I had a very disappointing experience at Sandals. I wrote to their Customer Service team to provide honest and constructive feedback instead of posting a review. Their automated response stated they'll respond within 5 business days, but I guess my feedback didn't warrant a response. I wouldn't want others to experience the same issues, especially the resort is quite costly. So, I will post the same e-mail I sent to Sandals Customer Service here for your review so you can see what you can expect:
Sent 9/8 via e-mail:
Hi- I took your survey, but I thought I would take an extra 10 minutes to provide some honest feedback about our experience @ Sandals Montego Bay. I hope you understand, there is no malintent for sharing our experience. I truly hope to provide honest feedback to help others have a better experience. If you don’t know, you can’t improve, right?
When we arrived in Jamaica, we were swiftly greeted by the ClubMo team member who helped us get our bags and get to the Sandals team. We didn’t have to wait long until we got in a private care and were taken to the resort. Although we arrived before check-in time, our room was ready and we were escorted up in a relatively quick timeframe. We were met by Oshane, who was 1 of our 2 butlers (Dane was the 2nd). Oshane gave us a quick tour and escorted us to our room. Our room was stunning! Very clean and spacious. The housekeeping staff did a really great job during our stay of keeping everything clean and keeping fresh linens and towels stocked for us.
The bed was VERY hard….too hard. I paid almost $4500 total for 5 nights for a bed that literally killed our backs. You’re making a lot of money, so you should be able to put more luxury mattresses in the rooms (especially the millionaire butler room). My back is still sore from sleeping on the mattress for 5 nights. The pillows were also horrible…..pokey, and not comfortable at all. FYI, when we left Jamaica, we went to a Marriott in Orlando, and it was like night and day on the beds….it was incredibly comfortable, and a LOT less expensive.
The grounds were very beautiful and well kept. We really enjoyed stopping to see the Toucans and one of the groundskeepers told us we could give it almonds, so that was a fun treat. I could’ve lived without the airplanes flying overhead so loudly, but I understand that’s due to the proximity to the airport. The beach in front of our room was beautiful, and we really enjoyed floating in the ocean there (except we both got sick, so we were only able to go in the ocean once).
The food was ok, but really just ok. Our butler recommended Oleander (which was pretty decent), and was able to get us reservations for the Steakhouse (which was good). Other than those 2 places, the food was just “ok”. It was nice that you had a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, but again, we expected better food for the amount of $$ we paid. One thing I want to mention was Tokyo Joes. That was one restaurant we really looked forward to trying. While I know that it has GOT to be hot for the chefs behind the grill, our chef was sweating, and his sweat was getting all over our food. He clearly didn’t recognize it, but it really grossed us out. PLEASE invest in fans or A/C or something for them.
The water was shut off for several hours one day which was a problem because we really had to use the restroom, and really wanted to wash off before taking a nap. In addition, the air conditioner was really tough to turn on and off, and even to change the temperature up. We would go out into the hot/humid outdoors and then come in and be freezing in the room. We both got sick on day 2, and 15 days later, I am STILL sick with bronchitis.
We came down for the entertainment one evening after coming back from dinner. It was the couples show which was funny, and the entertainment hosts did a great job hyping up the crowd. The singers after that had wonderful voices, and the entertainment Manager CRUSHED it! He was great, and fun! Part of the reason we chose Sandals Montego Bay was because we heard about the fun entertainment. We must’ve missed it. There was no dancing, which is one of the things we love to do together. Also, the entertainment seemed to start really late. I would recommend maybe starting it a little sooner.
Ok, the butlers and the transportation….. first off, I didn’t originally book a butler room because it seemed extravagant and too expensive. But, a week or so before the deal, I got an email about a room upgrade on sale, and decided to take the opportunity to experience an upgraded room and the butler service for another $450 total or so. I’m really glad I did. Oshane and Dane were great! Oshane is such a nice young man, and we really appreciated his great attitude and his humbleness. One evening, he prepared an amazing bath for us with flower pedals and bubble bath – he had coordinated with our driver from the excursion to Mystic Mountain. That was a really special experience. He always ensured we had afternoon snacks, and was very attentive. Sandals saw something great in that young man, and so did we! Our 2nd butler, Dane was really funny and also ensured we were stocked and ready to go at the beach! These two young men really MADE our trip! Please let them know how much we appreciated their hospitality.
Our driver on the excursion, Delroy was fantastic! He was super friendly and told us all about the island on our way to Mystic Mountain. Our 2nd taxi driver, Devon was AMAZING. What a gentleman! He took us to the market, walked with us, gave us instructions on how to not overspend and to remain safe. He’s a GEM! These two drivers did a fantastic job representing the Sandals brand. I hope they get recognized for their integrity and amazing service.
I’m really disappointed that we had a lack-luster experience with the resort. I know Sandals works hard to maintain a positive brand. I hope you take our feedback as constructive. We wish our experience had been different so we could’ve come back to your resort in the future. We wish you blessings, and nothing but the best of luck.
Since we didn't ever receive a response, I sent a follow up e-mail on 9/19:
I’m genuinely disappointed that Sandals didn’t feel compelled to review and respond to my e-mail that you received (where we were trying to give honest and constructive feedback). Considering the amount of money we have previously spent at Sandals, the lack of response indicates that customer service is clearly not a priority to your organization. Very unfortunate. I will move forward to writing a formal review. Thank you for your time.
