Sandals Royal Plantation

The highlight of Royal Plantation is you are made to feel so welcome from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. Every member of staff we met were so sincerely friendly and made you feel at home. Here are examples of the excellent service you can expect: On our first day at breakfast in the Terrace restaurant we asked Vanya if there was any fresh ginger to make a fresh orange and ginger drink. Vanya said she’d go and check, then soon came back and said she’d got someone to open the storeroom so she could make us our drink. It was delicious and all done with a smile and her lovely sense of humour. David, who makes delicious omelettes at breakfast in the Terrace restaurant calling me by my name as I approached him – I’d only met him once before. David’s happiness is infectious. Robert, one our room Butlers arranged for our room to be decorated with the blinds shut and lights off, with red tealights and hearts sprinkled on the bed along with the words “Happy Wife, Happy Life”. Robert had also watched to see when we were getting ready to leave the beach and had run a hot bubble bath decorated with flowers ready for when we got back to the room, without either of us mentioning we’d even like that – amazing. Our other room Butler Anthony is so perceptive and sincere; we loved him from the minute we met him and missed him from the minute we left. Anthony should be the mentor to all new Butlers as he has so much he can pass on to make every guest’s stay a perfect holiday. Danielo, one of the beach Butlers - when he forgot my Wife’s drink he immediately said ‘my bad’ and rushed off all the way back from the East beach to the Royal Cafe & Grill bar to get it and came back very quickly, whilst checking what other guests wanted to drink on the way. All done with a smile. At the end of the day Danielo came over to us at the far end of the East beach, simply to wish us a good evening and said he’d see us the following day. No wonder Danielo wears two name badges – he’s so good they had to name him twice. He’s a real professional and his smile is infectious. Trevado, one of the other beach butlers came and found us hidden away in the shade under the trees at the far end of the East beach, and because my Wife was asleep he tiptoed over to me and whispered did I wanted anything so he wouldn’t wake her- what a star. Romaine who serves in both the Terrace restaurant and the Royal Café & Grill is so observant and has a great personality. I asked Romaine for a Jamaican Patti, which wasn’t on the menu, which Romaine arranged. It was delicious. Simone at the Royal Café & Grill beach bar won our hearts with her infectious Jamaican charm. Chadwayne who takes such pride in keeping the beaches clean, raking the beach meticulously throughout the day from 6am to 5pm. Omar, the general manager, who leads by example setting a high standard of sincere customer service and greets every guest by the first name. Omar also led the singing with a farewell song when we left. Here’s some observations about the hotel: • Hotel & grounds - constantly being kept tidy to maintain the original 1950s Plantation Inn feel • Beach - West beach has more sunbeds and umbrellas and is closer to the Royal Cafe & Grill. East beach needs more unbrellas, but is a lot quieter and you can swim/walk out in to the sea further than the West beach. East beach also has a lovely secluded and shaded cove at the far end. Sunbeds on both beaches are not the most comfortable, so I recommend taking an air mattress to put on the sunbeds under your beach towels. Beaches are constantly kept clean and Chadwayne does a brilliant job. • Sea - crystal clear, calm and warm (20 to 28 May) • Pool - small with two separate jacuzzies which are hot. • Room - Royal Monarch second floor West wing (room 258) - best views we’ve ever had. Large bedroom area, very comfortable bed and pillows. Air conditioning and ceiling fans worked really well. Separate seating area with mini bar, tea & coffee making facilities is very spacious and lovely to sit in with the French patio doors open listening to the waves (with the air-con off). Loads of drawer space. Very few power outlets so recommend you bring an extension lead (6 feet). Bathroom area is dated but jacuzzi bath and separate shower worked well. No issue with mosquitoes throughout our holiday. • Room cleaning - room and bathroom were kept spotless by housekeeping • Terrace Restaurant - serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is à la carte or buffet, with a varied choice and all very tasty. Buffet temperatures are monitored to ensure food is kept hot. David at the omelette station makes great omelettes and has a great sense of humour. Romaine who serves at breakfast is excellent as are Vanya and Sherika. • Royal Cafe & Grill - serves lunch and dinner. Ask your room Butler for off menu dishes to be delivered to Royal Cafe & Grill. Romaine also serves here and could easily develop into an excellent Butler. Simone at the bar won our hearts with her infectious Jamaican charm. • Papillon Restaurant - serves dinner (every night we were there). Excellent menu and you can ask for off menu items (we had Beef Wellington, which was excellent). Great service. Dress code is long trousers, collared shirts and shoes for men - it’s special, so get dressed up. • Butlers- Anthony and Robert. Anthony is so perceptive and sincere; we loved him from the minute we met him and missed him from the minute we left. Anthony should be the mentor to all new Butlers as he has so much he can pass on to make every guest’s stay a perfect holiday. Robert ‘Easy Peasy’ has a great personality and sense of humour. Both Anthony and Robert took care of our every need and needs we didn’t even know we wanted, such as when we were getting ready to leave the beach running a hot bubble baths ready for our return. Ask them for off menu items and they will sort it. • Beach Butlers - there are three, Danielo who will make an excellent Butler and has a great personality and really looks after you; Trevado who works so hard to ensure all the guests on his shift are never without a drink or a smile; and Romane. • Wobbly Peacock - Garnett & Junior make great cocktails – Expresso Martini, Old Fashioneds, Dark & Stormies • Loyalty desk - Horatio - offers great onsite deals (circa 12% discount) • All Royal Plantation staff - come across as sincerely wanting you to have an excellent holiday and are all so friendly • Entertainment - excellent quality of entertainment (singing, modern electric violin, balancing & fire eating) in the evening on the Terrace. Ends by 9am, then follows on in the Wobbly Peacock. • Accessibility - lift in West wing only, lots of steep steps to and from the beaches. Not suitable if you have accessibility issues. • Transfer from Kingston Norman Manley airport - circa 2 hours, takes about an hour to get out of Kingston. • Tipping - policy is that you can only tip Butlers, Beach Butlers and Spa staff. • Room Butlers – how much you tip is personal to you and is per shift based on service provided. Some days you’ll have just the one Butler, other days you’ll have two - one in the morning and one in the afternoon until 8 or 9pm. • Beach Butlers – again how much you tip is personal to you as per shift based on service provided. • Transfers from and to the airport circa $20 and airport luggage porters $1 to $2 per item of luggage. Thank you so much Omar and your team for making sure our holiday will always remain a very, very fond memory,

We recently stayed at Sandals Royal Plantation and unfortunately came away quite disappointed overall. The absolute highlight of this resort is the staff. Every single member of staff we encountered was warm, friendly and genuinely outstanding — they truly make the place!!! 🤍 The butler service was also excellent. It was our first time trying it and while it personally wasn’t really for us, the butlers themselves were attentive and professional throughout. The resort itself is very small, which some people may love. The beach is lovely, there are plenty of sunbeds available, and the beds in the rooms were incredibly comfortable and clearly very good quality. However, the bathroom was a huge let-down. The bath especially looked like it hadn’t been updated since the resort was first built, which is not what you expect from a luxury 5-star resort. The food was another major disappointment. Bland, uninspiring and nowhere near the standard we expected. For a resort marketed as 5-star, the dining honestly felt closer to a 3-star experience. We also had two massages at the spa which were fantastic — definitely expensive, but genuinely excellent. One of the biggest issues for us personally was the atmosphere. The resort felt extremely cliquey due to the high number of returning guests. Many guests clearly know each other and are very used to this resort, which created an environment that often felt loud and somewhat obnoxious. To be honest, we struggle to understand some of the overwhelmingly glowing 5-star reviews. It feels like many come from regular guests who are loyal to this particular resort, and had ever explored anywhere else. For comparison, we stayed at the Ritz in Dubai which was actually cheaper than this trip and was on a completely different level in every way. Overall, this resort simply wasn’t for us. If you enjoy a very small, quiet resort and like socialising with other guests, then you may absolutely love it here. But for us, the experience did not match the Sandals reputation or the price tag, and perhaps our expectations were just too high.

My wife and I visited Sandals Royal Plantation to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and by the end of the week we understood why so many guests return year after year. The first thing that surprised us was that the resort is actually better than its online photos and reviews suggest. In an age where most destinations overpromise, Royal Plantation underpromises and overdelivers. The property itself is beautiful, intimate, and full of character. While it may not be the newest resort in the Caribbean, we would not change a thing. The attention to detail throughout the property is remarkable. What truly sets Royal Plantation apart, however, is the people. The staff are professional, attentive, and genuinely warm. What stood out to me was that the positive atmosphere wasn't just directed toward guests—I observed staff treating one another with the same smiles, kindness, and respect. That kind of culture cannot be faked. During our stay we had wonderful interactions with many team members, including Omar, Neil, Garnet, Romaine, Daniello, Marva, Mr. Jackson, and countless others whose names we unfortunately failed to write down. Every department contributed to making our stay special. One moment perfectly captured the experience for us. We spent some time at Sandals Ochi and planned to stay for the evening. Instead, we found ourselves wanting to return to Royal Plantation. The moment we arrived back, we both felt an immediate sense of calm. Later, Omar summed it up perfectly when he said, "This is home." He was right. The team at Royal Plantation did not simply provide excellent service—they facilitated the good life. For one week, the details were handled, the worries were set aside, and we were free to focus on celebrating twenty years of marriage and enjoying time together. We're a mechanic and a nurse from Wyoming. We never felt judged, measured, or out of place. We felt welcomed, valued, and appreciated. We arrived as guests and left feeling like family. In fact, we booked our return visit before we left. If you're looking for the largest resort, Royal Plantation may not be for you. If you're looking for a place with heart, character, and some of the finest hospitality we've ever experienced, look no further. We'll be back.

It’s been around 2 weeks since we have returned from our wonderful 7 day break at SRP. Overall we had a truly wonderful time thanks to the staff, led by Omar Robinson the GM. The resort (very clean), the room (we were in No 257 on the west side- great views), the beach and the waters (can’t still get over the colour of the water), the food (the drinks, tender coconut, jerk chicken wings and dinner at the French Restaurant Papion) and not to forget the service across the board was what made our experience really good. When I had a nasty fall in Ochi, I was looked after very well by everyone. A big thank you! However, as already shared with Omar, we felt that the resort is more for return customers as opposed to first timers. This was a view shared by a few other hotel guests as well. The butler service has its heart in the right place. Though it does not always deliver and needs further tweaks. Especially ensuring first timers and repeats are both treated in the same way. The entertainment can also do with some energising. Hence the 4 stars and not 5! (Shame Trip advisor disallows a 4.5 rating!) Yo man we will return ❤️

Our holiday has been phenomenal at sandals best by far so personal with all the incredible amazing staff every one is exceptional Every one knows your name Our butlers Adrian and Ricky out standing cannot do enough for you They made our holiday extra special The way we were looked after by every one The amazing beach butlers Were outstanding The way they treated us The list is endless with all the staff I would say it’s a must to visit it’s paradise Hotel Gardens Restaurants Beach We were so sad to leave Thank you for looking after us Lynn Richard Sheridan