Just returned from Dunns River yesterday 1/28/04. The roads are a mess and it takes 1:45 min to get there. We were upgraded to a suite room because I had written them about my concerns. Our room was adequate but not 5 star. About like a Holiday Inn room. The entire resort is clean but in need of repair. The weather was terrific and the activity personall were great. The main disappointment that we had was the food. It was less than tasteful We went to the ARizonia at the other resort and the food was very good. The beef is not like our beef, very gamey tasting and the desserts look great and taste terrible. You will enjoy your stay as long as you remember where you are and that what is good in Jamacia isn't necessarily what you may be expecting.

The rooms are not anything spectacular but they are decent and clean, and your not at a place you want to spend all your time in the room anyway. I have been there 3 times and have not smelled the musty smell some people have mentioned. As far as room upgrades, if you are a Signature Guest you get an automatic upgrade but I have read that other have sent e-mails or letters before they go requesting an upgrade to make sure it happens. It doesn't cost for an upgrade.

As far as the ride to Ocho Rios, it is a bumpy ride but it is not that bad. Just enjoy seeing some of the countryside. They are working on a new highway but that is not supposed to be completed for a few years.

We don't find the food that bad at all. No, the beef is not like ours, but pizza is not like ours in Italy. Jamaica is not the USA so don't expect everything to be like the USA. I thought there were some great deserts!

The best advice I can give is go with an open mind and just have fun because you are on vacation. Overall it is a fun, active, great resort. It may need a few upgrades but eventually everything does. Just hang out at the best swim up pool bar at Sandals, have a Red Stripe and everything will be Irie!

Janet, you've got to be kidding me. Bad reviews like yours really made me worry about my upcoming SDR vacation. We got back on 1/12/04 and we had a blast. I really don't understand what people like you don't like about it? Please explain. You say parts of it needed renovation.. ..what parts were those? The place is great. It's the best pool in Jamaica, the coolest swim-up bar at any Sandals, the drive is what it is.. ..stay in MoBay next time. It's amazing how people find any little thing to complain about. Great place. Food is excellent. We are from Texas, the steak state, and I swear the Blue Mountain Coffee marinated steak that my wife got at Windies was probably the best marinated steak we've ever had. No, Janet, not one like you can get in USA cuz it's BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEE, but then, we didn't go to Jamaica to have American food either. And I agree with guest, everybody that gives bad reviews to Sandals always lets the room condition ruin the whole trip for them. What exactly is the problem with the rooms? The maid staff is excellent.. .. ..EXCELLENT, I say.. .. ..the TV has cable, you've got furniture that's pretty nice, you've got at least either a balcony or a patio (something that is not at a Holiday Inn). . What is the problem here? Besides, if you're payin $3K to get to Jamaica and then hangin out watchin cable in the room you've got problems far worse than anything Sandals can fix for you.

Also, my review of the resort is about to be posted on another thread.

Well I am not deterred at all!
We are heading to SDR in May/June and while I've read a whole lot of negative reports, I have also read many positive ones. I feel that I am more in tune with the positive ones and expect to have a great time!

I would just like to say thanks so much to "drperfect" and "llund" for all their information on SDR. My husband and I are going with another couple the end of this month and are SOOOOOO excited. We stayed at Sandals Montego Bay 9 years ago for our honeymoon and loved it. I can tend to be a little picky sometimes, but you have to remember even though you are paying a decent amount of money for a Sandals trip to Jamaica, you're still in Jamaica so you need to take the good with the bad. It's not like your staying a $1000 a night suite, so of course no where is going to be 100% perfect. We're fun loving and relaxed people, going with some of our best friends, so we know we're going to have fun (and if my room smells a little musty, so be it.. .. . I'll have too much rum in my system to even care!). . From what I've seen about SDR and people I've spoken to who've been there, it sounds great. I have one question though.. .. . when we stayed in Montego Bay, there was something called a "booze cruise" (basically a boatride along the shoreline serving drinks). .. .. . do you know if SDR offers that? Thanks again for all your input. Every day I try to read something more about SDR and Ocho Rios in order to prepare myself to get the most out of our trip!

Hey guest and Alisha.. ..I am so envious of you. I swear, it is unexplainabe. I really wish I was about to go back. The booze cruise you speak of is still offered at SDR, I think, but we didn't do it. I think maybe Llund did, though. There is a monday night cruise over to margaritaville that you can take for free, but we weren't there on a monday night so we didn't get to do it. Hey and please please feel free to ask any questions you like. I never get tired of talking about the greatest vacation of my life. My wife and I just wached Pirates of the Caribbean last night (again) and I was sitting there saying, "let's go back, let's go back, let's go back." You'll have a great time!

I've been reading your posts for a month now and finally have to join in. I too am grateful to llund and drperfect for all the valuable information. My boyfriend and I leave tomorrow night for SDR. He's a returning guest (previous life) and it's my first time. I'm so excited I can't stand it! You all have helped! I booked two tours with Oscar thru Belinda at a-zjamaicaplanners, thanks to your posts. I also keep looking at the weather reports, not that I care what the weather will be like, I know I'll have a good time no matter what. Thanks again.

Tomorrow night? Excellent. That means you'll be getting in at night or early morning? If early morning, excellent, you got a whole day to spend there! Make SURE to take the orientation. And then, you MUST tell Dwayne the Playmaker that Rief and April said HI. Dwayne. None of the bartenders or any other Playmakers would remember us, but Dwayne would.

Plane leaves LAX at 1:30am, have a change in Atlanta so won't actually arrive to SDR until noon or so - with the time change. Long night. I'll be sure to tell Dwayne you said hello and I'll be spending time getting the bartenders to remember my name.. .. .

hi drperffect- We're leaving for SDR from Chicago on April 29 at 6:15am. WOO HOO (we are seriously counting the days!!). . We'll be sure to tell Dwayne you said hello also. I'm prepared for the bus ride from the airport to SDR. I'm actually looking at it as a "free tour" and a new experiece. I've traveled to some pretty interesting "third world" countries, including Haiti and Honduras, so to me Jamaica is not that intimidating. I'm a little worried about my friends who have never been outside of the US, but I think they'll be OK. One question (maybe two) about the 2 hour long bus ride.. .. . can we take "beverages" on the bus? Do they sell RedStripe to go at the airport? What kind of bus is it? One of those white VW buses you see everywhere in Jamaica? Or is it one of those bigger ones? I know when we stayed in MoBay we had a pretty plush bus that took us from the airport to the MoBay Sandals (but it was only like a 15 minute ride). . Then we did a tour from MoBay to Ocho Rio's and we were on one of those little VW buses. I guess it doesn't really matter to me.. . just wondering what to expect. Thanks again for all your help..and I'm sure I might have a few more questions for you

Kari.. .. .
The bus is probably about a 14 passenger bus. They will make a stop half-way through so you can get a drink or buy a red stripe. I don't know about bringing drinks on the bus. We had an over-night flight from Los Angeles so it was 6 A.M. when we arrived. We were very tired. I also knew what to expect with the drive since I was in Jamaica on a cruise ship which came into Montego Bay and we went to the Falls in Ocho Rios. You have a great attitude. I also looked at is as getting a free tour of the island. The driver was great at pointing out the sites along the way. Really.. ..two hours driving and seeing the sites is better than spending another 2 hours on a plane flying somewhere else! At least you are all ready there!! We just went to SRB and it was a 5 hour flight from LA to Miami.. ..an hour wait in Miami.. ..and an hour flight to Nassau. It took as long to get to SDR with our 5 hour flight and 2 hour bus ride!

Kari - my 2cents worth (about all it's worth!!)

llund is right, 14 passengers, give or take. It is more like the style of airport rental car shuttles. Air conditioned. Two seats on one side and 1 seat on the other - with a "jump seat" that can fold down into the aisle when it is really crowded. All the luggage gets stacked through a back -window (don't forget the airport porter will be looking for a tip). . Going that direction - sit on the left to have a better view of the water, right if you want the island side. Drinks are fine on the bus, you'll have hackers selling as soon as you leave the airport door. The times we've stopped along the way, it has been long enough that everyone drank 1 & purchased another for the rest of the ride. I think bus drivers get a cut for bring in the business. We had an awesome drive back from Negril 2 yrs ago who talked the whole way, pointing out sight, etc. Even sang "Jamaica Farewell". . For the most part the drivers are quiet, but will chat if you ask questions.

We've been on buses too, that everyone didn't want to stop & we got to the resort sooner!

hey kari
sorry, i've been out of town so please don't think i was ignoring you! what the others have said was true, though. llund gives awesome advice so don't forget to ask her for stuff too. the buses are usually the 14-seaters. that's what we had from the airport to the resort. but going back to the airport the next week we had a huge charter bus. we thought we'd have a bunch of stops but we didn't. guess it's just hit or miss. they didn't mind if you brought food on the bus as everyone did both ways in our crowd. what Tom and Karen said is right -- some people reported not stopping and getting to the resort quicker. try that, i wish our bus had gone along with that but we couldn't convince them. i'd much rather skip the stop and get to the resort!

Oh yeah, and also, about the bus ride.. .. .. .
I am pretty much the absolute travel lover. I'm not going to go to a place and sleep through a free tour of the island, as you say (and kudos on that attitude -- agree with you!) But in all honesty, you could sleep through that bus ride unless you just REEEALLY care about seeing the villages. Montego Bay is cool and the road stays right against the coastline for about maybe a half hour or less. Once it veers off the coastline, go to sleep. You won't see anything else interesting, I promise, till you get to the resort. Of course, if I had it all to do again, I'd still stay awake for the afforementioned reason.. ..I just can't handle being somewhere new and not appreciating it. But if you are tired, I promise, there's nothing but little villages and such after you leave MoBay. So that's my advice. Take it or leave it.

No offense to drperfect but the *bad* reviews like Janets come from people who have been to lots of the expensive resorts and know that most of them are much better for the money.When you try some of the others you will overstand. also I can think of at least 10 points of interest between mobay and ochi and lots of great places for ocean viewing.when you get to know Jamaica better you might notice them more.

Ok, so i'm a pretty sensible guy, so i'll take this with a grain of salt, but let's look at some things from your comments.

1) I guess I won't make too much of the "overstand" part because either it's colloquial where you're from or you're really just that dumb to have written that. Either way it won't matter.

2) As far as saying that the "expensive" resorts are better, that's like saying that Ruth Chris Steakhouse is better than McDonald's. It need not be said. They're more expensive for a reason. If you got the dough, go there instead. But just because a resort that charges you an arm and a leg lives up to that standard, doesn't mean that Sandals doesn't live up to the standard that they have set. Apples and oranges, my friend. If you want to compare Sandals to Couples, THAT would be appropriate, but don't compare it to Goldeneye or something.

3) And lastly, the comment that makes you sound the least educated (well, I don't know, you did say "overstand"), I DO know and recognize the ten points of interest between MoBay and Ochi. And I appreciate them, as I said in my post. Maybe you should look over it. My only point was, after it leaves MoBay, the road that they take to Sandals (maybe not the only one, but the one that you're going to ride on if you go from the airport to the resort) will not ride along the coast after about a half hour. It will be all villages. Capiche? What else ya got?

And please anyone reading this post here, please go down and read my rebuttal to Janet that Guest here speaks of.. ..I think I will explain myself much better there.

I meant no offense to you, there is really no reason to get in a huff. Just so you know and don't end up putting your foot in your mouth again- Overstand is the word most Rastafarians use to completely know something.it is much more correct in its meaning than the word understand and I used it quite intentionally.I did not say the expensive resorts are better, and I AM comparing Sandals to Couples, Breezes, Grand Lidos and others which are all equal or less in price.you on the other hand have nothing to compare it to. The road from mobay to ochi goes through Falmouth,Trelawny,Rio Braco,Discovery Bay,RunawayBay,Salem and others and is directly coastal most of the way, since you seem to know all the points of interest in the parishes and towns along the way why dont you tell us about them.In regards to your comments about my level of education perhaps you should look at the similarities between your haste to make observations and judgements about my level of intelligence and education, and your quickness to feel insulted when someone corrects you.

haha, i love it. hey man, tell me what this means that you wrote?

"reviews like Janets come from people who have been to lots of the expensive resorts"

if you were talking about "comparable", hmm, then i would have understood.

and you must be on a different road than the resorts take, cuz it ain't along the coast the whole way. not even half the way.

my apologies for overstand.

No problem. I still recall how exuberant I was after my first visit on Jamaica years ago. Your obvious passion for her is quite familiar to me. Just perhaps remember that there are many folks who have "walked in your shoes" before you. In regards to this "reviews like Janets come from people who have been to lots of the expensive resorts"
Excluding the ultra elite properties in Jamaica like Round Hill or Goldeneye,SandalsDunns River IS one of the most expensive resorts in Jamaica.I think you mistook my meaning.Try one of the other resorts I mentioned above and you will see much clearer the reasons that I presume were the basis of Janets evaluations.
Some of the places of interest for tourists along the only direct road from mobay to ochi include- 3 professional quality oceanside golf courses [Half Moon,WhiteWitch and Three Palms. Rose Hall Manor [an historic mansion with some rather violent history]Market Square in Falmouth.Discovery Bay where Christopher Columbus first landed when he *reportedly* discovered Jamaica.The bridge over where the Rio Bueno meets the ocean is a great spot for photos.The rusted ships in the harbour at the Bauxite factory are also popular for photographs.There is the crocodile park where they filmed much of James Bond-Live and Let Die.There are also several oceanside restaurants along the way.There are many resorts along the way to see as well [The Ritz,Wyndham Rose Hall,Holiday Inn,Sandcastles,Starfish Trelawny,FDR Peebles,Grand Lido Braco,Breezes,Hedonism3,Royal Decameron,Club Ambiance and more]which are all oceanfront.GreenGrotto Caves.Shaw Park Botanical Gardens.
You are right that the road is not along the coast the whole way, but again it is coastal most of the way.By the way you will probably discover over time that the absolute best experiences and moments to be spent in Jamaica will actually be in those little villages you speak of.

Apology accepted.Respect and peace.

I think the problem is that some people don't do enough research on the resorts before they go. They see the price and the stars, and expect what that price and stars would get you here, or what those stars would be in the 'traditional' rating system. I have not yet been (leaving in.. ..32? days!!) but I have no expectations of an American 5 star room. I know that the number of stars are given for different reasons.

I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica Inn for free (although not on all-inclusive plan) as it is on my timeshare program, but we want to go to SDR instead. Places like the Ritz or Royal Plantation just aren't our style, at least not for this vacation. That might be something I could handle for one or two nights but we really like to have fun on our vacations.

Another thing I was thinking about recently.. ..maybe where you are from influences what you think of the rooms? I live in Washington State, where it is very damp and we joke that mold and moss are our state 'flowers'. . I've also lived places in the south that were very damp and mildewy. I wonder if those of us from places like that don't notice the damp there as much, and maybe it is people from very dry places that complain about mildew? LOL just a strange theory. I should add that they've been painting all day in our UNventilated office!

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and we don't have much mold and mildew where I live. One must be prepared for different temperatures and climates when travelling. If I want the weather to be exactly as it is in So. California.. ..why travel? Anyway, I didn't find the mildew to be a problem at SDR.

Hello All, We just got back from Sandals Dunns River (Monday). . It was our 2nd time to a Sandals resort and once again I was 100% pleased with our stay. My husband and I went with another couple and had a blast. I loved everything about it. I've only been home for 2 days and am ready to go back! It was our first stay at SDR and I think it was beautiful. We've also visited 2 of the Sandals in Mobay and the SOR and by far SDR was the nicest (in our opinion). .

We flew Air Jamaica, which was great (even better when we left b/c you can actually "check in" to Air Jam. at SDR, they give you your boarding pass and everything right there!) I travel alot (for work and pleasure) and it was the smoothest travel ever!

The bus ride to the resort was fine. I'm a traveler in the true sense (and had been on the ride before), but I enjoyed it. Consider it a free tour of the countryside. We sat back with some drinks and enjoyed the scenery, whether it be the coast or the small towns along the way or whatever. It was nice. Our bus driver (Dalton) was AWESOME. He was filled with knowledge about the island. When he wasn't voluntarily pointing out places of interest and facts, he happily answered all of our questions.

The resort is all the good things I have heard and none of the bad. Our room was great.. .. . a very faint "smell" (if you can even call it that), but it's the tropics. Same smell you might notice in Haiti, Honduras, Cayman, Dominican Rep, Bahamas, etc. It's the environment, it's tropical, it's the reason you're on vacation The people at SDR were fabulous. Everyone is sooooo friendly. Whether it be the waiter, the person picking up garbage on the beach, the Playmakers, you name it, they are great. Wait until you see the pool.. .. . Oh my word. Where has that pool been all my life? The food was good, drinks were great. Service was great. You can either sit and relax and do nothing at all or join in all the Playmaker activities. We spent some time in the spa and it was nice as well.

Thanks to llund and drperfect for all their information also. After reading a few of the not so nice reviews from other people, I was a little nervous but the resort was all that I had anticipated right down to the cool towels and the champagne that was waiting for us when we walked in, next came the room upgrades! Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm sure people will have different experiences. My husband, myself and our friends went there with an open mind ready to have fun and stay at a beautiful resort and we did! It was great. I would highly recommend Sandals to anyone interested and SDR was awesome. drperfect, you were right about the Playmakers, they were wonderful people.. .. . Kerry, Dwayne, St Nick, etc.. .. .. . really great people. And Orlando and E.Wray (bartenders) at the beach side bar.. ..definitely go spend some time with them. They're the best! And when you have breakfast or lunch at the Terrace you'll want Chris as your waiter.. .. . he was alot of fun too. Alisha, go and enjoy yourself and don't forget to fill us in when you get back!

excellent, glad you had a good time. unfortunately it looks like it will be a while before we get back, but it WILL happen.

I am so glad you had a good time! We loved it too. Now you need to try Sandals Royal Bahamian! That was also great! I would like to go to St. Lucia but it may be awhile since we booked a Panama Canal Cruise the end of this year. I love to travel!

guest- Kari wrote:Hello All, We just got back from Sandals Dunns River (Monday). . It was our 2nd time to a Sandals resort and once again I was 100% pleased with our stay. My husband and I went with another couple and had a blast. I loved everything about it. I've only been home for 2 days and am ready to go back! It was our first stay at SDR and I think it was beautiful. We've also visited 2 of the Sandals in Mobay and the SOR and by far SDR was the nicest (in our opinion). .

We flew Air Jamaica, which was great (even better when we left b/c you can actually "check in" to Air Jam. at SDR, they give you your boarding pass and everything right there!) I travel alot (for work and pleasure) and it was the smoothest travel ever!

The bus ride to the resort was fine. I'm a traveler in the true sense (and had been on the ride before), but I enjoyed it. Consider it a free tour of the countryside. We sat back with some drinks and enjoyed the scenery, whether it be the coast or the small towns along the way or whatever. It was nice. Our bus driver (Dalton) was AWESOME. He was filled with knowledge about the island. When he wasn't voluntarily pointing out places of interest and facts, he happily answered all of our questions.

The resort is all the good things I have heard and none of the bad. Our room was great.. .. . a very faint "smell" (if you can even call it that), but it's the tropics. Same smell you might notice in Haiti, Honduras, Cayman, Dominican Rep, Bahamas, etc. It's the environment, it's tropical, it's the reason you're on vacation The people at SDR were fabulous. Everyone is sooooo friendly. Whether it be the waiter, the person picking up garbage on the beach, the Playmakers, you name it, they are great. Wait until you see the pool.. .. . Oh my word. Where has that pool been all my life? The food was good, drinks were great. Service was great. You can either sit and relax and do nothing at all or join in all the Playmaker activities. We spent some time in the spa and it was nice as well.

Thanks to llund and drperfect for all their information also. After reading a few of the not so nice reviews from other people, I was a little nervous but the resort was all that I had anticipated right down to the cool towels and the champagne that was waiting for us when we walked in, next came the room upgrades! Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm sure people will have different experiences. My husband, myself and our friends went there with an open mind ready to have fun and stay at a beautiful resort and we did! It was great. I would highly recommend Sandals to anyone interested and SDR was awesome. drperfect, you were right about the Playmakers, they were wonderful people.. .. . Kerry, Dwayne, St Nick, etc.. .. .. . really great people. And Orlando and E.Wray (bartenders) at the beach side bar.. ..definitely go spend some time with them. They're the best! And when you have breakfast or lunch at the Terrace you'll want Chris as your waiter.. .. . he was alot of fun too. Alisha, go and enjoy yourself and don't forget to fill us in when you get back!

HI THERE! Thanks for the information! I'm more concerned about the weather.. .. . I hear it rains allot there, how was the weather for you?