Earlier this month, I had a fantastic opportunity to explore Jamaica while staying at Sandals Ochi!
Sandals Resorts put on an amazing agent education event, and I am so thankful that I was invited.
I conquered a lot of firsts during my 4-night stay at Ochi:
-First time in Jamaica
-First time to ride a catamaran
-First time at a Sandals resort
-First time to snorkle
I will be completely honest with you here - I have always been skeptical of Sandals Resorts. The resorts price higher than other all-inclusives and I could never figure out why. (I obviously didn’t try very hard to find out)
I can honestly say now, though, that I am a Sandals fan! A BIG Sandals fan!
I also fully understand the price now - everything is included!
For example - with a few exceptions, tips are prohibited at Sandals resorts. This alone saves you hundreds of dollars!
Transfers to/from the airport are also included - again, saving you hundreds of dollars.
I could go on but truly the $$ savings is not what has made me a huge fan (although my logical brain loves a good justification for a higher price point). The biggest reason I am now a Sandals fan is the resort employees! They are the secret sauce y’all!
From the moment you walk into the Sandals lounge at the airport, you are completely taken care of!
Don’t get me wrong—I have met some WONDERFUL people at other resorts, but my experience at Sandals Ochi was unmatched. I’ve heard this is typical of all Sandals resorts, but it is especially true at the Jamaica resorts.
Okay, now let’s get into a quick recap of my trip:
Day 1:
We arrived in Jamaica around noon, and the airport was BUSY. Quite a line had formed to get through customs. Thankfully, my friend and I had filled out the correct pre-arrival form, so we were expedited through the line. (It still took around 30-45 minutes)
Once we were through customs, we got to get our luggage (anyone else breathe a little easier when they see their suitcase come down the luggage carousel?) and went through the rest of the airport. This part was easy and we were through quickly.
Sandals guests get to head to the Sandals lounge after they exit customs. The Lounge was stocked with snacks, drinks, and comfy places to sit while we waited on our transfer to the resort.
We waited for about 30 minutes then started our hour and a half drive to the resort. That sounds long, but it went by quickly (I may have taken a nap ). A lot of the time, we were driving along the coast, so the scenery was beautiful! Our bus driver was also great, giving us little bits of the history of Jamaica as we went through the different cities.
We checked into Sandals Ochi and were surprised with a one-bedroom villa for our room! This villa was amazing and had plenty of space for us. It also had a semi-private pool out back!
We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant that night and had the best time. Our chef was entertaining and really brought the energy!
Overall, Day 1 in Jamaica was extremely successful! It was long because it was a travel day, but it was great.
Day 2:
Day 2 started bright and early with a trip to the Sandals Ochi gym, The Red Lane Fitness Center. I won’t lie—I’ve seen nicer gyms. However, the gym here had very nice and new equipment. I can’t complain!
Then, we got ready and met up with the other travel advisors for our resort tours. This day was a whirlwind as we toured four resorts! (Like I had over $25,000 steps this day whirlwind) I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to tour the resorts though and really immerse myself in them so that I can better assist my clients.
We toured:
-Sandals Ochi (where we were staying)
-Sandals Royal Plantation
-Beaches Ocho Rios
-Sandals Dunn’s River
I will do another blog post about these resorts on another day, but hands down, my favorite was Sandals Dunn’s River. It’s new, gorgeous, and has a great vibe (and a great rum club!).
We got back around 7 p.m. after our resort tours. We had dinner and then checked out the beach party at the beach club. I had to call it a night, though and went back to our room. My feet were tired!
Day 3:
Day 3 started with a very informative training session on the Sandals and Beaches brand. They gave us in-depth information about their resorts. It was one of the best trainings I have ever been too. Very imformative and fun!
After the training, we were on our own for lunch. My friends and I headed to Tapas on the Riviera and had a wonderful lunch at the beachside!
After this, Sandals arranged for all the agents to do a beach Olympics! There were around 60 agents at this training so we were split into two groups and had a great time with some friendly competition! I am happy to say that my team won :D
We had another amazing dinner this night at Ochi’s Italian restaurant, Valentinos.
We had a BLAST after dinner. Sandals Ochi has the Caribbeans only speakeasy called the Rabbit Hole. Be sure to check the app because you don’t want to miss the famous performer, Big Momma. She was wonderful!
After The Rabbit Hole, we went to Ocean Beach Bar, where a DJ performs every night until 1 am. This night was a blast filled with great entertainment, dancing, and lots of laughs! It was truly one of those ‘good for the soul’ type nights for me.
Day 4:
Day 4 was another fun-filled day! We went on a Catamaran cruise in the Caribbean with the other agents. At times, our cruise was like a roller coaster ride. I was very nervous about getting seasick, but I stayed at the front of the boat the entire time and had a wonderful time! We stopped halfway through the cruise and got to get in the water and snorkel. This was my first time snorkeling; it was a lot of fun!
Tip: Always stay near the guide because they will highlight fun things to see/touch!
After the cruise, we spent the afternoon at the Great House pool. This huge pool has a swim-up bar and offers lots of fun and entertainment.
We ended our last night at Sandals Ochi with a Flamingo party with all of the other agents. Sandals set up a beautiful dinner for us overlooking the Caribbean. It was delicious and a great ending to a beautiful trip!
Day 5:
The next day I had to sadly go back to the airport. Once again, Sandals set up transportation for me. I was on a shuttle with other guests and had a great experience again. Our bus driver was super friendly and gave us great information/tips about Jamaica! We stopped halfway through our ride for a potty break, which was very nice.
Overall, my time in Jamaica was wonderful, beautiful, and fun! I was with two other agents from my agency and had the best time with them. This is a trip that I won’t soon forget.
I loved it so much that I actually booked a 2026 Sandals Ochi vacation with three of Bo and I’s couple friends! (Sandals Ochi has a building with four one-bedroom villas, where you’re guaranteed to all be near each other with a private pool and a butler!)
I can’t wait to go back to the beautiful island of Jamaica and hope that it’s sooner than 2026!
Sandals Dunn’s River is next on my list!
Don’t forget - I can help you book any Sandals destination that you want! Send me a message today and we can talk about which Sandals resort would be perfect for you!
One Love,
-Kayla
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