Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort

I booked a 2 week holiday as a surprise for my partners 40th birthday at the renaissance Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios in July 2004 to travel on 9th January 2005.
The day before xmas eve I received a letter to say that due to refurbishment the hotel I booked was not available. Due to the fact that i had booked the time off work and arranged for my animals to be looked after and had waited and looked forward to this holiday for numerous months we agreed to Airtours change of hotel.
As they said it was off the same standard. Upon arriving at Manchester airport we were told that we were stopping off at Gatwick to pick some people up (as if they were stopping a bus) I was not told this when i booked, as if I had I would have flown from Gatwick as I live in the midlands.
The air crew on the way out were most unhelpful, there was no duty free cigarettes on board. Now to the hotel, the mini golf course was a building site, our trip to Kingston town was cancelled about 7 seven hours before we were due to get up to go, the jewellery shop below our room was refurbed with disc saws still being used at nine o’clock at night. After which they proceeded to do work on a bridge which was outside our room
And the repair the roof of our block, I expected to be able to sit on my balcony and enjoy a leisurely drink not watch debris falling past the balcony. The main bar in the hotel was shut for 2 days and nights and then one night about midnightish they proceeded to start kangooing the restaurant/kitchen floor. The disco in the hotel had the foulest smell i have ever come across so bad we only had one drink in there and did not
Even manage to finish that. The a la carte restaurants were pre-bookable but however early you got up they were still always booked up, although flight crews staying at the hotel always seemed to be able to get a table.
I had a problem with my credit card (although I had told the company before that it would be used in Jamaica) my card was stopped and I needed to contact my credit card company to make sure it had not been used by anybody else it took me all day to get the hotel to let me use a phone, I did not expect to use the phone free of charge I was willing to pay and over the odds at that.
The food all during the holiday was much of muchness (disguised chicken every night) the outside grill bar smelt constantly off stale chip fat. The staff were miserable and reluctant to serve you, I did stay at this hotel a few years ago and the staff then were the nicest and friendliest people i have ever met, not the case any more. To cap it all we were delayed at the airport on our way back as they did not have a crew to man the plane and had to fly one in from Florida, who I will say were very nice, the one air hostess told us she refuses to stop at the holiday inn Montego Bay. They manage to leave my partners luggage at Gatwick airport when we were landing at Manchester.
I wrote to Airtours and complained. On the renaissance Jamaica Grande website it stated that the hotel would close at the end of august 2005 and reopen at the end of march 2006, and Airtours decided to tell me just over 2 weeks before I was due to depart. That sums it up. This was supposed to be a holiday off a lifetime, and was my partners dream destination which Airtours managed to ruin.
Having spoken to people who stayed at my originally booked hotel in Ochos Rios I am sure we would have had the holiday off a life time. Although I did receive some compensation from Airtours it does not replace somebody’s dream.

Travelled with my husband and twin 13yr old boys, had a fantastic holiday at a lovely hotel and resort. The staff could not have been more helpful and attentive. And nothing was too much trouble. The food was good with plenty of choice and the a la carte restaurants were excellent (of which there were three). Rooms were clean and of ample size. There were plenty of activities both for the adults and children. We are looking to go back again next year, and have recommended the hotel and resort to all our friends and family. P.S. we have never returned to a same hotel before, so this will be a first for us.

Just returned back from holiday inn Sunspree. If you are Americans and Canadian this place definitely caters for you! There is nothing English about the resort. Meals were American, they even started major construction work once the Americans and Canadians left leaving us English to put up with it!
Entertainment was not bad. Half of the facilities were closed, dust and construction workers all over the place. The staff were awful especially the restaurant staff. If you plan to go in the next two weeks please check with the your operator and make sure they have finished the drainage work and block paving work that they started on the 2nd Jan!!!!!!!! And still doing on the 15th jan2006
Would never go back to the Sunspree ever again not even for free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent holiday, after reading other reviews was slightly worried.(had no reason to be)
Flight staff wasn’t the nicest with My Travel. Airport arrival took a little while to get through immigration wasn’t to bad but very hot.
Transfers from the airport was good nice driver, short journey.
Hotel was really nice, clean rooms, friendly staff, evenings where a little quiet with not an alot of evening entertainment, was a few good nights with bbq's and that sort of thing.
Dunns River was excellent the boot trip we paid extra for too have a drink on the way back, this wasn’t worth the extra cash as the boot journey is about 15mins, however, u did get to swim by the reef on the way there.
The beaches at the hotel are man made which I didn’t like the sound of but was good, very shallow though.
Weather wasn’t bad went for a week and had 3-4 good days and the rest where really cloudy.
Hotel restaurants where good, liked the food at sea breeze and the Italian.
all drinks where free no matter what.
The snack bar had a few things on menu but really stunk as well as the night club on site.
Be very careful if venturing outside the complex this isn’t nice, felt scared at times to say the least.
There markets avoid you wont get out and you have to buy things.
All in all a good holiday I would go back.

Location and facilities were awesome, sat on the best beach I have seen in a long time. The food was AWFUL, I mean the standard and variety of buffet meals was thrown together, both of us had bad tummies for the whole 2 weeks living on the fruit alone.
If chicken was on at lunch it would be re-used in the evening nothing is fresh. They also seem to just cater for the Americans they offer no English meals for UK travellers, so if your from the UK & like you food, this is not for you. Can only suggest if the place catered less for the Americans and more for the rest of us then this would be a much better place to stay!

I loved Sunspree so much I cannot wait to return. I have travelled allot and Jamaica has an atmosphere nowhere else has. The Sunspree offers allot for your money, once you have your all-inclusive band on you don’t pay for a thing, also you don’t have to sign for anything, which some all inclusives do, your kids can go get there own ice-cream, popcorn, ect.
I read reviews, and can’t believe some of the neg comments, really the hotel doesn’t deserve them. I think some people are just born complainers, and would find fault in anything.
I think hotel is a 4* with 5* staff who try and make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Do not be afraid to go out and enjoy yourself, Jamaica is a beautiful island. The trips we done were amazing. Try the ys falls, the black river, rose hall ,were a guide will tell you the fascinating tale of the white witch.