Would you like to wash your stress right out of your hair?

If you’re looking for a full vacation or just a quick getaway, an all-inclusive trip to adults-only Beaches Grande Sport at Ciboney may be just what you need to wash the world away.

Our discriminating and well-traveled party of eight ­ one couple, three single career women and three young adults ­ all found just what they wanted to do at Beaches in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We located our very accommodating travel agent, Penny Sheldon, and made all arrangements over the Internet.

Upon arrival, you are escorted into the lobby of the Great House, where you are asked to be seated for check-in and served a refreshing island drink. As part of your welcome package, you are given a Beaches tote filled with generously sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, bath gel and sunburn-soothing aloe vera gel.

Stuccoed villas dot the mountainside, surrounded by lush, tropical landscaping and mature trees. As you stroll through the maze of pathways around the property, you see bananas hanging from trees, brilliant firecracker trees and untold varieties of blooming ginger, hibiscus, orchids, jasmine and clematis. Colorful bougainvillea cascades in giant walls of magenta, orange and white. Many varieties of bananas, ferns and palms fill in the gaps.

Our first evening was magical. We met for drinks on the second-floor patio of the Great House, where we shared stories of the afternoon as the sun set over the ocean and were cooled by steady breezes. Being southerners, we were amazed there were absolutely no mosquitoes or other biting bugs ­ not even evidence of them around the perfectly clean fans and light fixtures.

We then adjourned downstairs to the Manor House restaurant, where the cooks prepare your meal in an open kitchen. Being the friendly and food-loving Louisianans we are, we bonded with the smiling cooks and wait staff and almost wound up in the kitchen as we peppered them with questions about the contents and preparation of the evening’s Caribbean-flavored menu items. The Jamaicans were eager and proud to share their specialties, and we noticed many similarities between our cuisines, such as the liberal use of spices and peppers and ingredients like beans, rice and okra.

We fully explored the exotic and imaginative menu, and our smiling, attentive waiter was more than happy to provide more of anything our hearts desired, including a complete sampling of the desserts.

Every time (and this goes for every meal) we asked, “What’s good today?” or “What should I try?” we were steered correctly by the knowledgeable staff.

We did Aquafit classes in the pool with Beaches’ crazy fitness trainer Winston, who’s got a set of lungs you just have to hear to believe. Maxine, the visiting trainer, gave the gals an arm workout that I swear got rid of a couple of inches of that flab hanging down.

And then it was back to the spa, for a soothing sunburn wrap for those who had indulged too much, manicures and pedicures. I got something called a “power facial.” It must have worked … All I can tell you is someone asked me if I lost weight and got a facelift on my vacation, and we didn’t miss an opportunity to eat the entire time we were there! We were physically tired and very relaxed by dinner, so we chose the Manor House again. Our table for eight was situated under the stars, which are very brilliant because of the lack of city lights in Jamaica, and a cool breeze blew up from the ocean. The meal once again was worthy of an exclusive restaurant in the states.

While we were disappointed that it was time to leave, the resort made it easy for us to continue to enjoy ourselves until our bus left for the airport. The resort allowed us access to our rooms until absolutely the last minute, so we were able to squeeze in one more big breakfast, more swimming and more spa time, followed by one more big lunch in the air-conditioned comfort of the Marketplace. Air Jamaica check-in was a breeze at Beaches, and we were able to get the seat assignments we desired for the return trip.

We hated to leave the beautiful surroundings and friendly staff at Beaches, but the time to go had come. Again and again, members of our crew remarked about the fabulous value we had gotten for our off-season vacation dollar. On the bus back to the airport, our driver asked

“Will you come back?”

He was deafened with the response

“Yea, mon.”

 

 

Penny's Trip Report:

The property is beautiful and the staff very friendly. It's not as big of a property as it looks, and it's very easily walked - although jitneys are available to drive you around it 24 hours a day. 

The resort offers many things that other properties do not. Things like Rastafarian cooking classes, golf fitness classes, pilates classes in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, nature walks, kick boxing, step classes, the list goes on and on. You name it, it's offered here. There's also a 30 foot rock climbing wall with 7 different routes ranging from beginner to expert . You'll find a 5 acre mountain biking area with front suspension Schwinn's available for your use. Mountain biking experts have made the course more technical and also teach some classes and fitness sessions.

The spa has been renovated and offers full service facilities as well as fitness oriented services. The fitness center is broken into a weight room, cardio room, air conditioned squash/racquetball courts and aerobics gym with their own juice bar serving fresh squeezed juices and smoothies.

There are 34 rooms in the Manor House which is the main building, the remainder of the rooms are villas spread throughout the property. These villas are arranged in one bedroom villas which are two on the first floor and two on the second floor. All four rooms share a full sized pool.

The Two bedroom villas are all one story buildings with two bedrooms, two baths, a living room and kitchenette . Each two bedroom villa has it's own full sized pool to itself.

The top of the line villa is the Honeymoon Villa Suite. A spectacular little villa in which your front door opens into the private courtyard with a pool and hot tub just for you. On one end of the courtyard is the bedroom/bathroom, on the other end is your living room/kitchenette. Both buildings have double french doors allowing you to open the rooms to the pool. There are 10 foot walls that surround the villa and you have the only key to open the door....it's truly secluded.

The beach to this property is located at the bottom of the hill, which to some might seem like a hassle. It isn't at all. There is a beach shuttle that runs back and forth or it is a simple 3 to four minute walk. The beach is private and has a clubhouse which offers lunch and an Italian restaurant at night. There is a beach bar and a pool with a swim up bar. The water sports facilities are also located down here and offer a dive pool to take your scuba courses in, which by the way, like all Sandals properties is included. Again in the scheme of fitness, a full range of water sports is offered down at the beach. They even do moonlight massages at night next to the calm sea.

If you or anyone traveling with you has trouble walking around, this is not the property for you. There are no elevators anywhere and stairways and hillside steps abound. The staff has been picked by one of the best General Managers in the Sandals company, Josef Zellner. Any of you who have been to Beaches Turks and Caicos probably know him. The daily activities will keep you more than occupied during the day and the nightly activities are some of the best on the island.

Don't let the fact the this isn't a true "beachfront" resort scare you off...you WILL love this property if you are into fitness OR if want to do "nothing at all" while on vacation. Beaches Grande Sport is a truly spectacular property.

Penny
Penny Sheldon Travel

April 14, 2001


Hi Penny,

The Beaches Grande Sport is absolutely spectacular. We had a One-Bedroom Villa, which offered a breath-taking view of the ocean. The concept of this resort is like no other; Villas have their own private plunge pools and are scattered over the best kept 45+ acres. You get tremendous privacy and quality service that comes with the Sandals/Beaches name. We also became good friends with the top management of the resort, as well as many of its workers. They went out of their way to make our visit an unforgettable and enjoyable one.

The food is exceptional - everything from Oriental, Italian to authentic Jamaican cuisine (some of the best Jerk, too). The events were also great ranging from the water activities, biking, tennis to its fitness center and spa. The beach is small but wonderful, too, as it is a private beach for Grande Sport guests only.

I can not begin to say how fantastic this resort is. We were just there for 1 week and want to go again. We just really loved it that much. It's a must see and worth every dollar.

Attached a couple of photos, they highlight the wonderful villa. The first shows the beach of Grand Sport and the villa (the one on the top of the hill on the left). What a location! The second shows me on the balcony after a week of failing to properly attend to the sun screen duties, and eating all the food I could, and drinking all the calories and alcohol I couldn't! I'm still standing and smiling though!

It was a great time! Thanks for arranging it!

Thanks again.

Paul ~ Massachusetts