First of all ladies and gents…remember when reading reviews there are such things as legitimate complaints and illegitimate complaints. A legitimate complaint for example: Not receiving the room/services you paid for, dirty or unsanitary conditions, fixtures or amenities not working properly, rude or disrespectful staff ect. However 80% of the complaints on this resort that you will ever read are illegitimate. Most of these complaints come from guests expecting or assuming to receive something that was never promised or advertised. A little homework on our part makes all the difference in the world and I certainly knew the Sandals Royal Caribbean resort website and trip advisor reviews and ratings like the back of my hand before booking. Boy was I thankful I did my homework before booking because then the only surprises on our trip were GOOD ONES! As many reviews will say, the staff is what makes the place that much more warm and welcoming. Not a single person passed us without a smile or hello. We even had grounds keepers walking up offering to take a picture for us by the carriage. He need not abandon his work but he saw us and a great photo opportunity so he offered with a huge smile. Service was excellent and for once I felt like more than just a guest in a hotel. Some bartenders even learned our names and favorite drinks! Resort was beautiful, water was warm. Plenty of good food, good drinks and great times!
I can’t wait to stay at this resort again. Remember fellow travelers, we all have bad experiences. We have all had that one bad trip where everything that could go wrong did. Its a shame and it happens to all of us. But don’t let someone elses poor experience tell you to never give something a try. Especially the reviews that had one bad experience at a resort and not say they will never visit that country again. How lame and silly is that? Like its the countries fault that your resort did not meet expectations. Anyways the average rating of this resort should speak for itself.
Room Number:
57
Room Block:
Arundel Building
Arrival:
Fast and friendly. As soon as we stepped off the bus they had cool towels and rum punch ready to serve. Quick check in followed by making all our dinner reservations for the week. Before we knew it, we were enjoying a afternoon snack at the beach grill looking over that stunning water!
Rooms:
ACCOMMODATIONS: First of all, we are easy to place. So long as the room does not have rodents, insects, or is falling apart in some way we are happy. I laugh at the reviews that get so upset over a tiny crack in the bathroom tile or a scratch on the end table. Its like…did you pay thousands of dollars to come to Jamaica and stare at your bathroom tiles? Or are you a normal person who came to Jamaica to stare at the beautiful scenery and enjoy yourself? I am the second type of person. When I go on vacation, the room is always a least important factor in my stay. We spend so little time in the room…why gripe over something so small? I cannot comment on the higher category rooms. We only booked a Royal Premium (second to cheapest room category) but were more than happy with our mini fridge, whirlpool tub and spacious bathroom. The king size bed was comfortable and our room location was perfect. Right in the peaceful gardens with a comfy hammock right out our front door.
Restaurants and Bars:
FOOD & DRINKS: Food was plentiful and had plenty of variety. I enjoyed steak, seafood, stir fry, french, pasta, jerk chicken & so much more. Rather it was a simple burger on the beach or 5 course meal in the romantic candlelit french restaurant, we enjoyed every meal we had. Drinks were tasty and plentiful as well. My husband enjoyed the Merlot and quite a few glasses of aged rum on the rocks. I lived on fruity passion drinks and a bit of champagne. The ONLY thing I will say that I found to be somewhat disappointing has nothing to do with Sandals or Jamaica at fault. I am quite a Pepsi addict. So I was sad to find coke products at sandals and although I purchased a two liter of Pepsi in the gift shop, I knew right away it was very different from what is sold in the US. But that’s my weirdo problem, not theirs lol. However word of advise to any avid soda drinkers out there….there IS A DIFFERENCE in the soda in Jamaica.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
RESORT: Smaller property but does not seem that way thanks to its winding paths, secluded gardens, nooks and crannies. Instead of a "resort" feel it felt more like a tropical paradise. A real island atmosphere with beautiful lawns and foliage to its British and plantation style architecture. Does it have an older character to it? Yes but personally thats what I prefer when going to an island. I can stay at a high rise condo anywhere. Beach is smaller but never crowded. Lovely view of the turquoise sea. Pools are both good size and unique. Some offer swim up pool bar and hot tub whole the lazy river crystal lagoon pool is a winding pool with floating pink petals perfect for drifting away from every care in the world.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: ENTERTAINMENT: Don’t let the website fool you. It does not come close to describing the tons of daily options for you an your spouse to enjoy or not enjoy if you so choose. You can do as much or as little as you want. They offered everything from nature walks, scavenger hunts, contests, afternoon tea, board games, fruit carving demo, cooking lessons, dancing lessons and other fun things throughout the day at each resort. If you were not into what SRC was having, you could easily check out the activities at nearby SMB or SCI and hop on the shuttle to enjoy those resorts entertainment. The night time entertainment with play at three allowed us so much including beach parties, casino night, steal drums, two different amazing singers, chocolate buffet and more.
Land & Water Sports: As it says on the website, Sandals does offer unlimited water and land sports so long as weather is permitting. We enjoyed snorkeling, glass bottom boats and hobbie cats during our stay