Secrets St. James Montego Bay presents guests with a peaceful, relaxing oceanfront setting surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. The resort’s classic décor and echo the sophistication of the island's British colonial era with sumptuous suites and the ultimate in amenities with the Unlimited-Luxury® of gourmet restaurants, bars and lounges, and the paradise of Secrets Spa by Pevonia®. For those wishing to turn up the excitement, there’s the Secret’s Wild Orchid Montego Bay Resort right next door with its welcoming Jamaican vibe.
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
• AAA Four Diamond award-winning resort since 2011
• Just 15 minutes from Montego Bay International Airport
• Exclusively situated on Montego Bay’s breathtaking peninsula, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea
• Luxurious all-suite resort with a British Colonial design featuring stunning ocean and ocean front views
• Romantically inclined, reserved, yet relaxing atmosphere
• Free-flow access for guests to Secrets Wild Orchid’s facilities next-door
• Butler service is available for all room categories*
Guests staying in the Preferred Club Swim Out or higher room category will receive personalized butler service at no extra cost. Guests staying in Junior Suites and Preferred Club Junior Suites can purchase the butler service for an additional cost.
• Promenade between both resorts featuring shops, restaurants, piano bar, theatre, game lounge and more
• Authentic Jamaican jerk chicken & beef patty carts at the beach and pool daily
• Boasts a 300-yard dedicated beach area with calm water that’s perfect for swimming, snorkeling and water sports
• Guests have access to the resort’s private catamaran (additional costs may apply)
• Recently enhanced spa featuring unique spa cabins, a yoga garden and more
• One of two Secrets Resorts & Spas in Montego Bay
• Features 3 Wedding Gazebos, 2 of which are on the piers overlooking pristine waters
• Boasts a state-of-the-art convention center, approximately 10,000 sq. ft.
• Located within close proximity of 5 major championship golf courses, 3 of which are world-renowned
• Situated near Montego Bay’s famous “Hip Strip” and other local points of interest
*Temporarily unavailable
Location
Montego BayProperty Information
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Resort Details
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - Spring Breakers are not permitted at this Hotel. A student group consist of those that travel without parent or a responsible adult in each room. This could refer to but not limited to high school or college students booking multiple rooms. The hotel reserves the right to deny lodging to any reservation of this type.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
- No Show Penalty: 100% of balance due Applies: Sunday - Saturday 05May16 - 31Dec50
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
9016 reviews
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May 29, 2023I wouldn't stay here again
We are currently staying at Secrets St James & although I stayed here previously this experience has not been a good one. Customer service is lacking, housekeeping is lacking. We've had to call EVERYDAY for towels and their version of cleaning the room is a joke. Our package came with a free rum or tequila- yep still waiting on that and We've been here since Friday. The manager Edward said he would follow up and We've not heard from him. The restaurants are NOTHING to brag about. However, waiter Collin at Portofino was wonderful. Phillip at the piano bar makes the best drinks. Daniel at the pool bar is also good. The female staff at the restaurants seem to all walk around with Resting B**** Face and have the attitude to match. We waited 2 hrs for room service only to get mediocre cold food. The rooms could use some upgrading and our.A/C works when it wants to- again we put in a request to have it looked at.....and we're still waiting. Staff can be heard having conversations right outside your room very early in the morning with no regard if you're sleeping or not I do not plan to ever stay here again. Do yourself a favor and stay at Breathless. It's a better hotel with better everything....including Customer service
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May 27, 2023A honeymoon to remember
We spent an amazing 10 day honeymoon at Secret St James and it was perfect from the moment we stepped on the property Jamal greet us with a fabulous Welcome home a ice cold beverage and a nice cool cloth to freshen up with. We never touched our luggage from the moment we got there till the moment we left. We were escorted to our absolutely beautiful room, which was wonderfully air-conditioned for sleeping comfort. Honestly, there wasn't one second of our stay we didn't completely enjoy. Even the small bouts of rain that never lasted long were so warm and comfortable that we just continued on with our day. The restaurants were fabulous, not one complaint about the food housekeeping was wonderful we left her a little note about us and she left us a little note back about her. Even the life guards helped to make our visit the best it could be. We will 100% return for another vacation.
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May 27, 2023
A wonderful experience, well spoilt for every comfort
Travelled to this wonderful resort for 10 nights on the 15th May with my spousehad the most amazing holiday. Checkin was smooth with kind and helpful staff. The room was huge, clean, well presented with a great garden/sea view, we saw amazing sunsets. House keeping regular and problems sorted out promptly. Thanks Simona, always ready with a smile, nothing too much trouble. Restaurants all excellent with a good selection of hot and cold dishes. Loved the Blue Mountain Jamaican restaurant, loved the bean vegetable soup. Buffet breakfast with Mimosa every morning, a lovely touch plenty of choices. Omelette station was busy but worth the wait. Grill bars were excellent Loved the jerk chicken man a regular each day. Favourite places were the pool side bars and we can't thank Andrae, Daniel, Marlando, Okieve and all staff, too many to mention for taking care of us with wonderful cocktails. Missing you guys already as you made our stay very special. Entertainment very good. Pools were all well maintained. A great resort all-round.
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May 24, 2023Food among the worst I've had - Service overwhelmed
Stayed here for a week. Ill keep my notes short: -brutal line ups for food. Usual wait at 5 to 7 pm was 60-90 minutes before being buzzed. -in 7 days, (we) our group was not asked a single time for drinks on the beach. Completely understaffed -food was the worst part of this place. Limited options. No flavor. The only saving grace was the Teppanyaki (made to order) and the jerk chicken cart. Even the burgers here are flavorless. - coffee shop which was 24hrs, not advertised like the photos. Any "snacks" were just wrapped in plastic and gummy. The coffee however here, was good. - App barely functioned as intended. Constantly dropping. Room service ranged from 90-120 minutes daily. Sometimes the dishes would sit in the dish cupboard for 2+ days. -grounds ignored. landscape waste all over. signs unkempt. -no service on premium side either of the beach. then we were asked our room number almost daily around the premium side, to verify we were premium. despite us being the only ones sitting there. - hallways unkempt, lacking cleaning - overall property was tired and neglected Not worth the price paid. I would say this property needs serious work on service, upkeep and food. It's clear they're understaffed. The staff also reflected this. -- pro's - view is nice. No one harassing you on the beach as its private.
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May 24, 2023Secrets St James-Full Review!
We just returned from a beautiful week at Secrets St James, Montego Bay. Here are some highlights: - The staff! They are the cornerstone of the resorts. Specifically, Carol at the Blue Mountain restaurant, Lorenzo at Bordeaux, Mervint who supervises food and beverage and is always looking to ensure everyone is satisfied and TAJAY! If you are looking for a ray of sunshine in the morning, catch her serving at the World Café. She will start your day off with a smile every time. We also had so much fun getting to know Monique, Monique and Tracey. You can catch that trio at Oceana and they have a way of making you feel like you’ve all been friends for years. I will say more about some other staff members as they pertain to my other points below. - The grounds are beautiful. Picture perfect photo ops at every corner. Clean, well maintained. - The beach is stunning. Sandy beach areas for great swimming, no seaweed and clear turquoise water. The temperature is the best I have had in the Caribbean so far. Like a warm bath! - Rooms are standard, I would recommend an ocean view if you can get one. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the sunset from our balcony every evening. They could have been a little more thoroughly cleaned (mostly dust under the beds and on the lamps but again, little details. Overall, housekeeping came once a day and did mop the floors and restock our room with fresh towels. We noticed mosquitoes in our washroom the first two days and realized they were coming from the sink and shower drains. I popped a coaster over the shower drains, and we simply closed our sinks when we left the room and we didn’t see anymore after that. - Restaurants have great options for everyone. While the breakfast had a large variety, it was a lot of pre prepared pastries (which in Jamaica, are MUCH sweeter than here in Canada!), fried foods and some local options. My husband did enjoy trying their “local” dishes everyday. There was a lot of fresh tropical fruit, the mangoes are to die for. There is an omelet station, not the most appetizing omelet. The bacon is comparable to Canada/US. We enjoyed Oceana for lunch and our favourite dinner restaurants were Blue Mountain (the Jamaican restaurant), the Japanese restaurant and El Patio. Bordeaux and Portefino were ok; if you are Italian, do not expect authentic pasta and Italian dishes. The caprese salad was not what you would expect! Beef in general is not their strong suit, so I would always suggest chicken or pork as better choices. People did enjoy the burgers; I will tell you that they are soaked in fat all day to keep them moist. If you have a strong stomach, enjoy! The greatest hit for food by far is the famous jerk cart that goes back and forth on the path between the Wild Orchid and St James pools every afternoon. There is a little café that is open all day if you need a pick me up, or a sweet treat. The ice cream is ok, but probably won’t be the best you ever had. - Alcoholic drinks, and drinks in general here are probably the most disappointing element of our stay. I was so excited to enjoy cocktails on the beach, and after two days of testing every one on the menu, I started to ask other patrons what they thought and what their favourite choices were. As it turns out, I was not the only one struggling with some stomach issues and disappointment in relation to our drink choices. The base of their frozen cocktails is made from giant slushie machines that they refill with dye and gallons of syrup every morning. To make it worse, they pour the slushie and then add a shot of alcohol on the top, without stirring or blending. Your first sip will almost always be straight liquor unless you stir it yourself. We ended up stopping the frozen drinks and asking for mixed drinks as a better option. My husband enjoyed rum and cokes and I did tequila and lime. The house wines at dinner are very good and I would recommend them. On our last evening, we did try the “dirty banana” which was delicious. It is made in a blender, and a great frozen dessert drink. I wish I would have tried that earlier on in the week. - Entertainment is hit or miss, though the entertainment team is always great company. We are grateful to Slim Jim, crazy Ashley, Kay Kay, TJay, Ace, King Julian and Chad for always bringing smiles and keeping everyone on their toes. We took part in the ideal couple’s game show, we absolutely adored the Blue Bird Steel Drum band (a MUST see!), and we really enjoyed the fashion show. Throughout the days, my husband enjoyed the trivia and Jeopardy by the pool, and I made some bracelets for the kids. Jamaica day (Friday) was great fun. They do a parade across both resorts over to the Breathless for a pool party. If you do not have preferred club and do not have access to the Breathless, you are not missing out. You can go and see for yourself if you follow the parade, but truthfully, the Wild Orchid and St James sides of the resorts are truly where its at. The other side seems cheap, underwhelming and no beach. It is fun for an hour, but it will have you craving the lifestyle back at St James in no time. - Excursions are overpriced, especially if you are Canadian. They wanted $300 US for almost everything (PER PERSON!). They do offer a “spa credit” when you check in, everyone gets this “deal”. Do not get sucked into the timeshare presentation, which they will push on you. We dodged it at check in and the concierge kept calling our room until we declined formally. She tried to offer $200 off the spa price, however, it was still $125 US per person. Not worth it. Enjoy your vacation and get a massage when you get home. The few people that we talked to who did go off resort warned us that the roads are terrible, and they were fearful of their safety on the roads. If that is your kind of adventure, have at it! People who did Rick’s Café said it was fun but crowded. It’s a long drive back to the resort (two hours). - Check in and check out were smooth. Go early to check out, they do get large groups that filter in and you don’t want to risk being stuck waiting close to your pick up time. - Bring Benadryl and or/allergy medication or a topical cream. You are in a tropical climate, there are some bugs, and I did get bit a few times by unknown insects (nothing serious or unmanageable). I was happy to have something to bring the swelling down. We also put some bug spray on our feet and ankles everyday when we applied sunscreen to avoid any sand fleas. We did not have any trouble at all. - Overall, I would say the people made our trip as beautiful as it was. The temperature was perfect, the property was picturesque and inviting, the food was mostly delicious, and the ambiance was relaxing and fun. I would rate this resort a 7.5 out of 10 for experience and would recommend it to others looking for a getaway.