Ocean Eden Bay

I had a wonderful experience and it’s my second visit to this resort. I have recommended it and will definitely return in the future. Romain was great, I really enjoyed the butler service provided through Privilege

Note: We went the end of May and it was pretty empty, which was great, no crowds fighting for pool space or reservations, but lacking the excitement of participation in pool activities. Beautiful property with an enormous pool. Plenty of seating, complimentary pool mats, music, swim up bar, volleyball net. Hotel has many options to eat, but lunch hours are strange. The Boulevard is nice because the restaurants, shops, entertainment all take place there. It is like a mini-town. The issue was that the buffets for breakfast close at 10:30-11:00 and don't open for lunch until 12:30. That is prime lunch time. One option is room service, but we didn't want to go back to the room in the middle of the day and wait for 45mn. However, Ocean Eats is a fabulous idea with good food but it's only available until 10:00 pm. There is a small hut that sells jerk chicken near the beach at Coral Springs, but it's a bit of a walk and there is a line early. They ran out of chicken so we had to wait 20 mn for them to cook a new batch. It was average. The jerk chicken at Marlin in Ocean Eden Bay is much better, but they only serve chicken breast on certain days. The buffets are fabulous. They offer a wide variety, and stations for freshly prepared omelettes, stir-fry, pasta, taco bar, Indian, jerk chicken, etc. We went to Sakura twice with reservations, and both times we had to wait 45mn. The frustrating part was that there were 2 empty tables and they didn't even start to clean one of them for 30mns after it was empty. The cook did not perform the typical fun temppanyaki experience and our table was boring both nights. The food is average. But, shout out to Lydia, she was our server both times and is kind and attentive. Marlin on the beach was nice, food was good from Route 66 that is open late. The Steakhouse was pretty good, had the best barbaccoa tacos, so good our entire table of 6 ordered them. Our server Donette was great there too and the song for the birthdays is fun. The front desk staff and valet were really helpful and pleasant. Service at the bars is hit or miss. You're better off leaving pool bar to go to the other bar outside because it's much quicker. Unless you are really picky, the upgrade to top shelf liquor isn't necessary. They served Skyy and Absolut vodka included in the regular package, and good quality rum if you ask for it. For the most part, the majority of the people working there seem like they are absolutely miserable. Barely anyone greets you when you pass by. Most of the bartenders at the pool bar seem annoyed to take your order, I tried to get them to smile but they weren't interested in being happy, the pool bar and lobby ran out of many bottles that you'd expect them to have. The entertainment was the highlight and Billy who runs it is amazing. He gets everyone pumped up to join in the activities, and they are really interactive and fun. You even win prizes. He seemed to be in charge of all of it and he always had a smile on his face. The entertainment offers a wide variety, pool aerobics, foam party, contests for prizes, bingo, fireworks, white party, pool volleyball, beach volleyball, and the nightly performances were great. Due to the wind, all beach activities were cancelled and I was the only one who got up early for yoga but no one else was there, so it was cancelled. The Jamaican party and foam party were so much fun. One thing that was disappointing was that you have to pay extra for a lot of things. The fresh coconut or pineapple drinks, the dinner show at Senses, hookah at the Disco, Virtual Reality experiences, room service after 10:00. Where it went downhill were some of the guests. We were on the adult side which was great, giant pool, no screaming children. But, if you're looking for a relaxing experience to read a book, which is what we had expected on the adult side, there were a lot of rowdy groups of people all week who were obnoxious, loud, requesting inappropriate music at the pool. They took up the entire pool bar without any concern for others in line trying to get a drink. This is not the hotel's fault, but I was surprised to see this at such a nice resort. Jamaica was not like that years ago. The beach is rocky, like really rocky, and there are only a couple of sections where you can walk. Plus, it's roped off pretty close to the beach so there's not much space for many people. However, service at the beach was great. Overall, it's a great value for those who like to eat and drink a lot. We paid $1700 pp from Fort Lauderdale including flight, booking on Expedia. Our room had an ocean peek and mountain views, which were lovely. The hotel is not close to anything to do. If you take a tour to Negril, note that it is a LONG bus ride. Ours ended up close to 3 hours. Also, all transportation to the airport requires you to get there 3 hours early, so note that you will have plenty of time of time at the airport. And book a shuttle ahead, it's expensive at the hotel.