Sandals Royal Plantation

This was our second time at this resort and certainly won’t be the last. The General Manager, Omar Robinson makes this resort feel like home. He is constantly checking on you, bringing you drinks and popsicles and knows each guest by name. Our butlers, Orayne and Safiya were outstanding! They decorated our room almost daily and went out of their way to bring us a variety of lunches on the beach. One day we had chocolate chip cookies waiting in the room! Another day we had birthday cake! Each day was a new surprise! Our favorite spot at the resort was the beach. Never a shortage of chairs or umbrellas. The beach butlers made sure your glass was never empty. If you were in the water, he called to you from the shore with a bird call! The fire-show was as wonderful as always. The returning guest dinner was great as well. The breakfast ladies were super! We learned about toops and other patois sayings. Horatio has now helped us with four additional bookings! He is such a sweetheart! The bartender, Venice, in the wobbly peacock serenaded us with a Tina Turner song while keeping us topped off with rum punch. Marsha and Renae entertained us with beach activities and Broadway songs at night. We kept them out of the sun. The only thing I think the resort should offer more is to have the photographers at each sunset and nightly dinners as the other resorts do. I understand that not every one wants to be photographed laying on the beach or felt pressured to pose, but unless you take selfies and have someone else take a photo of you, you’re not going to get a lot of couple photos. Of course you can schedule photo sessions, but to schedule one every day would be a lot in my opinion. The only time we ever saw a photographer was at the returning guest dinner. Just a suggestion - certainly not a complaint The resort is a perfect 10!!

My wife and I had an absolutely wonderful holiday. In all our years of travelling, we have genuinely never experienced such an incredible level of service. From the moment we arrived, everything felt personal, warm and special. Everyone seemed to know our names, and that personal touch made such a huge difference. A special mention has to go to Omar, the Manager, who is quite simply the best hotel manager I have ever come across. He leads by example and clearly cares enormously about his guests. On one occasion I was visiting a sister hotel and missed the shuttle back. Omar actually turned up in his own car to bring me back to the hotel. Where do you get service like that? It says everything about the level of care and attention you receive here. Our butlers, Gladstone and Sherill, were absolutely incredible. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them, and they went above and beyond throughout our stay. They genuinely made our holiday extra special and are a huge credit to the hotel. The food was amazing throughout our stay, and the service from everyone was exceptional. The restaurant staff, waiters and waitresses, bar staff, cleaners and every other member of the team we encountered were friendly, professional and genuinely seemed to care about making sure we had the best possible holiday. What really sets this place apart is the people. It never felt like we were simply guests at a hotel; we felt genuinely welcomed and looked after. There aren’t many things I’m certain about, but one thing I know for sure is that we will definitely be returning very soon. This has quite simply become our favourite place we have ever stayed. A huge thank you to Omar, Gladstone, Sherill and the entire team for giving us such an unforgettable holiday. We cannot wait to come back!

We honeymooned here 25 years ago when Sandals was the pioneer in luxury all-inclusives. Since then we had kids and have been to almost every all-inclusive chain in the Carribean and Mexico. And after 25 years Sandals has aged a little like us, but like us ;-) and fine wines, is still the king of luxury included all-inclusives. Club Med may have more activities but for laid-back luxury, Sandals is still king. The service, food and drink are second to none, and they still lead in little attentions to detail; our ice bucket was always full of fresh ice. They asked for our preferred wines and spirits at check in and there was always a bottle of Chardonnay, Merlot and aged Rhum at the ready. They asked if we preferred flat or sparkling water and there was always two cold bottles of each in the mini-bar. The 30 butlers for 75 rooms were professional but not invasive. Although I must recommend they ditch the burner phones they give you at check-in and move to WhatsApp like most luxury hotels in the world. We couldn’t chat only call and had to bring it everywhere. I have enough in my pockets with one phone and felt like a drug dealer with two. 5* location in a perfect little hillside bay. The only caveat, and the main reason we haven’t been back in 25 years, is the lack of direct flights from Montreal in the summer and the 90 min shuttle from MBJ airport. Next time we might try AA to Ocho Rios via Miami which cuts 4h off the trip. 5* beaches (there are three, a busier one, a quiet one and an even quieter one under mangrove trees at the east end of the property. 5* restaurants. The French is world class. The Terrace is casual and louder with nightly entertainment. I would suggest they alternate between continental, Jamaican and Italian which they only have one night a week. The beachfront Grill had all the classics, jerk chicken, Jamaican patties, baby back ribs, burgers and salads. 5* bars, especially the Wobbly Peacock where Junior knows how to make a proper dry martini and even a Margarita with real Tequila. Although I would recommend he show the Papillon Bar how and get some Tajin and hot peppers for spicy margaritas. 4* pools only because the one pool is too small. They should renovate it into a larger infinity pool. 5* hot and cold tubs. 2 hot tubs on split levels and a fresh water cold tub built into the ocean wall was spectacular! 5* service everywhere all the time! From the shuttle drivers and maids to the butlers and wait staff, the thing that has always made Jamaica special is the Jamaicans! 4* suites only because the bathtubs, toilets and patio doors need immediate replacement. The rest of the room has aged beautifully and is timeless comfort and design. 5* cleanliness and common areas, especially the self serve coffee bar with an awesome super-automatic espresso machine. 4* spa with 5* service and attention to detail but could use renovations to keep up with other 5* resorts. 4* gym was well equipped but missing an elliptical machine and spinning cycle. 5* management with a special shoutout to Omar who is the first GM I’ve met who hands out frozen Lollies at the beach each day (1 boozy and 1 not) and keeps In touch with every guest. p.s. Omar: lose the burner phones and go WhatsApp and change the toilets and bathtubs for proper walk-in rain showers and we’ll be back every year to celebrate our anniversary! One Love!

Must read.. Amazing place and people, we have been going to Sandals for years now and recently due to medical reasons (cancer) I stopped drinking. I was nervous about going to an all inclusive that I love to indulge at. We notified the butlers (Andre and Johvan) they informed the manager of food and beverage (Wayne and Collin) and Roshane the manager of guest relations went out and purchased non alcoholic beer for me. AMAZING !! Ever time I would see the GM and Hotel manager (Omar and Marvin) they would make sure I was taken care of “as they do with all guests” but just making sure it was going good with the non-alcoholic drinks. Every night we would hang out at the pub and Junior and Garnet would make me a different special mocktail every night. They do have a menu of mocktails there FYI. So after being nervous about not drinking it was 100% comfortable. So anyone that’s thinking of going and not drinking they will definitely take great care of you as they have for us for years. Just passing on the extra mile sandals goes for all guest.

This was the most relaxing vacation ever Our butlers (Dewaney and Richard) were the nicest people as were Marvin and all the other staff!! Nothing was too much trouble and as always the food and drink was off the charts. We can’t wait to visit again. Sandals never disappoints!