Catalonia Montego Bay

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Star rating

The hotel

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    This authentic basic resort sits on the edge of a half-mile stretch of sandy beach. Offering clean, simple accommodation at a good price, it’s great for families with rooms spacious enough for everyone. If you’re part of a large family or group, some rooms are also conveniently interconnected. Families will appreciate the spacious beach and water sport activities, whilst taking a swim over to the private island, which will keep the little ones occupied. Adults have a dedicated pool, spa and fitness centre if you can pull yourself away from the sunbed!

    Amenities

    • Kayaking
    • Snorkelling
    • Tennis
    • Babysitting service
    • Kids Club
    • Families
    • Bar
    • Fitness Centre/Gym
    • Free Parking
    • Internet Access
    • Laundry Service
    • Restaurant

    Where is it

    Along a half mile stretch of coastline, a 15-minute drive from Downtown Montego Bay. Transfer time from Montego Bay Airport: 20 minutes.

    Hotel information

    522 rooms on 4 floors in 7 buildings. Elevator access to all upper level rooms. All with air-conditioning, balcony or patio, TV, complimentary WiFi, clock/radio alarm, coffee maker, safe, hairdryer, iron and ironing board. Garden View Rooms have 1 king-size bed with a sleeper sofa or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 3 adults and  1 child. Garden View Rooms have garden or courtyard views.

    All Inclusive of: all meals, snacks and local brand drinks, facilities, activities and children's programs as provided by the resort. Food options either include a buffet meal service or a la carte, depending on the resort schedule. All A la carte specialty restaurants are free of charge but reservations are required. These items/restaurants are clearly marked, and items highlighted on all menus. Beverage selection includes house brands, as defined by the resort. The use of non-motorised sports is included (excluding floats). Refundable deposits may be required for equipment rentals. Airport transfers are not included.

    Superior Rooms as per Garden View Rooms but with partial ocean views. Sleeping maximum 3 adults and 1 child or 2 adults and 2 children.

    Deluxe Rooms as per Garden View Rooms but with oceanfront views. Sleeping maximum 3 adults and 1 child or 2 adults and 2 children.

    1-Bedroom Suite has a separate living room and oceanfront views. Sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

    Grand Caribbean Buffet restaurant (breakfast, lunch and dinner; buffet-style International cuisine). Mamma Mia (dinner; Italian fine dining). Terrace (dinner, à la carte seafood specialities). Ayami Japanese Restaurant (dinner, Teppanyaki). BLoved (dinner, Jamaican à la carte). Sea Blue Bar & Grill (light lunch bites including hamburgers, grilled cheese, fish and fries). Funny Snacks (ice-cream, nachos, hotdogs, popcorn). Jerk Bar (serving Jamaican Jerked Chicken and Pork). Lobby Bar, Players Sports Bar, Irie Pool Bar (swim-up adults-only pool). Pearl Lounge & Bar - for guests who have booked Rose Hall Adults only.

    Please note: there is a Resort Casual dress code for all restaurants. Reservations are required at à la carte restaurants.

    2 swimming pools (1 freeform lagoon-style pool and 1 adults-only with a swim-up pool bar and whirlpool). Private beach with island. Spa*. Salon*. Health and fitness centre. Recreation and sports court (basketball). Snorkelling and kayaks. Tennis, table tennis and pool table. Kids Club (supervised activities for kids). Children's playground.

    Basic self-service laundry room*. Babysitting*. Concierge. Complimentary self -parking. Complimentary Internet access. Mini-mart. Gift shop. Cash machine.

    Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

    3 nights between 2 Jan-22 Dec. 7 nights between 23 Dec - 1 Jan.

    * Denotes local charge.

    Please note: child ages at this property up to and including 11 years.

    Dress code: Resort Casual for restaurants.

    Rating summary

    • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

    Traveller rating

    • Excellent (1931)
    • Very good (1624)
    • Average (812)
    • Poor (346)
    • Terrible (370)
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Wonderful week of sun and fun. As an Inn keeper, I was very pleased with the accommodations and overall experience. We intend t

    Feb 18, 2025 GrandTour592799 Ogdensburg, New York

    We were not sure what to expect, but the resort exceeded our expectations with a great room, terrific facilities, food and a superb beach. It was a very relaxing week with fun in the sun. Loved the swim up bar at the adult pool. Incredible service. Loved the little island.
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Hotel catalonia

    Feb 14, 2025 Julie M

    The hotel had water issues. The first couple of days, the water in our room was sporadic and generally luke warm. Then their water main broke, so we didn't have water for two days. The managers didn't seem to care. The front line staff were great.
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Don’t stay here

    Feb 13, 2025 shannonpT3748UJ Chicago, Illinois

    It’s very outdated use to be Holiday Inn then bought over with no renovations. Checking in was slight wait with having to be told a couple of times it’s not ready then sitting back down. The walk to each building is a slight distance, I was in building 2 and the elevator was working the whole stay so used the stairs was in 3rd floor. The… Read more
    It’s very outdated use to be Holiday Inn then bought over with no renovations. Checking in was slight wait with having to be told a couple of times it’s not ready then sitting back down. The walk to each building is a slight distance, I was in building 2 and the elevator was working the whole stay so used the stairs was in 3rd floor. The stairwells are very dated and need to be maintained. Get to the room it was double instead of king notified desk was given the run around to switch room was told by front desk I would have to wait until Saturday. The condition of room was nasty hair all over bathroom, toilet seat broke, sink would not drain properly, thick dust, mold, headboard had huge dent, caulking horrible. It was crazy for the amount I paid and result of what I ended up with. The attitude of some of the staff was not good they need more customer service training. The 2 managers were no help the one on Sunday night who sent a male maintenance man to my room at 9:00pm, he arrived looked at sink thought it was an easy fix was not, then stated he would have to go get his tools and return, I said what time he said an hour or two because that he was the only one on staff for the night that everyone called off. That is not my problem and no you will not be in my room at 10 or 11 pm on a Sunday night and the heavy set bald guy that was the morning manager on Monday morning upon check out. Very disappointed my birthday weekend was ruined after I specifically messaged them that it was my birthday for the reason of my bust and would like I nice room and stay. I do not recommend this hotel. Expedia was no assistance in getting a refund claiming the hotel will not respond back to them. Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Lots of Good, Some Bad, and a Bit of Ugly

    Feb 10, 2025 429myrap Vancouver, Canada

    It's mixed. There's good, bad, and ugly parts to review. The good: I had a large suite with a balcony and a great view, there's an adults-only pool with walk-up bar, the beachfront location is great, there are lots of food options, no food-borne illnesses were acquired, and lots of good drinks. The jerk pork was always great and many desserts to… Read more
    It's mixed. There's good, bad, and ugly parts to review. The good: I had a large suite with a balcony and a great view, there's an adults-only pool with walk-up bar, the beachfront location is great, there are lots of food options, no food-borne illnesses were acquired, and lots of good drinks. The jerk pork was always great and many desserts to be sampled. Ocean water very warm and clear. Main pool very large and not crowded. The only downside, for me, is that the water is very shallow so "swimming" isn't so easy. It's generally 2 feet deep, which is very shallow for and adult. And since it was windy for the entire week, one couldn't go around the small island for fear of getting swept up into the rocks. Snorkelling is very limited to a few small areas on the property, so if you like to snorkel, this isn't your place. For this reason alone I would not go back. I didn't "swim" as much as I expected to. The bad: a water main broke on the 3rd day and no one had water for about 6 hours. Whilst people were able to go number one in the ocean, those who had to go number two did so in public restrooms that soon become full and not usable. It was really disgusting, and we didn't get many updates as to when the water would come back on. I really felt that a partial reimbursement would have been in order. The ugly: the stairwell in my building smelled of urine for the first few days. It was also in desperate need of a paint job, and the fans were filthy and rusted. On my third-last day, my door lock stopped working completely (no lights came on when the card was swiped) so I was locked out for about an hour whilst soaking wet and very stressed. Several requests for a handyman were made at the front desk + guest services + a housekeeping supervisor, but there was not convincing communication that someone was coming, and it was very stressful. Finally a housekeeper let me in (after I begged) with her master key and that somehow fixed the lock. Not sure what happened but I've travelled all over and I have never had that problem with any hotel key. And no, I didn't keep my key beside my phone, as they all kept asking me. I locked my phone in the safe and kept my key in a three-zippered waterproof pouch on my person, as I always did. I did all my booking through Air Canada Vacations, had all the emails and receipts printed, and still when I arrived the front desk person couldn't find my reservation in the system. It took about 15 minutes to sort out and that was also very stressful. So if you're booking with AC Vacations, CONFIRM everything yourself before you go. The flight home was delayed so we were all given meal and snack vouchers for MBJ airport, except that I went to at least 5 different stalls and none of them would take the vouchers. A bit frustrating. Lineups for food at the airport were about an hour long, and a DQ chicken burger will set you back $15USD. Will I go back to Jamaica? Yes. 99% of the people I met were so lovely and kind. The beach plus the sunshine were great, welcome breaks from the cold winter. The flight from Toronto is easy, and all the Air Canada ground staff and in-flight staff were wonderful. Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Do not go there !

    Feb 8, 2025 Lauri W

    I have been to this resort previously , when it was the Holiday Inn. It was a great Place to stay then. I arrived on Monday afternoon. We had purchased their privelige package along with joining their Catalina club rewards. Which includes early check in and late Check out . At 1:45pm our room was not ready, however that was fine . We were told to… Read more
    I have been to this resort previously , when it was the Holiday Inn. It was a great Place to stay then. I arrived on Monday afternoon. We had purchased their privelige package along with joining their Catalina club rewards. Which includes early check in and late Check out . At 1:45pm our room was not ready, however that was fine . We were told to come back at 3pm. We came back at 3:15 , room is still getting finishing touches bar being filled etc. We go back at 4pm. Room is finally ready so excited to see privilege area ocean view room. A bell man helped bring our luggage it was building 7 To arrive to find it dirty with cups full of cigarette butts and empty glasses, etc. As well the bar they were restocking was empty. Bell man cleaned up the mess and got the mini restocked for us. Next morning there was no water. Though it was a temporary thing. Took a bit to figure out what was going on. Mostly from other guests is where info came from. We went the day no water. In the evening I conversed with the manager to find out what they were doing or the plan was. As resort was full . With no running water to any buildings, meaning no showers, no washrooms, no hand washing , no ice ,etc. The response was they are working on it. Tried to find out if we could get our money back and go to different hotel. No real responses . They have to talk to corporate. Tuesday no water all day. Finally at about 6pm it was back on. Management did the bare minimum to keep guest informed of what was going on. A letter slipped under your door in the evening . The staff appeared to hate their jobs. In all fairness they work hard. They seemed to appear happier after corporate arrived. However, going to sea or pool to get a bucket of water to flush your toilet . Don’t purchase the privilege really not worth the extra money. As they allow anybody to use the pool and beach area they claim is part of the package. It is a beautiful area . Unfortunately since the change of ownership it is not managed well. Your experience is not their first priority. Read less