Our Real and Honest Sandals Montego Bay Review
We recently visited Sandals Montego Bay in Jamaica, which is the original Sandals resort. It has been completely renovated and really makes the most of its beautiful beachfront location.
In this honest Sandals Montego Bay, we’ll tell you all about it so you can decide if it’s right for you.
What to Know About Sandals Montego Bay
Sandals Montego Bay is very close to the airport. While this is great because it means you can get your vacation started right away, it also means that you can hear noise from the planes. While it can be loud and does bother some guests, it’s only really from 11 am to 4 pm. We found we didn’t notice it after we got used to it.
You get two resorts in one when you stay here, since you also get access to all the amenities at Sandals Royal Caribbean. There’s a complimentary shuttle that takes you back and forth. This means you get an additional 9 restaurants, 5 bars, and 8 pools, as well as access to the cool private island at SRC.
Sandals Montego Bay is a very popular resort, but since it’s spread out over 15 acres it never feels crowded.
Getting to and Checking in at Sandals Montego Bay
Like we mentioned above, Sandals Montego Bay is very close to the airport. The complimentary Sandals transfer will take just about 5-10 minutes. However, the Montego Bay airport can be very busy at peak times. If you’re arriving then, you might want to consider getting Club Mobay, which expedites your arrival and departure.
After you land at the airport and get through customs, you’ll head to the dedicated Sandals lounge, where you’ll be greeted and shown to your transportation. After a quick trip, you’ll arrive at the resort for check-in.
We had a club level room, so we were greeted with a cold towel and taken to the Club Lounge to check in. If you’re in a butler suite, your butler will greet you with a towel and a drink and take you straight to your room for private check-in.
Rooms at Sandals Montego Bay
Of the many rooms and suites at Sandals Montego Bay, our favorites are the new Beachfront Butler Swim-up Suites. These overlook the ocean and have a retractable glass wall that leads right out onto a private patio. You can step right into the lagoon-style pool from there, where you can relax on a lounger. The patio also has an oversized soaking tub for two. You’re also just steps from the beach. These suites come with 24-hour inroom dining and personal butler service.
Other top choices here include beachfront walkout suites, beachfront swim-up club rooms, and beachfront club level rooms with oversized soaking tubs on the balcony. If you like a fresher, more modern design, look for the newer rooms, which were added in the renovation.
Note that room service is only available in the club and butler level rooms.
The Food and Drinks at Sandals Montego Bay
Food is one of the top considerations for us at any resort. We always make sure to make dinner reservations as soon as we arrive, so we can try all the restaurants we want to. There are 12 restaurants at Sandals Montego Bay, plus you can go to any of the 9 restaurants at nearby Sandals Royal Caribbean as well, so you likely won’t be able to go to all of them in one stay.
Breakfast options include a huge buffet at Bayside, an a la carte restaurant, and room service if you’re in a club or butler level room. Cafe de Paris is another great option, serving specialty coffee, crepes, and pastries.
Our favorite meals for lunch were burgers, quesadillas, fresh-baked pizzas, and jerk chicken at the Jerk Shacl.
Our favorite restaurant for dinner is Oleanders. It has great sunset views from the deck so plan your reservation accordingly. Cuisine here is Caribbean, served family style. We tried multiple dishes at each meal and loved the Jerk Lobster Kebabs, curried snapper, and Highgate Chocolate Marquise.
Another of our favorite restaurants at Sandals is Soy Sushi. We also liked being able to build our own entrée at the wok station at Tokyo Jo’s. That restaurant was being renovated on our last visit, so it should have a nice new look now.
Other top restaurant choices are Butch’s Steak House at Sandals Montego Bay and Royal Thai and Bombay Club at Sandals Royal Caribbean. Royal Thai is on a private island just offshore, and you get to take a cool boat ride there so it’s a fun experience.
Multiple restaurants overlook the water, including Bayside, Cucina Romana, Oleander, and Tokyo Jo’s. Stewfish and the Mariner are right on the sand.
There are 6 bars including swim-up bars and a piano bar at Sandals Montego Bay. One of the coolest is the Over-the-Water Bar, which is open air and has 360-degree views of the ocean plus overwater hammocks for two.
Sandals Royal Caribbean also has 6 bars, including swim-up bars and a piano bar.
What to Know About the Pools at Sandals Montego Bay
There are 7 pools at Sandals Montego Bay, giving you plenty of choices. Some have more of a party vibe, while others are peaceful.
The largest pool is quiet, with daybeds and lounge chairs perfect for relaxing. There’s drink service here as well. Along the beach you’ll find the lively pool, with a DJ playing music, the entertainment team keeping activities going, and a swim-up bar for nonstop drinks. It also has a large beachfront whirlpool.
There are also lagoon pools along the buildings with swim-up rooms. However, anyone who has been to other Sandals resorts will notice the lack of a main pool area.
Activities and Entertainment at Sandals Montego Bay
As at every Sandals, there’s a wide range of complimentary activities and entertainment at Sandals Montego Bay. Watersports include snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, Hobie Cat sailing, scuba diving, wakeboarding, tubing, and waterskiing.
Land activities include day and night tennis, beach volleyball, and a fitness center.
Nightly entertainment includes live music, fire dancers, theme nights, and more. There’s also a British pub that’s open late.
The spa at Sandals Montego Bay is nice, with a steam room, beauty salon, and yoga/Pilates studio, as well as plunge pools and relaxation areas in a secluded garden. While spa services cost extra, the plunge pools and sauna are complimentary and available to everyone.
You also get access to everything at Sandals Royal Caribbean, via a free shuttle.
If you want to head out and explore Jamaica, there are a range of excursions you can book for an extra fee. We recommend the catamaran rides, Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole, and the Luminous Lagoon.
The Beach at Sandals Montego Bay
The beach at Sandals Montego Bay is private and beautiful, with white sand along clear turquoise water. It’s nice and long, with plenty of lounge chairs and shade options.
There are several sections, each with a different atmosphere. For a lively vibe, the stretch near the lobby has activities like beach volleyball and games plus a bar. The section near the pool allows you to enjoy the music playing there. There are some quieter areas as well.
We were always offered drinks while hanging out on the beach, which was great, but if you’d like more personal service you can book a thatched-roof private cabana for an extra fee—it comes with butler service.
Several of the restaurants are near the beach for a quick lunch, including the Jerk Shack, Mariners, and the pizza place.
Sandals Montego Bay Review Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed our time at Sandals Montego Bay and loved the renovations, especially our amazing beachfront suite. We also loved the food, variety of activities, vibrant atmosphere, and beautiful views. Plus, the service was excellent.
The only cons we can find are the plane noise, which we actually got used to, and the fact that there isn’t a big main pool area like there is at other Sandals resorts.
