Mediocre Resort

The beach is beautiful. However, the food is not great and the resort needs renovations. It did not feel luxury or 4 star in any way. Additionally, we were diamond club members and other than the private spot at the beach we did not receive any other perks.

Worst resort I ever stayed at in the Caribbean

The hotel advertises paradise and a 5.star resort and amenities. Since our arrival, nothing was prepared, organized and nothing in the hotel was working. The kids splash area was not working on most days. The hotel was operating out of only one tiny elevator and the staff was also using the elevator and holding it for minutes at a time at different floors and even going in with big carts instead of giving guests the priority. All staff members looked inconvenienced when asked a question. If you  [... read more]travel with small children, this hotel is not for you. There is no way to get any food at the entire resort from 11am to 12:30pm. This is lunch time for most vacationers and for children who need access to food. Only if you have the deluxe ocean view room which was a really nice room with an amazing view is when you have the option of room service but it takes at least an hour for the food you order to arrive. If the restaurants are closed for an hour and a half and it takes an hour to get a room service order then what's the use? When you try to walk into a restaurant and take food out, the staff will always give you a hard time and then tell you will let you do it just this one time. Like they're doing us a favor like we're begging for food. This vacation cost $600 for the week. Out of that $5000 was for the resort for 2 adults and a child for 7 days. This is not the type of service that's worth this kind of money. We've been to countries like Cuba and received better service and more of a wow effect from 4 star resorts in Cuba than what we received at the Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay. When I read all the negative reviews, I thought I'll keep an open mind and will try to enjoy and have our own experience but unfortunately, I am surprised that even easy going vacationers like us could be this disappointed in everything. Maid services and filling the bar fridge were missed twice and even when I called to alert them w hours have passed and it was nearing our son's sleep time and no one had come in to clean and when I called the front desk no one answered. I immediately went to the lab bby and there were 5 people behind and front desk. I lost it on them and I told them how unprofessional it is the ignore the calls when they are all just standing there. That's when they finally started to get things rectified. Even the restaurants we were not able to find any spots to book on any. It should be organized in a way where every guest gets to try a different restaurant each night but that's not the case and the staff don't seem to care to help you. They keep telling you to try again tomorrow or go every hour to see if anyone cancelled or didn't show up. It is ridiculous and laughable that you have to jump through hoops to get a dinner reservation and still would not be successful. Finally when I showed my do satisfaction to the 5 staff standing behind the desk is when a supervisor was one of them and she after hearing me yell fixed 2 reservations for us on our last 2 days of our stay. We watched many guests saying it was their worst experience and we even saw a guest crying saying she want a to leave and go anywhere else but there. Overall, we had a good vacation and we enjoyed the weather, the pool.and the beach but that's about it. Bad service, bad food, drinks sweetened using aspartame and other strange tasting sweetness. Sink in the room was clogged most of our 7 days and there was a couple.of days with Luke warm water and no hot water. Very slow services every where Just not worth the money. We give this resort 2 stars for service, 3 stars for food and 4 stars for amenities.

Beautiful resort overall

My family and I had a great stay overall. The resort grounds are so beautiful and cleaned so well. The room layout is one of the best I’ve seen. Every room gets a water view. The food was good but not great. The drinks were awesome and a ton of variety! The restaurants are almost impossible to book and we had a horrible experience at the steak house where we waited over 90 minutes for our food only to come out so bad we couldn’t eat it. This was our worst experience for the week. The service is [... read more] great overall throughout the resort though. The resort workers for the most part are very pleasant but a few workers especially bartenders clearly did not want to be there and were miserable and difficult to interact with. They ruin it for the really hard workers. We did find the entertainment to be not that great especially during the day. Mind you, we were not in the hideaway so perhaps better entertainment there. Overall, we were pleased and enjoyed the impeccable views and gorgeous resort. I would give it 3.7/5 stars overall!

Nicely maintaned, awesome staff, great ocean views.

Grounds/Beach/Pools: Lots of beach area, sand hand raked daily, landscape and lawn very well kept, pools cleaned and chemical balanced every morning. Lots of loungers at beach and pool areas and re-arranged every morning. Public bathrooms clean, fresh beach towels daily and no silly towel cards. Nice kids wading pool with small water slides, and four large tube slides for older kids/teens. Needs Attention: Palapas (sun shelters) some canopies need repair. Several backrests broken on beach l [... read more]oungers and lots of cushions missing, dirty or torn. Inside: Rooms are still new looking and meticulously cleaned daily. AC and Fan work well and have bedside controls along with light switches and the reading lamps are a nice touch. The TV is KEY to not just watching movies but also to checking weekly activities. Make sure your bell hop shows you how to use it. Beds are very comfortable and covers clean. Towels replaced daily. Nice bathrobes but one size. Some may require extra blankets if too cold. Dual rainfall shower heads are a very nice touch. Whirlpool tub in the middle of the bathroom area (draw curtain for privacy). Separate water closet (toilet). Balconies have two chairs and a table for relaxing anytime. Mini fridge has soda, beer and water. What Needs Attention: Some in-room lights not working. Broken shower head holder that was not repaired during our 10 day stay. Food: Excellent variety but try not to sample everything first day. They have theme days and vary the menu quite well. The restaurants must be booked via the inhouse APP loaded on your device and it could be frustrating the first time so get help. The restaurants food is very good and most have upgrade ($) options for entree's and wine. They should allow guests to partake in one or two more specialty restaurants available at the neighbouring Hideaway section. (We do not like Indian food and that left one less restaurant available to us). Overall food was very good. Needs Improvement: Some portions are too large. (Steakhouse, Pasta). We found seasoning too salty and/or creamy. (Diabetic). Bars: Tropical cocktails menus very popular but take too long to prepare. Martini bar is probably the best and most popular in the evening. Lobby, beach and pool bars always busy as folks just hang around sipping drinks on the stools, thus hampering other guests trying to order drinks.Get your drink and move on. Take advantage of the drink service. (Staff walking around Lobby, Pool, Beach) to order your drink. Needs Attention: Not all bars carry same inventory like Fernet-Branca (excellent digestive amaro). Some often run out of Sweet Vermouth, Campari, or Aperol. Summary: This is a five start resort that is well kept. At the most basic level it's very good. You can indulge in extras ($) from spa's to personal chef experience, daily cabana rentals with private pools right up to the Diamond Club package, especially if you enjoy high end drinks and liquors.

March break trip

Ocean view and food were best part of this resort. Our teenage boys loved the water slides. Food was delicious at all restaurants and buffet. Hotel rooms were really nice but are designed for couples, not families. No separate bathroom, all one space with a curtain to separate sleeping area from shower and toilet. Big bathtub right in middle of room which is not ideal. Some parts of resort run down. (Lots of umbrella stands without umbrellas, lounge chairs without cushions and the ones with cush [... read more]ions were old and stained, stairs on bridge over lazy River were falling apart etc). No one serving drinks around the pool with the lazy River and on the beach, we were only asked once if we wanted a drink. Staff were very friendly for the most part. Nightly entertainment was really good. Website advertises paddleboards, kayaks and snorkelling. This does not exist at the resort. This was VERY disappointing and misleading.

Horrible resort

Very bad experience. I will never recommend this resort to anyone. Not worth the money I Paid. So many things were broken and not working. Kids had no entertainment or activities inside. Nothing to do for adults or activities for the evening. Very small place compared to other royalton resorts.very less vege options for food. Only 1 buffet yo eat all the time.

Left my heart at royalton

The grounds were immaculate. Rooms were exactly as described and super clean although beds were uncomfortably hard. Food was delicious. Staff was wonderful. Only 2/4 water slides were working. Butler were fantastic- ask for Shawn and Ardley!

Fantastic resort

This is my 15 th trip to this resort in 5 years, and it is the best holiday that we have every visit. There are always complaints from others about small issues, however we have not witnessed most of those issues. The Jamaican people are the friendliest, happiest and most accommodating people you will find. They go above and beyond to make everything good. We have been fortunate to make many friends over the years and feel like family. From the moment we arrive until we leave, everyone is coming [... read more] over to welcome us back. A more detailed review of the areas.... If you are coming here then I would suggest you pay the extra dollars to stay at Blue Waters building 3. ALL rooms are ocean view and the building is much newer. The rooms are very large and comfortable with nice balconies to enjoy in the evening. The food is good with a wide variety in the buffet. They have a white night on Monday and pool party on Wednesday nights. The buffet is moved outside and is lots of fun. There are other restaurants as well. They are not all open every night but there is a sign posted at the buffet as to what restaurants are serving that evening. The Jade restaurant has a fantastic meal. It was very tasty. The Hunter steak house was good with a wide selection. The Gracie Italian was very good, also a good selection. Our lunches were generally chicken wings from the diamond club outdoor restaurant. They were very good. There is also the jerk hut which is very good. There are always lots of chairs to select from, both at poolside and on the beach. The grounds are well maintained and clean. The resort is a nice size and easily accessible. Both Blue Waters and White Sands share everything. The only difference within is if you have diamond club. We often get this as there are perks....they make reservations for you to all restaurants, even though you only need a reservation to the Zen; they have brought us a fruit tray at poolside mid morning; they have left wine in the room for us; run the jacuzzi tub and had it ready when we returned from the pool; answered any questions; even spent some time and playing cards (lol). They are very helpful if you ask. The Dips pool bar is a great place to hang out. The waiters are very good and bar drinks are very good....try the dirty banana!!!!! Well, that’s my review, I’m sitting at poolside now and want to get back to enjoying the sun, pool and drinks. Have a great day and don’t forget to book your next trip to the ROYALTON BLUE WATERS. Date of stay: January 2020

Nice resort, grumpy staff

The grounds were beautiful and the rooms are the cleanest that I have ever seen in carribeam. It is worth it to upgrade to diamond club. Difficult to eat if you require a celiac diet as very few are knowledgeable on this.

Less than expected

The beach was beautiful and clean. The rooms were slightly run down as was the entire resort with regards to the buildings. The power went out numerous times throughout the week. On a daily basis there was a shortage of jerk chicken, some liquors and ice. The staff for the most part were accommodating and friendly. We had to ask every day for the bar fridge to be restocked, the shower handle fell off with every use. It was difficult to get reservations for dinner and the food was often cold. The [... read more]re was only two small elevators in the Blue Waters “3” building being used by staff and guests for a 7 floor building.

Great beach

Beach was real nice but room was in disrepair and food options were poor unless you went diamond class. Definitely not a 5 star. Door fob didn't work to get in room when we arrived(took almost 2 hours to fix) bar wasn't stocked when we arrived and shower didn't work properly.

Not a 5*

The resort is beautiful. very clean. staff amazing. however entertainment is lacking. no music at pools or beach. food was awful. Desserts were a disgrace. we were served burnt dry sponge cakes as desserts during lunch time (I have pictures to prove it. Plus, hotel was almost always out of fruits (except for watermelon and pineapple). I wouldn't go back.

Best trip with the kids

What an amazing resort! It was clean and the grounds were beautiful. All areas of the hotel were always spotless. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Food was great, they need a little more variety but all in all it was good. Kids never complained. Something to do for everyone! Plenty of space, many pools to choose from. Never had difficulty finding lawn chairs or somewhere to sit on the beach. They had different entertainment every night. 3 nights they had the buffet set up outside with entert [... read more]ainment. Several bars so you don't ever have to wait for drinks. Jerk chicken hut outside if you don't want to leave the beach. Waiters were more than happy to bring the food to you if you asked. Everything was within a short walk. I had my 9 month old with me and it was nice not having to walk long distances. We will be going back next year for sure!

Good Resort

This was our first time at a Royalton Resort. We were very pleased with property. The rooms were very nicely appointed and clean. The food was very good. While it we enjoyed our time here I would classify as a 4 star not 5.

Not a five star!

All though the room was nice and the food terrific, this place was not what we expected. On arrival, we found our mini fridge empty-not even any water- no house coats, no tv remote, no working clock, a broken make up mirror, and even though we had coffee, no coffee maker! It took two days to fix this, even with many calls to front desk and house keeping. The steak restaurant was a two hour wait to get in. When dinner finally arrived, it was cold. My husband tried to surprise me for our anniv [... read more]ersary. While at dinner, our room was to be decorated and a bucket of champagne left for us. When we got back from dinner——nothing!! We called the front desk, they had no record of our request. And as for that dinner. They called to change our reservation time. When we got there, they had no reservation and we had to wait. The hotel kept trying to get us to upgrade to diamond service. The only difference between our bracelet and the “fancy” one was you got to eat breakfast in a “special” part of the buffet restaurant. Definitely not worth the extra money!! Lastly, two of the restaurants were unavailable. This meant that line ups for meals happened at all other restaurants.

ROYALTON BLUE WATERS - JAMAICA

We were at this resort over Christmas and had a fantastic holiday. We are return clients and have never been disappointed. We were assigned the Diamond club and had two outstanding butlers: Tannisha and Laceyann There were no issues with hot water or air conditioning. The pools were clean. We had a cabana for a day which was well maintained and well serviced. Restaurants were all open and the food was very good with a wide variety at the buffet. We would highly recommend this resort.

Great Family Resort

This is a great resort recommended for families. Beautiful rooms and beach and many a la carte restaurants without requiring reservations. Mostly families with tons of kid activities and that is why I would not recommend for couples.

Amazing resort!

My wife and I in our mid 30’s enjoyed the week stay early December. The hotel was about 80% full mainly mixed with young families and established couples. There weren’t too many couples of our age.It never felt that busy. Kids were never an issue for us but we also mostly hung out at the beach. (Locals could become annoying as they constantly try to sell you stuff but security is around at all times so that was appreciated). Drinks were offered constantly and we rarely were without. Note tha [... read more]t the 2 hotels on site are really just all 1 hotel. All the amenities of Royalton White Sands can be used and visitors of WhiteSands aren’t allowed to go on the Blue waters side but in reality that still happens. Overall we were glad that we chose blue waters over white sands as the rooms and views were fantastic and the beach chairs were more comfortable. We had No issues with hot water. On our last day the power went off briefly but the resort has a backup generator to prevent long outages. The restaurants and entertainment are all shared and were fantastic. No reservations needed except for the Japanese. The best part of our stay probably was the entertainment. We had been to Jewel Dunn’s river twice before and that was nothing compared to this. The overall kindness of the workers I must say lacked significantly compared to our previous stay 4 years ago at the Jewel. Half of the people just didn’t make an effort to make you feel welcomed which was really one of the main reasons we like Jamaica so much. One note about the room is that even though you can control the AC fine and it has a ceiling fan as well, the humidity never seemed to leave the room and clothes or towels would not dry. Sheets and paper would even feel sticky. It wasn’t a big concern for our stay and overall I most likely would return again.

Great resort

Food is good, but the hotel is small. share facilities with Royalton White Sands. Many activities, however it always during the nights. If you want to sleep at that time, it will be noisy. The beach is clean, but it is crowded.

Great Vacation!

My husband and I spent 7 days at this beautiful resort. Positives: grounds are beautiful Staff are wonderful. Honerable mentions include: Jeremy ( concierge), Front desk staff, hospitality staff, Asheika from the coffee shop. She makes the best lattes! Room was nice, we had a view of the main family pool area. Food:. Can't complain. There is something for everyone. Negative: Power outages and no hot water at times are an inconvenience but are not deal breakers. Overall, I will definite [... read more]ly visit this resort again!