everything was excellent.The food was amazing.The beach was clean.The enterament was good.The people were great.Lots of fun meeting new friends.The jerk chicken was amazing.The staff and servers were all great.They sure know how to welcome guests.
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Nunya -
Verified Purchaser
Best resort I have stayed at !
The hotel was well kept, the rooms were awesome and the beach was right there !! Room service was included and the food was delicious. Lots of options even gluten free! My boyfriend was very happy about that ! Everyone welcomes you home .. Nice touch ! I would go back no problem :)
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Momma Kathy -
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Spectacular
Everything was great from the staff, to the facility to the food, to the activities. Thoroughly enjoyed 2 staff in particular, Leo and Baby Boi. The water sports were plentiful and carefully monitored.
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TDawg -
Verified Purchaser
Secrets St James
This hotel was fabulous! A real gem in Montego Bay. 15 minute drive from the airport and secured gate for safety. It was also great to have 9 restaurants to choose to eat dinner at rather than a buffet style. There were 4 pools and several little inlets that you could lay at on the beach. The rooms were larger than normal with a full sitting area, AMAZING king size bed and a free sitting tub that you could soak in with your loved one and watch tv at the same time. Shower was separate and was mar[... read more]ble tiled and had a rain shower head coming from the ceiling. Toilet was also separate so consider the room to be extremely private no matter what you are doing. The staff were super friendly and nobody bothered you unless you invited them to. Great place to stay and I would honestly book another trip there in a heartbeat! Enjoy yourself to those of you who travel there in the future.
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Pattricia -
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Absolutely beautiful resort. Wonderful staff.
The restaurants were delicious. No reservations needed. The beds around the pool are very comfortable. The rooms are very well kept and it is wonderful to have your own balcony to sit out on in the morning to drink your coffee.
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Angusn -
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Secret St. James, Jamaica was amazing.
This is the first time we were in Jamaica and the experience was absolutely great. We showed up and were well looked after. Check in was a breeze. Going to our room we had our bags delivered so after getting situated we explored the resort. Walking around the grass, trees and other greenery were well maintained. No garbage or eye-sores anywhere to be seen. We made our way to the beach which was free from rocks and other forms of debris which made it very nice on the feet. The water was clean and[... read more] clear and very refreshing to swim in. After swimming in the ocean, we moved to the pool which was like the ocean, refreshing. The pool was always clean with no flowers, plants, leaves or beach sand. There were floating mats available to relax on and towels readily available to dry off with or to lay on over the beach chairs. The rooms were fantastic and room service was in every day to make the bed, change the towels if necessary and refill the fridge. Then in the evening we had turn down service which made for slipping into bed really nice after a day on the beach. There were 5 restaurants, 2 poolside restaurants and a burger shack. The food in all were extremely delicious, believe me, I sampled all venues more than once. There were lots of games and contests through out the week to stay busy with as well as nightly entertainment from different bands and circus performers. Also there were movies playing every night outside in the common square under the starlight. All staff were extremely friendly and helpful. They all seemed to be having good days, and if they weren't, you couldn't tell. I liked the fact that the beach was private and you didn't have any of the annoying, in your face, harass you till you buy something or tell them off merchants trying to sell you over prices stuff. You could actually enjoy yourself on the beach without this worry. There was staff there to help you with setting up excursions if you chose.
Nothing is perfect, as with this trip, there was really only one thing that stood out as an issue. 3 days into our vacation a leak appeared between the frosted glass partition separating the shower from the toilet area. We told the front desk about this but in the remaining 4 days, the problem was never fixed. The leak was that bad that a large puddle would form even after 2 - 3 minutes that stretched all the way to the toiled. This meant wet feet/socks/shoes. It was to the point we had to keep putting towels down so our feet wouldn't continually be wet.
Outside of the 4/5 for "Rooms", everything was a 5/5. I would definitely go again.
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Charblondie -
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Fantastic Time at Secrets Spa Resort Jamaica
A group of 73 people stayed May 9-16, 2015 at Secrets Spa Resort St. James Montego Bay. The resorts grounds are immaculate, the rooms are huge and kept clean & the bar fridge always stocked. The food was very good with lots of it. No one can ever complain about the food or the drinks. The staff were extremely friendly - the Bar Pool guy Leo was Outstanding- always brought us drinks & an amazing guy all around. (Don't ever lose Leo) . Free excursions, wi-5, free calls what more do you want. Alway[... read more]s room at the pool & you don't have to reserve seats they have plenty of them.
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Klyoung12 -
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Outstanding resort!!
The resort was amazing. The service was prompt and all the staff were very friendly. Lots and activities included. Snorkelling was great. Food was over the top. I loved the French restaurant the best. Loved every minute.
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Honeybunny55 -
Verified Purchaser
Trip to remember....
This is a very nice resort with well kept grounds & very polite & friendly helpful staff. Beach & the water was the best ever. Lots of shade & chairs on beach & by the pool. Food was wonderful with good choices for everyone.
Rooms are very comfortable & clean.
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Clowdea -
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Minimal attention to detail and poor service
As regular visitors to Mexico, this was our first trip to Jamaica. Note that we’ve been to many 5 star resorts, including Paradisus and El Dorado Royale.
For those that 1) are just happy to be down South, or 2) haven't been to too many 5 star all inclusives, then you will enjoy your experience at St. James. We, on the other hand, paid attention to the details and made comparisons to other hotels. Needless to say, we do not plan to visit Jamaica again after comparing the value we received to t[... read more]he amount we paid vs. other destinations/resorts.
Service (2/5): This was our biggest let down, starting from check-in (at the preferred section) to the lack of ability of staff to deal with additional requests. If I had to estimate, 75% of staff members did not seem happy to be working or willing to go above and beyond.
As an example, our sushi came to us old (the rice had hardened). A manager came to us to see how things were going, and we mentioned our concern with the food. The waiter or manager did not come back to our table for 30 minutes, and we were just left sitting there even though we were told that someone would return… We were just hoping to order another dish – but with no service, we ended up leaving.
When we requested a change in sides for our romantic dinner on the beach, the concierge kept rolling her eyes. My husband is celiac, and one of the side dishes was described (online) to be dusted in flour. The staff acted as if we were spoiled for requesting a modification to the order.
When going to our second tennis lesson, there was a different gentleman sitting at the courts. We weren’t sure if he was a guest waiting to meet someone to play, or if he was the instructor. Overall, it appeared that he wanted to sit for two hours without doing anything. We ended up asking him if he wanted to play - after which he introduced himself as the instructor. He was a very nice man, but he did not come prepared to the lesson to actually teach/do drills.
Our list of examples of below average staff behaviour goes on throughout our two week stay. Training is needed by the resort so that the staff have proper responses to questions or concerns that may arise throughout their guest’s stay.
Facility (5/5): Overall, the resort is visually appealing. The SPA’s water therapy session was fantastic. The grounds and pools were clean. Note that Wild Orchid is closer to all restaurants and nightly entertainment, while St. James is towards the SPA/tennis courts (approximately 5 minute walk to the main nightly entertainment area).
Room (4/5): The room was standard for a five star, excluding the fact that the robes were ripped, scales were broken (we made 6 requests to have our scale replaced so we could weigh our luggage), and functionality issues with 3 irons/steamers. These examples are minor – but this resort definitely lacked attention to detail. For those staying with friends or family members – note that there is minimal privacy between the bedroom and bathroom area.
Food (3/5): There is a lot of food to eat, but our experiences were either a hit or a miss. Food was likely to come out cool, and not always fresh, and our experiences were quite inconsistent. Returning food to be warmed up was just a waste of time - it would never come back hot. If you would like a good piece of steak, go to the French restaurant (Bordeaux).
Bar (3/5): There was a lack of consistency in how the drinks were made at the bars. The plastic glasses were not washed properly (and visibly dirty - occasionally with brown film).
Beach (4/5): For us, the beach was great. For those that want to walk for miles, note that this beach is restricted to the hotel grounds only.
Entertainment (3/5): The nightly entertainment was good, but the daytime activities need a revamping! Activities like "napkin folding" and "tie dye" sessions do not attract many participants.
Preferred Service Section (3/5): Note that all rooms face the ocean. We enjoyed our tub on the balcony, heated pool in our section, and breakfast area (for a quick, simple time saving meal). There is no benefit to the private check-in. Overall, I am unsure if it was financially worth upgrading.
Crowd: This hotel has a mix of everyone - all ages can make new friends if they are willing to engage others.
Overall – we had a nice holiday, but we were surprised by the lack of attention to details and quality of service and food. We will not be returning to St. James or another Secrets resort.
For the most perfect holidays, select club privilege for an upgrade room. Everything is perfect at the St James resort but notice that room need renovations. The washroom running, shower titles, drape were to difficult to open and halls needs painting.
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L Squared -
Verified Purchaser
Amazing Resort. Best Vacation!!!
We had the most amazing vacation at Secrets St. James. The resort was beautiful, easy layout and everything was within walking distance. The staff went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. The food in the restaurants exceeded our expectations, even the room service was great. I loved their jerk chicken and pineapple pizza.Our favorite restaurant was the Italian. The rooms were large and the bed was so comfortable. The beach was perfect. The loungers were very comfortable so you c[... read more]an lay around all day. They had top shelf liquor. Our favorite drinks were Bob Marley, Dirty Banana and Jamaican Love. We will definitely be back!!!
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Greatwhitenorthtravler14 -
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Excellent Resort
Great Food, lots of different choices.Room services for food and drinks was great..they just kept bringing the Red Stripe beer. All employees were friendly and helpful., rooms were great.. Nothing bad to say..
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Lkbw -
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Lovely Resort
The oceanview room was fantastic with a brilliant room service set up. Dining was always a pleasure at all restaurants and reservations were never a problem. Outdoor music by the lounge was enjoyable and the availability of liquers was positive.
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Terri -
Verified Purchaser
Great Resort! wonderfully relaxing!
Dream do come true! Spent 10 days of pure relaxation at this resort. Many eating establishments with French cuisine and local favorites. Beach areas were beautiful. Coconut and jerk chicken carts along the boardwalks were scrumptious!
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Steve -
Verified Purchaser
Had an amazing time! :)
We went on our Honeymoon and we were blown away. Just an amazing resort from the food, staff and the grounds. We would return there for sure, and would recommend this place for Honeymooners, Anniversaries, new couples or even just to rekindle there relationships. :)