Secrets St. James is one word. AMAZING! Do you love an all-inclusive resort like we do? It’s so easy for us. You know what you are paying upfront and don’t need to carry a wallet around when you get there. That’s a huge bonus for us. We usually spend a lot of money on food and drinks, so this way, we don’t need to even think about it.
Picking a resort can be tricky. It’s always hard to know where to go and what resorts will fit our vacationing style. We’ve been to some great ones (like Secrets) and some not so great ones.
First off, let me start by saying, we LOVED Secrets St. James. It’s located on a peninsula, which is really cool. It’s like you’re on your own private island.
You also have access to their sister properties, so if you get tired of hanging out at Secrets St. James, you have access to Breathless, Secrets Wild Orchid, and their Sunscapes properties. We walked over to Breathless quite a few times. They have an awesome rooftop bar with an infinity pool (highly recommended) and this is where the foam party was. I would also highly recommend doing that. The pool water was warm, the music was fantastic, and it was overall a fun party. They only have the foam party on certain days though, so make sure to ask the entertainment crew when it takes place so you don’t miss it.
Secrets St. James Fun Facts
Secrets St. James Hotel
Adults Only – Sometimes you just need a break from the chaos…and we love kids!
350 Rooms – A nice size resort. Not too big, but not too small. We never had trouble finding a beach chair or someplace to sit at the pool.
Access to other resorts – You can go to the other sister properties to eat, drink, use the pools, and more. You have endless possibilities.
Food + Drink at Secrets St. James
24 Hour Concierge Service – Get food and drink all day and night.
Top Shelf Spirits – If you want a Crown and water, that’s what you’ll get. We found the best liquor in the lobby bar area.
7 Restaurants – The best part is you don’t need to make reservations. A HUGE plus! Typically, we are not people who like a schedule or making a plan. Usually, we miss out on the nicer restaurants because of that. Not here! Go anytime you want. We loved the Japanese restaurant. There is also a buffet and a grill/cafe, which we usually at at for lunch.
9 Bars including a really fun piano bar. Make sure you go later in the evening. People are playing the piano and singing. There’s a lot of talent out there. If you know how to play, you can get the party started yourself!
Spa + Fitness
Spa and Health Club – The spa was very nice. Tip: Even if you don’t use the facility, walk down there and get yourself a healthy smoothie or juice.
Shopping + Entertainment
Shopping – There’s an area called the Promenade at Secrets St. James with several shops for all your needs, including a couple jewelry stores, clothing stores, and several places for souvenirs. There is also a coffee shop in this area. Very delicious. There is also a car rental area here.
Theater – There’s an outdoor theater with nightly entertainment. It fills up fast, so get their early. The entertainment is very good. Go to the piano bar afterward.
Gaming Lounge – Kind of lame, but we don’t care about gambling.
Water Sports – You can use paddle boards, kayaks, etc. There’s an area on the beach where you can reserve the non-motorized water sport activities. You can also learn scuba diving here.
Entertainment – There’s basically everything under the sun to do at Secrets St. James. Volleyball, basketball, tours, board games, daily entertainment, etc. My husband entered a pool contest and was crowned “Mr. St. James.” He was known by everyone by his title for the rest of our trip! They had a lot of fun activities you can enter to become the next resort king or queen. The audience in the end decided the winner. It becomes a bit of a family here. You meet many new people and see them daily. We wound up making several new friends, ate supper with them, attended activities, and we still chat with them now.
There is so much to see and do at Secrets St. James, we only left a couple of times. We took at tour to Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios. This is something you should do, but be aware of a couple of things. This is an all day event. We didn’t get back until 8 or so that evening. They will give you an expected time back that is much earlier. I heard other people talking about this as well. I would add at least three hours to the time they give you. Seriously. However, it’s worth it.
The climb to the top of the waterfall is not easy, but you hold hands with everyone along the hard areas and their are guides to help you. Water is rushing down on you for most of the climb and there are deep areas that you must go through to get to the next area of the climb. It’s thrilling and memorable. We took a boat to the waterfall and there was a big party on the way back to the bus. Make sure you bring water shoes or you can’t do the climb. My husband and I love this style for water shoes and they are actually fashionable!
We also went to the Hip Strip, which has some shops, along with several restaurants like Margaritaville Montego Bay, and is near beautiful beaches like Doctor’s Cave Beach. Margaritaville is an open air restaurant with lively music and a blowup water slide if you are feeling adventurous, along with some other water toys. The view is amazing. Overall, it’s a nice place to check out, but the drinks were expensive and we were ready to go back to our all-inclusive resort.
Doctor’s Cave Beach is the most famous beach in MoBay. The water is incredible. It’s like you are in a bathtub! The water is warm and very clear. You can snorkel here, rent umbrella’s, and drinks are available. You do have to pay to enter the beach, but it’s worth it to check it out. It did get quite busy when we were there, so if you are expecting a quiet day at the beach, this might not be it. It is near the cruise terminal, which means it is a draw for cruise passengers disembarking for the day. We felt very safe in this area. Here are some other recommendations for things to do.
We highly recommend going to Secrets St. James in Montego Bay. It’s a resort we will go to again in the future.
We have been to Jamaica twice. Here’s a short review of the other resort we stayed at, the Jewel Grande Montego Bay.
Jewel Grande Montego Bay
Last year, we visited the Jewel Grande for their grand opening. The resort was amazing and the room was the nicest room we have ever stayed in and my guess is that we will never stay in another room as beautiful. We had a one bedroom, full kitchen, two bathroom, and a very large deck that extended from the living room to the bedroom. Our friends got upgraded to a three bedroom condo. They were unbelievable. Plus you had your own butler! However (you know something not so good is coming when you hear that word), there really wasn’t anything going on and the resort was so quiet! The pool was also freezing and not once did we see someone swim, which also means, the swim up bar was dead.
You are able to go visit their sister resort, which was a huge plus, because they were a little more upbeat and full of people. We met so many fun peeps at the swim up bar. Once we discovered this, it was a win-win. When we got sick of the party scene, we went back to our very quiet, but very luxurious resort. The food was great as well. If you are looking for a very quiet vacation away from it all, I would highly recommend this resort. If you want some action, this one won’t be for you, unless it’s changed since then.
Jamaica is a wonderful place to visit. The people were very nice, the scenery was amazing, and we will be back again. You can see all our travel adventures by clicking here. Also, check out all our recommendations for your travel wardrobe, accessories, as well as travel bags and beauty. We also help you out with one of the most asked questions. What kind of shoes should I pack? Happy travels!
