Starfish Jolly Beach Resort & Spa - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

• 

  Realistic expectations deliver a fantastic result

  We read many reviews and did our research before booking the Jolly Beach Resort so the only real surprise upon our arrival, was how it was far better than we expected! This is a 3* hotel with no pretext or attempt to be anything other than what it is so please do not try to judge it as a 4*... Yes the hotel is a little dated and feels rather tired in some places, but this is all superficial and does not run deep, the heart and soul of this place still beats strongly! The staff were in general, happy, helpful and friendly, the food was very good although a little repetitive, the drinks were also very good although not premium brands (we did not expect more ) Our room was large with a very comfortable clean bed and as our stay was for two weeks we received two complimentary room service visits. Again we were aware that daily room service is not part of the service provided and this was no problem at all; we just made sure we did not walk sand into our room and shock horror made our own bed each day. Clean towels were alwasy available if requested from reception. The beach is fantastic, the sea warm and welcoming and as value for money goes I really don't think you will find better anywhere in the Caribbean.

  Dec 11, 2025
• 

  Food was alright

  NO WIFI. No refrigerator in the room. They don’t clean your room everyday. But the food was good and so were the drinks. We stayed for a few days and the hospitality is great but the internet service needs fixing

  Dec 08, 2025
• 

  Good but plastic glasses .....

  We read reviews but we found it better than expected but some previous reviews were accurate. On arrival, scanning a code to book in online was a pain. We were first in Q but ended up last .... told our assistant was being trained. We were in room 3345. Yes, dated and small with little storage. No fridge was worst point. Aircon worked but always leaked water. Room ceiling leaked on last night during heavy rain. We used towels to soak up and told reception. Lovely beach. Less vendors at left side rather than in front of hotel. Food always good. 2 or 3 hours singer/s at night .... nothing during day. Big shop but not lot in it. Big supermarket 5 mins walk away. Plastic glasses .... my pet hate. About a third pint size! Safety, fair enough by pool but only place you got glass was in a la Carte place. If staying over a week, housekeeping once. Or pay for it .... Public areas clean and tidy enough. Expect to pay about £200 tourism tax for 12 night. Also, a deposit re damage. Beach towels available. Lots if sunbeds, but not mattress ones. A la Carte..... need to book, we did twice and both earliest time of 6.30. No this, no that, even then. Information meeting 9.30am was good ..... Trip wise ..... lots of boats. We did pink panther .... jot enough time at Nelsons dockyard. Overall, yes, I'd recommend this budget hotel on expensive island.

  Dec 08, 2025
• 

  Pleasant stay, read the reviews and enjoy it for what it is.

  This is a budget hotel on a fabulous beach. There are plenty of sunbeds with umbrellas and the hotel is perfectly positioned to walk up to the bus stop to catch a bus easily to St John’s. There is a very small marina nearby with a decent supermarket ( note if you want to pay by credit card you need to have ID), a pharmacy and a car rental place ( this was shut when we tried to rent a car but the lady next door sorted a car for us - super helpful). The breakfast buffet is really good , plenty of choice. Tea cups are small if you like a decent cuppa. Would take your own mugs ! The Italian restaurant needs to booked ahead of time. It’s a nice ambience to sit in but food was somewhat average ( frozen pizza which was a shame ). Helpful friendly staff though. The resort is pleasant with some nice seating areas and tea and coffee stations. The lunch and evening buffet is good again enough choice for everyone. Agree with a previous persons review where they said the staff are not unfriendly , I think they are just super busy and work really hard with limited capacity. The beach bar is an experience , you get chips burgers and hot dogs but it’s quite a challenge to order food having to repeat your order and feeling you are getting told off for not clearly ordering each time. Somewhat odd ! The room. The positives - it had a lovely balcony and a fabulous view of the beach. It was quiet ( away from the long bar ). I really liked that the towels were only changed once a week ( missing a trick jolly beach on packaging this as an eco benefit !) We didn’t have hot water for 3 days which was a shame. The shower head leaked and folded the floor each time. The taps squeaked and the fan was really noisy. Lack of plugs in the room which made drying hair a little tricky. Room did have a hairdryer and an iron and ironing board and a safe. Air con was good ( also a bit drippy) and agree with other visitors that a brush for the floor would be helpful. The bed was small but comfy. We didn’t have a super saver room so wasn’t expecting too much but the room was really shabby , furniture was very tired and old. The fridge was perched on a table and dripped over the floor. Limited space to put clothes or suitcase. Just be prepared and you won’t be disappointed. I enjoyed the bar in the evening , the steel band on a Friday night was superb ! Pina coladas were on point - delicious. The vendors on the beach were ok, a bit pushy but manageable. Just be careful what you book. I would suggest researching first as we were booked on a tour that wasn’t the one we wanted and we only found out after I contacted the company directly. Take the super value for money bus into St John’s - worth a few hours checking out the huge cruise ships and shops catering for the tourists. We hired a car which was the perfect way to visit English harbour, Nelson’s dockyard and half moon bay ( stunning ) The devils bridge was fun , nice remote area of the island. All in all a nice week away in the sunshine and couldn’t knock what we got for the money we spent.

  Dec 07, 2025
• 

  Suited us just fine!

  Got a last minute booking when our Jamaican trip was cancelled and didn't have high hopes after reading some of the reviews. Well, it surpassed our expectations. Fabulous beach, not busy, no seaweed, plenty of sunbeds and that glorious warm sea. Hotel room was fine. Not luxurious, a little dated, but clean with good balcony. OK, the air con dripped but a small towel solved that issue. Rooms only cleaned once a week, extra cleaning can be paid for. No construction noise (phew!). Low key entertainment (phew!) Lovely friendly atmosphere. Buffet never crowded, lots of options. Able to get restaurant bookings every time we wanted them. Very convenient location. Bus stop and supermarket very close. As well as using the buses, we also hired a car to explore. We thought that 'our' beach was the best in terms of cleanliness, no rocks, oodles of sunbeds and SO uncrowded. The only niggle was the music from the pool bar was too loud and so we didn't sit out on our balcony. Easy solved - go to other side of beach for peace. No bells and whistles, just a down to earth hotel on a fabulous beach at a bargain price! We'll be back!

  Dec 06, 2025