Hello fellow travelers!

My family and I recently returned from an incredible stay at Beaches Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

If you have never experienced an All-Inclusive Resort, you are truly missing out. I compare it to a cruise on land, but there are certainly some key differences.

From the moment you clear customs in Jamaica, you are treated like royalty. You are welcomed to the private Sandals/Beaches lounge where you are served complimentary beverages and snacks while you await your complimentary shuttle to your resort.

Upon arrival at your resort, you are greeted with cool wash clothes and ushered to the lobby for check in. If you are booked at the concierge level, a staff member will bring champagne for the adults and juice for the kids and you will be checked in privately. You are then escorted to your room and given an overview of your room and resort policies.

Our room was absolutely beautiful with such an incredible view. This is one major difference between cruising and staying in a resort. The rooms are so large! We are a family of 5 and we had plenty of room.

We stayed in a Concierge Caribbean Honeymoon OceanView Suite. We had a King bed, a trundle bed that slept two and then a rollaway for the 5th person. All of the beds were very comfortable and even with the rollaway in our room, we still had plenty of space.

Let’s talk about all of the fun activities available to you! From sun up to sun down, you can stay as busy as you like or just relax on the beach or at the swim up bar.

Each Beaches Resort differs in the activities offered, but all have plenty of options for all members of the family, including the Sesame Street gang appearing for a variety of activities and complimentary Kid’s Clubs.

At Ocho Rios, there are multiple tennis courts and even a tennis pro who will play with you or your kids if they need a partner. There is a basketball court, an Xbox lounge, shuffleboard, croquette and more. Golf at a world-class golf course is also included.

In the evenings, the Beaches staff entertains with musicals, game shows, karaoke, trivia and more. We had a blast!

Of course, no visit to Beaches is complete without water sports and activities! From Pirate Island WaterPark to snorkeling to a Glass Bottom Boat tour and everything in between, there are so many fun activities to book during your stay!

I can’t talk about Beaches without talking about the FOOD! All food and beverages are included with your stay and you are never more than a few steps away from a delicious cocktail, decadent snack or 5 Star Gourmet meal.

Beaches Ocho Rios offers 3 Main Restaurants for Dinner, as well as Bayside Skillet for Breakfast and lunch. They also have a BBQ and Pizza restaurant right beside the main pool, a 24 hour coffee bar, a piano bar and multiple walk up bars on property. Our family especially enjoyed the Creperie. The creperie offers sweet crepes, savory crepes, smoothies, milkshakes and hand-crafted coffee beverages. We stopped there at least once a day.

I’ve shared a lot of the free activities that are included, but there are a few optional activities you can add to enhance your vacation.

Beaches and Sandals Resorts are home to Red Lane Spa. The spas offer a wide variety of body treatments for individuals and couples. On this trip, I booked myself a Coconut Pineapple Body Scrub. It was heavenly!

The resort offers a complimentary photo shoot, however the photos are extra. Current pricing starts at $18 per photo and multiple packages are also available. Our photographer, Linval, was awesome! He was so fun and even let my older son and husband take some playful photos. We ended up with some really beautiful photo memories of our vacation.

Another extra we enjoyed was a Sesame Street Breakfast. We had the best time. Each of the characters come out for pictures and they dance and play with guests. Current pricing starts at $12 per adult.

It is definitely worth mentioning that all Beaches Resorts are Certified Autism Centers. They were the first All-inclusive Resorts to receive this certification. In addition to highly trained staff members, Beaches also offer special activities with Julia from Sesame Street. Julia is a fairly new Sesame Street friend with Autism.

Lastly, I have to mention the incredible staff. We didn’t encounter anyone who wasn’t super friendly, but there were several who stood out, who went above and beyond.

My older son injured his foot on our second day and we had to spend some time in the nurse’s office. A manager stayed with us, the nurse was wonderful and we felt safe and reassured throughout the entire experience. Word got out pretty quickly and the Kid’s Camp staff came to check on him. His favorite beach bar servers asked him about his foot every time they saw him for the rest of the trip. Management called our room to check on him. I was so impressed with everyone from check-in to check out.

This was easily one of our favorite family vacations.

It is always a great idea to book your vacation with a travel professional who can help you prepare for visiting another country, let you know what to expect and make recommendations. It is even more important right now as COVID restrictions continue to change and required documentation changes on a regular basis.

Beaches Resorts can be booked through 2023 with just a $98 deposit! If you are interested in a no obligation quote or more information, please reach out to me at Jen.mcgurn@marvelousmousetravels.com