My husband and I enjoyed our time at the Starfish, but are not rushing to return. It is, as everybody ought to know, a family-oriented hotel. I guess we neglected to realize that “family oriented” literally means bratty kids running amok all day, every day for the duration of your stay. Despite the family feel of Starfish, there were plenty of dealers around to harass you to buy drugs, jewelry or art. Do NOT go to the beach at night; it is unsafe even with security guards around. This bummed me out b/c I enjoy beach star-gazing while sipping cold cocktails, but was unable to after the first night (we were constantly hounded to buy this or that, and they get much pushier in the dark).
The open air lobby is bright, festive and conveniently houses the main bar (however, I intermittently smelled a distinct sewage odor which was of course gross, and I never did get to the bottom of it). There are pool tables, slots and an arcade in the lobby, which proved to be a blessing b/c there wasn’t much at all to do at night. The band is ok at best, but as there was nothing else happening, we wound up really liking the corny band. Louder than you might think, so be prepared if your room is close to the lobby and faces the hotel pool.

The pools were freezing. Not chilly. Not cold. Freezing. I had to wait until I was nearly overheating before I could manage to get waist deep. In the summer, this is probably a blessing, but in January, we could have managed with a few degrees warmer. The adult pool is useless and didn’t get used at all while we were there, so that meant no swim up bar either. It’s completely shaded so if you prefer the shade, that’s the pool to be near.

The island was fantastic. Wonderful views, constant breeze, quiet and absolutely relaxing. Only complaint is that it’s a short walk to get your drinks or use the restroom – not a huge deal, but it would have been Extra relaxing to have bar service out there. I guess that’s asking too much for a three star hotel, though, so fair enough.

The food was typical all inclusive grub. I am a very, very picky eater and I always found something or other to eat. My husband actually said he enjoyed the food, so it’s obviously a personal thing. I highly recommend the Hibachi a la carte restaurant – wonderful food and fun service, with nice ambiance. Booking the a la carte restaurants was really simple compared to other all inclusives.

Room was fine by our standards. Nothing fancy, but comfortable and clean. Our bed was quite comfortable and our shower pressure was a-ok. Room service was adequate.

We kayaked and had a blast, but if you are inexperienced with water sports or you are not a strong swimmer, then do not go out. The “life guards” (I think they are actually just staff member wearing red and take no liability for vacationers) let you grab your gear and head on out, without any instructions or guidance. The current picked up out of no where and if I hadn’t known any better, we could have easily been swept away. I am being absolutely serious! Go at your own risk – literally!

Well, I guess that covers everything. In summary, we went with the understanding that we wouldn’t be “wowed” by the hotel, but thought that it would be a notch above what we found. I am a kid at heart and looked forward to going down the pool slides and playing pool in the pool, but this stuff left a lot to be desired. I would go back with a big group of people, but I would not go with my hubby alone.

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have  Happy travels!

Your stay at Starfish Trelawny will depend on your expectations. It is rated as a 3 star and for the most part that is what it is. We had a family vacation with two small children in December 2007. It was our best family vacation yet. Our first all inclusive with the kids. I would rate the food a 3-4. We could always finds lots to eat, even for our sometimes picky kids. The day and evening activities around the resort were great. Lots to do with the kids. My seven year old enjoyed the rock climbing and trapeze. The pools were nice. We did leave the children at the Kids club for two half days. The kids were very happy there and we were happy to have some time to ourselves. We had visited before hand and felt comfortable that the children were getting good care. The rooms , I would rate a 3. They were clean but damp. The kids loved the bunk beds (they were a bit squeaky). They replenished our drinks and would leave extra water, pop when we asked in the room. The rooms were a bit damp and it would take swim suits and towels a long time to dry. The beach was nice and the Island is fun. All of the staff were very friendly, helpful and approachable. The security guard on the beach even went to the edge of the beach with us to ensure we were okay. We certainly DID NOT feel safe going off the resort. Things may have been different if we didn't have the children . I know some people did not have the same experience, but please be careful. We were very happy to stay on the resort and we had a wonderful cheap vacation that the kids still talk about and ask to go back. Enjoy it and take it for what it is.
J Robb

I cannot believe that we saved all year to travel to Jamaica only to find that the hotel needed a total re-furb. Anyway to do things in order, on arrival at the hotel we found that only 1 room had been allocated to our party of 4 - after a wait of nearly 1 hour problem solved and rooms were allocated (one of them overlooking the dusbins at the back of the hotel). Asked to be moved and to be fair this was done straightaway - to a room already allocated to someone else!! Finally after we had been in the hotel for 2.5 hours we were finally given a half decent room. However upon further exploration, the wardrobe doors were broken and hanging off the runners, someone had broken the ironing board and left it up in the wardrobe so couldn't hang any clothes up. Too tired by this time to do anything about it so left it for the rep to sort out. There were a few occasions when we had no water in the evenings and had to wait up to 2 hours for a shower and other occassions when we had the water, but no towels!!. General comments about the hotel, formed after 2 weeks are: Dirty pools, grubby/broken furniture, main dining area furniture - plastic and poor, evening meals were poor, some staff downright rude and miserable. On a brighter note there were some good points - excellent team providing good daytime/evening entertainment, breakfast was good, although there were often log queues for the omlette station. The A La Carte restaurants were also good value and the steaks were delicious. If, after all this you still decide to go to the Starfish, say hello to Donovan, one of the porters and ask him to show you where Jerry's Bar is. You'll be sure to have a friendly welcome and a good night there. Also before booking any trips, speak to Ernest - Donovan knows who he is - you'll get a good deal and much cheaper than the tour operator.

I went on this trip with my mother,sister and 13 yr old daughter. We arrived in the night and was a bit disappointed with the hotel and rooms. However had no choice put to give it a chance.

We got up ealry in the morning ate breakfast walked around and realized the night doesn't do the hotel justice. It's not the best looking hotel but the activies are endless, the staff is great and beach beautiful.

The only issue I had was the front desk. My room had some issues and I had to call frontdesk and house keeping a number of times.

If ur looking for a cheap vacation for the family with teenagers and don't mind a basic room then Starfish is for you.

I really liked the Japanese rest.!!!! Great food and service

Dunn River Falls, Luminuous Lagoon is a must!!!