Sandals Royal Plantation Ocho Rios

This was a special holiday to celebrate our retirement and we had spent time researching where to go, and importantly where to stay. We didn’t want a ‘party hotel’ with the associated noise and nuisance. We chose Sandals Royal Plantation as ideal for us based on reviews and opinions of work colleagues who had visited. The hotel is small, intimate and friendly. It is ideal for couples who just want to chill out and enjoy some peace and quiet. The attention from all the staff is without exception, outstanding. We were made to feel valued and welcome at all times; nothing was too much trouble for anyone. The quality of food is high in all the restaurants and having dinner in your room is a special experience not to be missed. Service on the beach and in dining is outstanding. We will definitely be returning - thank you to all the staff for making our holiday perfect. Read less

We loved our first time stay at Royal Plantation. The vibe is laidback with attention to excellence. We stayed 3 nights in a Royal Monarch room and 4 nights in a Grand Duchess Oceanfront Verandah Butler Suite. I loved having early morning coffee on the beautiful balcony. The whole RP staff is friendly and personable. Our butlers were Chase and Neil. When I said morning coffee and dinner reservations were a priority, Neil scheduled all reservations for Ochi and RP for the week and put in a standing order for room service coffee every morning before completing his first day with us. Every person at the resort seemed to know our name and preferences. When I didn't see my favorite French toast from Sandals Montego Bay on the breakfast menu, the chef made it for me. Vanya and the breakfast crew remembered and made sure to have it for me every morning. Simone in Loyalty was so personable, professional and made rebooking a simple process. General Manager Omar brings a high standard of excellence to his job and he leads by example. He can be seen talking with all his guests daily, pitching in to help where needed, and doesn't miss even the smallest detail. He went way above what I would consider to be standard practices for a resort manager. All this was such a surprise and delight and I can now see why RP has such a following. Count us in. Read less

We were at Royal Plantation over this past Christmas, as we have done for the past 20 years. It’s a special place with a special staff that their main concern is your happiness. This year we got to meet the new GM, Omar. Very nice and professional . Very approachable and visible throughout the property. Thanks to all of you especially Gladstone and Sherrill for always making our stays memorable ❤️ Read less

My husband and I just returned from our first stay at Sandals Royal Plantation. It was truly magical. It is a boutique resort that has colonial style with beautiful mahogany furniture, gorgeous artwork and white walls. But the resort also shows off the best of modern, free Jamaica with an open breezy feel, food and entertainment that celebrate the unique modern culture and people. The landscaping, beaches, pools, restaurants and facilities are pristine and the views are breathtaking. The Papillon restaurant is elegant and evocative of Paris. But as everyone says, it is the outstanding staff and customer experience that sets the Royal Plantation apart from any resort or hotel we have stayed in around the world. All the staff remember your name and food/drink preferences. The General Manager Omar is excellent. He makes a point of getting to know each guest. We loved our Royal Monarch room and found the facilities to be perfect. Many days there is a local craft vendor near the grill. They stay there for you to visit if you wish but there is no pressure and there are no vendors accosting you on the beach. I love that the resort supports local artisans. I purchased a lovely bowl (see photo) the artist made from Blue Mahoe wood, the state tree of Jamaica. There are so many wonderful staff to recognize and I’ll try to remember them all because they deserve it! Our amazing room butlers Chase and Neil, wonderful beach butlers Trevardo, Daniello, JLee and Romane, Simone in Loyalty who is so above and beyond friendly, helpful and professional, the great servers at the Terrace and Grill Vanya, Tania, Deaundray, Jamey, Stephnie and Tyrone, our sweet and meticulous housekeeper Estina, Peter from room service who brought me coffee at 6 am, Lorna in the shop who was very helpful, evening bar server Tresell, amazing entertainers Nataki, Brenden and Alex, also the pianist in the bar who’s name I dont know, managers Rashane and Marvin, the staff at the fitness center who’s name I forgot, Trecia the spa manger who helped my husband get the right massage that cured his back pain from the flight. To top it off they brought my jacket left behind to the Ian Fleming airport. We rebooked for next January but I don’t think I can wait that long to return. Read less

The rating is because the quality of service (specifically the disorganization and staff unhelpfulness) let us down in a big way. The overall accomodations, eg. room and bed comfort, were also not up to par with the extremely high price tag. The hotel itself is nice & is right on the beach. The staff comes by often for food and drink orders. There are supposed to be daily and nightly activities but there isn't actually much going on. There's more at Sandals Ochi which is nearby, and you can take a free shuttle to use their activities or restaurants. The only way I found out about the activities is through the sandals app, and it is sometimes wrong. The rooms are big and have a good view of the beach. There is a strong AC unit and fan in each. I had some difficulty sleeping since the bed is not very comfortable and the walls are SO thin. You can hear every car going by all night, even though the road is not that close. There is also a hotel next door which they have no control over, and they had a very loud party one day/night that reverberated through the whole hotel and ruined one of our days. The biggest disappointment is that things are very disorganized. I was not expecting that from a hotel that charges so much and brags about it's service. For example, if I ask any questions about the details of an event I will get 3 different answers from 3 different people, and they may all be wrong. It is difficult to plan to do anything. They will not answer directly or accurately, but they will expect you to know what to do and will act frustrated if you don't. They promote themselves as a great resort for babymoons and say they will accommodate pregnancy (ex help you get acceptable pregnancy foods). They made many mistakes in the kitchen and often undercooked my food for example, and forgot I have a dairy allergy. (Btw if often takes over an hour to get each course, so you need patience if you're coming here. ) They constantly offered me alcohol, and when they gave me the drinks I ordered they weren't sure I got the right ones and said they put "special things" in it and wouldn't confirm it didn't have alcohol. They also say that pregnant people can't do ANY of the excursions except shopping (even a cooking class or touring a mansion). It would be easy for them to adjust a tour or call to confirm it is pregnancy safe, but they just don't put the effort in. The only good thing about this hotel for pregnant people is the fact that they offer a pregnancy pillow, which I was very thankful for. Since they didn't offer any activities for me, I found other tour companies that offered pregnancy safe options (ex, the Bob Marley museum - which I highly recommend!). Once I told them, then they said they will arrange it for me (it would be nice if they could have suggested something first, since they are the local hospitality experts that know the area better than me). Nonetheless I went on the tour, and they assured us the cost would be added to our bill at the end just like everything else. When we returned from the tour we went back to our room, and we got a call from the hotel staff saying we hadn't paid and we needed to pay cash right away. There is no ATM at the hotel so they said we needed to go into town and get cash now. They sent my husband with a driver to town and he had to go to 10 different ATMs because none of them had enough cash. They had to go to bad neighborhoods where he was constantly approached by drug dealers etc and felt unsafe. That's clearly not the way you want to spend your evening, especially due to the hotels mistake. They did not even apologize. Another day, the tourguide was 40 minutes late for our morning pickup. When I asked if he'd be here soon, the hotel coordinator seemed exasperated as if I was being unreasonable and impatient. Definitely not the service I was expecting for the rates they were charging. If you book the candlelight dinner- even though you can book it in advance including the details (time date etc) you need to talk to the hotel about it. They seemed unaware that we had booked it, and said the gazebo on the pier was already booked (??) so we had to take the gazebo they wasn't on the water. They also said the time we booked it for is not available. At the time of the event, one person told us we would have it on a balcony of a hotel suite instead, and not 2 minutes later another person led us to the gazebo. They don't communicate well with us, nor each other. Just another example of miscommunication and disorganization by the hotel staff. One more tip- we did the extra $ for VIP through the airport. The lines did not seem too long so I don't know if it was worth it, but it was nice to move quickly after a long flight. FYI you do need to fill out an online form in advance before you can make it through customs. Noone tells you this but it is necessary so you should do it beforehand. Read less