I have stayed at this hotel on two occasions and i must say that the reviews i read before i went made me a little wary, but i can honestly say i enjoyed my stay there, hence going back a second time! I will also be staying there when i go back to Jamaica.

The location is great, right in the centre of everything, the price is also very reasonable. In my last week there (i spent 3) i went out every night and i did not feel scared for my safety whilst walking back in the early hours! Everything is in such easy walking distance so whether we went up towards Margaritaville side (as we called it), or down to the clock tower we were never too far from home!

As i have been there a couple of times i made friends with the security and the bar staff, and they always made sure i was ok. There were some men hanging around OUTSIDE (i never saw any allowed past the security stations) of the hotel, but if you don't want to talk to anyone then don't! I never felt obliged to talk to anyone, and for me 'I have a boyfriend' was more than enough to make them leave me alone!

I would say that while reading the reviews you do have to take everything with a pinch of salt, i did and i ended up having a fabulous holiday, so much so that i will be staying at Sandcastles next year. If you don't go expecting 5 star luxury i'm sure you won't be too disappointed.

Me and my friend stayed for 2 weeks and can honestly say we thought it was cool, plenty of security but thats understandable for tourists and the staff are really friendly we didnt have a problem. We were given a studio but upgraded to a two bed apt for a reasonable sum and we loved it. Would definitely go back there, its quite close to all amenities and on the occasion that we ate there the food was delicious, cant complain.

I stayed at Sandcastles from March 12 - 19 and really did not think it was all that bad. I would think that most people know that when they book this room - it is not a 5 star resort, so why they are upset with what they get is beyond me. I was not expecting too much and was honestly pleasantly surprised with my room and the service of the staff!! I have stayed at 5 stars in Jamaica before as well - so I know the difference...

The only problem I had, which seems to be consistent through the reviews I have read, was that my room was not ready when I arrived. I arrived at 230pm, so I wasn't too surprised. I waited at the pool area and soaked up the sun til about 5pm, I went back to the desk and they put me in a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite for the night, which was ok. The next day, I was switched to my room, which was super! I did see a lot of room renovations going on and painting in the courtyards. The grounds are very well kept and beautiful.

I had hot water the whole time I was there, fresh towels every day, I did not eat there at all - cooked in my room, which was really nice. There was a nice supplies of plates, silverware, and pots and pans. No ants or roaches anywhere. Mosquitos ate me alive in the evenings though!!!

The beach was nice - busy with all the cruiseships but still nice. Swam everyday. The pool is ok too - alot smaller than I thought it would be.

I believe this hotel is hit or miss - all depending on your room. I had no problem staying there and plan to stay there again soon!!!

'my home is your home away from home'

if my home was like this joint....id burn it down.......

i have just spent 2 weeks in this dump.......i will post later full details.....

i was not expecting any sort of luxurry as had read these posts before i went ......but lets just say...i was gutted...