Ocean Eden Bay

This is a  true recollection of our trip to The Ocean Eden Bay Hotel, Montego Bay Jamaica 26th April to 10th May 2024. We have visited Jamaica on 3 pervious occasions, and loved Jamaica and its people so we decided on this hotel , as it was about 3 years old and offered 5* plus luxury,  we bought the Privilege package. On arrival at the hotel there was no one to greet us or hand us a cold drink, we made our way to reception, handed our passports over and was told, your Privilege Guests and informed to go to a scruffy desk in the corner of the reception area. (Not a good start). On approaching this desk we were met by a straight faced woman, without a smile of welcome, at this stage a young man, asked us if we would like a cold drink, the woman then went on and on about apps , then said if you loose your plastic tag it’s gonna cost $100 plus, (I can’t remember total cost). I explained to the woman we did not do apps, so how do we get information on hotel activities,  answer: its on the apps, ( I lost the will to live as we were tired from the journey ). On being taken to our room, we expected the lap of luxury,  upon entering we found a scruffy room, that appeared not to have been checked before our arrival. The sink was blocked,  the AC not working, a Bluetooth speaker, set at 1st January 2024 with wrong time showing, the wardrobe had a chunk of wood pulled out, bathroom door handle broken,  most of the furniture had chips out of the wood work, the marble top of dressing unit badly stained,  the door closer rusty. (Our 5* plus Privilege Room). The WC paper was so thin you required 6 sheets to do the job. There was not a box of tissues in the room, every other hotel we have ever stayed in, has those in the room for the ladies. We paid for the following Pillow menu (not offered), Turn down service out of 14 days we received this service 4 times, the method for making tea was a joke, we had to buy a kettle. No Ice buckets, staff are not allowed to bring ice to room after 2130 hours, can enter room before this time , not after, ( bit strange?) The mini bar did not stock Tonic, and a few times we had to ask for Vodka. We where unable to sit on the balcony at night as the lighting is controlled by a computer,  all other hotels let the guests decide on the balcony lighting, (Dark +Light = mosquitoes = BITES If you Book Privilege you do not get designated Butlers its a hit and miss service. At this point we went to the Privilege Restaurant for our  evening meal, staff lovely food OK. Next day we put these points to Rep, Janeek (Who really tried to get things sorted for us). Next evening we went to the Steakhouse for our meal, the table was filthy, the cutlery and glasses were stuck to the table, the food was inedible,  (we left no dinner.) Next evening we went the Sugar Cane Restaurant,  while it was clean, food arrived cold, waitress opened chicken put her finger in and said your right it is cold, (no dinner again.) Next night Privilege Restaurant,  food hot delicious,  staff great. Next night  Italian restaurant,  food hot delicious,  staff great. We thought we’re on a roll here.  The following evening thought we’d try the American restaurant Route 66, food cold inedible, ( no dinner again.) We also had lunch and some evening meals in both buffet restaurants , mostly warm not hot, however the soups were brilliant,  piping hot and delicious,  the main course of our substance during the stay. The Tui Rep, organised a meeting for me with one of the managers,  on putting these issues to him, he seemed to understand,  his answer was, We’ll upgrade your room and place a bottle of whisky in it. The Hotel informed the Tui Rep the issues had been resolved (untrue). Nothing was resolved,  not by a new scruffy room and a bottle of whisky. The Manager said that the reason the cutlery and glass wear stuck to the table in the Steakhouse was the cleaning fluid used to clean the tables, I said no, it was the filthy cloth the staff were using, not sanitising the cloth between use, the cutlery in the other restaurants did not stick to the tables. The hotel would not have purchased different cleaning materials for each of its restaurants. Upgraded Room Exactly the same type of scruffy room we were moved from, this again had the following issues, WC seat broken,  piece of shower unit missing , same marble top with huge cracks and dirty stains. Over looking a tip. My Wife hung her dress on the clothes hook in the bathroom and the hook fell out of the wall. We were required to make our own bed twice due to no cleaning service, the Hot Tub was not cleaned for 3 days , We had our own swimming bug collection. At the end of week 1, we requested a carton of milk from the un smiling woman at the privilege desk, she informed me it would be delivered,  that was at 1130 hours at 1630 hours  still no milk, so I contacted the Privilege desk , informed it’s on its way,  this was at 1730 hours  still no milk, so gave up, on going to the bar for pre dinner drink , bumped to concierge Romain, he immediately sorted the issue out, 6 ½ hours to deliver a carton of milk, (we really where being pampered in our 5*plus hotel). The hotel do not like leaving a lot water in the room, we had to ask on many occasions, for extra water as we drink a lot in tropical climates. The Management in this hotel do not hold a Managers Cocktails parties to meet the guests, I found this very rude. It shows Management has no interest in their guests. The Bars We used the Lobby bar and the Privilege lounge. Lobby bar Both ran out of drinks a few times, The Lobby bar, was unable to make a Mojito, due to no mint or limes. On going to wash my hands, I found no soap in the WC , I went to report it to customer services, when the woman on duty looked up from her mobile phone , I had to say 3 times there is no soap in the Gentleman’s. The floor in the Lobby bar had coffee stains on from  26th April and that were still there on 10th May 2024. Staff in the Lobby bar are more interested in the American / Canadian guests as they tip a dollar every time they get served. You do not receive small paper mats to place under your drinks to stop getting dripped on, unless you ask. I also saw barman handling over full bottles of alcohol to a young female guest, on one occasion.  The Hotel fills up with 18 / 20 old  Americans at weekends, as they can’t drink in US, so Lobby bar was full of screaming young girls , who when asked to turn it down bit became abusive on the verge of violence.   The Privilege lounge. Nice quiet area, however they did run out of Vodka, on one occasion, the barman was not interested,  but a concierge called Daniel,  organised a resupply. The AC broke down, in the lounge, I reported this fault 4 times it took over 40 hours for it to be repaired. MEETING I did have a meeting with a Senior Manger, he came to the meeting without a pen or paper to take down our concerns,  which to me meant he was having the meeting to pacify  the Moaning Brit, he really was not interested in what I had to say, the meeting was a complete waste of time. I also said we felt that the hotel was run down and had a fear factor , 2/3s of the staff never smiled or made eye contact, or even said hi to guests in passing, on speaking to a few members of staff, I asked what happen to the Jamaican way, the Irie , yer mon greetings,  we were used to on our previous visits. The staff informed me that the management doesn’t like the staff talking in Jamaican in front of the guests. (The Hotel is Spanish owned). I informed the Senior Manager, we felt discriminated against as we were elderly and did not use apps , we did not have any information regarding the hotel, he said they have it on paper at reception,  I explained as I paid for a 5* PLUS experience,  I didn’t feel I should be running to reception,  to read a piece of paper it should be delivered to the rooms.  I then explained the hotel should put it on the televisions,  just like other 5* hotels. The Show in the Theatre was brilliant. The Staff 2/3s  were more interested in there mobile phones than the guests and have difficulty with smiling. They need to bring back the Happy go lucky smiling Jamaican ways the reason we returned to Jamaica.       To sum up. 1.      This hotel is Not for the British, its predominantly for Americans and Canadians on a 4/5/7 trip, and young Americans on party weekends,  its definitely not a 14 day  holiday for the British. 2.       If you go take your own Toilet paper. 3.      If you drink a lot of tea take your own kettle. 4.      The soup in the buffets is hot  and delicious. The Jamaican night was rubbish only small amount jerk chicken and  Jamaican food, and that was cold, no street market. Certainly not what we where expecting. We felt we were in a run down hotel about 20 years old , somewhere in Europe, only difference was the sun, its cheap and tacky not worth the money, not the Luxury 5*plus holiday we envisaged. When we arrived we found The General Manager, had left a note in the room with a cheap bottle of wine, part of the note said: Hoping to make your stay with us a Unique and Unforgettable Experience,  we surly had that. We even went as far to get a private car to the airport early to escape. The people that write, that this hotel is brilliant , I believe must have very low expectations in life , or spend a lot of time at the bar. TOP TIP. Please go to Jamaica,  but don’t stay in  this hotel if you truly want a 5*plus holiday.   Read less

This hotel exceeded our expectations! It was my husband and I first time in Jamaica and it did not disappoint! We had such a great time in the beautiful island, the staff was so friendly and courteous to everyone, we felt welcomed everywhere. Since we have been back we keep singing the praises of Ocean Eden Bay and Delta vacations. Everyone exceeded our expectations! The Ocean Eden Bay staff were so gracious, helpful and a pleasure! Katty-Ann greeted us daily with warm and kind smile in the dining hall. Shimoya was such an amazing chef there! She made sure my food was made fresh and with love every morning. Her smile was so beautiful and her touch on the food was just needed! Monique and Sandra in the housekeeping department were so thorough and meticulous in our room. And most importantly trustworthy which is so appreciative! So blessed to have experience Jamaica this way. The worst part for us was making our way back to America and leaving paradise. Read less