Sandals Montego Bay Jamaica Complete ripoff Montego Bay Jamaica Miami Florida

My wife and I attended a friend's wedding at Sandals Montego Bay Resort in June 2009. We were scheduled to stay three days. When you look at all their marketing materials and their website, they show a beautiful setting with great rooms and adverstise that they serve premium foods, premium alcohol and all in luxurious surroundings. I really do not see how they stay in business.

First off, the resort is located less than a mile from the runway of the Montego Bay Airport, so all day long, you are treated to a thunderous noise of jumbo jets taking off and landing. This starts about 7 in the morning and lasts until at least 8 at night. The only air conditioning anywhere on the property is in your actual guest room. The rest of the resort is all open including all of the restaurants. The breakfast buffet was covered with flies because all the fruit is left open and exposed. Who wants to eat anything after flies have been crawling all over it. As far as premium food and alcohol, the food is substandard and their idea of premium beer is draft red stripe. We were told we could purchase a heiniken in the gift shop. This property is sold as an all inclusive at about $600.00 per night, so why in the world would I want to pay extra for some decent beer.

None of the hotel staff ever told us anytime before we arrived that you had to make dinner reservations for their two restaurants three to four weeks in advance of arriving. So you are made to go to their dinner buffet, which again has flies all over it. My wife and I were so disgusted that we asked to leave a day early. We couldn't stand to stay the other night. Of course the staff tells you, well, you can leave, but we don't give refunds. This of course is why you have to pay for your entire visit before even checking in. I am fighting with them now about getting a refund but don't hold out much hope of that. I am telling you this place is a complete and utter ripoff and you should not go there. You will be severely disappointed. Your money will be much better spent at a different resort. Also, two of their three pools were closed the entire time we were there for repair. You can only imagine how crowded the one pool was with about 1,000 guests visiting the property.

The workers there are very friendly, but you can tell they see the same complaints over and over and there is nothing they can do about it. As far as the resort itself, keep in mind there is no air conditioning anywhere except your room. We went to dinner one night and it was about 90 degrees at the dining hall. Everyone was sweating up a storm and just miserable. Also, there are no elevators so if you have a room on a second or third floor of a building, be ready to hike up with your bags, with no assistance!!

Bill
North Beach, Maryland
U.S.A.