I recently visited Sandals Montego Bay & Secrets St. James in Jamaica. I have a group of 50 headed to Secrets and thought this was a great opportunity. Jamaica now requires an ETA www.enterjamaica.com . Very easy to do. For Sandals travelers please get the Sandals APP. Sandals MO BAY is one of the first resorts to allow dinner reservations in advance at Butch’s steakhouse via the app.

I had not been to Jamaica since 2012 so this was a nice refresher. I like that both properties are very close to the airport. I also like that both resorts do not require wristbands. Sandals is 5 minutes away. Secrets is about 20 minutes away. The airport runway is directly next to Sandals Mo Bay and yes the planes take off and it is very loud yet is entertaining to watch.

At Sandals we had an Oceanfront Butler Suite. The bathrooms are very large, stocked mini fridge and bar in your room and a large balcony with a soaking tub. The beach is OK here. (Secrets Beach is fantastic and tropical blue compared to the beach here) I liked that the resorts had guests of all ages. The staff at Sandals was friendly and the grounds are pretty. Lots of guests from Sandals Royal Caribbean would come over to Sandals Mo Bay for this resort is lively and fun at night. We went to our 1st Silent Disco. The lobby is huge and welcoming and turns into a dance floor at night. Very clean resort. Beach side service on the beach was nice. There are only two very small pool areas unless you have the swim up rooms. Not impressed with the pools here. Our Butler set up our reservations at Butch’s and it was very nice. I personally would give this Sandals a 5 out of 10. The service, the food and drink just need some work. Sandals needs to step up their game - it was nice but Secrets St. James was WOW compared to Sandals. Huge difference. Bathrobes at Sandals nice, but robes at Secrets big and fluffy. Secrets offered high end vodka, Sandals did not. Glassware vs. plastic. Service at Secrets just blew Sandals out of the water.

Upon arrival to Secrets St. James you are greeted by several staff that all learn your names fast. Excellent service here. I highly recommend the Preferred Club. We were in an Ocean view Preferred Suite. Beautiful fresh blue and white colors, a 4 poster beds, large bathroom and balcony. Very fresh and welcoming!! Private check in, preferred lounge and pool area. When staying in the preferred you also get access to Breathless next door that has the fun rooftop bar. Wild Orchid and St. James are side by side and you share the restaurants. Both sit along a beautiful stretch of beach. There are plenty of plush loungers for everyone and huge towels. The staff and service around the pool is great. The preferred club pool is quiet and peaceful with nice pool floats for guests to use. The main pools on the other side offer music, and foam parties, and swim up bars. There is a lot of walking here but all along the beautiful ocean. Jerk chicken carts along the beach, pizza and beef patties at the jerk shack and lots of fun dining options. No reservations are required and you are seated quickly and the wait staff is great. We saw a couple of beautiful beach weddings take place. Nightlife is fun, live band set up along the ocean, piano bar outside. All very tastefully done. A much more intimate setting than that of other resorts. They turned the disco into a football game party room on Sunday. There was a lot of Chiefs and Lions fans and they put out a spread of food and lots of drinks. Was a nice time. Again all tastefully done. I feel this resort is perfect for the group I have coming here. Breathless next door is such a different vibe. A party less tasteful crowd than that of Secrets. Was a great trip! I learned a lot and feel Secrets St. James is a perfect spot for my group to travel to.