Jamaica FAM Trip: Sandals Montego Bay

Ahhhh, Sandals MoBay. I have fond memories of this resort; I think we (as a group) really bonded during our two day stay at Sandals Montego Bay. But more on that later. This isn’t supposed to be about me anyway! 🙂

Sandals Montego Bay is situated near Sangster International Airport. Actually; “near” is not the appropriate word. The airport is quite literally across the street from this resort. The plus side is, you don’t have far to travel to get there. The negative? Airplanes. Those guests who are looking for a soothing retreat away from the noise and sounds of the city will not enjoy their time at Sandals Montego Bay. The airplanes fly over more regularly during the day, but honestly after the first day I barely noticed them. It soon became a reflex to lift my arm up and wave at the jets as they flew over, which is customary at this particular resort.

The airplanes are easy to ignore because the resort is full of activity. This is one Sandals that is geared toward couples who enjoy activity and nightlife. The place is lively; and we were there in the middle of the week, if that says anything. This resort is one of the three resorts included in the “Stay at One Play at Three” feature at the Montego Bay resorts (the other two being Sandals Carlyle and Sandals Royal Caribbean), giving guests the option of spending time at the other resorts during their stay in Jamaica. Who doesn’t love options?

Accommodations: This resort has 250 rooms and suites with 20 different room categories, including concierge and butler suites. My colleagues and I had a wide variety of room types during our two nights at Sandals Montego Bay. I was lodged in the Honeymoon Water’s Edge Walkout Concierge Room, which was not as large as the suite I had at Beaches Negril (that room as massive), but was still a very nice accommodation. The room included an in-room bar (stocked with three types of liquor) and a whirlpool tub. My favorite feature of this room was the location; it was conveniently located near the main area of the resort, providing easy access to the restaurants, concierge lounge, and nighttime entertainment. Furthermore, since this was a walkout room, there was a lanai out back with direct access to a waterfront walkway. Very nice!

One of my fellow agents was lucky enough to stay in one of the Presidential Suites at the resort. I had every intention of going by to get pictures of her room, but never got around to it. Our loss, for real. On our actual resort tour, we had the chance to see a Bay Roc Villa Presidential Beachfront One Bedroom Suite, where my colleague Jean Marie was staying. SUPER nice spacious room with an amazing view of the beach. The resort was relatively full at this point, but we also had the chance to see a Grande Luxe Beachfront Room, which was right above my actual room.

Dining/Bars: Sandals Montego Bay has 8 onsite restaurants to choose from; I had breakfast each day at the Bayside Restaurant and dinner both nights at the Cricketer’s Pint, an English style pub. The Bayside offered some great outdoor seating with a front row seat to the ocean, whereas the Cricketer’s was a casual, laid-back place for us to kick back after a long day of resort tours. The Cricketer’s also becomes a nightclub after 11:00. I also had a yummy Jerk Chicken & beef patty at the outdoor Mariner Seaside Grill. Of the remaining restaurants (Dino’s Pizzeria, Oleander, Stew Fish, Cucina Romana, and Tokyo Jo’s), three require reservations. In addition to those restaurants, you have access to the 11 other dining options at the other Montego Bay area resorts. So you really can’t go wrong with the food! The resort also has four on-site bars, including a swim-up bar.

Entertainment: We had the pleasure of experiencing two amazing nights of entertainment at Sandals Montego Bay, which I believe really helped made my experience much more fulfilling. This resort knows how to party! We were treated to Jamaican cultural shows both nights featuring dancers and a great deal of crowd participation. They even got me out there learning some traditional dance moves! (which reminds me, I need to search YouTube….). The nightclub at Cricketer’s went into full effect after the shows; the second night they had karaoke with dancing afterwards. During the day, Sandals’ “Playmakers” (or entertainment staff) hosted contests, dance lessons, tie-dye projects…there was a LOT going on throughout the day. The resort was large enough to get away from the activity if you wished, not to mention the option to visit one of the other two nearby resorts.

Pools/Beach: This resort had great pools and a very nice private beach. The swim-up bar was closed for cleaning our first night there, so we hung out in the nearby whirlpool instead. A few of us were very excited to try out water tubing (think water skiing, but sitting down), but unfortunately the pull boat was having some steering issues and couldn’t take us out to sea. (bummer). The full gamut of water activities: glass bottom boat, snorkeling, scuba, kayaking, windsurfing, paddleboarding, etc are all available at this resort at no extra cost. (exception: non-certified scuba divers pay a small fee for lessons).

Atmosphere: When I think of Sandals Montego Bay, I think of FUN. We had a great time and this was the point I really got to know and spend time with my fellow travel agents. The staff was extremely kind, friendly and approachable (shout out to George!). Although I didn’t have the biggest room of our group, I was in an awesome location and had access to everything I needed at my fingertips. If the sound of the airplanes won’t distract you and you’re looking for a fun resort near the heart of the action in the Jamaican resort areas, I highly recommend Sandals MoBay for you!