Hip hip Hooray! So we just came back from our trip to Jamaica and I will say it was the first time I felt like I was on a TRUE vacation. I’m excited to share with you my experience at Ocean Coral Spring-All-inclusive family-friendly resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Being a mom there are so many things you have to do during the day that once you’re on vacation at an all-inclusive resort, you don’t have to do nada!
All I did was wake up, put on a swimsuit, and started my relaxing day with my husband and daughter.
Oh, and did I mention this was our first time in Jamaica too? And being 7 months pregnant? Yes girl, I did the most but it was worth it!
I’ll be sharing with you how I booked my trip, the overall hotel stay, and more. So let’s dive into my experience at Ocean Coral Spring all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay.
Booking our All-inclusive Vacation
So I decided and was VERY intentional about having a family trip this year back in January 2022 since I found out I was pregnant.
I wanted this pregnancy to be fun and also create memories before baby #2 arrived. So as I did my research, I was looking for an all-inclusive resort since I figured it would be best to spend less money on a resort with kids.
I came across cheapcarribbean.com since my friend had mentioned it last year when she was planning her family vacation and so I looked them up and found out they had many popular destinations you can book from.
You can find hundreds of all-inclusive beach resorts on their website and I think it’s the best way for families to travel to keep it simple and build a fun vacation.
There are many things that made this website very ideal for us:
There are links in my post where I’m able to earn a small commission if you decide to purchase at no cost to you.
-Monthly Payment plans are available leading up to your stay.
-Option to cancel within 24 hours of booking. (I noticed they had this option on certain dates of booking but you can check online).
-Customer service was available for all of my questions.
-The website was easy to access and book from.
I’m always nervous to book a trip and make it concrete so I had to make sure I was able to use the cancellation option just in case.
Then I really did have to cancel our first trip since my husband had to change our vacation dates and customer service was able to help and return my deposit back.
Tip: always book with a credit card since it’s easier to receive your refund back!
For me, I don’t like using my debit card since the process could take longer and there are times companies do mess up, so it’s best to have them mess up on a credit card than the actual money you use daily.
So once we figured out a concrete date, I booked our vacation at Ocean Coral Spring in Montego Bay with cheapcarribbean.com and was excited to go!
I chose this all-inclusive resort because it was new, the price was reasonable and I loved the amenities for the kids. There were many amenities on the property and It looked like a very relaxing resort.
The airport was about 30 minutes from our hotel. Knowing that I’m 7 months pregnant and my bladder is super weak I had to make sure I used the restroom plenty of times ha!
I also added vacation insurance just in case and booked our transportation to and from the resort on the website. You can also book excursions on cheapcarribbean.com but if you’d rather book with the concierge at the hotel it’s possible.
Our transportation company named Amstar was able to accommodate excursions. They also give you a pamphlet once you check in and it shows you the many things you can do in Jamaica.
One thing I did not know was that for transportation we would be on the bus with other people and would have to wait for everyone else to get off based on which hotel we were going to next.
The bus was very comfortable and the service was great, however, if I had known, I’d personally get a taxi to be able to get to our destination quicker.
Also getting a taxi right now could run about $50 USD one way and prices could fluctuate but we paid about $70 USD to get back to the airport. Our Taxi driver was so nice and I thought it was worth it!
Vacation organization Tip:
If you have an iPhone use your Notepad app to add all of your flight details, times, hotel booking details, and reservations so that you have it all in one spot.
We were running late to our destination leaving Fort Lauderdale and as I had our passports in one hand and the Jetblue crew member was asking me about our info, I was able to look in my notepad app and get my reservation number quickly.
It’s better than having to look through your email just in case there is no internet.
Arriving at the hotel
Once we arrived at Ocean Coral Spring hotel, the grounds looked really nice and new. The hotel was built in 2019 so they’ve maintained it really well and the hotel is very modern.
I remember the smell of the hotel as it gave a mandarin scent and you can smell it everywhere inside the general areas.
When we checked in, we were greeted by a bellman who took our luggage and a concierge staff member by the name of Ackeem.
He asked what we wanted to drink and I had a yummy fresh pineapple juice (As I was dreaming of tequila mixed in it with a somber sigh).
The process of checking in was easy and they escorted us in a golf cart to our room.
It was nice to ride around and check out where everything was at the main pool and the kid’s area.
We were also given wristbands to wear the entire time of our trip so that the staff knows on site of our all-inclusive membership.
I realized that you can also upgrade your all-inclusive membership so that you can have better access to restaurants, food, and other things.
I did not know of this until a staff member at a restaurant asked me if I had an upgraded bracelet because I wanted to eat their buffet and he was super nice about it too.
He let me know that it was an option to get at the front desk and this could be an option you can look into when you arrive at the hotel.
Our Hotel Room
We were booked on the fifth floor facing a sunset view of the ocean.
The room I booked was the Junior Suite Ocean View and it was perfect for us.
It came with two Queen beds which were Ideal for me since I needed more space to sleep (due to my large belly 🙂 and my daughter would need to sleep next to me.
You can get the option of having a king bed too. Just make sure you double-check on the room type you have during check-in.
There was also a sitting area with a couch at the end of the room that could also be a bed for another child or adult. The room came with a lot of storage space and amenities:
-Mini fridge with stocked drinks and beer.
-Daily housekeeping service.
-Stand up shower and Soak in tub.
-Two bathroom sinks.
-Fan in the room.
-Steamer
-The normal toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, dental kit, shaving kit, hair cap, lotion,
-Balcony with sitting area outside.
The room was very modern with an Ocean Nautical feel to it. The room was clean and I really liked our balcony since we had a sunset view.
It was a good-sized room as it wasn’t small and very spacious for us three.
I did appreciate that our room was right across from the elevator but you can also hear all of the pool noise from the day since we were adjacent to a long hallway.
I figured since it’s a beach hotel and entertainment is going to happen, it’s fine. We stayed in the hotel room for maybe 20 minutes the longest to freshen up and then went back to the pool or ate dinner/lunch.
They have different suite options like a swim-up suite on the first floor with a pool, rooftop suites, standard rooms, and basically everything in between.
I liked how our balcony was more private and although I wanted a swim-up suite I’m glad we didn’t so we could get the privacy and not have to share the pool with others.
P.S. they wouldn’t allow us to get the swim-up suite because we had a toddler. They said all children (under 12? Not sure of age but contact the hotel) aren’t allowed which I could see would pose a liability issue if someone didn’t close their balcony door and a child walked into the pool unknowingly.
Plus I wanted to take my balcony photos without people looking at me, so having our own balcony was perfect in the end 🙂
They also clean your room daily which I appreciated (and you know as a mom having someone else clean your room is everything!) and they left a towel swan on the bed with a real flower.
She enjoyed the towel swan and played with it like it was her toy ha!
Amenities of the Resort
Our All-inclusive stay included the following:
-Meals, domestic and international drinks, cocktails, and snacks included 24 hours. I remember them mentioning that in-room dining was available but not the entire night. I think it was from 6am-5pm.
-All-day entertainment
-Daisy Club for ages 4-12 years old.
-Teen club for teenagers up to 17 years old.
-6 restaurants onsite/ 3 on the adult side
-Gift shop
-Jewelry store
-Entertainment Theatre
-Casino
-Bowling
-Night Club
Note: Upon check-in, they can further explain to you the other amenities at the hotel and what your package includes.
Ahhhh, the pools were my favorite as this was the main attraction for this pregnant mama! They have a main large pool in the heart of the hotel.
Pools:
-One huge main pool,
-Multiple Jacuzzis,
-kids’ swim park area with a snack bar!
-Lazy river
I loved how access to the pools was nearby and you can always find seating. The one thing I did not like was that to get a towel you have to go to the main pool area to get it.
For example, if you were in the kid’s swim area, you would need to walk to the main pool area to get a towel. They didn’t offer towels in the kid’s swim area.
So I would suggest grabbing your towels first thing before getting a chair so that you have it.
For me, it wasn’t easy to walk back and forth with my belly but when I would ask a staff member on site they would grab a few towels for me as a favor and I appreciated it!
The atmosphere of the hotel was fun, fun, and more fun with relaxation in between! The staff on-site makes sure you receive all the requests you need to be fulfilled. From needing towels, drinks, and more.
Everyone was super nice, accommodating, and had great energy. At the pool, they had two dancers and a lady MC would entertain the crowd with music.
So if you were at the swim-up bar in the main pool that’s where all of the music would come from and they played it all day. We would hear Latin, Jamaican, Rap, and house music.
Since we stayed during the 4th of July, they came out with foam for the pool, a ton of music, and a marching band drumming to the star-spangled banner song.
So you know how I do photography but during the planning of my trip, I was trying to find a photographer to do our family vacation photos.
Lo and behold! I noticed there were guys walking around with their cameras taking pictures of guests and when I talked to one of them they mentioned they have a little photo shop in the gift store to book a session!
I was excited that they had this type of service on-site so that you can take memorable photos with your family even if you don’t have a nice camera with you.
We did a short 15-minute session during the late evening and got 10 digital photos with 5 prints for $117 USD. They are available to photograph you from early morning to late evening.
The Beach area was alright. They have chairs to lay on but the shore was very rocky and had seaweed in it which I was not a fan of.
If you go next door, it’s the adult part of the hotel and they have better sand which I thought wasn’t fair for all of the guests. Hopefully, they will change it soon.
Things for Kids to do
This place is definitely kid-friendly!
I didn’t get much info about their Daisy club since luna is only 3 and they allow children ages 4-12 to get in. I know you can drop them off and they have many activities for the kids to do.
They also have a service where someone can babysit your child during the day if you are interested. My husband tried to set something up for me through the concierge to have a babysitter but I’m that mom where I have to be next to my kid all the time ha!
There is a swim park section for kids and we loved it! Luna enjoyed playing with the other kids but she was somewhat scared of the pirate characters on site, however, the park was super cute!
The swim park area had multiple things for kids to do and for parents to relax:
-Water slides
-Slides for smaller children under 4
-Another pool area next to the park just for kids and parents who want to swim in a pool.
-Snack bar area. They served nachos, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, water, juice and more. If you wanted something alcoholic I think the main pool area offered it.
-Restrooms
-Lounge chairs with Umbrellas
-There was a person on site who played kidzbop and an MC to entertain the kids on some days.
You can also take them to the main pool area and most of the pools were about 3-3.5ft deep so it wasn’t too bad on depth.
My favorite thing was to take luna for ice cream every day! She always asked to get ice cream and I was like ok why not?! We are on Vacay! They serve it in the main dining area (Martha’s Market and there’s also an ice cream shop that served it.
Food at the hotel
There are 6 restaurants on-site and 3 on the adult hotel side.
The food at this all-inclusive was ok. I would give it a 2.5 out of 5 since most of it was bland or it didn’t have anything that made it amazing.
My husband and I are foodies so this was something that bothered me a bit but I guess that is what is expected at an all-inclusive. I had a better food experience in Mexico though at an al inclusive.
There is an option to buy food off the menu from any of the restaurants although it’s VERY limited. We went to an “Italian” restaurant and ordered a steak for $45 USD and it was very good and huge!
We also dined at Martha’s Market which is their main breakfast/all-dining spot and they had a variety of food to choose from pancakes, waffles, bacon, smoothies, omelet station, desserts and more.
The servers were really kind and helpful when bringing our juices, water and coffee.
We tried their Indian restaurant on site and it was ok,
Again, I had no high expectations but the place was cute and typical for an all-inclusive.
I continuously had water, pineapple juice, and a virgin pina colada. Ohhh you should also try their mango Daiquiri as it was really yummy and Luna wanted to drink it all up!
Overall, the food was ok but it’ll feed you throughout the day and I figured as a mom I don’t have to cook anything!
We also ended up doing a private dinner on our last day of the trip and it was amazing! I’ll be sharing that in another blog post.
Overall Experience at Ocean Coral Spring-All-Inclusive-family-friendly Resort in Montego Bay
Overall Our experience at this all-inclusive resort was amazing, I would rate this hotel a 9/10 only one point off because of the food but other than that it’s great for families.
Since I didn’t go anywhere to do anything and stayed at the resort, it was a relaxing trip for me, and I didn’t feel bored at all since I’m pregnant.
Being in the water helped with relaxing my body and Luna was so great throughout the entire trip that she didn’t stress me out! We had so much fun together and core memories were made for sure.
There is an adult side of the hotel and it’s quieter from what the staff told me. If you are trying to get more entertainment, you’ll have to come to the Ocean Coral Spring hotel side where we were at.
But I will say the overall feel felt more family so if you are thinking of a girl’s trip and wanting to dance, twerk, and see some men, you wouldn’t find any at this hotel but moms, dads, and grandparents ha! I think an adult-only hotel would be best for that entertainment 🙂
I’m looking forward to more summer vacations with my family and wishing you a great summer 2022!
