SANDALS Ochi Beach Resort was abuzz with on-air activities from Saturday March 9 to Wednesday, March 13, 2019 as the resort hosted 10 radio stations from top markets in the United States.

Sandals, in a release, said its was another stop in a series of radio remote activities by Sandals Resorts as they continued to showcase not only the various amenities and facilities offered by the brand, but also the Caribbean as a top vacation destination.

During their five-day stay in Ocho Rios, the radio personalities participated in a wide array of activities on and off the resort,while doing live broadcasts to their listeners back home in the USA.

One of the major highlights was the creation of the Sandals Foundation Peace Wall at the Ocho Rios Primary School using paint and recycled plastic bottle caps. The 25 radio personalities, with the assistance of students, parents and teachers from the school, and volunteers from the Sandals Foundation, painted and placed plastic bottle caps on a wall depicting peace, love and unity.

“Nothing has brought me more unexpected joy than my time working with the Sandals Foundation. The short amount of time I spent painting the peace wall at the Ocho Rios Primary School with the great people of the Sandals Foundation, alongside my industry colleagues, was by far the best part of my trip. It altered my impression of what a visit to Jamaica should be, and showed me what a visit to Jamaica could be”, said Micheal Sangiamo “Big Mike” of Long Islands’ WALK-FM.

He went on to share, “Some people may say that all we did was paint a wall on a Sunday morning and, on the surface, this is true. But, in a larger sense, the fact that the previously bare, white wall now looks bright and colourful was not the only point of our effort. What that wall represents and, more importantly, the time we spent working together means a great deal more. Such a diverse group — workers from the Sandals resorts, radio professionals from all over America, and people from the Ocho Rios community organised and inspired by the Sandals Foundation to make a difference.”

Principal of Ocho Rios Primary School, Althea Scott, was delighted with the mural done. She highlighted that, going forward, whenever there is a conflict in the school she will take the children to the wall and remind them of its meaning.

Another of the highlights was a special Sandals 5 Star Global gourmet dining experience, during which their taste buds were treated to a culinary journey across the globe with various dishes and cocktails specially prepared by the resort’s culinary experts. This allowed the visitors to experience sthe taste of select dishes from all 16 restaurants while watching the sunset over the beach.

“I felt like a celebrity! It was definitely a 5-Star Global Gourmet dining experience. I had surf & turf and it was amazing. The food was good; five stars, indeed,” shared Kevin Cesar “Mutha Knows” of the Philadelphia’s Power 99 Rise and Grind Morning Show.

Experiencing the entertainment and ambiance of the only speakeasy in the Caribbean was yet another of the main adventures the radio personalities spoke about daily to their listeners. From the 18th century décor, to the live jazz band and the standout cabaret singer “Mama’, who always left them wanting more, they made their way to The Rabbit Hole every night.

Not only were they blown away by the nightlife and food, the radio personalities were given the opportunity to explore every aspect of the daytime activities — and also ventured to do some of the tours offered.

General manager of Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Kevin Clarke, was excited about the visit from the radio stations, “We are delighted to showcase our beautiful destination Jamaica and our luxury resort to the over 5.8 million listeners of these 10 radio stations. I’m sure that through this, many persons will be intrigued and book a vacation to come and see first-hand what Sandals Ochi Beach and Jamaica have to offer.”