Silver Seas Resort Hotel

It's easy to see Silver Seas Resort's glorious past, especially with its Art Deco accented facade. As one of the first hotels in Ocho Rios, it attracted a Hollywood crowd according to hotel lore. There’s still a stage with a grand piano, a high-ceilinged lobby with fabulous views and breezes, wood carvings and paintings on the walls, and lots plants and stonework. Time has passed though and the hotel’s flame has dimmed. Sadly, its current owners (who took over in 1978) seem to be letting the hotel fall into disrepair. There’s no real beach and the sandy oceanfront is mixed with crumbling rocks from the hotel’s breaker wall. The grounds are lush and full of plants, flowers, and fruit trees like mango, breadfruit, and coconut -- but look unkempt and ignored. Even the walkways have seen better days. There’s still something charming about the hotel’s slow decay that's definitely part of its allure. Hotel guests are mostly couples from Jamaica and the United States.  

Silver Seas has an ideal location for exploring Ocho Rios. The hotel is located oceanfront on the Caribbean, and a three-minute walk to Ocho Rios’s bustling commercial heart. It’s a three-minute walk to the farmers market, grocery stores, an ATM, and restaurants including fast food, Jamaican, and Rastafarian Ital cuisine. To chase lady luck, a casino is an 11-minute walk from Silver Seas. The nearest beach is Ocho Rios Bay Beach at an eight-minute walk or 13-minute drive from the hotel. The Ocho Rios craft market is a six-minute drive or eight-minute walk from the hotel. The popular Dunn’s River Falls cascades are a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Across the street from the falls is the dolphin swimming experience at Dolphin Cove. The azure swimming hole and waterfalls at the Blue Hole are a 22-minute drive from the hotel. Montego Bay, the hub of Jamaican tourism with lots of restaurants, bars, tourist shops, and beaches, is about a two-hour drive from Silver Seas. Sangster International Airport is an hour and 35-minute drive from Silver Seas.

The guest rooms at Silver Seas Resort aren’t fancy, but are in pretty good shape compared to the rest of the hotel. The big rooms have two double beds with white camelback headboards. Expect lamps with clamshell-shaped bases, blue comforters embroidered with compass winds' stars and deer silhouettes, and impressionist paintings of island life on the walls. Top floor rooms have vaulted, cathedral ceilings with exposed beams. All rooms have a vanity nook, a desk, dresser, wicker armchairs with maroon cushions, and tube-style TVs with cable channels. Irons and ironing board are available to borrow from the front desk. If the room is missing the remote controls for the air-conditioner or TV, you’re out of luck -- the hotel doesn’t have extras. The rooms also don't have Wi-Fi. 

Bathrooms are pretty simple with tile floors and walls, stand-up showers, and fluted sinks. All bathrooms include bar soap; hairdryers are not available. Without a doubt, the room’s best feature are their private terraces or balconies. They get great breezes and have two chairs, a small table, and phenomenal ocean views. Some rooms also have connecting balconies. 

The amenities at Sliver Seas are pretty limited. Without a doubt the freshwater pool is its top feature. Surrounded by a honeycomb-tiled deck and lots of plastic lounge chairs, it also has beautiful ocean views. A nice plus is the lifeguard on duty during the day. The hotel’s bar overlooks the pool and shares its great views. It also has a stage and grand piano, but during our visit, entertainment wasn’t offered. The hotel’s restaurant is reasonably priced and serves Jamaican and international cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and people rave about the breakfast. Its walls are framed with pools full of fish and turtle ponds. The hotel’s waterfront is sadly disappointing, though. There’s a sandy area separated from the ocean by a crumbling breaker wall. We saw kayaks, but were told they’re not for guest use. The hotel works with local tour agencies to book excursions and can also assist with laundry, finding babysitters, and renting cars. Parking is free. There's also free Wi-Fi that’s slow and only available in the lobby.