs extra also and has a full range of health and beauty treatments. You can also arrange massages off-site, on the beach for example, if you wish.
There is a spacious, fully equipped gym here and daily fitness classes, private classes can also be arranged for extra.
All-inclusive water-sports here include scuba diving, kayaking, paddle-boarding, sailing, windsurfing and waterskiing. And on land: tennis, squash, beach volleyball, climbing, and golf at the Sandals Golf & Country Club.
The 18-hole, par 71 Sandals Golf and Country Club is considered one of Jamaica’s best courses and there’s a driving range and a putting course on-site too.
Guests have free unlimited golfing, though a caddy is required and costs extra. Golf lessons are available too for a fee.
Resort Location:
Sandals Ochi lies just east of Ocho Rios and next door to the smaller and more sedate Sandals Royal Plantation.
Downtown Ocho Rios and its busy tourist zone are less than five minutes away by car, and a few minutes beyond that are popular sights such as Dunn’s River Falls and Dolphin Cove.
Transfers, tours, excursions, and taxis, etc. can be organized by the resort. Sangster International Airport is about an hour and a half away and Sandals provides a free roundtrip shuttle.
Some Guest Reviews:
“Sandals Ochi was an incredible property! We made friends all over the resort and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The food was pretty decent at every venue that we ate at, especially the Manor and Southern Table. Lobster omelette was super special on our last day. Our room was average – we stayed in the Great House and the room and bathroom could use an update. Our headboard was loose and creaky and the sheets were scratchy, but the blue mountain coffee in the room made up for it. Really recommend Ochi as a great place to relax and enjoy the sun and friendliness of the Jamaican people….”
“Unreal service, hillside with a pool was lovely. Only a Hop Bus away from the beach (2 mins drive). Loads of food options. Staff really friendly especially our butlers! Defo recommend to others, it was paradise…..”