I would first like to say that this was my 9th all inclusive vacation. I’ve been to Dominican, Mexico, and now Jamaica. I read alot of negative reviews on this resort and was alittle worried about going here. But we were going with a group of 16 ppl for a wedding, and had no control on the venue. Don’t believe the negative reviews, this was one of my favourite vacations!
Your Arrival: Flew Air Canada from Toronto to Montego Bay. Flight was quick, about 3 1/2 hrs. Going through the airport was easy. Air Canada rep was waiting for us, and directed us to our bus. Bus ride took about 1hr. They stop mid way for bathroom break, you can buy food, drinks and local items here…t shirts etc. We arrived at the hotel around 3:30pm. All of our rooms were ready, and those of us who booked together were all placed on same floor, and very close together. Which was great!
Only complaint here was that my brother and I asked for double beds, and were given a King bed. Apparently they only have limited Double Bed Rooms, and they save these for ppl travelling with children. When they found out we were brother and sister, they brought in another bed for my brother. It was a full size double, placed in the sitting area. It worked out great! When you check in, they will only give you one room key. Very silly! But, we waited until that evening and asked for another key. They were happy to give us one. We found that if you have any issues that need to be addressed to front desk, WAIT AND ASK NIGHT STAFF! They are much nicer, probably because they are not as busy as day staff. And be nice, smile and you’ll get what you need. The guests who were rude, and verbally abusive to staff got NOWHERE. Righfully so if you ask me 🙂
Rooms: We stayed in room #12303. Our room was FABULOUS! No complaints at all! Our lights and AC stayed on without having to put room key in the slot. Not sure why, but we didn’t complain LOL. AC worked great, bathroom was very clean, and the location was fabulous. We were minutes to loby, buffet, restaurants and pool.
Maids were fabulous, restocked mini bar everyday. We tipped $2-3 US a day, and she did a great job.
Restaurants and Bars: I was worried about the food after reading negative reviews on this resort. I’d just like to say, I don’t know what these ppl were complaining about. Unless you are Oprah with a world class chef in your home cooking for you, there is NO WAY you could complain about the food. BUFFET: The buffet was AWSOME! So much to chose from, and the food was good quality. They also did a good job changing it up every night as well. There is definantly something for everyone. They even had a "kids section" at the buffet. The counter was lower, and had favourite kid foods…fries, hotdogs ect, very cute 🙂 ITALIAN RESTAURANT: We ate here one night. This was the only meal I didn’t like. The food wasn’t bad, I just found that I like having more choice with the buffet. JAPANESE RESTAURANT: This was THE BEST A la Carte! If you have a large party….and of course we did, you get your own private room with a chef who cooks right in front of you. rice, veggies, chicken, beef, shrimp and fish. It was fabulous! I Had the Tempura starter, and Fried Ice Cream for dessert…Both Fabulous! THE GRILL: This was were we had the Wedding Dinner. Bride and Groom chose our meals. Food was good, we had lamb, some had fish instead. Only complaint here was the AC was not working this night, and everyone was VERY HOT! Especially since we were all dressed up for the wedding. BEACH GRILL: This is an outdoor buffet on the beach. This is were the Jerk Chicken is! OMG, SOO YUMMY!! We had it almost everyday. BARS: The drinks were AWSOME! I have been to Domincan and Mexico where they put way too much liquor, and your drink ends up tasting Horrible…lol I must say the drinks here was VERY tasty! Made so you could enjoy it! And if you like alot of liquor, just ask for a double, they will gladly do it for you 🙂 My favourites were Pina Colada and Banana Daquiri’s. Very yummy. There beer is good too. Don’t leave without trying "THE BOB MARLEY" shot. It has 3 layers, all different colors…. red, yellow and green, and it doesn’t mix….really neat! WATER: One GREAT thing about Jamaica….You can drink the tap water! I think this is why none of us in our group experienced any type of stomach issues. I felt the same as I would have felt eating at home.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: BEACH: This is my only complaint about this resort. The beach is not nearly as nice as D.R or Mexico. Not the resorts fault, just the way god made this strip of beach I guess. It is very rocky as you walk closer to the ocean. There is an area far to the left that is nicer if you don’t mind the walk. POOL: Very nice, clean large pool. Pool bar was great! We enjoyed that daily. There are limited chairs around the pool. We were lucky, my dad likes to get up at 5am and he went down and grabbed chairs under the palapa for us. Other wise, you probably wont get a chair around the pool. If we needed more chairs, we just brought some up from the beach…its a very short walk. No one complained, and alot of guests did this as well.
Grounds were beautiful, well maintained.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: I am not one to be "Active" on vacation…but if you are, there are things to do everyday around the pool. Your typical stuff….volleyball, water polo etc. They also had Bingo, beer drinking competitions, water balloon toss ect. As for tours off the resort, there are lots to chose from. Again, I did neither of them. But ppl in our group did some. They chose different tours, and they all enjoyed themselves.
Other Comments: WEDDING: This is a great resort to have your beach wedding. The wedding Gazebo is right on the beach overlooking the ocean, the perfect backdrop for your special day.
Overall, I would say this was a great resort, and I would recommend it.