Great resort. The people are friendly and treat you like family. It is small and personal. There is no private beach, but you can go to the other properties to enjoy the beach. The food at the three properties is good. Make sure to go out on excursions to see something other than the resort. You will really enjoy yourself.

My husband and I have just returned from a trip to Jamaica... We had planned to travel to Jamaica to get married and could not be happier with our hotel selection! We chose the Sandals Inn, in Montego Bay.

We arrived at the airport expecting to be overwhelmed and unsure of where to go... but there were people waiting right outside of customs for us. We were ushered to a Sandals private lounge to relax with a drink while our bags were taken care of. We had nothing to worry about! Dominic gathered our bags for us, ensured that we had our claim tags for each and had them waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived.

When we arrived at the Sandals Inn we were served drinks in an air conditioned lounge area while Dalton gave us a run down on what we could expect during our stay. He informed us of the tours that were coming up and different attractions we may be interested in. He really put us at ease!

From there, our stay was better and better! We went upstairs to change out of our travel clothes and enjoy the amenities of the hotel. We made our way out to the outdoor bar where we quickly became acquainted with Omar, Jonathan and Dacre... our bartenders. These guys were fantastic! They really bring great personalities and a lot of fun with them! We looked forward to heading out to the bar to visit with them each day. It is so nice to have specific hotel staff that you look forward to seeing.

The entire staff at Sandals Inn was amazing. Every time I went around a corner I had someone greeting me with "Hello Princess, how are you doing?" Or "Hi beautiful lady... is everything okay?" The entire staff seemed genuinely interested in how our stay was going and if we had everything we needed. It was a very warm, caring atmosphere.

Latoya and Sasha both sat with us one on one to make sure that our trips, tours and dinners were well planned.

Latoya did an amazing job getting our wedding coordinated! She went over everything with us and handled it all like a pro... all we had to do was show up. It was much more beautiful than I had imagined. We had originally been thinking that we would be married on the beach, but instead we opted for the beautiful gardens there at the resort.

Also, all around the resort you would see the cutest girl running around with a big smile and a warm hug making sure that everything was running smoothly and everyone was taken care of. Lisa (the assistant manager) was a doll! She really took the time to make everyone feel right at home.

I would also like to add a VERY special thank you to two other employees of the Sandals Inn. Kevin (the grounds keeper) was one of my very favorite people at the resort. You can really see how much he enjoys people and how much pride he takes in his work. He and Latoya created beautiful bouquets for our wedding ceremony from all of the gorgeous foliage around the Inn.

The other special thank you is to Orlando who is a waiter at the Inn. He may not remember us... but we definitely will remember him. All of the staff had a way of making us feel spoiled and special... but he really went out of his way to watch out for us while we were dining.

We visited three other resorts while we were in Jamaica... Negril, Montego Bay and The Royal Caribbean... but overall our favorite was Sandals Inn. It may be smaller and more quaint... but the staff was so much warmer and friendlier at the Inn. Overall I was extremely impressed by the friendliness and the professionalism of the staff. There is a genuine warmth and friendliness that I am not accustomed to seeing in the U.S.

I had booked this hotel based on all the good reviews, and the reviews favoring Sandals Inn over Sandals Montego Bay or Royal Caribbean. What a mistake. I'll start with the bad so my warning doesn't get lost in the review. There are good points, too, but they did not outweigh the bad for me.
CONS:
1. Worst night of sleep I've ever had. The hotel is directly across the (dead-end) street from a public beach. What this means is that people are driving up and down the street at all hours, radios blaring. (Believe me, I'm not an oldster that doesn't enjoy music, but I mean BLARING.) Someone's car alarm went off EVERY 15 - 20 minutes. There is no quieter place, as the rooms horseshoe around the pool area, and all face the beach. I had spent seven previous nights in Negril, and was well rested, relaxed and happy. One night at Sandals Inn reduced me to a cranky, over-tired, stressed mess. And this was after sleeping pills and ear plugs. Terrible. Also, the sheets don't fit the bed. Five minutes of being in bed, the fitted sheet came up and wouldn't stay on the mattress. A small annoyance, but at the price point, the sheets should stay on the mattress.

2. Going to the public beach would NOT be a relaxing day. We spent the day at Sandals Montego Bay. The beach was lovely, clean, and the service was prompt.

3. The first night we were there, the only dinner option was either the grill, or a buffet dinner. We went to Sandals Montego Bay and had a wonderful dinner. The second night we went to Sandals Royal Caribbean, and also had a great candlelight dinner out by the water. Both properties were WAY more luxurious than Sandals Inn.

4. No free internet use - you have to purchase a card. Really? Come on. We stayed at Couples Negril, which had a large (free) internet room available 24 hours a day.

PROS: The staff were very welcoming, friendly and polite. The shuttle vans to the other properties were frequent and timely, as was the van to the airport. The room was clean and fairly comfortable. The pool was very nice - warm and clean. Overall if this property was on the beach like the other Sandals properties, it would have been much much better. The noise and the lack of immediate access to the beach were huge drawbacks for me.

If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing location, this is NOT it. If noise and a public beach, and buffet meals don't bother you, then this location is just fine. It just wasn't for me. I regretted my decision to stay there the entire time I was there, but was able to enjoy myself in the pool and at the other properties. Also, the balconies are NOT private - from many of them you can see directly into other rooms.

First thing's first-- Problems started immediately upon check-in... We were invited into the air-conditioned lounge upon arrival, and cool drinks were offered, but when Dalton went to run our AmEx for room incidentals and excursions, the entire vacation went downhill very quickly. My fiance and I were very diligent with paying off the card prior to our departure so we could keep vacation costs to one credit card.. That being said, we had over $1,000 available on t he credit line.. Minutes after Dalton took our AmEx to check us in, he returned telling us it had been declined. Needless to say we were more than shocked, but wrote it off as perhaps a mistake--we KNEW we had just paid it off, so something must not have gone through... right?? (I'll get back to this later...)

Dalton then took my Visa debit card to check us in, and everything was apparently fine with that card.. We were then told it was too early to check in, and to enjoy the bar or Nibbles the "snack bar".. We waited more than 10 minutes for drinks at the Sunset Bar before we wandered over to NIbbles for a sandwich. I was surprised to say the least by the reviews that I had read online prior to our departure, for the service was supposed to be unbelievable! Dacre, the bartender wasn't busy making drinks for the 10+ minutes we waited; he was moseying around the bar, talking to the two other guests that were obviously more than a little over-intoxicated. In other words, it wasn't as if he had a line of 25 people waiting to be served..

When we were finally shown to our room, the accommodations were simply average at best. The view was nice (we were on the third floor with a view of the ocean) if you looked past the local hang-out on the street and under the excessive power lines, to the right of the ocean front resort across the street. The bathroom looked like a standard Motel 6 beauty complete with dingy green tile, and an old, decrepit sink and bathtub. Definitely needs an upgrade..

Dinners have to be eaten elsewhere, as the two restaurants, Bay Window and The Carlyle are absolutely dismal.. We were told the shuttle to MoBay and Royal Caribbean left each hour on the half hour, but it takes a break at 12:30, 5:30, and 8:30, so if you need to go to dinner, or come back to your room afterwards, you''re stranded--that is unless you want to pay $10 per person for a taxi one-way for an 8-minute ride... I still don't understand why other drivers simply don't cover for the "breaks" instead of closing the shuttle down completely at what appears to be the busiest times of the day for meals.. Because of this break, we ordered room service most nights to tide us over until we could leave for dinner at one of the other resorts.. That experience was laughable... If you call room service, be prepared to wait at least an hour for your ham sandwich and Coke. And don't be surprised if you get something you didn't order, or half of your order is missing... That's just how room service goes at Sandals Inn...

One of the main things my fiance and I wanted to do while on vacation was to look into a destination wedding at one of the Sandals properties (DEFINITELY NOT Sandals Inn!!!), so we made appointments at MoBay and later in the week at Negril to meet with wedding planners. At MoBay we waited an hour in the wedding office for someone, and we eventually left to grab the shuttle back to our resort... Where's the customer service I kept reading about?!?! On Saturday, we decided to go to Negril to meet with another planner, so we purchased the Negril excursion through the tour desk, with our host Dalton. The trip was nice, and we saw what a REAL Sandals is like (unlike the Inn, which is a joke) in Negril. Unfortunately, the wedding planned we were told we had an appointment with at 3:00PM, had no idea she had an appointment. One of the ladies at the guest services desk supposedly called Negril to schedule an appointment, but when we showed up at the wedding office for our appointment, we were told NO ONE at Sandals Inn had called to make an appointment, or had spoken with Charmaine, who we were told we had the appointment with.... Luckily, Charmaine was nice enough to stop her work and meet with us for an hour pouring through wedding packages and locations on the property. We had spent $130 to speak with someone in Negril (the cost of the tour), so we were more than relieved that Charmaine offered us her time.

While in Negril, we tried to purchase something on our AmEx at the gift shop, and surprise, surprise, our card was declined... We then went to the front desk and were connected to Bank of America, when we were then told that the card did indeed have a $400 hold on it from our check in at the Inn (Even though Dalton told us it wouldn't go through), and an additional $200 on my debit card... We had used the AmEx at Margaritaville and other off-property dining and shopping earlier in the week, and with the $400 pending hold, we were maxxed out. Needless to say, we were furious!! We were put through to the Inn and complained about it, and we were told my Jason at the front desk it would be removed immediately.. When we got back to the Inn we tried calling Bank of America again, but as an international call, the Inn wouldn't connect us at the front desk (as they gladly did in Negril!). We purchased an internet card the next day to check the statement online, and it still hadn't been removed.. So we called Bank of America from our cell phone and we were told that to have the $400 hold removed, we would need to have Sandals Inn contact them. We were told again it would be done immediately, and we've been back 2 days now and the hold is STILL on the AmEx.. I'm utterly baffled..... Being on somewhat of a budget (thus the reason to stay the Sandals Inn!) we couldn't spend hardly any money while on vacation because of the $600 in holds on both cards..

So much more happened that detracted from our vacation that I feel like I could go on and on... Next time we vacation IF it's at a Sandals, it will be at Negril or Whitehouse.. Most certainly not Sandals Inn. They ruined our vacation by so many little (and not so little!!!) things! I would NOT recommend this resort to anyone. Certainly not for those looking for romance or to get married..

In reference to other reviewers that commented about being asked for tips, I was surprised myself that Dalton our tour director to Negril asked for tips repeatedly! If $130 wasn't enough for transportation to Sandals Negril and to be dropped off for 4 hours, without him in sight... Why should I tip him?? I already paid, and he's employed by Sandals, so doesn't that make him ineligible for tips from guests anyway????

Just stay away from Sandals Inn... It may be much better at other locations, but I'm not sure I want to spend thousands of dollars to be so disappointed again.. They'll be getting an earful from both myself and my fiance.