Sandals Royal Plantation Ocho Rios

Simply the absolute BEST of any Caribbean resort we have been to!!! This was our second time at this resort- and our butlers Adrian and Ricky were OUTSTANDING!!!! We own a catering company and first class service is SO much appreciated- and they exceeded our expectations!!! Love them!!!! And the GM, Omar, was incredible and so helpful, as I had broken my foot prior to our arrival- and he made sure I still had a great time!!! Del, Garnet, Romaine and “Tyson” (our bartender see and this is what we nicknamed him) all went above and beyond. We love this resort SO much- you truly cannot go wrong!!! Adrian- Whoop Whoop!!!! ❤️ Read less

During our last visit, my husband and I were taken aback to know that the staff far exceeded our exceptions again. The staff from our previous visit, our butler team Jovahan and Andre, and singer Ms. T (hard to pronounce name but can sing her heart out), remembered not only our faces but some of them remembered our name as well. Each staff member we encountered were courteous and gracious ensuring we were well taken care of regardless of the time of day, morning, noon or evening. Our servers, Garvin, Romaine and Arkinella remembered the entrees and drinks we consumed from day one, always polite and holding conversation with us whenever we had a question(s) during meals, there were other servers but these three stood out the most to both of us. Our butler team this visit were Duwainey and Richard, always there and providing insight on any question(s) along with helpful tips on Jamaica and Sandals. My husband and I, both laugh at our shared memory of trying to escape our butlers during both visits wondering how long it would take for them to discover our whereabouts, not long at all. We love this location and can't wait to return to the place we left our heart. I would leave our maid Monique a note here or there but finally met her one day before we were to leave. We were never around our room when she was there and I finally had a chance to personally speak with her and "thank" her for being so sweet and always taking care of our suite. We completed one tour in town this time around and just enjoyed the resort and its activities. The boat mate Fabian was a hoot with facts and fiction, a pure joy to be listening to him talk about the history of the Island. The General Manger, Omar, I asked him a room question and his answer was far above and beyond the answer I expected. Every time we either passed by the General Manager or was in the vicinity of him and other guest, he referred to the guest by their names, including us and no we, the guest, did not wear name tags. How is this possible, to know your guest on sight by name? I have so much more I would like to mention, but my words are running short. It's a safe bet to mention, that if you are wondering if visiting a Sandals Resort is worth the time and money; I can honestly say, for my husband and I, it is well worth it and you will not regret doing so! So go ahead and plan that next vacation to Sandals Royal Plantation and maybe we will bump into each other lounging on the beach, at the pool, or doing a meal or entertainment. see you then! No matter who we interacted with, everyone spoke with sheer admiration for their county, Jamaica and their workplace Sandals. If I could have rated Sandals Royal Plantation 10/10, I would have. Read less

Returned to a Sandals resort after 6 years. We were recommended RP as we prefer smaller quieter hotels,and wanted to play golf. The resort is very clean, but a bit tired and needs updating – which is happening. Our original room was in the East Wing, and not only did we have traffic noise, but it was being repainted & first day in, the scaffolding was being moved, which was noisy. To be fair, being sleep deprived & having complained, we were moved within the hour. Our next room in the West Wing was much quieter. The staff are wonderful. You can see how they work together, engage with guests and show their personalities. This is a reflection of the example led by Omar, general manager, who is a visible presence and talks to everyone (and knows guests names). Shout out to Tanya & Tianna, Joseph in Papillon, and the bar guys on west beach who get to know what you want very quickly. Great service. Also chef Lorenzo – what an inspiration. We had never had a butler before, and weren’t sure what to expect, but Adrian & Alrick (aka Biggs & Ricky) were great and always on hand to help & advise. Biggs helped to make my husband’s birthday exceptional – from singing Happy Birthday first thing, to decorating the room for when we eventually got back from a great day. The butlers are the ones who make sure everything’s as it should be, and they got to know what we did & didn’t want. The two beaches are kept really clean. They’re both small but there’s plenty of sunbeds but Sandals, you do need to get newer, padded sunbeds. We never had a problem getting beds, no matter what time of day. One irritation was a number of guests on the beach insisted on playing their own music – loudly – which is intrusive. Perhaps one beach should be a quiet area? Apart from Papillon & The Terrace lunch menu, we were not impressed with the food. Breakfast buffet was poor with a limited choice of fresh fruit, processed cheese, and the bread was awful. It didn’t seem to be freshly baked. Lunch at The Royal was OK. We discovered that you could have pizza or jerk chicken delivered from Ochi, but mostly guests ate these on the beach which we weren’t keen on. The evening menus in The Royal & The Terrace were unimaginative, even on ‘special’ nights. Papillon was very good, and we were lucky to get a table when we requested – but they are limited.We ate at Kimono’s at Ochi one evening which was good fun but not wonderful. It put us off visiting other restaurants. Evening entertainment was OK – some nights better than others. We had a couple of wet evenings where the entertainment was moved into the pub, which is not the best environment as it’s freezing cold and very noisy, so you can’t have a conversation easily. This is a small resort with limited facilities. As another review said, there was very little information about trips, what was available in Ochi & Dunn’s or anything about the resort. We had to find a lot of info online or via other guests. The butlers did provide info but if you don’t know what’s available, you don’t know what to request. Whilst for golf, there are no green fees, you do pay for cart hire ($60) and mandatory caddy ($50), plus tips so it was quite expensive. The course was in reasonable condition and our caddy was very knowledgeable, but we have been to other AI golf resorts where rental is included and you don’t need a caddy every time you play. Despite all the above, we did have a very relaxing break, and the farewell song – sung beautifully by Omar & Biggs - is a treasured memory (wish I’d had the quick thinking to record it). Read less