The tropics are calling your name and now you have to answer the call. Do not fret, because Secrets St. James Montego Bay Resort is just waiting for someone like you! St. James Montego Bay Resort in Jamaica has white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and breathtaking views of natural scenery. Here is everything you need to know before you book your ticket to Secrets St. James!
I’m writing this blog post from a luxurious, adult-only, all-inclusive resort, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It’s my second day here and I’m already starting to feel extremely relaxed. I’ve spent hours at the breathtaking beach and I’ve had several drinks at the pool. There’s even a spa on-site, which means that I can get pampered without leaving the property! However, if you’re looking for more adventure, there are plenty of free things to do nearby such as kayaking, paddle boarding, and…the list goes on and on! I’ll talk more about that in a minute.
Two Connected Properties at Secrets St. James Montego Bay
Secrets St. James, offers visitors a more peaceful and relaxing retreat, while Secrets Wild Orchid is the place for those looking to party. Guests of either resort have “free flow” access that allows them to explore both properties at will! Both share the same restaurants and shopping centers. For the record, I did not see a difference between the Wild Orchid side versus the St James side. We spent most of our time at both pools and both were equally beautiful. I did notice the crowds at both resorts seem to be around 50 plus. I do believe these resorts are geared toward older couples who are expecting a relaxing vacation. This is 100% my perception, and as a travel agency owner, I will let my clients know my perception. Not everyone wants to hang out with the young party crowd and vice-versa.
Rooms
The rooms are exactly what you would want in such an upscale establishment. They are spacious yet cozy, with all sorts of modern amenities for guest convenience; including complimentary WIFI, which works best in your room. Sadly, the WIFI can be spotty throughout the resort. However, on a brighter note, there isn’t anything more relaxing than sitting on those balcony chairs, while sipping some coffee in the morning; enjoying amazing views of the emerald green water. You can’t help but feel like a king or queen after taking luxurious bubble baths with views of the ocean. I thought the rooms were stunning. Check out my video.
Most importantly, the rooms have a fully stocked fridge, coffee maker with coffee/tea supplies, and steamer for clothes (jackpot). Unfortunately, the room did not come with robes, which is strange considering the resort is considered a “luxury resort”. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the room was cleaned every day, which is extremely rare post-COVID because it seems like most resorts are trying to save money by eliminating daily house cleaning. Boo!
Beach/Pools
The beaches at this resort in Jamaica are stunning! I love how calm the clear water is along with all of the amazing views of the mountains! The hostess will continue to provide you with free drinks, so don’t forget to sit back and enjoy them! Also, on a rainy day, you will see clear jellyfish swimming around. but do not fear! Those Jellyfish do not sting. We even saw the lifeguard pick up a jellyfish to prove to us it was 100% safe. On a side note, the benches on the beach are not as comfortable as the ones at the pool. If you are looking for comfort, I suggest relaxing on a pool bench at one of the two pools on the property. This is the perfect spot to enjoy the music and fun atmosphere. Do not worry, it never gets too wild or crazy.
Food at Secrets St. James Montego Bay
The food is included hence the “all-inclusive” resort. The two resorts share the same restaurants and they have several restaurants to select from, such as Seaside Grill (by the pool), Bordeaux (French), Blue Mountain (Jamaican), El Patio (Mexican), Portofino (Italian), and World Cafe (buffet). There is one restaurant that requires a reservation in advance, which is the Himitsu (Asian). Sadly, we tried every restaurant and I starved for most of the vacation. I spoke with several friends on vacation and they LOVED the food. I wouldn’t say my standards are super high, but I prefer savory food. I couldn’t find one restaurant or one good “go-to item” on the trip. I was told maybe the food was bad because it’s in Jamaica. Nope, I’ve been to Jamaica and the food has always been excellent. As far as the “dress code” we wore shorts and flip-flops almost every night. Most all-inclusions are extremely picky with their dinner dress code, but we never had that issue at this resort. For those of you who do not want to dress up for dinner every night while on vacation, this spot is for you.
Activities at Secrets St. James Montego Bay
There are several free activities the resort offers, such as guided snorkeling, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and windsurfing. There are on-site activities that cost a small fee, such as parasailing, tubing, knee boarding, waterskiing, banana boating, glass bottom boats, snorkeling trips, bottom fishing, and deep-sea fishing. I was disappointed because several of the items listed above are complimentary at most comparable resorts. The evening activities have a laid-back piano bar feel.
Coffee with liquor!
This was one of my favorite spots and the coffee is free. This is literally a coffee bar! Yummy!
Entry & Return Requirements
All you need is an Antigen Test ($50) 3 days from the date of travel and to complete a Travel Authorization ($0) at www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/. It’s that simple and no vaccine is required. You must have a PCR test completed before returning to the USA. However, this resort has a Covid testing center onsite and results are back within an hour. “If there’s a will, there’s a wave”.
It is time to relax in the sunshine! Secrets St. James Resort offers all of that and more with its pristine beachfront location, nice amenities, and endless opportunities for relaxation. Escape your busy life at work or home by booking a trip to a resort today! Let Glam Escapes Travel Agency book it so you can sit back knowing everything has been taken care of from start to finish. You and your friends deserve some me-time after all!
Next time try breathless. I just came back from there and of course we had access to secrets wOB and St James. Your review is somewhat accurate but somethings I would disagree with but depends on the quality of traveler you are. I too own a travel agency so we have somethings in common. Sounds like you had a decent time but next time eat more rice and peas and jerk chicken.
Wow, it is a small world! I hope you had fantastic time! I was thinking about walking over to Breathless but I just never got around to it. Yes, I love to eat jerk chicken and rice with beans while in Jamaica. However, I have to admit I am extremely picky when it comes to jerk chicken. You said you disagree with me on few things. I would love to hear your input.
I have been to both secrets and breathless the only thing nicer at breathless is the room and the veiw…I went secrets 3 times in a month. And am living in montego bay
We just got back from Breathless and used all the properties. I agree On the food. It’s just ok. I Compared it to AppleBees level food. The Italian was the worst. I ordered the lasagna and it wasn’t edible. Then i had raviolis that i also couldn’t eat. The breakfast buffet was nice though. And i thought most of the servers seemed bothered when i asked for something. And there is no urgency at all if you ask for something. I felt like i was bothering them. One day for lunch we went to AltitUde and there was one server for the whole place and it was busy. We felt bad for her.
We had to switch rooms because nothing worked in the room. Tv, the Key pads to turn on lights and to lower a privacy screen in the bathroom DIDN’T work. The outlets on one Side of the room DIDN’T work and only the phone in the bathroOm worked. We asked multiple tImes for MAINTENANCE to come and they DIDN’T. It was the next morning when i called the hyatt concierge and they called the hotel was Something done about it. We switched rooms and it waS bEtter but Still everything DIDN’T work properly. Also you could hear the pool Music and the dj at night fRom Your room. They turn The hotel lobby into their nightClub so the sound resonateS THROUGH the builDing. I just expected more from a lUxury all inclusive. We preferred nIghts at SecretS and i rhink moat people did. Breathless was dead at night. I don’t think We’d go back to those properties but would try montego bay Again.
Is there air conditioning?
Yes!
Hands down the worst place to honeymoon!!! I was just there and did not have the same experience!!! Our room smelled of mold and we had to beg for service!!!
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that.
Has anyone tried the preferred Rooms and service?
Wow! My wife and I literally just returned from Secrets – St. JAMES FOR OUR HOnEYMOON AND HAD AN ABSOLUTE BLAST!! THE SERVICE WAS IMPECCABLE AND THE FOOD WAS GREAT!! WILL CERTAINLY RETURN.
We were there last week and it’s an amazing place to be. Customer service is on point
The Secrets hotels are a great way to enjoy some luxury without breaking your budget! Their customer service is really good!
Ehh i mean, other than you being picky with the food, seems like you had fun still. I usually tell people that not all jamaican hotel CHEFS or restuarant chefs COOKs the SAME,you could go down the street to another hotel that has SIMILAR food menu and the food is good,ehh just Keep explore the island MORE,local street vendor food are one of the best in jamaica,the spice might knock you out lol,but really good. Jamaicans like to throw alot of spice in their native staple FOOD.
I just came back from there and I stayed at Seawind on the Bay. I go twice a year and have been to Jamaica 16 times. And when she says stunnig VIEWS she is correct. The food is Americanized so if you want the cultural experience you would have to venture out. My DRIver/ friend ox +18764532312 can take you anywhere you want to go for the full jamacan experience
I just came from Jamaica a week ago With 12 friends to celebrate my Birthday we stayed in breathless, what a mistake. All the happenings were at wild orchard. The club, the ocean, the jerk Chicken carts, at night they had entertainment and goods for sale. The restaurants blew breathless away. If I ever return to Jamaica I will definitely be staying at st james or wild orchard.
Thanks you for this REVIEW, I love it, I am from Port Antonio portland Jamaica to be exact. And I didn’t even knw that there’s such a place like this in montego bay.
What’s the cost per night??
Beautiful!
Hopefully Whenever I got the chance to visit, luckily I may get to meet you 😊
AGAIN THANK you
We always stay at riu negril and love it except no night entertainment. I want to try other resorts but not into rocky beaches at all.our tour guide kennyjamaica@gmail.com. is awesome email him.tell him dottie angela and brenda sent you he will make it extra special we were picky and he pleased us all
We stayed at Excellence Oyster Bay and it was nothing shy of amazing. The food was outstanding. The staff was wonderful and the entairnment was top notch. We will be going back next year!!
Unless it’s CHANGED dramatically in the last couple years, wild Orchid is the premier property!! St. James is the little brother that Orchid can visit any time but st James needs an exclusive pass to get in to Orchid. The cost of the two reflects these amenities. Class of the field stays at Orchid. I assume the ladies in this article are travel agents luring you in to a false booking. 🤔
Hello. I really enjoyed the articles n comments. You must have a very sensitive or peculiar palate.
I visited ocean coral spring in November 2021 and it was amazing. Several restaurants n snack bars n most had delicious foods. Didn’t like the Japanese restaurant, food was a little bland, but maybe due to the fact the meal serves about 1 dozen persons. I enjoyed ping pong, bowling n the coffee Cafe. Lovely drinks n pastries, open mid morning to late evening. The buffet restaurant had foods
for every palate. Route 66 open from 11 pm to 6 am. For all your late night snacks. The sports bar n disco were great. The theater for the nightly 9pm show is fantastic. the Michael Jackson experience brought back so many memories of MJ. Beautiful property. Staff n service ok. The eden Bay section is separate but THEy utilize everything on the ocean side. I think they have an exclusive restaurant over there. Will definitely go again.
I visited secrets wild orchid, preferred section, several years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The swim upwas so romantic, the food was very delicious n I loved the jerk chicken at night time. The breakfast buffet is to die for. I didn’t care for the 3 hr presentation to offer time share something. Coupons weren’t what I expected for the time I spent for the sales pitch.
Will definitely go back soon.
Royalton Negril, Jamaica is very nice also. Been their twice and meals are delicious. Last time, October 2020, i HAd issues with main front desk not communicating well with the diamond club section. But I got an apology n a extra bottle of wine. May visit again.
Fdr resort in runaway bay, jamaica is an all suite family hotel. Nanny provided for your children. Lots of kids n teens activities. Haven’t been in a while but property n food n drinks great. I love the beach grill for delicious jerk chicken n pork, patties. Hamburgers n hot dogs. They had 2 specialty restaurants. Will visit again soon.
The Pegasus in Kingston, Jamaica is my favorite hotel in Kingston. Love the fact it’s across the street from emancipation park where I can walk over for some exercise n to play ping pong on the 2 outdoor tables. Bring your racquets n balls. Juta taxi, driver Paul, an older driver knows Kingston well n is the best tour guide. Will be back soon.
The terra nova hotel in Kingston jamaica I enjoyed. Its Cozy. Taxi Driver, smitty very polite, friendly n knowledgable. Will visit again.
I love to travel. Please come to quiet Portland and check out GeeJam, trident, great huts hotels n Frenchman cove Beach n Beach grill. Amazing. Close by you have Boston jerk center, Boston Beach and so much more.
Happy and safe travels to everyone.
I stayed at SECRET wild orchids on the motegobay side for my 50th birthday. My parents came with me and my husband. It was my best vacation ever. The food and entertainment was superb. The lobster on the grill was sumptuous. Everyone on the resort was so pleasant and accommodating. I sat through the three hours time share speech and hated it but it enabled me to have a quiet comfortable place on the beach and a wonderful body massage times two. It was the week of Christmas so i suppose THey had more entertainment. I specially loved the greese show they performed Christmas night. I went there about three years after they opened. it was expensive but when I got there and saw the service and the place I understood why. I would go again. The st James side is for family with children while the montego bay side is couples only. Nudity is allowed. I was sad to leave my week went very fast.