this was our 5th stay at this resort, we love it for the location, beach and the staff.
It may not have the wow factor you find in Mexico or Dominican Rep. This is common in the Caribbean. Having said that, I prefer being able to walk out the door and walk into town, or drive around the island, dine out at night and not have to worry. The hotel is very clean, buffets are not massive but the quality of food is great. The view at Great Bay is what I would call " a million dollar view" The island has so much to offer in nightlife and dining, prices are very reasonable. We will be returning again next year, can't wait!!!!!!!

We arrived on Friday afternoon and were out of there by that evening. This place is narly. The entire place is dirty, the room are tiny and smell of mold. Two people can barely fit in the bathroom. We had a "Mountain View Room" which was a room with a view of someone's dirty back yard with chickens and rooster crowing. I didnt even want to open the doors because mosquitos were flying in. I was there with my mom to celebrate my 30th birthday- and I cried like a 5 year old thinking I had to stay there for 8 days. I called our travel agent and told her to GET US OUT OF THERE! When we finally found somewhere else to go we tried to high tail it out of there. The manager Karl, who was very nice asked to speak to us so he could understand our frustrations with his hotel. He basically told us he completely agreed with us. He just came on and said the hotel has not been renovated in 20 years, and that he worked at the Sandals in Negril and knows that Sonesta is not up to the standards they set by their completely misleading website. We ended up going to the Westin in Simpson Bay - It was like we died and went to heaven!

I thought very hard about this review. I read some of the negative reviews and cannot figure out what their problem was. This was my 4th year coming here. The minute we walk in it feels like home.

Let me give you a quick rundown - First you walk in to a very comfortable lobby that is so inviting people are just hanging out all over. No it is not posh and fancy, it is warm and welcoming. There is a bowl of apples and usually cookies in the lobby. Also there is a Bellman available if you want help with your suitcases - he helped us!

The rooms and hallways are absolutely clean. I made a point of looking for dust in the hallway after reading a review that said there was dirt in the corners (even checking the fire alarms) and there was not a speck of dust. And if you get the junior suite for a little more money it is huge. The bathroom is also very large with a Jacuzzi bath tub.

The next complaint I have read is the staff - yeah they were a bit too cheerful for me in the morning. Most people were all-inclusive so they did not bother to tip but the servers were still friendly and attentive. Shout out to Vicky at the front desk. And anything else you need ask for Rosalie.

The beach area is great. Yes there are a lot of chairs but they are not heavy and the beach area is so large you can always move your chair if you want more room. There are two pools overlooking the beach that are lovely, one of which has a swim up bar. There was also more than enough beach towels. There are activities such as bingo if you feel like it (I could not believe someone complained you could hear them calling the numbers on the beach. Some people on the beach play.
The hotel is on a main street but I tried and could not hear any street noise from the pool.

At night there is entertainment in the lounge. Mondays are the best - there is a Managers reception followed by a barbeque and band for dancing.

The breakfast buffet has everything you can possibly want. And to show how accommodating they are I mentioned to someone that they always seem to burn the pancakes. The next day the pancakes were perfect and the staff made a point of showing me and were quite pleased I approved. After that they were always perfect.

I do like the food but admit it is not gourmet. However if you do not like the food and are all inclusive you can go to their sister hotel and eat in any of their restaurants as part of your deal. If you are not all inclusive there are plenty of good restaurants in town which are a 10 minute walk or $8 taxi ride.

So you get up in the morning, have breakfast, lie on the beach, eat and party in the Living Room or gamble in the casino. What is not to like?

I guess if you see the glass as half empty you can find a problem anywhere. i do admit the hallway did have a leak covered by a blanket which they were working on. This should ruin my vacation - really? The hall was still clean.

One last note. The fee for wifi is steep but if you go to Sonesta.com and register for their guest program, which is free, the Wifi is free when you give them your number.

We were at the Sonesta December 6 through the 12, 2012 with our friends the Ducks. We were welcomed warmly when we arrived. We had an ocean facing room which was nice. The cleaning staff were good but usually forgot towels for our room. When asked we did get them. The beach was crushed shells so footwear is required. The weather was great. Hot liked we hoped. We spent most of our time at the hotel either in the pool at the bar or playing volleyball or dozing in our chairs. We enjoyed Nigels service at the bar who created many flavourful drinks for us. He even went above and beyond when my husband Peter wanted Guiness. Food was good. the restaurant upstairs was better than the buffet and the service was a bit slow but worth the wait. Jonathan who bussed around the restaurants was always smiling. Best smile ever. The wait staff were always pleasant. The entertainment staff of Danroy, Kevin and the girls were great. They had us participating in the "name that tune", bingo and the dancing in the evening. The elevator however did make scary noises so I took the stairs. Philipsberg was so close so we did walk there often. Great staff and fun hotel. We would go again. The Wattersons