IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Rose Hall

This was my 4th time staying at this resort, and i brought my mother for her first time. Ive always had a 5 star experience, though this visit wasn't exceptional we understand they went through a devastating hurricane in November. Lets start with the positives! Most of the staff were wonderful! Alrick from entertainment was great, very friendly and outgoing. He always got my mom and I involved in different activities, we loved trivia night! Omar who was a butler at the resort was lovely! Very helpful and went the extra mile to ensure our questions were answered so we could enjoy our trip to the fullest. Luticia (sorry if i missed spelt) our breakfast server was so sweet, she always chatted with us and really was a wonderful person! Cassandra who worked the pool bar was the first employee we chatted with at the resort. Very friendly and made incrediable cocktails! Annakaya the host at the Italian restaurant was awesome aswell, very engaging and would be a wonderful server! These 5 people really made our trip great!! The beach was wonderful, clean and there always were beach chairs available. We enjoyed all the restaurants and found the food delicious. Alittle disappointing the dinner buffet was never opened during our stay. The resort itself was great, was told they will be closing sometime this year to do some renovations. Now the slight negatives. Though most staff were great, we did in counter a few people who were quite rude. We found this mostly at the breakfast and lunch buffet. Again we kept in mind the hurricane was devastating to Jamaica and we did try and give everyone some grace! Though are room was great, high floor, beautiful view from our balcony and we were able to get twin beds, there was some issues. As ive been to this resort before, i could tell somethings were missing and each day we had to call front desk for items. No beach bag, no sandles, no hair dyer, we didnt even have water. Though these are small issues, still a tad frustrating we had to seek out these items. All and all we did have a wonderful time and we would definitly go back. Again thank you Alrick, Omar, Luticia, Cassandra and Annakaya for making our trip memoriable!

My husband and I stayed at this property for 10 days at the beginning of January. We normally go to the Joia Bavaro in the DR but decided to try the supposedly same property in Jamaica, which it was definitely not! There is absolutely no comparison !! The room we had requested was not available on our arrival but would be available the following day, which was a bit of an inconvenience. The next day after conflicting info from the butler and the front desk the room eventually became available ???? Most of the staff were good with a few exceptions here and there, certainly not the same hospitality as in the DR. Food was ALWAYS COLD and just edible. Everything was mislabeled, which could be a serious issue if there are food allergies, which I have. Only 1 type of beer served at the bars, some had a few others for purchase. Beach was certainly not what I was expecting, very unkept. This property falls short in all criteria that would deem it a 5 star, I would say 3 star at best. To be honest, it was a very disappointing experience

My husband and I stayed at the Joia Iberostar for a week from January 10 to January 17. We traveled with two other couples in our family, for a party of six. We had an absolutely wonderful stay. You would never know there had been a hurricane recently, other than by the reduced occupancy, which we found beneficial. We never had to wait at a restaurant, and the chaises by the pool were always available (and they had extremely comfortable cushions, which made all the difference.) The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. Gregory greeted us when we arrived and got us all checked in and he was extremely accommodating and patient. Devon, the butler who oriented us to the resort when we arrived, was very pleasant and informative. Our day butler, Orain, was great, as was our evening butler, Rohan, who was extraordinary and couldn’t have been nicer, and they frequently offered their availability for anything we might need. The breakfast buffet was excellent, and Tarah, who made our daily fresh fruit smoothies, was as delightful as a person can possibly be. And she made us absolutely delicious, nutritious smoothies every morning. The cooks at the omelette stations were excellent as well, and the waiters, particularly Omar, who took care of us many days, were very nice and attentive. The lunch buffet was excellent as well, in a beautiful setting right by the water. They had different themes for most days, including Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, and Italian. Due to low occupancy, only three restaurants were open for dinner each evening. The Surf and Turf and Italian restaurants were very good. But the absolute highlight was the Japanese restaurant, which was the only one that required a reservation. Our chef at the hibachi grill, whose name I can’t completely remember, but it begin with a G and was something like Gervanni, was absolutely fantastic. He was funny and charming, and he sang many familiar songs while he cooked us a delectable meal of fried rice, vegetables, steak, chicken and shrimp. Everyone in our party absolutely loved it. Our last night there was the only day the evening buffet was open, and it was amazingly great. It was a “Gala”, and they had a red carpet and battery operated candles all over, and the presentation of the food and the variety and beauty of the desserts was absolutely wonderful. There was a talented piano player playing gentle music, which enhanced the overall atmosphere. We sat outside on a perfect evening and it was a delightful way to end our trip. Also on our last day, was the foam party in the pool with the swim up bar. It was a total blast! They played fun music and a staff member named “Bubbles” danced enthusiastically while a machine blasted foam bubbles all over the pool, and everyone bounced around in the foam and had so much fun. Bubbles was also dressed in a beautiful gown for the Gala buffet, and she was funny and charming and delightful. We also did water aerobics in the pool every day at 11:30, and that was great fun as well, and also a very good workout! Momo led us for two days, and Lala led us for the other two days, and they were both fantastic. The workout was a little different every day, which made it more fun. Lala used pool noodles one day, and foam barbells another day, and it was a blast! The four pools gave a wide variety of options and degrees of relaxation. The pool with the swim up bar, closest to the water, had loud music playing, and was much more active. There was another pool right next to that one, and then there was the activity pool, where they had scuba lessons and water aerobics, and lastly there was the quiet pool, closest to the hotel, which was very mellow and peaceful. The one disappointment was that there wasn’t a functioning jacuzzi. There was a small hot tub that looked like a jacuzzi, and had warm water, but no jets. It wasn’t as hot as a typical jacuzzi, but it was still enjoyable to go in there to warm up after being in one of the pools. There were also a variety of activities throughout the day, including learning about coconuts and drinking coconut milk directly from fresh coconuts they had just opened. Bubbles was involved in that activity as well. The evening entertainment was wonderful, too. They had a saxophonist one night and an amazing violinist one night and a piano player another night. They also had a Motown show in the theater one night, which was excellent, and a group of dancers outside by the pool who performed the history of Jamaican music through dance. It was amazing! The resort was meticulously maintained, and absolutely spotless, and our rooms were huge and beautiful. The bathroom was very large, with two separate sinks, and we had a very nice balcony overlooking the water. It was a spectacular vacation in every way, with no apparent deficiencies from the storm, and I highly and enthusiastically recommend the Joia Iberostar.

Just spent 11 days at this property. myself and my wife were celebrating so we booked the top of the spec Oceanfront butler suite. Very dissapointing as they tried fobbing us off with a lessed suite,than we had requestd. Tired property that has seen better days. staff were polite for the most part. Biggest issue for us was the food, unbelieveably poor quality and mostly cold. we ended up eating at another property that was just as bad. all three sister properties were catogarized 5 star. 3.5 to 4 at best. Charging top rate for miserable product. Will not go back to this location again. We should have looked more carefully at the reviews. stay clear.

This is a great resort. Very clean. Maintenance staff are always working, especially after the hurricane. Staff are attentive and friendly. Did not meet one rude staff. The food was great 98% of the time. We did order a late night pizza and it was not edible. Steak house gave us a hard time to enter even though there were only 6 tables occupied. Had to wait an hour. Pools were at 27oC. A bit cool, maybe the time of year. Beach wan clean and had no sea weed. Staff was very appreciative of the extra tips. Went to a few local shops. Prices are very expensive in Jamaica. Felt very safe. My biggest negative is the music on site is extremely boring. It’s like having elevator music in the background all day.