JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Brilliant!

My wife and I stayed for 4 nights from January 1st, 2017 and we had a superb time. We took the room on the ocean front which was just awesome. Waking to the sound of the ocean was just surreal. The room was better than expected. Extremely comfortable jumbo sized bed was an added bonus. Better than our own. Do yourself a favour and get the ocean front room. Breakfast buffet was excellent, vast array of food on offer to satisfy all wants. Evening meals were also very good however the entert [... read more]ainment in the evenings was a little dissappointing but not a detraction. Beautiful beach, warm water and fantastic snorkelling along a small reef just 30m off the beach to the right. Spectacular array of marine life without having to pay for a guided snorkelling tour. So cool. Beautiful pool area with infinity pools. We lived on the beach however. Super friendly and helpful staff who went above and beyond for my wife's birthday. Very attentive but not over bearing. Late checkout until 3pm (complimentary) was great. We ended up paying $10 for an additional hour so we could leave the beach at 3.30pm, shower and meet the airport bus by 4.30pm. This place was so quiet (kid free) but still lots of fun if you want to engage in the activities during the day on the beach. We will be back. A great first experience of Jamaica.

Riu Palace Jamaica: Amazing 5 star resort

Everything was perfect - the beach was 2 star compared to Cuba. Room very clean - services all 5 star. Can't go wrong as you can access the adjust hotels for free if you get bored. However no need as this hotel is far superior and you will not have to lineup. Can't go wrong - enjoy your vacation

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Clean and very well maintained but...

I went to the Grand Bahia Principe in Jamaica with my 18 year old son. Overall we had a great trip, and enjoyed our stay. Pros: The al a carte restaurants were all good, I particularly enjoyed the Gourmet, my son the Japanese, and the buffet was fine. The place was very clean and clearly well maintained, and the staff all very courteous and kind. The free catamaran was awesome, my son learned how to sail and loved it. Neither of us are beach bunnies so I can't speak to the quality of the  [... read more]beach or swimming, but we both enjoyed beach volleyball in an area not by the water. The mini-casino has 2 very nice Black Jack machines which seat multiple players and actually seemed to play legit. My son really enjoyed learning how to play Black Jack - properly! Lastly, like all resorts in Jamaica (at least all those on the national water supply), you CAN drink the water no need to brush your teeth using bottled water and no more concerns about the fruits and veggie or cocktails. The resort wasn't responsible for it but they recommended and booked for us, and we very much enjoyed a half-day trip on the party catamaran which takes you to Dunns Falls where you can climb up the falls (more like rapids to be honest but lovely just the same), have a jerk chicken lunch at Margaretville, and then sail back with dancing and drinks. Great value at $103 USd each. Cons: The buffet hours were not particularly accommodating - closing at 10AM and not opening until 1PM for lunch meant if we wanted to enjoy a nice breakfast we would have to get up "early". We're on vacation MON!!! There is another Bar & Grill style place that opens at 11AM but it is not a breakfast place. As my son pointed out there is actually 1 hour when you can't get food anywhere. Our package also included free room service which I thought was awesome until I read the Room Service Menu - forget it. If you decide to try your luck in the mini-casino count your cash when you turn in your receipt from the Black Jack machine. The morning after I collected my money I noticed I seemed to be short $20 but I wasn't %100 sure. The 2nd night I cashed out I counted it in front of her and sure enough I was $20 short!! Another complaint would be the scarcity of bars, especially with the central bar poolside (including the swim up bar) closing at 5:30. What's up with that? In short, being an all-inclusive loses a lot of its lustre if you have to work around their hours, and plan when to grab drinks in order not to have to walk for 5 min each way to get another round. Lastly, our package was supposed to include 4 al a carte restaurants. Despite the hotel pre-booking the gourmet and Japanese, and going on-line as soon as I got in our room, I was unable to book a night at the Italian restaurant. Despite calling and asking for assistance not once but twice over our stay and being told they would look into it and call me back, neither time did we get a call back. We were supposed to get 4 al la carte dinner nights and we only got 3 and nobody we spoke to gave a damn - very very poor customer service!! We had a look in the Italian place a couple of times and they were never full - I don't get it.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Fabulous vacation!!

This resort is the best out of 3 trips I have made. Very luxurious, very well maintained, beautiful pools and beach!! Food was excellent and varied. The service was very good as were all the people we met!! We will for sure book this resort again!!! 😎🌴🇯🇲

Riu Reggae: 5 star not, maybe a 3?

Upon arriving at the Rui Reggae we were all underwhelmed. I understand that this is a brand new property, time will not help this place! I also understand this resort was built using Riu's new "plan". Not sure who they hired for this, but obviously someone who doesn't travel much, and if they do, not at 5 star resorts. To jam this resort into such a small plot of land was their first mistake. There are so many chairs around the pool and on the beach, it is uncomfortable. A great number o [... read more]f rooms either have views of drainage areas, or a massive white wall from the Rui Palace which is right next door. They placed what must be a sewer drain right between one bar and the entertainment area. I assume a sewer drain, as every time you went near it, it smelled like raw waste. This resort has two other Rui properties right beside it. The Rui Palace and the Rui Montego Bay. Because we were so disappointed in the Reggae, we walked up the beach to view the other places. Our thoughts were to possibly change to one of these others. These other properties look identical and after speaking to guests at each of these resorts we decided to stay. The comments on the other properties were not good either. They did do a few things right! The staff at the hotel were all exceptional! The food in the buffet was also exceptional! Only got into the steak restaurant because of the line ups. It was just okay. Good luck Rui, but I can only imagine this property being deserted at some point.

Riu Ocho Rios: Good experience

Good experience, excellent food, ok service, ok room, excellent beach, excellent grounds, excellent corridors/lobby, excellent terraces for eating areas, excellent restaurants. There was a continue buzzing on the VIP beach -like a noise coming from a big vacuum. There were not enough seats in the theatre during the shows. Poor quality shows. The TV in the room was to small and we had no internet access in the room. It was hard to exchange the big dollar bills to 1 dollar bill (for tips)-no [... read more]t available at front desk. Sunwing experience was bad -the flight was delayed for too long and we arrived at the hotel at 1am. We were very scared on the bus drive from the airport to the hotel. Nothing happened but Jamaica is a dangerous place and we should not travel during the night time.

Bahia Principe Escape Runaway Bay: New Years at Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay

Stayed at the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay from December 26th, 2016 - January 2nd, 2017. Check-In & Porter Services - No issues, friendly, proficient and up to our room within minutes. Room - As expected, spacious, cleaned early and daily, mini-bar stocked daily, no shortage on bottled water, towels replenished twice a day...great job. Property - Gorgeous. The landscaping staff is constantly manicuring the property. The beaches were beautiful, clean and enjoyable to walk. Ba [... read more]r - The bar service was good, we never waited long for a drink however we are active tippers and became familiar with the bar staff. While the service was good we have two complaints regarding the bar service. One, the Luxury Bahia promotes that they have premium "top shelf" products. Finlandia, Absolute, Bombay and Smirnoff are not "top shelf" premium brands. It was nice to have access to specialty liqueurs for special coffees. Two, you cannot locate a single fresh lemon or lime on the resort. The majority of the time drinks were not garnished which you should expect at a self claimed "5-STAR" property. If you want lemon or lime for your drinks, do yourself a favor and find them outside of the resort or ask someone to purchase them for you (like we did with one of the bartenders.) Tip for the F&B Manager: If you can offer citrus on the buffets with the fruit, certainly you can source lemons and limes for the bar. This should be a standard at a "5-STAR" property. Dinner Reservations -I was skeptical from reading other reviews how securing a la carte dinners would go. We arrived late in the day Monday so we went to secure our a la carte meals first thing Tuesday morning. The day that we were most interested in was for New Years Eve. There was no line up so we were able to sit down quickly however we were told instantly that there were no restaurants available and that the new schedule was released on Friday. When I asked if I had to wait until Friday to book for NYE we were told that we would have to book with another group for the NYE dinner and showed us where to do that. I was frustrated with the lack of a la carte availability however then that suddenly changed. Ten minutes later we had booked into 4 restaurants, including the one I had asked for originally. A $5.00 tip actually gained us a smile, this after the fact. We were told to come back on Friday to book for Sunday evening, which is what we did. We discovered that NYE was going to take place at the Jasmin, the Luxury Bahia Adults-Only Buffet restaurant. We had our choice of times and booked for 9:00 pm. We asked multiple times over the course of the week what the menu would be for NYE and no one could tell us anything, other than it was Buffet and had a nice table set up. I will elaborate more on this later. Restaurants - We ate at the Italian, Brazilian, and the Don Pablo a la carte restaurants. The Italian was mediocre at best, the Brazilian was neat experience, the Don Pablo was the best of the three. We enjoyed the Chateaubriand. We ate Breakfast at the Jasmine everyday. The food for breakfast does not change. The fruit is not ripe and lacked flavor. My bf enjoyed the freshly made omelettes while I stuck mostly with the hard boiled eggs. The coffee, mimosas and service was very good. We ate Lunch every day at the Beach Restaurant where they were smoking the Jerk Chicken. The rest of the meal was buffet and did not change at all. We only ate the Jerk and salad here. The service was good however you often have to wait for the chicken to be ready. We sat and waited over an hour one day to have it, not for a lack of chicken on the smoker, rather the fact that they were holding it back. Pre-cooked chicken doesn't take another hour to smoke up to be done. Tipping to get chicken shouldn't be an expectation either. Thankfully the taste makes up for the annoyance of the situation. Tip for the Hotel F&B Manager: If you know that the Jerk has a high demand, prepare for it to rank a higher customer satisfaction score. New Years Eve - Our NYE reservation was hosted our of the Adults-Only Buffet, the Jasmine. Everyone was rushed in and then rushed out. The food did not differ much from what was offered the rest of the week with the exception of dried out lobster tail and perhaps some meat. My NYE dinner consisted of the same salad I ate all week, dried out lobster tail and deep fried mozzarella sticks. The desserts were the same, the drinks were the same, there was nothing special about this meal. Following dinner there was supposed to be a NYE gala out on the beach however rain took over and there was no communication on how plans for the evening had been altered. The lobby bar closed at 11:00 pm per their normal hours. If there was a "plan B" to account for weather this was never communicated. As a result, the rest of our evening was spent in our room. We were expected to dress up for a buffet dinner, which took less than an hour, and then spent the remainder without a plan. This was a tremendous disappointment considering the increased costs with being there for the holiday. Tip of the Hotel F&B Manager: It's NYE, let your guests eat where they want to. Post the menu's so that your guests know what to expect and can make alternative plans if what is being offered doesn't appeal to the over paying customer. Bulter Service - What is this? Does this come standard if you are a guest staying on the Luxury side or as a guest are you paying additional fees for this service (outside of tipping). This was never introduced to us. Gym - The gym is dated however it is functional and offers a selection of equipment, free weights and cardio machines. We didn't spend a lot of time here as it is hot and lacking air circulation (and quite frankly, we were on vacation). In conclusion, our vacation was what we made of it. We enjoyed the sun while we could, the drinks were ok, the food was ok, the staff was amazing, we enjoyed our time together. Would we return? No. There are far too many other properties to explore and for the money spent, the value was not there. We would rate this property a 4 Star at best.

Sandals Jamaica Dunn's River: Excellent resort!!

This former Sandals property is a winner in every way. It isn't brand new, but still offers a clean environment and an excellent variety of food, drinks and activities that are sure to please... The beach is clean and well maintained. It isn't a very long beach, but it is convenient and close and is very user friendly. Our room was clean and spacious and we enjoyed a beautiful view from our balcony. Staff was very friendly and helpful for the most part, but we did experience a few bad attitudes [... read more] in the gift shop and one of the bars. Nothing serious and no big deal. Restaurants were EXCELLENT. Reservations were required at only 1 and they were easy to make. The property is very compact and easy to get around. Nothing is very far from you no matter where you are. We would recommend it and we would definitely consider returning.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: fell short of expectations

I have stayed at less "Gran" resorts for a lot less money and been far more impressed. The situation of the resort, the grounds, the view from the rooms were all stunning. However, the condition of the rooms and the halls was considerably run-down. We had trouble with the safe, the tv and the sliding door to the balcony did not lock properly. We spent a considerable amount of time and frustration getting these problems dealt with. I did find the staff responded to my concerns professionally, I j [... read more]ust think that when you are spending thousands for two rooms (my husband and I had my elderly father with us) you shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of hassles. I found the quality of the food and the selection great but the only time you got hot food was when you were lucky enough to be standing by when something was brought out of the kitchen. The servers varied widely in their abilities and also in their attitude. Some were lovely and really on top of things. Others, not so much. All in all, we still had a lovely time but as I say, in my opinion, this resort is over-rated and over-priced.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: GREAT FAMILY RESORT!

We, decided to choose this resort based on recommendations from other families who have stayed here. Prior to our departure date I was worried about the reviews left by people on trip advisor about the lack of hot water at the resort. I was so worried that I sent many emails to my travel agent Sandra Gallaugher. Sandra re-assured me that was not the case and if I had any issues while there to call or text their customer service dept. Well we went the Royalton White Sands and had a fabulous ti [... read more]me. It was our first family trip with our two little ones aged 3 1/2 and 6 years old. * The food was good, sometimes repetitive but other wise it was always hot and a good variety * The butler service was amazing and I highly recommend purchasing this upgrade if you can. Our butler Nick and Rushane always made sure we were looked after. They brought hot lunch (pizza, wings, fries, jerk chicken) to the pool for us and the kids so we never had to leave. * The pool and kids area were fantastic and I can't say enough about the Kids Club which my children loved. It's a place where the kids can do art, play video games and hang out at the park * The resort it self is not very big and that is a plus because you know where everything is. Very quaint with a great family vibe. * The entertainment at night was great and we listened to amazing music on our balcony every night. * I can't say enough about the staff at this resort, top notch, very friendly and helpful. Would I go back? Yes A great family vacation with no issues with hot water! ;0) .

Riu Reggae: Loved the Riu Reggae!

We stayed at Riu Reggae Dec 26-Jan 2nd. What a great resort! The staff are so incredibly warm, friendly and welcoming. The resort is brand new, and they do an amazing job of keeping it clean. The restaurants offer a great selection of meals/themes. Try the drink of the day, you'll love it1

Riu Palace Tropical Bay: Riu Palace Negril

One of the nicest beaches I have seen, warm water and sandy beaches. Pools were a lot smaller than they appeared in pictures on line. Rooms were average but my biggest complaint would be the 2 beds pushed together to form one large bed. Food was average, but their system of having to stand in line to make a dinner reservation was frustrating. Staff was friendly and accommodating.

Riu Reggae: Exceeded all expectations!

After booking Riu Reggae initially, I was a little discouraged by all the negative reviews I was reading. Some people were even switching hotels. Having just returned, I have one thing to say: YOU ARE TOO PICKY!!! My review is long, but hopefully it will answer a lot of the questions I have been reading: My boyfriend and I stayed Dec 24-31/16 and absolutely loved everything about it. Check in was seamless. Our room was ready, spotless from day 1 to 7, tastefully decorated, and very mo [... read more]dern. The food was absolutely incredible. Top shelf all the way. Especially on New Years Eve. The effort the staff went through to make this evening special was admirable. They even had an electrician there in the morning doing special lighting for the evening. There were ice sculptures, all-you-can-eat seafood, beef wellington, lamb...you name it, it was there, and it was all amazing. The food was great every day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the jerk chicken hut on the beach was unreal as well. The staff and entertainment crew was so friendly, talented and personable. A special thank you goes to our favorite bartenders Kevon and Dexford. From night one, they treated us like their best friends. Zee, Vibes and Barbie on the entertainment team were very hospitable! They are excellent dancers, clearly love their job and are great at it. People complained about having to walk to the disco at Riu Montego Bay and that there should be a shuttle. OMG! Walk...it's 5 minutes away, you're in a tropical country, and the drinks are included. The spa was top notch as well. We had a massage on the beach. The drinks were amazing. They have the best mango daiquiris. They have premium labels such as Tanqueray gin. Free, unlimited wifi everywhere on the resort. Yes, there is a gift shop in the lobby. Yes, there are hairdryers in your room. If it doesn't work, the front desk will give you one to use for your stay. The shower has a shampoo dispenser in it and there is plenty of hot water and water pressure. The towels and bath robes provided are high quality. The garden view rooms are SO peaceful and quiet. The beach is private and beautiful. For those who complained, you clearly didn't walk to the other two resorts. Riu Reggae definitely has the nicest beach of the three. You can always find a beach lounger. You may have to walk around to get one, but they are there. And they can be moved. So if you don't like where you found it; move it to where you want to sit. There is no ATM at the resort. There is one at Riu Montego Bay in the casino, but if it is out of order, there is a Scotiabank right across the street in front of Burger King. Yes, planes fly overhead, but you are on a tropical island that is in demand. It's the only way in and out. The pools are gorgeous with pub-style tables IN the pools. Very nice. My boyfriend and I joked and said if we HAD to find one thing to complain about, we would say the drink coasters in the bars are too thin! Ha ha ha ha....Honestly, that's all we could come up with. For those of you with trips/weddings planned at Riu Reggae, rest assured, you are going to absolutely love it!

Riu Palace Jamaica: Great Resort

Everyone was very helpful and extremely friendly. The weather was terrific. Great last minute trip. Booking was easy. There were no shortages of smiles. "Oscar" really stands out. Would highly recommend this resort to family and friends.

Riu Ocho Rios: Beautiful resort

Dining rooms nice, grounds are beautiful as well as the pools. The washrooms were to far from beach and dinning. The jerk hut on the beach was very good. Chicken amazing the sides were just okay. Upgrading was not worth the extra except for the beach area. No extra for the al a carte . Had to wait just like everyone else. The entertainment was very good. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The excursions were very expensive. The ride from airport was much to long, stopping for the  [... read more]smokers who took there time. Going back from hotel to airport was quick with no stops except to pick up passengers.

Riu Palace Jamaica: Perfect adult getaway.

Courteous staff, well kept with modern amenities, great food and drinks, great accessibility, exceptional value, secure environment, good entertainment, awesome beach, great pools, variety of music and activities.....

Jewel Paradise Cove: Awesome Time at Christmas

We were here over the Christmas break from December 23-30, our room was clean and our families room was equally clean and very much the same as ours. We were celebrating our anniversary on the 23rd and had a nice surprise awaiting for us the next day. The pools were a little cool but refreshing, ocean water was a little warmer and refreshing when your on the beach, lots of activities for you too join in if you wanted too. Staff were awesome on the resort and this makes all the difference in the  [... read more]world at a resort for our stay. While not a 5 star resort, it is a very solid 4.5 star resort in my opinion. Breakfast buffet was good and the restaurants were all very nice, especially liked the grill and the pizza place. It was nice having a coffee at the coffee bar as well. Piano bar was awesome, we had a lot of fun there one night.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Disappointed with this Bahia

We have stayed at all Bahia properties in the DR and the Sian Ka'an in the Mayan and can't even compare the service we received at the other properties as opposed to the non existent service at the Bahia in Jamaica. We are probably the least picky travellers you could come across and don't sweat the small stuff, however, am I disappointed....yes....did it ruin my holiday.....no....We learned to overlook the lack of attention over the 10 days we were there and just sat back and enjoyed our ti [... read more]me as a family. At the end of the day, the property itself compares well, we had no issues with towels, sun loungers (we are early risers), the food was good (when you could find a plate), the sun was hot and the beer was cold. Would we go back.....no Would I recommend this property....not likely Did we have fun despite the short comings......yes, it's all in what you make it

Riu Montego Bay: Wonderful place, wonderful people!

The resort is extremely close to the airport so after a grueling day of travelling, you're only a 10 minute bus ride to paradise! Walk into a gorgeous, spacious front foyer where friendly staff are ready to assist you. (And put a drink in your hand!) All inclusive really means all inclusive here with unlimited drinks inside each room. Although all main areas have strong wifi connection, there is no wifi inside the rooms. (It is available for a fee.) Every night my family and I would loo [... read more]k forward to the exciting shows after dinner. The Riu entertainment crew and dancers are so talented I really thought I was watching The Grease musical or a Michael Jackson concert! They are always ready with activities by the pool, dance lessons and fun games. The crew really impacted my stay at Riu Montego Bay. There is so much culture and beauty in Jamaica. One of the best trips by far! Amazing staff and service, great food, and beautiful beaches!

Royalton Blue Waters: Exemplary resort

My husband and I recently returned from the Royalton Blue Waters resort. We spent our Christmas there and it was beautiful. The new unit has beautiful large rooms with comfortable beds and pillows. The new and remodelled restaurants serve a wide variety of tasty food. The buffet has areas where they cook the food in front of you so that you get it exactly the way you like. The new pool area and grounds are well maintained and always clean. We also spent a lot of time in the White Sands pool and  [... read more]bar area and it continues to be well maintained. The staff work hard to meet your needs and are always friendly. A few people that always go beyond our expectations to make our holiday enjoyable: Vassell looked after us at the buffet and a la carte restaurants; Shanoy checked everyday at the adult pool to assure we were taken care of; Ramon kept mixing the drinks to perfection; and Glenise was constantly bringing us beverages at the pool. The entire staff including bartenders and the social club did an excellent job. We have had 5 trips to this resort and have already booked our next trip in February. Cant wait to go back and visit our second family.