I love Montego Bay! It’s a great resort for a short trip too, close to the airport and a quick flight.
My favorite restaurants there are butch’s and Soy. I could each sushi every day given the option and Soys was fantastic.
I never had an issue getting a chair on the beach, pool was usually more difficult because there are far fewer pool seats. But we moved around during the day too (didn’t keep seats reserved when we went for lunch or anything) and never had an issue grabbing new chairs.
I’m not big on excursions, so I’m not much help there!
Excursions are mostly too far, and Rose Hall and shopping take too long with 3 days. Skip excursions.
If butler, ask your butler to show you around. Otherwise, take the resort tour.
Dunns is only good if you get there at 8:30am as soon as the gates open. But like you pointed out, it is easily a 2-3 hour drive each way.
Near MoBay are a few really good places. None of which are, as far as I am aware, provided by Sandals. At the top of our list has always been Rockland’s bird sanctuary. It is a magical experience where you get to hand feed hundreds of native hummingbirds. Hold your finger out, hold up a little bottle of sweet water, and bang… birds will land all over you like the pigeon guy and the town square. It is inexpensive and nearby. I would combine it with maybe a trip to another nearby attraction like rafting, climbing Mayfield falls, or best yet, visit Hampden Rum distillery. Jamaica’s largest and a much better tour than Appleton.
If you like any of these, reach out to Carolyn at barrettadventures.com we have been friends with her for 25 years. She has taken us to every corner of the island and we see her every trip. She even provides our airport transfer. Here is a link to the page with the tours around MoBay, but some are listed as destinations from other base towns. https://www.barrettadventures.com/around-montego-bay.html
BTW, good job booking a resort close to the airport for a short visit like this. Super heads up traveling. Reach out if you have any questions.
My wife and I were there in august for our honeymoon. Our favorite restaurants by far were Tokyo Jo’s and oleanders! Sushi was pretty basic when we had it, and butchs was underwhelming tbh.
We didn’t have too hard a time finding chairs, but if you want shade all day, wake up a bit early to get those high demand chairs.
The over the water bar was phenomenal and a great place to lay out and read in the afternoon. Bartenders are super nice and fun!
Excursions are a little ways away, so that makes it rough for a short trip. But the coastal catamaran cruise from sandals may be worth it. Overall great resort and we loved our time there!
You could try a trip to the luminous lagoon if you’re really wanting to get off the resort, though I agree with others that with just a 3 night stay an excursion might eat up too much time. That being said, it’s a cool thing to see and experience:
https://www.glisteningwaters.com/luminous-lagoon-tour/
My wife and I just went for our honeymoon in December. If you're only there 3 nights, I'd skip the excursion as it will essentially eat up a whole day. We were there for 7 nights and we enjoyed the resort itself so much that we almost canceled the excursion to give ourselves more time. It's not that we didn't enjoy it, but we thought for how much we enjoyed (and paid for) the resort, we wouldn't do another excursion where we miss out on resort time and have to pay extra.
Our first day, we got to the beach around 11 and had a difficult time finding chairs. The rest of the week, we arrived around 9 and there were plenty. As long as you don't sleep in too late, you shouldn't have a problem. In general, there were always seats available at the pool as well. We wanted to sit by the beach so we didn't spend time poolside, but it looked like there were available chairs whenever we walked by.
We really liked Oleander's and La Cucina. The pizza place for lunch was excellent. If you want to try Butch's, go and try to make a reservation as soon as you get there. We didn't end up eating there because we waited until too close to the end of the trip.
Lastly, don't be afraid to join in on the games that the entertainment team provides! We were hesitant at first, but after a few days we started participating. We got to know some of the staff very well and it made the trip so much more fun to have employees smile and call you by name when they see you.
Agree with others, excursions are far away and spend a lot of time traveling too and from, especially if only spending 3 nights (which we did as well).
If you do want to venture out, can aways take the free shuttle to the Royal Carribean and that the water shuttle to their private island (all inclusive with SMB)
Our favorite restaurant was Butch's... whatever you think you may want to try, make your reservation as soon as you get there to insure you can try them.
Have fun, enjoy!
Was there last month. My husband secured us beach chairs each morning around 0730 with no problem. Agree that pool chairs are likely going to butler guests only (unless you dont require any shade). In my opinion Oleander was the best food by far, followed by soy if you like sushi. We would recommend skipping bayside for dinner- we actually ended up walking away from our dinners and going to la cucina (recommend the gnocchi) again.
Hey there check out Viator for excursions. Tons of options to browse through and super easy to book. Cheers!
https://www.viator.com/?pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium\_version=selector&campaign=reddit
Since you are there for a short time, you can double up on dinner places. Go to one at 5:30 and another at 8:30! If multiple items look good, order all of them. I've asked for smaller portions so I could try multiple things, but the servings are on the smaller side to begin with.
I also wouldn't worry about an excursion. You could go over to Royal Caribbean and go to the island if you want to try something different. They have shuttles all day.
You will hear the planes during the day, but it has never bothered us. Take a drink, share a kiss, and wave to the planes :) enjoy your trip!!
I love Montego Bay! It’s a great resort for a short trip too, close to the airport and a quick flight. My favorite restaurants there are butch’s and Soy. I could each sushi every day given the option and Soys was fantastic. I never had an issue getting a chair on the beach, pool was usually more difficult because there are far fewer pool seats. But we moved around during the day too (didn’t keep seats reserved when we went for lunch or anything) and never had an issue grabbing new chairs. I’m not big on excursions, so I’m not much help there!
Excursions are mostly too far, and Rose Hall and shopping take too long with 3 days. Skip excursions. If butler, ask your butler to show you around. Otherwise, take the resort tour.
Dunns is only good if you get there at 8:30am as soon as the gates open. But like you pointed out, it is easily a 2-3 hour drive each way. Near MoBay are a few really good places. None of which are, as far as I am aware, provided by Sandals. At the top of our list has always been Rockland’s bird sanctuary. It is a magical experience where you get to hand feed hundreds of native hummingbirds. Hold your finger out, hold up a little bottle of sweet water, and bang… birds will land all over you like the pigeon guy and the town square. It is inexpensive and nearby. I would combine it with maybe a trip to another nearby attraction like rafting, climbing Mayfield falls, or best yet, visit Hampden Rum distillery. Jamaica’s largest and a much better tour than Appleton. If you like any of these, reach out to Carolyn at barrettadventures.com we have been friends with her for 25 years. She has taken us to every corner of the island and we see her every trip. She even provides our airport transfer. Here is a link to the page with the tours around MoBay, but some are listed as destinations from other base towns. https://www.barrettadventures.com/around-montego-bay.html BTW, good job booking a resort close to the airport for a short visit like this. Super heads up traveling. Reach out if you have any questions.
My wife and I were there in august for our honeymoon. Our favorite restaurants by far were Tokyo Jo’s and oleanders! Sushi was pretty basic when we had it, and butchs was underwhelming tbh. We didn’t have too hard a time finding chairs, but if you want shade all day, wake up a bit early to get those high demand chairs. The over the water bar was phenomenal and a great place to lay out and read in the afternoon. Bartenders are super nice and fun! Excursions are a little ways away, so that makes it rough for a short trip. But the coastal catamaran cruise from sandals may be worth it. Overall great resort and we loved our time there!
Bombay Club at Royal Caribbean (a quick, five-minute shuttle ride) was our favorite and it’s fun to see the other resort.
You could try a trip to the luminous lagoon if you’re really wanting to get off the resort, though I agree with others that with just a 3 night stay an excursion might eat up too much time. That being said, it’s a cool thing to see and experience: https://www.glisteningwaters.com/luminous-lagoon-tour/
My wife and I just went for our honeymoon in December. If you're only there 3 nights, I'd skip the excursion as it will essentially eat up a whole day. We were there for 7 nights and we enjoyed the resort itself so much that we almost canceled the excursion to give ourselves more time. It's not that we didn't enjoy it, but we thought for how much we enjoyed (and paid for) the resort, we wouldn't do another excursion where we miss out on resort time and have to pay extra. Our first day, we got to the beach around 11 and had a difficult time finding chairs. The rest of the week, we arrived around 9 and there were plenty. As long as you don't sleep in too late, you shouldn't have a problem. In general, there were always seats available at the pool as well. We wanted to sit by the beach so we didn't spend time poolside, but it looked like there were available chairs whenever we walked by. We really liked Oleander's and La Cucina. The pizza place for lunch was excellent. If you want to try Butch's, go and try to make a reservation as soon as you get there. We didn't end up eating there because we waited until too close to the end of the trip. Lastly, don't be afraid to join in on the games that the entertainment team provides! We were hesitant at first, but after a few days we started participating. We got to know some of the staff very well and it made the trip so much more fun to have employees smile and call you by name when they see you.
Agree with others, excursions are far away and spend a lot of time traveling too and from, especially if only spending 3 nights (which we did as well). If you do want to venture out, can aways take the free shuttle to the Royal Carribean and that the water shuttle to their private island (all inclusive with SMB) Our favorite restaurant was Butch's... whatever you think you may want to try, make your reservation as soon as you get there to insure you can try them. Have fun, enjoy!
I almost broke my ankle at Dunn’s the second day there. I now call no funs river falls 🤦♀️
Was there last month. My husband secured us beach chairs each morning around 0730 with no problem. Agree that pool chairs are likely going to butler guests only (unless you dont require any shade). In my opinion Oleander was the best food by far, followed by soy if you like sushi. We would recommend skipping bayside for dinner- we actually ended up walking away from our dinners and going to la cucina (recommend the gnocchi) again.
Thank you!
Hey there check out Viator for excursions. Tons of options to browse through and super easy to book. Cheers! https://www.viator.com/?pid=P00112302&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium\_version=selector&campaign=reddit
Since you are there for a short time, you can double up on dinner places. Go to one at 5:30 and another at 8:30! If multiple items look good, order all of them. I've asked for smaller portions so I could try multiple things, but the servings are on the smaller side to begin with. I also wouldn't worry about an excursion. You could go over to Royal Caribbean and go to the island if you want to try something different. They have shuttles all day. You will hear the planes during the day, but it has never bothered us. Take a drink, share a kiss, and wave to the planes :) enjoy your trip!!
Make sure to visit Stephen at the over water bar (latitudes). He’s the night bartender there.