I discovered Mahoe Villa by accident when my usual place in Ocho Rios was booked full and I needed an emergency place to stay. Coincidentally it is right around the corner and about 3 minutes from my usual place and since I always need new places to write about I’m fortunate to have discovered it.
As you know I’m pretty much a budget traveler and refuse to spend hotel prices, so when I was in a bind I called one of my best rasta friends in a panic and said “hook me up!!” This is where he brought me and although it’s more expensive than what I usually pay, it’s still dirt cheap.
I chose the cheapest and most basic room they have which is $2000 JMD a night, with a shared bathroom. It was on the main floor and there were no other guests when I stayed here so I didn’t have to share the bathroom either. My window opened out to the back of the property which made it nice and quiet because it was away from the road. The room had a large closet, dresser, standing mirror and a fan. But that’s all….no frills, which is okay for me because I only sleep in my room about 5 hours a night and I’m on the road the rest of the time.
The guest house has a large common area when you walk in, furnished with sofas for lounging. I often sat out here on the phone since there were hardly any other guests.
On my second day in this guest house I actually looked around the place a little and discovered a lot more than I thought was there! I decided to go upstairs and see what was there and to my surprise it’s very nice! There’s a huge kitchen up here for anyone to use! It was complete with everything except a fridge, which was kind of a drag but I can understand because people might use your food if you left it in there.
The absolute best thing about the second level is the huge veranda where I spent a couple nights with friends playing music and hanging out. Another great part about this place is yes you can bring your friends over with no hassle. They even have game boards out on the veranda for your enjoyment.
So as I said I got the most basic room here and I paid $2000 JMD per night, roughly $25 USD. However I’ll let you in on a little secret….the second level has some much better rooms. At the far end of this veranda there just happened to be an open door to an unoccupied guest room so I snooped inside and the room was large and the private bathroom in there was like royalty! It had a shower AND a large soaker tub. Had I not been sneaking in I would have taken pictures. I eventually asked the lady who works here how much that room is and she said $4000 JMD, about $50. I think I would actually consider returning here and trying that room out.
My overall opinion of this place, pretty good depending on your travel style. It was fairly clean, very quiet, and people basically leave you alone here. I thought it was secure too because we had a lot of audio gear, video cameras and a laptop with us and everything remained intact. Actually that’s probably because they never came in to make up our room once. I guess you have to make your own bed. Location is nice (Shaw Park Rd) and it’s not more than a 15 minute walk to the center of town. There’s a little bar and a supermarket about a 5 minute walk as well.
For bookings at Mahoe Villa please visit THIS LINK.
Comments
17 responses to “Mahoe Villa – Ocho Rios”
Thaaaanks gotta put this in my list of places to stay
Yep it was definitely the right price!! It’s pretty basic but comfy and I enjoyed it.
great price!!these are the type of numbers i like to see
love your blog,wanted to mention a hotel in ocho rios,”silver seas”,not been there since july 2001,stayed there in 84,85,86,88,99,2000 and as i said 20001,my 1990 visit to ochie,i stayed at “inn on the beach”,it may be sandcastles now,anyway,thanks for sharing the info of all your links,especially taxi’s contact info,that could really help a first time visitor,anyway “silver seas” in ochie is on james ave .,opposite end of reggae strip,it is beachfront,the rate is like $50 US a day,less if you stay longer,there is a guest house right down the street from it for like $35 US a day but it is not beachfront,anway pictures should be on the internet,beautiful views from balcony of ocean and mountains from your entrance view,also check out the “hibiscus lodge”,DO BREAKFAST AT THE ALMOND TREE RESTAURANT,this hotel is next to silver seas,you can walk to the farmers market in no time,except i can tell crossing main st. in ochie,there is alot more traffic now.gotta go to the road after dark for some drum pan jerk chicken,good to go in a group or good taxi man as you know,anyway big up yourself,i know you love ST. ANN PARISH AND THE TOWN OF OCHO RIOS TOO!one love and jah bless,by the way ,i live in greenville,south carolina USA,CHECK my my space page under the name shane berkley,i love all music and all reggae,but specialize in 1990’s dancehall,i notice the tunes i like have good beats and gets the girls dancing,gal tunes fi real,hope to upload some of my jamaica pics soon,lets stay in touch,you know the real deal and i respect that,irie
Hey Shane thanks so much for reading and posting.
Yes I’ve heard of Silver Seas many times, just never gone down that way. I eat at a place on James quite a bit because it’s cheap and has good fried chicken LOL. And I often go down to James to play pool at one or two of the spots there.
Also that pan chicken you mention…..it’s where all the food vendors are set up in that parking lot right? There’s some good food there after dark for real.
I’ll check out your page later on this evening and for sure we can keep in touch. Respect.
hey JC,thanks for responding,yes,the drum pan jerk chicken vendors are in the parking lot near “MOTHERS” restaurant right on main st. after dark,well,i found silver seas on expedia.com and not all reviews are good,being its old and the service slow,the phone at the front desk is expensive and the only one,but for the traveler who doesn’t stay in the room much,everything is within walking distance as you know since you know james ave.,and the balcony views of the ocean are all good.some of the rooms are nicer than others,one of the rooms featured on the internet is one i stayed in, the one with art pics on the wall,i think its room #142,anyway the top floor has great views but seems to be hotter,so i prefer not to stay on the top floor,the year i stayed on the first floor,may have been 2000 0r 2001,my ac unit worked so good it would make the room super cool,i miss 1985,one love and jah bless,keep up the irie vibes JC!
I take all reviews with a grain of salt because I’ve had my good and bad experiences everywhere and others opinions often differ. I’ll try anything once so I can see for myself. I’ve paid a lot of money to sleep with roaches and a little money to sleep in spotlessness so one never knows! The way I see it….we are going to a foreign country! There are bound to be many many differences from what we’re used to. That’s the beauty of it all!
oh yeah, there is a good grocery store on main st. ochie, right past silver seas entrance,on the right if you traveling east.,
How big is the whole place and can you have a wedding there I didnt see much picture of the outside just wondering BTW I am now a fan on Facebook this is my new Blog hangout…laugh.. not much to do here in Alaska in below zero weather
UGH Alaska!!!!! Glad you’re reading and following me! I’ll try not to disappoint!
Depends how big your wedding is. I can’t be sure how many rooms it has but I think maybe 20 at MOST.
great review of the place..it was nice
I stayed in this guesthouse yesterday and found it a very good location. The upstairs rom cost 5.500 for the two of us and it was spacious The woodsn floors create a charming atmosphere. Jean. The owner was friendly and helpful. We asked her to cook us breakfast and ordered I gave her 2.500 so she could buy the food. What we got the next morning was a bit poor. Not sure about the problem in our communication So, just don’t bother with their breakfast.
Glad you were able to find a place on short notice Rosi! And glad it worked out well (minus the breakfast lol)
I stay in this guest house for just one night with my husband,date night out from the baby and it was a gem for the price $5500 for the night.This room was up stairs with wide open space,shower with tub and a Jacuzzi,a Fan,TV,Radio,Clean and Smell wonderful with Veranda to boost.Quite,Calm and Comfortable.The owner was warm and welcoming,i love this guest house,it bring me back to my childhood when i use to visit my grandma.Simple and had that old world feeling.I will be going to Jamaica in another few months and i will be staying there at least four days to a week.
Thank you very much for the comments Odette. It’s great to find someone else who enjoyed this place. It’s a cute spot and the price is right!
My wife and I stayed 3 nights in the master bedroom at Mahoe Villa in Feb 2017, We LOVED the place!! Such a pretty house hosted by a lovely lady called Keisha. She told us that they were about to to start on a refurbishment of all 11 rooms over the next few months. Our room was HUGE with a matching ensuite bathroom with a two person jacuzzi as well as a standard tub with shower, The room has its own door opening on to the beautiful marble timed terrace with a great view of the Caribbean.
We were allowed to look in several of the other rooms and some were looking ready for the upgrade – – but we look forward to staying again in 2018. We run a our own B&B in Bath England and can see great potential for the revived and utterly charming Mahoe Villa. Watch this space!!!
Jeff thank you so much for leaving this comment. It’s been years since I’ve been up that way in Ocho Rios so it’s nice to hear this place is doing well and still doing good business. I might have to go back and check it out again!