“Twelve Thumbs Up”
Aug 14, 2008
Six of us traveled to the Royal
Plantation in early August and the resort earned rave reviews from all of us. I
had researched several different vacation options (reading countless reviews on
Trip Advisor!) and ended up recommending RP to the group, so I was particularly
pleased that everything exceeded our expectations.
From the moment we arrived at the Montego Bay airport, picked up our luggage,
and were ushered to the Sandals lounge, we knew it would be a great vacation.
The lounge had beverages and tea sandwiches on hand to which we could help
ourselves while we waited. A few of us were itching to get in car and head to
the resort but it was actually a welcome respite to sit on a comfortable couch
for a few minutes before continuing on the journey.
The ride to the resort is very comfortable, with beer and water in the car
(plus they recently renovated the highway), but it is still 1.5 hours so be
prepared. For some reason it seemed to go a lot more quickly on the way back,
probably because the anticipation of arriving dragged out every minute!
Once you pull into the resort, however, that last leg is more than worth
it--you are greeted with champagne & sugarcane, and a refreshing cold
towel. We arrived around noon and our rooms were not quite ready so we went
down to have lunch at the beach grill. After a delicious meal and some red
stripes we walked upstairs and our luggage was already waiting in our rooms.
This was just one example of the level of service that happens behind the
scenes at the RP. We rarely saw any housekeeping staff--it was almost as if our
rooms were magically made up every morning and then magically turned down again
in the evenings. It made us feel like royalty and given their effort we were
sure to leave them a little something extra on the nightstand when we left.
Briefly, here are some tips based on our stay:
-Definitely go for the royal plan, even if you are a light to moderate drinker
food and drinks add up quickly a la carte. We definitely felt like we got more
than our money's worth and as others have noted, it is nice not to have to
worry about every individual bill once you are there.
-House wine is included in the plan and it is quite nice but it was fun to
splurge and order different bottles a la carte when we ate at Le Papillion. The
waiters also entertained us by sabering open a bottle
of champagne, which was a great experience.
-Tips are included in the royal plan but we usually tipped a few dollars extra,
especially to the beach staff who set up our chairs and brought us bottled
water and drinks all day.
-If you don't feel like sitting at the restaurant for breakfast, know that they
bring a heaping tray of fresh fruit down to the beach every morning around
11:30. I highly recommend the mango, it is out of this
world.
-Order a "dark and stormy" (Appleton rum, ginger beer, and lime)
-All of the food is 5 star, but some highlights are...
*breakfast (La Terrace)--steak eggs Benedict
*lunch (we ate at the beach grill every day)--club sandwich, shrimp cesear salad, jerk chicken, seafood salad
*dinner (we alternated between Le Papillion and La Terrace and enjoyed both. La
Terrace has a more extensive menu)--lamb or any fish at either restaurant, surf
& turf to order and chocolate lava cake at Le Papillion.
-Activities...
*The men in our group golfed every morning (another
perk of the royal plan, since all greens fees are included). Although the
course is not quite as nice as the award winning White Witch (at the Ritz),
they still enjoyed themselves. Also since it was the off season the course
wasn't too crowded and they were able to play 18 holes in only 3 hours and then
spend the rest of the day at the pool/beach. (See below for a more detailed
review from one of the golfers.)
*2 members of our group took a tennis lesson but it was nothing special. It is
particularly hot out on the courts because the breeze from the ocean doesn't
reach the inner courtyard.
*4 of us went snorkeling and had a great time. Please know that they now charge
$150 to take you to the "wreck", so we opted against that and went to
the reef closer to the resort which had plenty of beautiful marine life.
Finally, it is a stretch to come up with any negatives, but if pressed one
might be that the majority of guests at the RP are couples. I recognize this is
probably a plus for honeymooners, but our group consisted of 2 couples and 2
friends. Even though the staff seemed extra pleased to accommodate us
(Jefferson in particular consistently gravitated our way!) and many of the
restaurants in fact have round tables designed for 6-8, the non-couple felt
slightly out of place at times given the general romantic atmosphere. Later in
the week another group arrived, however, so this was no longer an issue.
Overall I would recommend the Royal Plantation to anyone--it was an absolutely
fabulous vacation and we are all already planning our trip back. Shout out to
LK for giving us a reason to celebrate and my gracious thanks to RK and SK for
their generosity!
If you have any specific questions please email me directly, I will do my best
to answer them.
**Golf**
"Golf course was in good condition but not great. Definitely gets played a
lot by all the Sandals resorts in the area. The greens are tough so get ready
for no straight putts. There are 2 holes that are currently under repair 16 and
17 and are using temporary greens. Unfortunately, those 2 holes leave a bad
taste in your mouth but the rest of the course is great. It is not a difficult
course off the tee and the pace moved quickly. We finished almost all our
rounds in circa 3 hours as a twosome. Besides the 2 holes under repair, the
course is a fun and challenging round. The staff is accommodating and there is
a great sitting area for beers after the round. I would like to see some work
done to the course to improve some of the fairways and greens but I would
definitely play again."