Anyone Staying for a 2nd week to Honeymoon? Know anything about the Sandals?

[jmhein]

Hi everyone,

 

I am having a heck of a time deciding what to do for our second week in Jamaica! We are spending our first week getting married at the Riu Ocho Rios with our 40 guests, and that week has been consuming my planning and thoughts! But we do want to stay for a second week for a honeymoon just the two of us! Since we're from Canada and won't get to return to Jamaica for quite a while until our bank accounts recover, I was thinking of going to a resort on a different area of the island to see more of it. I am leaning toward a romantic vacation at one of the Sandals in Montego Bay or in Negril! I would really love the Negril one but it is quite pricier than Sandals Montego Bay or Sandals Royal Caribbean, both in Montego Bay. Plus we would be responsible for our own transfers because our first week would be with the Riu.... so we are thinking of staying at one in Mo Bay and taking a Sandals bus to check out the one in Negril for a day... Anyway, those are my rambling thoughts... just wondering if anyone has ever stayed or knows anything about Sandals Royal Caribbean, Sandals Montego Bay, or Sandals Negril? I thought a Sandals resort would be a very romantic location for just the two of us... however, the Riu Ocho Rios also looks so nice, i wonder if I will regret not staying there for a second week? Any thoughts, advice?

[Sharonie]

Hi there! We are having our wedding at Couples Ocho Rios. Following the wedding, we'll be going to Couples Swept Away in Negril the second week for honeymoon. You can check out the reviews on Sandals on Tripadvisor.com. We had read comparable reviews on Sandals and Couples, and both are rated the top 10 most romantic resorts in Negril. Couples resorts, however, do cost slightless less than Sandals. Another positive thing about Couples resort is that all the excursions are included on their prices as well.

[RiuBride2b]

We were stuck between deciding on a cruise throughout the Caribbean but if we don't do that I was considering Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica this resort is beautiful. Check it out!! I have been to Sandals Negril and it is a really nice resort but the pictures from Sandals Whitehouse just blow me away.

[Spazz]

I was just talking to my TA about this exact issue. We figure that we'll be at the RIU for 7 or 8 days with a lot of guests, so when they leave, we'll probably want a change of scenery (new food, new sights, etc.). We were thinking Negril, but she pointed out that it's farther away than Montego Bay; so, I think we're going to either stay in Ocho Rios or travel to Montego Bay. She told us about the Jamaica Inn, which is a small and intimate (47 rooms) romantic place. I'm leaning towards that, but also considering Sandals, Rose Hall and a few others. Let me know what you end up deciding...

[BrittneyD]

We are getting married at Riu Ocho Rios and then honeymooning at Couples Swept Away in Negril. There is more included in their AI plan that Riu, so FI and I thought it would be nice to go from a nice resort to an even nicer one. I hear Negril is beautiful, so we are looking forward to seeing that part of the island too.

[IrieBride08]

Hi! I'm getting married at the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios and plan to stay 11 days. For our honeymoon, currently we're planning to stay at Sandals and just hop and visit the other resorts in Montego Bay and Negril as part of their "Stay and Play" program.

 

I have tons of info on Sandals and am happy to share any information that may be useful to you.

[Jenn]

Can't help you with the big AI's, but we're getting married outside of Negril and then moving to Sunset at the Palms (AI in Negril) and then jumping to the Caves (which is expensive, but we're really psyched to spend a few days there). We had a really hard time deciding, and looked at the Rockhouse, Tensing Pen, and all of the Island Outpost resorts Island Outpost - Exclusive Boutique Hotels in Jamaica & The Bahamas . We fell in love with the Island Outpost places, and our friends stayed at Jakes and absolutely loved it. They're all a little more secluded though... Good luck and let us know what you're thinking about!

 

Also - we got a really good deal from our TA for Sunset at the Palms and even a discount for the Caves!

[chicago88]

Well I'm really no help cuz we are staying at the ROR for our entire stay. We figure all of our guests are leaving a couple days after our wedding so then we'll do most of our excursions & tours of the island. We are staying 8 nights total & we didn't think this was enough time to uproot everything & switch hotels. Good Luck deciding though - these idea's sound great!

[jmhein]

Thanks everyone for all of your help and suggestions! I think we are leaning toward staying at the Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, and then hoping to check out the Sandals in Negril to see that part of Jamaica since you can "Stay at 1, play at 7"! I would LOVE to stay at the Sandals Negril or Sandals Whitehouse but the prices we are being quoted for them will just really break the bank. The Royal Caribbean is affordable, and the reviews for it sound like it is newer and nicer than Sandals Montego Bay. Sooooo... at least we can stay at a decent Sandals and hopefully see Negril as well! However, I am going to look at some of the other resorts you ladies suggested too to see if they could possibly be worked into the budget! Thanks, I will keep you posted!

[atjorgensen]

we are getting married at sandals dunns river. we did a lot of research on the different sandals resorts and it was the best for us. the grande ocho rios is a very big resort (too big for us) and the whitehouse isnt an all inclusive and ends up being too expensive for us. the other sandals resorts were either too small or too old of resorts for us but maybe perfect for a honeymoon. everyone i talk to that has stayed at a sandals has nothing bad to say. good luck with your decision.