Starfish Trelawny Resort Hotel

We visited the starfish in Oct 2005 and are returning in May 2007. We are in our late 30's and my son was 7 on our first visit.
This resort is heaven to those wanting a realistically priced family holiday. Don't think that by choosing 3* and paying the same as you would for 2 weeks in Majorca you will be treated to a Sandals type resort!
That said this hotel is fantastic if you have a family. We loved the beach, the watersports, and the rock climbing wall, the trapeze and the water trampolines.
The rooms are fairly basic but clean and we found the food great, especially in the Casablanca restaurant (some dishes have surcharges some are part of the AL).
This restaurant is very strict about dress code and not admitting children 10 (however my son was a tall, very well behaved 7 year old and we had to insist he was 10 to get him in! Please note shirt and long trousers applies to children as well).
We were lucky that our tour operator pointed out services that carried an extra charge before we booked.
My husband took the scuba diving course with Douglas who was fantastic, he took as much time as was needed and gave my husband so much confidence that we would highly recommend him.
The hotel has lots of Jamaicans staying over the weekends and the only problem we had with this was that on any weekend night the buffet had all but been cleared.
I have never seen anything like it! By 8pm, people were getting in the lift with plates piled up like the Eiffel Tower - I can only recommend that you book the speciality restaurants for Saturday and Sunday nights unless you want leftovers after 8pm!
That said we are returning because the service, staff, beach, pools, food and drink are great.
If drinking is your thing remember to take a large plastic cup and the bar men and ladies will happily fill them to save you keep waiting, as all the blended cocktails are freshly made for you.
I don't think you can beat the Starfish for price and value for money, but when the brochure says 3* don't hope and pray it's a typing error.
If you want more... pay more. If not Enjoy, we did.

We stayed at this hotel for my 50th birthday, we could not fault anything with hotel.
The rooms were clean and tidy, meals were lovely, and staff were brill.
Lovely beach and grounds would I go back - yeh man no problem.

Excellent value hotel. Rooms are a bit small but everything else was fine.
The beach, food, drinks and entertainment was excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful.
If you must have absolute luxury, you should pay twice as much and go to Sandals.

Rooms were just below par, sliding doors stick, and balcony had no lighting room a bit small and decoration could be improved.
Service was excellent, all staff very friendly and helpful cannot praise your service from ALL staff enough.
Food was also varied and well presented, both hot and cold service. Did not have one meal that was not enjoyable.
Facilities on site were also excellent. Wide and varied activities for all ages and very efficient security arrangements. Overall an excellent hotel for all the family.
Tours were also very well arranged with a wide choice of off site activities although some might be expensive they were all value for money.
Hotel location was ideal for visiting both Montego Bay and Ochia Rios, being sited equidistance from each location.
We did go independently to several places in the area and found the local people very friendly and not at all threatening, ad the taxi service from the hotel was impressive.

My extended family and I stayed at Starfish whilst traveling around Jamaica and believe me, we wished we had stayed there the whole fortnight, all of us! And that includes my fussy (God bless her) mother and my difficult to please nephew.
My son who is two absolutely loved the idyllic beach with its little island across from the main beach. At 6am on our first morning he grabbed his life jacket and told us he wanted to swim and go digging (we had played on the beach the afternoon before.) Quality was not in any way compromised at the all inclusive buffet, it was excellent and every single member of staff at the resort from the waitresses to the men who helped with our luggage were a pleasure to know - God Bless all of you too, you were quite simply excellent!
I have traveled to Jamaica many times but some of my fondest memories will be of our brief stay at Starfish. My husband and I first saw the resort on a visit in 2004. We booked a vacation through Thomson and glimpsed the resort as other guests disembarked from the tour coach for their stay there. It looked divine and a stay there has simply confirmed that it is.
They have an English socket in the rooms (top marks) a free mini bar (top marks) you only pay for it to be refilled and it includes four optics, white rum, vodka, brandy and Appleton rum as well as soft drinks in the fridge and lovely, coordinated decor and furnishings. There is a hairdryer in the bathroom and shower gel and shampoo on tap. Towels are provided for the pool and beach and they can be exchanged for fresh ones throughout the day (top marks for all again). Why is this place only rated a three star? I have stayed at another Thomson resort in Ocho Rios (also rated three star by Thomson and Starfish FAR exceeds the other!
I have just one or two gripes that Starfish management could quite easily fix, we like to eat at restaurants with our two year old son, the Casablanca (the only restaurant without a surcharge) does not allow youngsters to dine who are under the age of ten, that kind of discriminates against families who may wish to take advantage of a restaurant style setting without the extra costs. Two, the daycare facility should be free and the fee should apply only to after hours babysitting. Just a quick tip to guests who may stay there, the Casablanca charges for some of its dishes but not all. We ate the free dishes and they were scrumptious, beautifully prepared and presented. The other restaurants i.e. Japanese, Jamaican and Italian charge a surcharge from $5 to $15 (approx) to dine there.
None of these things would put me off going back to Starfish and I want to end on a good note so let me finish by saying if you book a holiday to Jamaica from the UK book through Thomson (because they too provided an excellent service) and book Starfish Trelawney. I will definitely be heading back there and more than likely with my extended family in tow. Thank you Starfish resort and Winston the manager, from Abigail Reid.
Ps. My husband Evens and my nephew Hakim want to say hello to all the fisherman they met at Starfish. They had some good times collecting their fish for them!

My husband and I visited the Starfish for the 2nd time September 1 – 8, 2006. We had the best vacation ever! The staff is wonderful! They made our vacation special. I hope I’m spelling their names correctly when I write about them.
The great service began at the curb at the Starfish. Winchester took our bags from the cab, offered us a cool towel for our heads and showed us to the bar. He assured us that he would watch our bags for us. He did. Check in went quickly, but our rooms weren’t ready when we arrived. (Check in is at 3. We knew this ahead of time, so our swim suits were in our carry on.). We headed for the pool where in an hour or so, Winchester appeared and informed us our room was ready and took us directly to our room. Great service!
The girls that worked the front desk were excellent also. We had to get change several times and they never complained and always smiled.
We were in room #609. I loved the room. I loved the view. Fiona kept our room clean daily and made us things out of towels on our bed (swan, palm tree & bunny to name a few). Our room was well stocked, as was the bar. We had plenty of clean towels. We did not use the phone, we were on vacation.
The second day we were there, we each had a massage. It was as if they massaged everything out of us (the kids, the job, any problems in the USA, etc). After the massage, we were truly on vacation. We filled out a comment card that day at the spa and put the names of the two girls who massaged us on there, but unfortunately, I cannot recall their names. They both did an excellent job.
The food was better this time than last. It wasn’t terrible before, it was just better this time. Sometimes when I read reviews, it bothers me that folks complain about the food at the resort. The resort is cooking food for hundreds of people and trying to keep the food the correct temperature. Pleasing everyone all the time is impossible, but there is something for everyone at every meal. (And you’re in Jamaica – how can you complain?) By the way, the corned beef was excellent!
We were walking down the sidewalk one day and ran into Basil & Wayne. Basil inquired if we were having a good time. We were. He asked about the food. I told him it was better this time than last. Then he introduced us to Wayne, the new chef. We continued to be impressed that every time we saw either of these men, they spoke to us and made us feel special. Wayne even came up to the lobby to say good bye to us when we left!
Patricia took care of us every morning at breakfast. She was quick with a smile and coffee.
Jason took care of us at dinner. We enjoyed him so much last time we were there; we looked for him this time. He found us. He is a lot of fun.
Jolene served us when we were there two years ago, when she worked with Garfield at the Munasan. We looked for her when we arrived at the Starfish. She found us. She is also quick with a smile and a hug. We love Jolene!
We ate at the Munasan again this trip. It was absolutely wonderful and well worth the additional $15 each! Not just the food, but the “show” also. Garfield would start a song and the others would join in. What fun! Garfield cooked for us two years ago and again this time. The shrimp, steak and fish were wonderful! We love Garfield!
The bartenders were great! Yvonne, Jennifer, Kim & Patricia took especially good care of us on a daily basis! They remembered us from 2 years ago also!
The Seashell Pool Grill had excellent food. The pizza is different, but delicious. The Jerk Chicken was wonderful! Devonn remembered us and took good care of us!
Unfortunately, we did not stay up for any of the shows, except for the dancers. They did an excellent show! The fire eater was scary, but the show was great!
The swimming pools were clean and cool, however, we spent about 20 minutes total in the pool. We did not use the Jacuzzis. We were there for the island and the beach! The grounds were kept unbelievable clean and neat. Your staff is the hardest working staff we have ever seen, all of them are to be commended!
We went out on the Hobbie Cat with Jermaine. What a fun ride and everything is so pretty out in the water. He showed us around and talked to us a while. He was a lot of fun! We went two days in a row. I wish we had gone every day. When we return we will go every day!
We love the little island! We spent most of our time on the island. We met several very nice people there including several of the “locals”. Our favorite local is Moses. We met him two years ago also. He cooked lobster for us on the beach this time and last. It was delicious!
My husband won $20 in the slot machine, so he thought they were ok.
The gift shop had pretty much anything you might have forgotten. They have a large selection and the prices weren’t too bad for a gift shop.
We stayed at the Starfish two years ago. Since we were the visitors, we thought we would remember the staff, but after thousands of tourists going through the resort, the staff would not remember us. We could not have been more mistaken. We heard the phrase “you here before” more times than I can tell you. We heard it from the bar tenders, servers, Garfield, Devonn, the Waters Sports Instructors and Security. It made us feel like we were “celebrities” on this resort. That is a wonderful staff!
We can’t wait to go back!

We traveled to Jamaica for my 40th birthday and it was honestly the best place I have ever been to - I used to be a travel agent so I have been to one or two! The hotel rooms were clean, tidy, the staff fall over themselves to help you. The facilities at the hotel were second to none and the beach was beautiful. It was just how I imagined it to be - turquoise water, white sand, palm trees it was truly wonderful.
There were several places that we visited - Rose Hall is a must - spooky! We went horse riding and rode bareback through the Caribbean Sea - awesome! Climbing the Dunn's River Falls is a must I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying this trek through the waterfall. The shopping in Montego Bay and Ochos Rios is great.
We hired a taxi from the hotel between 5 of us and were looked after the whole of the day at a very reasonable price.
The entertainment at the hotel is wonderful, all inclusive is something I definitely enjoy and would do again in the Caribbean.

Have just returned from a thoroughly enjoyable week's holiday at the Starfish Trelawny. The hotel is excellent; the staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome and relaxed. Our 8 year old son made friends with some other kids almost immediately and we hardly saw him after that!
There are plenty of activities for all age groups and as you are not forced to take part, you can be as active as you wish. The food is more than adequate and plenty of choice for even the fussiest of eaters. We were there as Hurricane Ernesto threatened to do its' worst (it was eventually downgraded to a tropical storm and by-passed Jamaica) and we were impressed that the hotel kept us all updated with the progress of the storm.
The rooms are not as basic as some people seem to think - they have a TV, CD player, a small bar with 4 optics (with full bottles attached - free of charge!), coffee maker, hairdryer, electric alarm clock and fridge. Rooms are cleaned daily, sheets and towels are changed every day.
There is a tour desk at the hotel, but we didn't use them. There are many taxi drivers operating from the hotel, all Tourist Office approved, and we asked one of them to take us to various places, at a fraction of the cost of the organised tour. Far more civilised as we could control the pace and locations.
There are a lot of mosquitoes in residence in the evenings even though the hotel does fumigate the grounds as night falls. It is advisable to take plenty of repellent and anti-histamine cream. The gift shop in the hotel does sell it but it is more expensive.
This hotel is highly recommended, as is the island of Jamaica!

An excellent family hotel, only rated as a 3* but far better than this. Food was excellent, with the one exception of the Italian Restaurant.
Pools and public areas were spotless, excellent kid's club and circus school for the kids was out of this world.
Highly recommended and will definitely go again!

Our 2 week at The Starfish Trelawney was absolutely out of this world. Our room was delightful and the staff went out of their way to make sure everything was to our comfort.
The meals were fantastic and there was plenty of choice and the staff's aim was to make sure we were happy and pandered to our every need.
The resort itself was like Heaven on Earth with everything to make your stay as relaxing and full of fun as possible.
An absolute delight - can't wait for next Summer - We will be back!