Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island

Jamaica

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It's like coming home. Visited: September 2007 Posted by oilikeit2 Year after year, my wife and I stay at this charming resort. Why? Because any place that you visit only once a year and when you return they know your name and reminise about your last visit - is the place for me. From the minute you arrive, you are immersed in friendly opulence. You just can't beat it. From the addition of the new Cricketter Pub to the Thai Restaurant on the private island, the amenities are second to none. We enjoy the private rooms with the semi private pool, but the rooms run the gamet from oceanfront to privite "riverfront" suites. If pampering is what you seek, you will not be disappointed. 13 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was like Heaven on Earth. Visited: July 2007 Posted by intensity38 I can honestly say that as soon as we stepped off the plane in Jamaica, we were treated with a kindness and respect that is often very hard for us to find in the USA. My husband and I were here to celebrate our honeymoon, and to relax after the hectic planning of the past year. We were looking forward to doing absolutely nothing but having an enjoyable time. First, let me say this - our Butlers Adia and Ellis were the main reason our stay here was so great. They made every moment a moment to remember. They noticed our specific likes and dislikes without us even having to tell them. They also did little things for us, like bring us cold drinks at the pool at the exact time we were thinking we were thirsty. It was like they could see our next wish before we even thought of it! They also put flowers on the deck chairs they reserved for us at the pool, and sprinkled petals all over the tablecloth the first night we were here. We enjoyed a candlelight dinner in our suite. They both came to our room in a moment's notice, and were always there to escort us to anything we wished to do. We had a beautiful picnic lunch on the private island on one of the cabana beds which was fully sheeted with crisp sheets and pillows. It was so romantic, so sweet and so comforting. Like I said in the title.....it was as if we found Heaven! 26 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Service here was extraodinary! Visited: September 2006 Posted by oilikeit2 My wife and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and we made the right decision to stay at The Royal. Befitting of its name, the service was incredible. Even though the resort was being updated, and there was lots of construction going on, the staff made the stay worth every penny. Young and old alike will find this resort both relaxing and fun. Though, I would not recommend this specific resort to those looking for the constant party life atmosphere, the Royal exceeds your service expections on every front. And don't forget, staying here you can use the other Sandals Resorts that are just a short bus ride away. Being a cook, I could be a little critical of the food (hence the four stars) - but only a little. The service and atmosphere more than made up for any short comings in this area. Tracy, Mario, Renee and Jason were, without a doubt, the best and the primary reason we've already booked our return visit. I can honestly say at The Royal Caribnean they all treat you like family (uh, the family you actually enjoy seeing!). 13 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was everything we expected - and more. Visited: May 2006 Posted by reg We went to attend our daughter's wedding and enjoy the resort. Our first all-inclusive resort stay was an incredible experience in every way. We were treated like kings and queens by the most beautiful people one would ever want to meet. It was first class all the way. 15 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Here is my realistic review (I am a three-peat guest). Visited: November 2004 Posted by renarfagel Food: 3 Room: 5 Atmosphere: 1 Service: 2 I had a more comprehensive review, but it was too long by far. Suffice it to say that my husband and I just completed our third trip back to Sandals Royal Caribbean and, sadly, we won't be returning. We paid five-star prices for three-star service. We were sorely disappointed with the entire experience - thank goodness Jamaica is lovely and blunted the blow of the service degradation at Sandals Royal Caribbean. 8 users found this review helpful. 21 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a wonderful beginning for us. Visited: October 2003 Posted by rachmuni My new husband and I began our honeymoon at Sandals Royal Caribbean before hopping to Antigua. Origianlly, we were only going to go to Antigua, but who can stop in the homeland of Bob Marley and not get out for a few days if you've never been? Our travel agent suggested Sandals and he could not have given us a better choice. We were completely spoiled from any other resort company from the moment we stepped foot on the grounds. From wonderful hospitality to continued great service and friendly guests, Sandals was, by far, the best all-inclusive resort chain we experienced. Other resort companies claim they're all-inclusive, but not as much as Sandals. From water sports to no tipping allowed, the staff at Sandals made sure guests never had to worry or put their hand into their pocket. You can do nothing or anything and have a fabulous time. The best was that we could Sandals hop to the other resorts and play or dine, day or night. Sandals lived up to every bit of advertising (no hype) and although I do not work for them, I wish I did. We can't wait to go back! 13 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was heaven! Visited: September 2003 Posted by p_byrne This was heaven. My husband and I spent one glorious week here and are already planning for next year. The staff was excellent, playmakers made you want to play and get involved, even the guests were great to one another. Our room was clean and spacious, the food was awesome, and the island was a nice change of pace. Also, the bartender (Mark) was more than accommodating. When I read bad reviews of this resort, I could only think that (a) they stayed at a different resort; or (b) that they wouldn't be happy with any resort. We can't wait to go back. 7 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sandals Royal overbooks to an extreme. Visited: July 2003 Posted by bookingood My wife and I went for a week to the Sandals Royal Caribbean in July 2003. We were told at the airport that we were being sent to Sandals Montego Bay. As this resort is right next to the airport and very noisy, we said that we didn’t want to stay there. They told us there were no rooms at Sandals Royal Caribbean and we had a confirmed reservation. We were finally put in a lower-priced room at Royal and started our vacation by trying to unwind from this situation. Our first meal was at Courtyard. The restaurants at Sandals resorts are theme/specialty restaurants with open kitchens and have only about 5 choices for entrees. It’s definitely not gourmet. And they do not serve coffee/tea; you get that in the lobby. We were never offered dessert. We found the offshore island to be nice. We went there once to go to the restaurant and once to swim. But the Jacuzzi was broken and there was no evidence of any repairs. One Jacuzzi near the Beach Grill/beach was too hot to get into and we did not see anyone in it the whole week. The breakfast buffet was nice, lots of fresh fruit but they did run out of bagels one morning. There are omelets to order, cereal and pastries. Lunch at the Beach Grill was little else besides hamburgers and fries, but you could get non-alcoholic drinks also. The lunch buffet was nice with salads, hot items, fruit and deserts. Their International Buffet was nothing more than a variety of hot items, veggies, rices, potatoes, etc. and a variety of deserts served outside, but not on the beach like some other resorts do. The grounds were generally nice, the Royal beach is small but we always got two chaises. Sandals had free bus service going among Royal Caribbean, Montego Bay Sandals and Sandals Inn. This was nice and allowed you to have meals in other restaurants. We did spend one afternoon on the beach at Montego Bay, but the noise from planes taking off and landing was too much for us to go back a second time. Sandals Inn has no beach and the locals were all over the beach across the street. If you want an all you can drink vacation, yes go to Sandals Royal Caribbean, but if you want gourmet food and a complete meal with a nice choice of entrees, go elsewhere. St Martin has the greatest food, but is pricey and Aruba almost as good with a nice opportunity to have some moderate priced meals during your stay. Of course, you can find your price range on either, as is the case anywhere. 8 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had no complaints! Visited: July 2003 Posted by lwolozen This was our first trip to Jamaica, and our first Sandals experience. Although it was not our honeymoon, it felt like one! We loved the all-inclustive - a no tipping and friendly atmosphere! There were plenty of fun activities, tasty food and yummy drinks. We really enjoyed the Courtyard (excellent steak), and the Thai Island was a great experience. They had the sweetest waiters! All the employees were great! The playmaker was full of energy, with so many fun things to do! The scuba class and team were fun (although we did not get to dive- the weather made the seas too rough). There were plenty of towels (bath and beach) And our room was clean and cool (we had the most basic category). We had no problems finding a beach chair by the pool or ocean- either shade or sun - no problem! We had great fun traveling to the airport. There was tons of traffic (I think a 'check-point' was causing the jam), but our driver got us to the airport in record time with a very exciting ride! The Sandals/AirJamaica pre-departure check-in was an amazing time saver, too. We got to enjoy the entire day. I definitely reccommend Sandals Royal Caribbean! 9 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A beautiful and relaxing accommodation. Visited: June 2003 Posted by mayofam This was our first time to both Sandals and to Jamaica. I can't remember a better vacation. To simplify things, I would rate everything "10" on a scale of 1-10 with the exception of the food and the diving/snorkeling. If not for the food, I would have rated this resort five stars. While always beautifully presented, the food was in most cases pretty mediocre. A few exceptions were all of the wonderful fresh fruit at the buffet, Tokyo Joe's at Mo Bay, and the spicy food at the Pavilion. The food at the Thai restaurant on Sandals Cay was not the best Thai food I've ever had, but it was good and the atmosphere was not to be missed. The dive staff ordered us off the boat like the 82nd airborne--we were not happy with the dive. The reefs are indeed dying, and we saw little living coral. So this was not a great diving destination. But, the lush atmosphere, the rooms, the staff, the activities, the tours (we did Negril, Dunn's River Falls and the plantation), the beach, the drinks, the tennis, the freedom to travel among the resorts, the other guests (who could be in a bad mood at a place like this?) - all fantastic. The no-tipping policy was also such a relief, because as soon as we stepped off the property, everyone wanted a tip. Sandals Royal Caribbean is highly, highly, highly recommended. 10 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had an excellent honeymoon. Visited: May 2003 Posted by rrherman43 We had no problems at the Royal Caribbean. "No tipping" meant a worry-free stay, with great food, better drinks, and nice accommodations. Playmakers staff was excellent and helped to keep guests busy if they desired. They made our seven-day trip truly memorable. We stayed in the basic room - and found it to be perfect - as we spent little other time in it. There were plenty of tours to choose from. Dunn's River Falls is a must! All restaurant food was top notch. Other Sandals resorts transfers were easy with the courtesy shuttle bus. Tokyo Joe's at Montego Bay Sandals is a must. We had an excellent trip! It was well worth the time and money. We would do it again, and can't imagine a better time! 6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We enjoyed our Christmas at Sandals Royal Caribbean. Visited: December 2002 Posted by lori1 Royal Caribbean was our second trip to a Sandals resort. In November 2001, we honeymooned at Sandals St. Lucia and decided to return to the well known resort chain for Christmas 2002 at Royal Caibbean, Jamaica. We thought that the stay was fantastic! Our room was upgraded to a grande luxe beach front and we were five steps from the beach! The room was very clean and cozy. I was sceptical about not having central air, but our air conditioning unit was quiet and cooled our room. We enjoyed breakfast on our porch, breakfast room service was available to all rooms. The weather was beautiful and all visitors enjoyed the well kept beach. In order to get a chair on the beach or pool deck, we had to get out early and put our towels down. There was a shortage of towels a couple of mornings. The beach was small, but the water was calm. There was a reef that broke the waves out beyond the Sandals Cay, the island, so there were no big waves crashing on the beach...just calm beautiful ocean lapping onto the beach! The Playmakers were excellent and the beach bar and grill staff were professional, friendly and attentive. Jamaica had a slower pace and it was actually good to slow down and relax, waiting for a drink only made me realize how impatient I was and how fast paced I expected everything. We were Sandals Signature Guests, since this was our second trip, and we were treated like royalty. There was a special cocktail hour and dinner, and we had a chance to meet and make friends with one of the sales team, Omar. He was very knowlegable, friendly, and went out of his way to make sure we were having a perfect vacation! The food was excellent and the restaurants were fantastic. We did not have one bad meal or service experience. We loved the Thai restaurant and had a unbelieveable lobster and champagne dinner our last night! We went to the Montego Bay Sandals for the day and had dinner one evening there. I was not as impressed. The guests seemed to be a little younger and the resort was bigger. We enjoyed the smaller atmosphere at the Royal. Things seemed to be better kept and the service and quality of food was a step above. The entertainment was out of this world. We saw some wonderful singers, dancers, and bands! We are early risers so we never hit the disco or the really late night happenings. There were many day and night trips that were offered, but we did not go on any. We had enough activities on the resort, so we never booked a trip. Their Playmakers and Water Sports staff kept us busy when we wanted to be busy. Our vaction was awesome and we would highly recommend it to anyone. We will return to the Royal Caribbean! 13 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Would not ever go back! Visited: October 2002 Posted by kp2texas My husband and I anxiously awaited our 5 night vacation to this Sandals resort. But, we were very disappointed. 1st - We paid for an up-graded, non-smoking room with an ocean view. What they gave us was a room that wreaked of cigarette smoke, on the far side of the property (no possibility of even catching a glimpse the ocean). We called the front desk and were rudely told that we were in the appropriately up-graded room and that it was non-smoking. Hmmm... so had something recently been lit on fire, or what was that stale, smoky smell that permeated the entire room? So, with appropriate travel documents in hand, we went to the front desk to get resolution. We were told that for an extra $200 we could have an ocean front room. Normally, we would not have agreed to this extortion-type treatment, but there was no way we could stay in that awful room. The new room was much, much better - but it wasn't ocean front - it was ocean view (what we had already paid for). 2nd - Nearly all of the staff that we encountered were rude and insolent. We were never greeted with a smile or cheerful word when we ordered a drink or something to eat. 3rd - While the water was a beautiful color of blue, the beach is really small. 4th - The food ranged from average to awful. If you don't like what you've ordered, you can request something else of the menu, but your server will no doubt display his/her irritation. The good things: 1st - the pool was nice. 2nd - the grounds were pretty. Overall, this vacation was very over-priced. We have stayed at several all-inclusive properties thoughout Mexico and the Caribbean (within a variety of price ranges), and nothing has ever come close to being as bad as this resort! 5 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? An absolutely beautiful place to wed. Visited: September 2002 Posted by enrico We wanted to get married in a tropical paradise, and I must say, we were not disappointed with Royal Caribbean. The moment we arrived, we were greeted with champagne and smiles, and they upgraded our room to a Grandluxe in the Glamis block, which we were really happy about. The room itself was spacious and immaculate, and it had everything we could want in it, except the in-room bar, which was in the more expensive rooms. The grounds, beach, pools and jacuzzis were spotless, there were always people sweeping, cleaning and collecting glasses. There were a lot of choices when it came to food, with four different restaurants, all of high standard. We were really impressed with breakfast in the Regency, with bacon, omelettes, sausages, boiled eggs - you name it, they had it. The beach grill was particulaly great, especially the bacon cheese burgers. The bars there were sometimes understaffed, and sometimes when I stood there waiting, they walked past me as if I was the Invisible man. That got to me a little, but most of the time, the service was good. As with regards to our wedding here, we had to postpone it on the 18th for two days because we had Tropical Storm Isidore here. But when we did get married on Balmoral lawn here, it was fantastic. Everything was perfect and well organized. We could not ask for a better wedding day or venue. Every single person here was wearing a smile and always had time to say hello. Apart from Isidore and Tropical Storm Lili (which hit us just before we left), this truly was a taste of paradise. Thanks to Reverand Gordon, Patria, Vannette, Audrey, Ryan, Patrick, Patricia and every other person in that beautful resort for making our wedding day and our stay here a very memorable one. 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderful time to be had! Visited: August 2002 Posted by 50towin We stayed a week at the Royal Caribbean and never had a better vacation. The grounds were well kept. The food was excellent and the bars were well stocked. The only thing that lacked in any way was that the concierge staff was sometimes overwhelmed and either didn't or forgot to do things. It was forgivable, but could be improved upon. Pernell, the head concierge, always made everything right. Other than that, try all of the restaurants. They each had their own flair and were all worth trying. If you head off-site, skip the shopping tour, it was a waste. But don't skip going to the townhouse restaurant, it was to die for. 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? An excellent resort for couples. Visited: August 2002 Posted by jacosta Our stay at Royal Caribbean was an enjoyable one. We were completely satisfied with the grounds, appearance of the resort as a whole, and the individual service provided by the staff. The food was excellent. The staff proved very well the effort to make us feel at home. Their motto really exemplified "many nations - one people". We had lots of fun, and we enjoyed the variety of sport activities. We were nine months into our marriage and chose Royal Caribbean to celebrate our honeymoon. No regrets here! We would definitely love to come back. Montego Bay was also great. We preferred Royal Caribbean for its size. The Sandals Inn was located in an undesireable area. We just didn't feel right at the Inn. Keep up the excellent work, Royal Caribbean staff. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A nice resort. Visited: April 2002 Posted by docswiffy We just returned after spending four days here. We had previously been to several other Sandals. This one was great if you're looking for a short stay close to the airport. The negative point was that it was a little too small for a longer period. The grounds were very nice, our room was newly redone and the resort looked like the rooms had recently undergone renovations as they were all nice (we peeked in!). The disco was closed because they were renovating it. They were also renovating one of the smaller pools. The restaurants were all surprisingly very good. The crowd here was older and more mature than Montego Bay. The beach was a little small, but nice. The staff, as always in Jamaica and Sandals, was very accommodating. This was a very nice resort for a four or five day stay. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a great place close to the airport! Visited: March 2002 Posted by smd8z Overall, this was a great place to stay! The staff was the highlight! Smiles and "Iries" everywhere! Breakfast and dinner were magnificent, but lunch was not as wonderful as we had hoped. The bar grill was very understaffed, so we had to wait a bit for food and drinks. The only other bad thing was the lack of clean cups at the grill. The Thai restaurant on the island was a must! The food was great and the ambiance was what really made the dinner perfect. We stayed in a Honeymoon Beachfront Concierge room and it was wonderful! We had the greatest breakfasts on our porch and the sunsets were unbelievable. If you go with Concierge, Pernell will treat you right! He was such a wonderful person - I can't say enough about him. The beach was smaller than at some of the other resorts we have stayed, but it was so beautiful and well kept, that we didn't care. Be prepared to fight for beach chairs though! I think we woke up every morning at 7:00 a.m. to grab chairs. The Playmakers (the enetertainment crew) helped make our stay a lot of fun. You can get involved as much or as little as you want in the daily activites. The Olympics were a must, though! We met so many great people that day. Overall, this was a great resort with a superb staff and good food. Not to mention, it was close to the airport! 6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Tired and jaded, poor beaches, not great overall. Visited: February 2002 Posted by denise_a Our stay in the Sandals Royal Caribbean was on the whole pleasant except for the terrible aircraft noise from 8am until late in the evening, poor beaches, and an indifferent staff at most food areas. The staff at the watersports area was better, but they did try to sell PADI dive courses constantly. Our room was a Grande Luxe Oceanview, which was overrun by cockroaches, the tiles in the bathroom were cracked and the shower did not work (although housekeeping swiftly sorted this out). On the whole we felt that the holiday was not worth the sort of money we had paid. 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't believe the good reviews! Visited: January 2002 Posted by bbountas We booked a Honeymoon Beachfront Room, but when we arrived we were told we were going to get an upgrade. The room we got was at best a truck stop motel room with the smell to go along with it. It was not even on the beach, if you want to call it a beach. After two days of arguing our case with front desk and management we finally got moved. I also had other issues with this resort. It looks nothing like the pictures; there is no beach at all--my backyard is bigger. Watersports were closed down all week because of a little wind. Most of the employees were rude, especially the water activities crew. On the other hand, the courtyard restaurant had great food. We got to use the Sandals facility in Negril, which was excellent. It had a great beach, good service and the resort did not look rundown like the Royal Caribbean property. Take my advice and stay clear of Royal Caribbean and Montego Bay! 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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