Ochi Sandals Resort

Sandals Ochi Beach Resort was formerly known as Sandals Grande Rivera. By any name it is a sprawling property that has two sides – Seaside and Hillside – and a total of 15 restaurants that are available to all guests.  There is constant shuttle transportation available between the two. If you’re in a suite in the Hillside Butler Village you have literally 24 hour access to a butler driven golf cart.

View from one of the villas in the Hillside Butler Village at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort. This particular Villa had 4 suites which shared this patio and a small pool with lounge chairs.

This is the main pool with swim up bar for the Hillside guests at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort.

Portico, patio and fountain located in the Hillside Village at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort. Great location for a wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, or small reception.

The Ochi Beach club is accessible to guests from both Sandals Ochi Beach Resort and Sandals Royal Plantation.  The gazebo at the end of a boardwalk features a hand carved ancient door and views of the ocean from a hidden hammock or lounge chair. There’s a pool, bar, fire pit patio, volleyball court, and food service. You can have a set up for a wedding reception or corporate dinner on the long pier.

You can choose to be alone or hang with the crowd at the Ochi Beach Club which is part of Sandals Ochi Beach Resort.

This is a lively resort though it can also be private and secluded in the Hillside Butler Village. Lots of room categories to choose from. This is the resort for those who want to choose between doing a lot, doing a little, or doing nothing. You won’t be sorry no matter what you choose.

This resort was a nice resort and is budget friendly we have found it's one of the cheapest resorts besides the Carlye Inn. Have you been to a Sandals Resort? Which is your favorite? 

Sandals Montego Bay Jamaica

We decided to come back to Sandals Montego Bay (MOBAY) since we had such a great time on our honeymoon. This time we wanted to do a split stay so we did Ocho Rios first and than ended with MOBAY. We booked a room with a garden view in the Seagrapes building. I made the mistake of doing the cheapest room not knowing that their was a difference in the rooms. We soon found out that CLUB level meant you got a mini wet bar in the room. We were disappointed when we checked in this time to find out we were at the edge of the property and didn't have a bar since I thought I had booked the same room category as we booked on our first visit. We talked with the front desk and after talking for a couple hours the manager offered to move us to the Seagrapes building where we thought we were going to be and we ended up getting a mini wet bar for the hassle. This happened the next day though so we still had to deal with being at the edge of the property for a day and no bar in the room. The closest bar was the pool bar and that was still a walk away and our buzz usually had worn off on the walk back plus they were working on the rooms walking to our room. We felt it should have been blocked off so we didn't see that or get bothered by the workers. It was very frustrating that we were put in the wrong room in the first place.

Once we got moved to the correct room things finally got better and since we enjoyed our first stay so much signed up for Sandals Select. Which is a really great program Sandals offers to reward returning guests. They do a welcome back party every Tuesday night and you get a welcome back t-shirt, pair of sandals, and treated to a really nice dinner. The loyalty staff and few managers also join you for dinner which is really neat to get to know the staff more. We were fortunate to be there for the remodel of the new lobby and bar so they had extra bottles of rum they gave out to us at the welcome back dinner. During this time too they award other select members that have done so many visits. The minimum to get a reward is the silver pendant for 35 nights, gold pendant for 56 nights, and for every paid 70 nights you get a free week!! What other all inclusive resort rewards you with a free week just for coming back?!!

cutting ribbon

Shots tower in Cricketer

Storm coming in

Since things didn't start out so well for us at MOBAY we spent alot of time this trip over at Royal Caribbean. This resort also has new things since we were last there a year ago. These neat swings in the water, a dragon boat to take you to the Thai restaurant for dinner, and the over the water bungalows that are like going to Bora Bora but less time on the plane and a 15 minute ride from the airport.

Over water bungalows shaped like a heart!

MOBAY has done a lot of changes now and most the remodel is done now so we may go back. Still need for work on convincing my husband that one bad experience shouldn't stop us from going back to where our love with Sandals started.

Has anyone been to MOBAY since they have remodeled? What are your thoughts?

Los Angeles, California

LA.'s downtown is thriving business center by day and an emerging arts and entertainment district at night. The area between Sunset and Wilshire Boulevards, westward to the Pacific, is the heart of the modern city and is most often called L.A.'s Westside. Most tourists will find the L.A. they've always envisioned here, whether it's shopping in Beverly Hills, checking out the record shops and music clubs of the Sunset Strip, tracing the walk of stars in Hollywood.

Of course Los Angeles is known for its uniquely gorgeous stretch of beaches, each with its own identity. Starting with the stunning scenery in Malibu, drive down Pacific Coast Highway to check out Santa Monica and maybe even ride the Ferris wheel on the pier. Definitely head further south to experience Venice Beach.

Crystal Cove Park is a stretch of coastal cliffs and a beachfront cove situated between the Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean just north of Laguna Beach. The 3,936-acre park was established in 1979. The entire park hosts a total of 3 miles of beaches and tide pools, a 1,400 acre marine Conservation Area as well as underwater park, 400 acres of bluffs, and 2,400 acres of canyons.

Still not enough? Within 40 miles of Downtown L.A. are miles and miles and miles of sandy beaches and, of course, Disneyland.

San Fransico, California

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of San Francisco’s most famous landmarks as well as a piece of engineering art. You can walk across the bridge if you want (recommended), drop in at the visitor’s center to be briefed on the history of the park, or just stare at it from every angle. Don’t forget to make your way to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which offers a waterfront promenade, views of the bridge, and a number of hiking trails.

Tour Alcatraz

This former federal prison on Alcatraz Island was home to some of the worst criminals in the US. It was shut down in the 1970s and has since become a national landmark people can explore. There’s no charge to visit the island, but you’ll have to pay for the boat there. I’d suggest taking a tour during your visit so the rangers can provide you with some historical context. Be sure to book the ferry to the island early if you’re going in the summer, as it gets very full!

Visit Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square

This area covers numerous blocks along the waterfront and is one of the most popular things to do in the city. There are street performers, souvenir shops, and tons of restaurants. This is a good place to wander and for people watching. If you want to try some of the mouthwatering seafood that San Francisco is famous for, I really liked Waterbar and the Anchor Oyster Bar.

Ride the Cable Cars

Riding the cable cars is an excellent way to tour the city and experience various neighborhoods in San Francisco. Catch the cable cars from Market Street. They’re fun to ride and will save you lots of time walking up and down those hills.

Visit Lombard Street

While riding the cable cars, make sure to get off at Lombard Street and see one of the world’s windiest streets.

Head to Chinatown
Next to NYC, this is the most famous Chinatown in the United States (it’s also the biggest). Chinese immigrants first came to the West Coast and set up shop in San Francisco. Due to racial segregation, this neighborhood became predominantly Chinese and has remained so, though the segregation is over. Chinatown here has some of the best places to eat Chinese food (dim sum) in the country, teahouses, bars, souvenir stalls, and fortune cookie makers. Eat your heart out here. I do.

San Diego, California

The Hotel Del Coronado is one of my favorite places in San Diego!

The Hotel Del Coronado is one of the most beautiful hotels that I have been to. This place is rich in history and is actually much older than I had thought (around since 1888).

Around the holidays, the hotel is gorgeously decorated with a large Christmas tree in the lobby. They even have an ice skating rink that is right next to the beach during the holidays.

La Jolla Cove is one of my favorite places in San Diego. It is a beautiful picturesque cove surrounded by seals, the beach and cliffs. It’s a great area to snorkel, people watch, or relax.

There is not much of a sandy beach along the cove. It is quite rocky but the plus side is that during low tide, you can walk along the rocks and see the tide pools. Be careful on the rocks though, they can get slippery.


The cove is beautiful and serene. You can sit above the cove and watch some surfers and body boarders but the best part is definitely the sea lions. Watching them swim in the ocean and enjoy the pleasures of beach life was mesmerizing.

North Padre Islands, TX

After San Antonio, we went to Padre Island National Seashore on Padre Island to go camping. The island itself is known mostly for South Padre Island, a popular vacation and tourist spot on the more developed part on the island all the way at the bottom. Where we stayed was North Padre, and the National Seashore itself is over 60 miles of just seashore! You can camp anywhere you want along the seashore. Malaquite Campground has been voted one of the top campgrounds in the US and is tucked in behind the sand dunes and at the entrance before driving onto the beach, so if you don't want to be fully surrounded by sand this campground is for you. These sites are on a first come basis and from what we noticed for the week we were there they were always reserved.

The first night we picked somewhere out in the open on North Padre Beach but the high winds kept causing our tent to blow over, we ended up sleeping in the car but the next night we were able to go down the beach more and found a little opening in between a couple sand dunes so we were able to get out of the wind and it was perfect. There really is no better feeling than going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the ocean. It was so peaceful and relaxing. At night we saw things crawling all over and so we went to check it out and it was ghost crabs. They were fun to try and catch some of them were pretty good sized too.

One of the most special activities visitors can take part in on North Padre Island is a PINS (Padre Island National Seashore) Kemp's Ridley Baby Sea Turtle Hatchling Release.

The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle is the rarest species of sea turtle and is critically endangered. The Padre Island Seashore National Parks Service has established extensive conservation efforts through the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Recovery Project.

Witnessing this beautiful phenomena is, for most, a once in a lifetime experience. Here are a few tips on how to increase that likelihood of getting to experience this wonderful event! While we were there the turtle schedule said we would be able to see hatchings everyday but actually we only got to see the turtle release twice. So just keep this is mind when booking you trip even though they show turtle releasing during a specific time sometime conditions stop that from happening and you may not get to see a release. ​

• Plan to visit sometime between June-August

• Call the Turtle Hatchling Hotline for exact release details call (361-949-7163)

• Be prepared to wake up early!

​Releases usually take place at 6:45 am and last 30-45 minutes.


For more information on the baby turtles and hatchling releases, visit the PINS website. 





Has anyone else been lucky enough to catch a sea turtle release? What did you think?

Assateague island, MD

Assateague Island is south of Ocean City, Maryland and is home to 37 miles of gorgeous ocean beaches. The island offers swimming, beach combing, sunbathing, surfing, paddle boarding, crabbing, and ocean kayaking.

It almost sounds mythical wild horses, campsites just steps from the shore, and camp fires on the beach but on Maryland's Assateague Island, this is just what you'll find. It's easy to fall in love with this island. Who wouldn't bask in the joy of meeting Assateague's wild horses for the first time as they silently approach you. These are the moments that live beyond description and that remain in your memory forever

Camp reservations can be hard to come by. The easiest reservations to nail down are at camping spots on the bay side of the island where you park your car and walk to your site with gear in tote. More difficult to come by, but worth putting in the effort, are individual camp spots with drive up parking, which allows for easy access to gear throughout your stay. These spaces also sit just steps from the beach, offer a little more privacy, and are definitely worth holding out for on your first visit to Assateague. I've been trying to book another trip back and always sold out months in advance!


Assateague is open year round; the most popular time to visit is May through October. Also in the area is historic small-town Berlin, where "Runaway Bride" was filmed, and the famous Ocean City boardwalk, both just under 10 miles away.


Local steamed crab, is a must! My dad went into a local shop and all I remember is him coming out with a big brown bag full of crabs and being from Minnesota was like what is this! It was the most delicious, flavor explosion of crab I've ever had.


Camping at Assateague will be a pleasant experience you'll remember forever and create great family memories. Please share your tips or experiences below.