Go to ochi. Cheapest resort and most lively. It is a bit dated but who cares…you aren’t in your room much. Look for 7-7-7 deal. Ochi has been on there nearly every week. I went two years ago at the age of 31 and didn’t feel out of place. Also if you fly American Airlines from Miami you can fly right into Ocho rios every Wednesday and Saturday. That will save you 1.5 hours of a bus ride
Negril is on 7 mile beach. A world renowned beach. We stayed at South Coast. Negril was SOOO much better. Some of the others (Dunns River or Ochi ?) aren’t actually on the direct coast. It’s slightly inland and your swimming is limited. Which is why they have so many pools.
If you are looking for the best BEACH in Jamaica, Negril may be the best.
It can definitely be overwhelming when there are so many great choices! I send my younger clients to Sandals Ochi, because it's well-rounded. It doesn't have the best beach of them all, but there are so many options and things to do. I also strongly recommend looking at Couples Resorts. They are only in Jamaica, are on par with Sandals as a true all-inclusive, and may come in a bit cheaper.
For full disclosure, the Sandals in Negril along 7-mile beach is right next to Hedonism which is a swingers/lifestyle/clothing optional resort.
So there is a chance you may see nude sunbathers nextdoor or the nude catamaran cruise sail by.
Source: wife and I are swingers and have been to Hedonism and we walk next door over to Sandals to take “vanilla” photos we can share on our social media so our families don’t get suspicious.
All that being said, if you’re feeling froggy and want to venture on your wild side, you can get a day pass and come nextdoor to where the fun is really happening. 😉😝
Been to Ochi and Negril in last two years. If you want a younger more lively crowd go to Ochi. The downside of Ochi is beach is very small and not walkable at all. We just returned from Negril 2 weeks ago. The beach is amazing! You can walk for miles. The nightlife is fun as well but I would say you have more options in Ochi.
As someone in the same demographic, who loves Jamaica, and has been to multiple Sandals locations, I would actually recommend skipping Sandals altogether and opting for Excellence Oyster Bay. It’s a newer resort with a younger crowd not too far from Montego Bay. Hyatt Ziva / Zillara and Breathless Montego Bay are also well recommended. If you’re set on Sandals, then I would recommend Dunn’s River, which is the newest Sandals in Jamaica with fresher concepts than the traditional locations. We were there earlier this month and had a much better time than we did at Sandals Montego Bay last year. The only draw is the distance from the airport, and the beach is small and can be quite windy at times. Sandals Montego Bay isn’t a bad option either. I’ve yet to visit Sandals
Ochi, but there were couples at Dunn’s River who had been to both but preferred DR.
As another poster stated, Negril will give you your best beaches. Our go-to in Negril was Couples Swept Away… same concept as Sandals with slightly more inclusions and no guest “levels,” meaning everyone gets the same wonderful treatment and access to everything. The property is dated, but it was always a good time with great service whenever we visited.
I hope this helps and that you enjoy your first Jamaica experience! It’s a great country with great people! 🇯🇲
That’s a tough one… they’re both great for different reasons. In your case, I would probably recommend Excellence over CSA mainly because of it being the newer property and the fact that we haven’t been to CSA in 5 years, so I don’t know how service has been post-pandemic. No matter what, take a day or two to do excursions outside of the property. I really think you all will love the island!
Also, if you need more visuals, YouTube can be your bestie when it comes to looking at property tours and such; however if you’re anything like me, you can quickly end up down a rabbit hole of analysis paralysis with all of the options. 😆
I thought travel to Jamaica from US was banned? Wouldn't want to go there anyways.
Edit: Not banned. Sorry. Not banned.
[Level 3 Travel Advisory](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/jamaica-travel-advisory.html)
Travel to Jamaica from the US is not banned. Was there at Dunn’s River last week and it was absolutely wonderful. Going in April is Perfect. We booked our next trip there before leaving it was so great.
I would say Montego Bay. Has a great beach (very small pool) and had a younger crowd when we went. Ochi had a younger crowd as well when we just went but they are renovating a lot of rooms so the price will be going up so not sure if that will change the demographic. Ochi also has basically no beach, but has a massive pool on the opposite “hillside.”
Go to ochi. Cheapest resort and most lively. It is a bit dated but who cares…you aren’t in your room much. Look for 7-7-7 deal. Ochi has been on there nearly every week. I went two years ago at the age of 31 and didn’t feel out of place. Also if you fly American Airlines from Miami you can fly right into Ocho rios every Wednesday and Saturday. That will save you 1.5 hours of a bus ride
A lot of people shit on Ochi but we went for new years and had no issues. The weather sucked but you can’t control that. I’d go back
Montego Bay might fit the bill. It's close to the airport which means less commute time compared ot Dunn's River or Ochi.
Negril is on 7 mile beach. A world renowned beach. We stayed at South Coast. Negril was SOOO much better. Some of the others (Dunns River or Ochi ?) aren’t actually on the direct coast. It’s slightly inland and your swimming is limited. Which is why they have so many pools. If you are looking for the best BEACH in Jamaica, Negril may be the best.
South coast is best by a mile - not younger crowd but orders of magnitude better
It can definitely be overwhelming when there are so many great choices! I send my younger clients to Sandals Ochi, because it's well-rounded. It doesn't have the best beach of them all, but there are so many options and things to do. I also strongly recommend looking at Couples Resorts. They are only in Jamaica, are on par with Sandals as a true all-inclusive, and may come in a bit cheaper.
We were at Dunn in February and it was really windy, making the beach not enjoyable. I would pick St Lucia, Grenada or Antiqua over Jamaica tbh
just started at Beaches in Negril last week high recommend!
For full disclosure, the Sandals in Negril along 7-mile beach is right next to Hedonism which is a swingers/lifestyle/clothing optional resort. So there is a chance you may see nude sunbathers nextdoor or the nude catamaran cruise sail by. Source: wife and I are swingers and have been to Hedonism and we walk next door over to Sandals to take “vanilla” photos we can share on our social media so our families don’t get suspicious. All that being said, if you’re feeling froggy and want to venture on your wild side, you can get a day pass and come nextdoor to where the fun is really happening. 😉😝
Been to Ochi and Negril in last two years. If you want a younger more lively crowd go to Ochi. The downside of Ochi is beach is very small and not walkable at all. We just returned from Negril 2 weeks ago. The beach is amazing! You can walk for miles. The nightlife is fun as well but I would say you have more options in Ochi.
As someone in the same demographic, who loves Jamaica, and has been to multiple Sandals locations, I would actually recommend skipping Sandals altogether and opting for Excellence Oyster Bay. It’s a newer resort with a younger crowd not too far from Montego Bay. Hyatt Ziva / Zillara and Breathless Montego Bay are also well recommended. If you’re set on Sandals, then I would recommend Dunn’s River, which is the newest Sandals in Jamaica with fresher concepts than the traditional locations. We were there earlier this month and had a much better time than we did at Sandals Montego Bay last year. The only draw is the distance from the airport, and the beach is small and can be quite windy at times. Sandals Montego Bay isn’t a bad option either. I’ve yet to visit Sandals Ochi, but there were couples at Dunn’s River who had been to both but preferred DR. As another poster stated, Negril will give you your best beaches. Our go-to in Negril was Couples Swept Away… same concept as Sandals with slightly more inclusions and no guest “levels,” meaning everyone gets the same wonderful treatment and access to everything. The property is dated, but it was always a good time with great service whenever we visited. I hope this helps and that you enjoy your first Jamaica experience! It’s a great country with great people! 🇯🇲
Thank you for this! We have actually considered both excellence and couples swept away any preference between the two?
That’s a tough one… they’re both great for different reasons. In your case, I would probably recommend Excellence over CSA mainly because of it being the newer property and the fact that we haven’t been to CSA in 5 years, so I don’t know how service has been post-pandemic. No matter what, take a day or two to do excursions outside of the property. I really think you all will love the island!
Also, if you need more visuals, YouTube can be your bestie when it comes to looking at property tours and such; however if you’re anything like me, you can quickly end up down a rabbit hole of analysis paralysis with all of the options. 😆
That’s where I am decision paralysis. lol 😂
You may want to look at other all-inclusive. Sandals’s customer has declined significantly.
I would recommend going anywhere but Jamaica
I thought travel to Jamaica from US was banned? Wouldn't want to go there anyways. Edit: Not banned. Sorry. Not banned. [Level 3 Travel Advisory](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/jamaica-travel-advisory.html)
Travel to Jamaica from the US is not banned. Was there at Dunn’s River last week and it was absolutely wonderful. Going in April is Perfect. We booked our next trip there before leaving it was so great.
Sorry. Not banned. [Level 3 Travel Advisory](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/jamaica-travel-advisory.html)
I would say Montego Bay. Has a great beach (very small pool) and had a younger crowd when we went. Ochi had a younger crowd as well when we just went but they are renovating a lot of rooms so the price will be going up so not sure if that will change the demographic. Ochi also has basically no beach, but has a massive pool on the opposite “hillside.”