We stayed in apt D19,this is a a owner operated condo. It is well maintained and cleaned.There
is daily service for tidying the apt. The beech is accessed from the back gate,which has a camera in place to alert security,who will let you in and out. It takes a few minutes for security to walk from the front, so you need to wait, but they come. There is 24 hour security on property.The bar and restaurant is closed., but there are many eating places,and 2 supermarkets in walking distance.
It is quiet,but we felt safe. The outdoor pool is cleaned everyday,does need painting. Apt has working ceiling fan in living/dining,and working A/C in living/dining/b/room. Has seaview.

We stayed at sandcastle "resort" Dec 23-31 2012 . We are very thankful for the reviews we read as we knew what to expect and what not to expect from the facility. First of all we stayed in a privately owned unit A31. 2 BR 2 bath unit. Small,quaint but in need of repair. When we arrived we were greeted by a young lady who showed us around the unit and told us how to work the hot water heater button. She also stressed to us that the prison like door that led to the upstairs patio should ALWAYS be locked before we leave. (Kinda scary) for the first day the upstairs did not have cold water therefore we couldn't flush the toilet or take a shower. We called the owner the next morning and she had a maintenance man there in a timely manner. Though we have a feeling the girl who met us had to know this was an issue as she was also the housekeeper and the bathroom mats were soak and wet when we arrived AND the same maintenance man was there when we arrived. Yet it was not fixed until we called the owner. There are NO amenities at this place. No continental breakfast,no room service,no bar...no fun. As a matter of fact after talking to a couple from NY we found that nearly the whole facility was closed down due to not meeting habitable standards. LOL..except for privately owned homes like we rented. There were ants upstairs,some fixtures and fans did not work in the home and the stairs were falling apart and we all almost slipped and fell several times going up and down them. The "resort" was centrally located and you could walk to restaurants,shopping and grocery stores. You did have free entry to the beach behind the facility but you had to show your key and walk around 3 blocks as there was never anyone at the gates of " resort" to let us out the closer back way. There was a pool but why use the pool when there is a beach. It felt more like a rundown apartment complex rather than a "resort". We did not find ANYONE ever at the front desk and got all of our questions answered by the security guards.
Overall we enjoyed our time in Jamaica but NOT at Sandcastles and we will never stay there again. The owner was very nice and even bought my mom a bday cake and brought it all the way from Kingston but it just does not make up for the poorly maintained facility. The sandcastle resort website is very much false advertising! This is not a resort this is a centrally located rundown apartment complex. I just thank all of you who posted comments as we kinda knew what we were getting ourselves into. I gave it two stars for location and pleasant owner nothing else.

Stayed here in Feb 2012 returning for the first time in fifteen years and what a sad difference! In 1997 this was a lively, well kept hotel with direct access to the beach. Now it is an empty shell with no life. The bar and restaurant have closed and the pool in not in use. The pool area has no tables or sun loungers. The gate onto the beach directly opposite the hotel gate has been walled up which means a walk along the path to the public gate- not far but annoying with an elderly, infirm relative.The gate from the hotel was also locked and unmanned so it was hard to get out without a long wait and it was impossible to get back into the complex without another long wait or by walking round to the front of the hotel. This meant walking through a public car park, out onto the main street and round to the front of the hotel with all the street vendors and taxi drivers approaching us which is not what you want from a hotel located on the beach! The bar on the beach was also closed when we were there and the swimming area has been roped off to allow swimmers to swim in water so shallow it hardly covers your knees. All the tour companies seem to have pulled out so there were few visitors to this hotel complex. Our apartment was OK- clean and comfortable but there was no hot water the whole time we were there.The complex was also very empty. I think we were the only people staying in our block so it didn't feel very safe and the walk ways were dark at night.The gardens are still beautiful and well kept. This resort could be so lovely as the location,gardens and beach are so beautiful.The local area has improved since our last visit, with more entertainment, bars and restaurants but this hotel needs major investment. The access to the beach needs to be improved and the owners need to get together to address the problems.

Stayed here for 2 weeks with boyfriend and had an amazing time. The apartment was clean and offers everything you need when you're on holiday. The owner Jen provided us with a jamaican mobile line which meant we didnt have to worry about crazy phone bills when we returned. The housekeeper Stephanie came on more or less a daily basis and is a lovely woman. Apartment offers fully equipped kitchen, pc with internet, stereo, cable tv, etc. Lovely sized bedroom and separate living area. Literally 2 mins walk onto the beach which is just behind the complex. All at great rates. Only downfall is that since we went in October it was very quiet on the complex so most things such as bar and restaurant in Sandcastles were closed but being in the centre of Ocho Rios you really dont have to go too far for anything. Going back next year and I know exactly where I'm staying. Room D13.