Resort in Ocho Rios

I stayed at Rooms on the Beach for my first trip to Ocho Rios, and I was glad I did considering I was traveling alone. It was my fifth trip to Jamaica but I’d never been to the north coast before. This hotel would be my home for the next five nights.

I had no troubles checking in at Rooms, the front desk staff was really friendly and I was even given a choice of rooms so of course I chose beach front! A porter helped me with my bags and did a little orientation of the room with me. It was beautiful and the veranda was to die for! Sliding doors open onto some breathtaking scenery. To the left were the hills of Ocho Rios, dead ahead was the cruise ship dock, and to the right was a long stretch of beach with the Sunset Jamaica Grand hotel in the distance.

Rooms on the Beach is a nice, centrally located property, within walking distance to anything you want in Ocho Rios. It has 24 hour security at the front gates even though I’ve seen the guards out there napping occasionally. There is a restaurant on site which I only ate at once, I had ackee, saltfish and dumplings for breakfast one day and I seem to remember enjoying it. Rooms also has free continental breakfast daily which includes fruit, pastries, coffee & juices.

There’s a swimming pool even though you’re only 50 feet from the beach. There’s a bar right beside the swimming pool but the drinks aren’t cheap there. If you’re out on the beach, the bar staff will walk out occasionally and see if you want any refreshments.

My two favourite things about this hotel are:
#1 A different cruise ship pulls into Ochi 5 out of 7 days a week and it parks right outside the window. I love seeing those HUGE boats! Something I’d never seen before.
#2 The beach out front is mostly full of locals. It’s really nice just watching all the Jamaican children at the beach all day.

Least favourite things:
#1 The beach isn’t very nice in comparison to Negril and other places I?ve been on the island. A beach is still a beach when you’re Canadian but it’s not the best one I’ve been to.
#2 They make it difficult to have friends in after 11pm. It’s only a problem if you know people in Jamaica and want to do any pre-drinking in your room before fun nights out. The night life in Jamaica doesn’t start til after midnight.

Awesome TIP: If you’re considering booking into Rooms on the Beach I HIGHLY recommend checking out SkyAuction first. It’s an auction website where you can bid on hotel rooms worldwide and this hotel is always up for bids. I scored my beachfront room for $52 US/night but I’ve seen winning bids as low as $40 US/night. I guarantee you will get a better deal than booking directly with the hotel.