These are actual reviews from past guest from Homeaway / VBRO.

Do It Yourself Paradise Found

Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
March 21, 2016

This condo is located at Sandcastles Resort, Main Street Ocho Rios. We booked for 6 nights privately through homeaway.com and we have no complaints about our place. The condo looked EXACTLY like the photos shown on the home away listing and it was well upkept, clean and perfect for what we wanted/were looking for. We stayed on the 3rd floor and had a rooftop patio and outdoor shower, which was awesome. Ochi is a cruise ship port so you will have many views of one or more cruise ships each day. But our view was awesome; there were hills behind us with big homes, and the beach and sea in front of us. Sandcastles is secure; we felt plenty safe. The staff is friendly. We went to the beach every single day and “Jack” took care of us, setting up our chairs ($5 each for the day) and what-not. The grounds are very pretty; lots of palms, plants and flowers. The pool looked kind of lame to me, but there were plenty of kids and teens and grown ups that seemed to enjoy it; we just preferred the beach. We had breakfast one day at the restaurant upstairs and looked out over the property; it was decent. We never went into Sandbar restaurant, despite much cajoling from staff; it is an ALL WHITE room and there was nobody in there when we came through; it gave me the creeps. I will say that loud music from the street, from downtown Ochi, and from people partying at the pool kept me up late into the night more than once. I liked that the location was beachfront and on main street. Restaurants, ATMs, groceries, souvenirs, are all nearby. I would say property is only handicap-accessible if you stay on the ground floor; otherwise there are stairs and no elevator. We LOVED the fact that the beach was never too crowded, and that locals hung out there too. Since we stayed over Easter weekend, the kids were on break on Friday and we had a great time making friends with the friendly Jamaicans that came right up to us in the water and started asking our names and telling us all about their siblings and families:) John Crow’s across the street is nice for drinks and food and sometimes has live music; not too crowded. Miss T’s is hidden off main street and is an authentic Jamaican cuisine experience worth having; Evita’s Italian up the hill was the best non-Jamaican food we had and an adorable place. I would most definitely skip Ocean’s 11 unless you just want drinks. Drinks are great; food is not.

paintlover said…

Perfect Place to Stay

Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
March 9, 2016

Our condo was perfect for our stay. We were 4 adults, and at first I worried that only one indoor shower would be a problem, but as it turned out, our guests insisted they wanted the outdoor shower and thoroughly enjoyed using it the entire stay. It is more private than it looks in the picture on the website and they absolutely loved it! The apartment had everything we needed, plenty of towels for the entire week, and the kitchen was well stocked with everything we needed. There was air conditioning, but we opened the windows and enjoyed the breezes most of the time, not needing to use the AC much. We kept saying how perfect it was for our needs. You can walk to many restaurants in town (and there are a lot of good ones!) We particularly liked Miss T’s down the street a few blocks. Mama Marley’s across the street and Margaritaville on the water were also enjoyable. Shopping practically right outside your front door is available although we were not big shoppers. Plenty of parking available if you rent a car which we did. The pool is also very nice, very close to the condo, and not crowded. Oh, also, the beach is also beautiful for nice walks. My friend ran along the water every morning. We all would highly recommend this condo if you are visiting Jamaica.

Dina A. said…

Nice apartment, well appointed, great location

Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
February 6, 2016

Lovely apartment. The beds are extremely comfortable with nice linens. Plenty of towels for both bathing and beach towels as well. The kitchen had everything we needed and I did not miss having an oven at all. Elizabeth provided beautiful tableware and cookware. The outdoor shower on the rooftop and the view from the rooftop was spectacular Sandbar (restaurant and bar in the hotel) had good food, very reasonably priced and the manager is very friendly and helpful. His jerk spice and sauce are homemade and was excellent. Renard the chauffeur is excellent and knowledgeable of the area. His rates were very good. I recommend using him for travel around the area. The housekeeper was also very nice and helpful. Had a very good stay. One restaurant we went to for seafood was the Roxborough. Really good, very well priced. A little way out of town. Another great jerk place to go is Scotchies. Very authentic and again, very reasonably priced.

Michelle S. said…

A comfortable home from home

Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
August 6, 2015

We stayed at their vacation home for 10 days and loved it. The home was very clean, housekeeper and staff very friendly. The restaurant owner/staff on the property were very friendly, professionally and made us feel at home. I would definitely stay at Sandcastle again. Everything is in walking distance, beach minutes away and the waves are perfect for small children not too deep or rough. My 5 year old was at the beach/pool almost every day. The staff # 1 priority was making sure their guest are safe/comfortable and they did a fantastic job!

Shawn J. said…

Great property, great location!

 Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
April 4, 2015

We had a great stay in this unit. The development was very nice, secure, and perfect location in Ocho Rios. Right on the beach and within walking distance to many shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. The unit was nicely decorated. Plenty of closet and storage space as well as good size bedrooms. The top-floor patio with outdoor shower was beautiful. Great place to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the great views of the beach. Great vacation and very impressed over all! The Johnsons – Virginia

Nikki S. said…

Nov 11, 2014

A comfortable home from home

Main St, Ocho Rios, St Ann Parish, Jamaica (3855670)

Date of Stay
October 20, 2014

This 2 bed apartment which offers stunning views over the beach and hills behind is set right in the middle of Ocho Rios. The accommodation offers all the basic home comforts a very good size fridge freezer for all those essential beverages and tipples. The kitchenette is well stocked with crockery and utensils to fit your needs. Cable TV is available in the lounge and bedrooms. A spiral staircase not suitable for very young children leads upto the second bedroom and private sun patio with outside shower and washing machine. A very comfortable home from home, with sufficent clean towels and fresh bedding on request. The property has two bathrooms, the shower being over the bath on the first floor of the property. The owner Elizabeth ensures a warm welcome to all her guests and is contactable via telephone installed in the property. Free WiFi is available to enable full access to social media, emails and direct contact to family. The apartment is situated in the grounds of Sandcastles Hotel which is secure and welcoming. There is a small swimming pool on the hotel grounds suitable for all ages and the grounds are well maintained and clean. A visit to John Crows right across the road from the hotel is essential where Barry and Annakay are waiting to offer a warm Jamaican welcome. Jerk Centre, shops for duty free are close by. Very close to the finest attractions in Jamaica (Dunns River Falls and Dolphin Cove) and a constant offer of taxi rides are in abundance. Only use taxis with RED number plates to be safe. Overall a comfortable, clean, well equipped holiday home, within walking distance to the best Ochi has to offer, owned by a very nice, welcoming lady to who goes above and beyond to ensure your stay is a memorable one.