Beaches Royal Plantation 8/3./2002 to 9/7/2002 by Cyndibear (ckubich@austin.rr.com)
SUMMARY
This was our 17th trip to Sandals/Beaches (our
first to Beaches) and it was undoubtedly the best ever.
ARRIVAL
Randy and I arrived in MoBay on Air Jamaica at
10:35 AM on 8/31 (10 minutes early). Our bags were 3 of the first 20 to
come out, so we cleared customs in no time. We got to the S/B desk and they
told us we could make the 11:15 flight to Ocho Rios - we were supposed to be
on the 12:40 PM flight that would have arrived at 1:10PM, so this was a
great start to the vacation. They shuttled us in record time over to the
domestic airport and held the plane for us. We were the ONLY people on the
flight except for the pilot and co-pilot. The agent at the terminal knew
this and told my husband to tell me that he had chartered a private plane
for us :-) The co-pilot told us to fasten our seat belts and keep the aisles
clear and we were off - there wasn't even a flight attendant. We arrived at
OR (Boscobel actually) airport at 11:45 AM. We were told that our
transportation was on its way. 5 minutes later the Sandals stretch blue
Mercedes limo pulls up!!!! It was incredible. We got to the resort at a
little past noon and the General Manager (Mario Machado) greeted us. When
he heard we were 17 time returning guests he told Kendrick (bellman) that he
would be right back and was going to check on availability of rooms. We
ended up in room 255 - a one category upgrade from Luxury Oceanfront Suite
to Honeymoon Grande Luxe Oceanfront Suite. We were checked in at the lobby -
not in our room. We got the cool towel and the champagne. It was the most
efficient and fastest check-in that we ever had. The resort is fabulous -
the most awesome breath taking views and a truly Royal Plantation setting.
The room wasn't ready since we got there so
early, so we went down to the beach grill (Royal Cafe) for lunch - more on
this later. When we were finished lunch, we went back to the lobby and our
room was ready. The other bellman (Allister - who is fabulous) took us to
our room along with our bags and explained how to run all the remote
controls (one for the TV, one for the VCR, and one for the AC). We had an
air conditioner in our bedroom and in the bath. I think the deluxe and
premium rooms only have one AC, but it was still cool (they let us use one
of the deluxe rooms as a hospitality suite on our last day).
ACCOMMODATIONS
The room was awesome. Debbie says this is the
one that Butch stays in. It was a 2 room suite. In the main room where you
entered was the bed, 2 night stands, desk & chair, and armoire with the TV.
In the second room was the walk-in shower, jacuzzi tub (could fit 1.5
people), double sink, commode, bidet and a walk-in closet with the
electronic safe (you set your own 4 digit code - no key required). The best
part was the HUGE balcony. This was where our bar was located along with a
table and 4 chairs plus 2 chaise lounge chairs and a glass coffee table.
The bar was cold and stocked with 4 fully sealed bottles of alcohol (Absolut
Vodka, Appleton Rum, and Whiskey and Gin - name brand but not sure what they
were). We never even broke the seals on any of the bottles! The room keys
are credit card style. We don't have a digital camera, but Debbie has
pictures of the room at: http://www.tropictravelonline.com/cgi-bin/gallery/gallery.cgi?Category=100081&Page=20
.The first 3 pictures are of room 255 (DSCF0244/255/256).
The second floor is great because you don't
have to go up or down any stairs or use the elevator. The amenities kit was
the same one that we have received when we went to Sandals (i.e. it wasn't
lemon grass). It was situated in a mahogany holder and included shampoo,
aloe vera gel, body lotion, and bath gel - no conditioner. The shampoo is
supposed to have conditioner, but I brought my own since I can't get the
tangles out of my hair otherwise. There was also a shower cap and a shoe
shine kit. They give you one big bar of soap for the tub and a small facial
bar for the sink. We had to ask for a second facia bar for the second
double sink. We had the white robes on hangers in the room. These robes
seemed much heavier that what Sandals provides. In the middle of the week,
I had housecoming refresh them. Housekeeping typically came between noon
and 2:00PM. On the day we renewed our vows, it was about 4PM since my
husband was in the room getting ready at noon. The room had a clock radio
with CD player and it had an alarm in case you wanted to take an afternoon
nap. There was a phone (cordless) in the main bedroom and one in the
commode area. They are going to change the cordless phones back to the
other ones because the only way to tell if you have a message is to check
the red light on the phone in the bathroom. We always had plenty of towels
- usually 4-6 large towels, 2 finger towels, and 2 washcloths. We had turn
down service every night - usually came around 7:15. We usually went to
dinner at 7PM, but one night we didn't go down until 7:30 and the maid had
tapped on the door at 7:15.
RESTAURANTS
The food was incredible. We ate breakfast and
dinner every night at the resort. One day we went over to SDR for the day
and had lunch there, but it wasn't the same - no comparison.
BREAKFAST
We requested room service once and it arrived on
time. You check off your selections on a card, choose between different half
hour intervals for delivery, then hang it on your door. We preferred going
to the Bayside restaurant to see the view in the morning. Almost every day
we saw huge schools of fish in the beach area (looks like a gray moving
shadow). One morning I went down and stood in the water and my husband
tried to get them to go in my direction. They did, but would only come
within about 2 feet of me, but I could see them. They were about 6-8 inches
long and almost clear looking. The Bayside Restaurant
has Continental breakfast from 6:30am-9:00am and A la carte
from 7:30am-10:30am. They have almost everything on the menu and some days
they have specials like banana nut bread french toast. I had scrambled eggs
with ham and cheese with a side of bacon and corned beef hash almost every
morning. I usually got orange juice, but one day they mentioned grape juice
so I tried that. It was actually cranberry juice. You can also get
champagne or mimosas.
LUNCH
The Royale Cafe
restaurant down by the beach was a la carte and had a great selection. We
ordered the jerk spare ribs, coconut battered chicken fingers, cheeseburger,
and quesadillas and they
were all wonderful. They have lots of salads to choose from and a lot of
other selections on the menu, but we didn't get a chance to try them all.
The Bayside restaurant had a great caesar salad with chicken or shrimp.
Most of the time we ordered the weiner schnitzel, cannelloni, or shrimp
special of the day. The bottom line is that there was a huge choice and
they were all great.
DINNER
We ate at the Le
Papillion (French restaurant) 3 nights. One night we had the special which
was veal medallions in a lemon butter, one night Lobster Thermador, and one
night lamb chops and the tenderloin beef (asked for both). It was some of
the best food we have ever eaten. My husband typically ordered the
champagne fruit appetizer or the quail appetizer and I ordered what was on
the special (shrimp scampi and some other shrimp choice and tried the
champagne appetizer too). We always ordered the mixed green salad which was
served in a rice bowl (looks like a taco shell but is much lighter and is
made from rice). We loved the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. At the Bayside
they also had a fabulous mango vinaigrette. Each night the sorbet flavor was
different (mango, passion fruit, raspberry) and was served after your
salad. We usually ordered the orange crème brulee for dessert and I would
get a cappuccino. My husband ordered espresso with Sambuca. We ate inside
2 nights and outside on the last time. My husband usually prefers air
conditioning, but he took his jacket off when we sat outside and was
comfortable.
The Bayside was also
great.I ordered the shrimp cocktail twice and the cocktail sauce was perfect
(tangy with a little spice). We had lobster tail every night and then added
prime rib or beef tenderloin with it. They cut the prime rib in front of
you. I guess you are getting the idea that we aren't real adventuresome on
trying different things. The truth is that we are both steak and lobster
fans, so didn't want to try anything else. We did get the chocolate torte
for dinner and it was decadent. They also had a peach crepe smothered in
some kind of sauce with vanilla ice cream that was also great.
For the returning guest
dinner they served: Spicy Pumpkin Chowder Soup, Louisiana Crab Cakes, Surf
(Lobster) and Turf (Filet Mignon) with a Béarnaise Sauce, seasonal
vegetables, and a mango crème brulee in filo pastry. The whole meal was
awesome. I had talked to Chef Hugo at the Manager's Cocktail Party on
Monday night and requested the pumpkin soup. It was outstanding. It is
actually made with a callabunga (?) squash rather than pumpkin - tastes
almost like a butternut squash.
The only meal we didn't
like was the Monday night beach party buffet which was actually indoors
inside the Bayside restaurant because it rained. The food was good and they
did cook the whole pig, but we aren't big buffet people. However, if you
are a dessert person, you will love it. They had more desserts than main
courses and prepared Cherries Jubilee as you waited.
The soups were all great
(cream of fennel, minestrone, cream of asparagus, pumpkin, lentil).
POOL/JACUZZI
The pool is small, so
they don't have rafts to float on like at Sandals. I thought this would
bother me, but it didn't. I just took a quick dip in the pool whenever I
got too hot. The jacuzzi is two tiered with a waterfall from the top one
cascading into the lower one. The temperature on the jacuzzis was perfect
(about 102) and could see the ocean. In addition to the beach butler service
(i.e. yellow flag when you want a drink/food), they have pool and jacuzzi
service. It seemed we always had a glass of champagne in our hands while we
were in the jacuzzi. When we got there we did not that they served glass at
the pool. We mentioned that we were surprised by this because it could be
dangerous and later in the week we noticed plastic cups, but only at the
pool. Also every afternoon at 4PM they set out a champagne bowl with
glasses that you could just stroll by and get a glass of champagne. They
used to start it at 10:30 AM, but I guess a couple of the guests indulged
too much, so they changed it to 4PM. You can still get champagne at any
time, but they just don't set it out there right in front of you, inviting
you to start so early. Although, they do have it at the Bayside for
breakfast.
SPA
I had a collagen facial
with the eye treatment, eyebrows waxed, 80 minute sampler massage
(reflexology, Swedish, sports), spa pedicure (with the paraffin), nail
polish change, and my hair done (wedding style for renewing our vows). The
prices were: $80 for the facial, $15 for the eye treatment, $10 for the brow
wax, $110 for the massage, $45 for the pedicure, $10 for the polish change,
and $50 for the wedding style hairdo. These prices include gratuity, but
they add a 15% tax to all of these rates. I had a $250 spa credit because
they were running a special that you received this credit if you booked the
third room category (luxury) and stayed 6 nights or more. I ended up
spending about $125 over the credit. I did use the steam room three times.
Each time they turned it on for you. They provide you a robe and slippers.
All the treatments were very good. I had Jenny (Genevieve) for my massage,
Rhona for my facial, Valerie for my pedicure/nails, and Claudette for my
hair.
GYM
I used the stationary
bike every morning. It was the nice model from Cybex with the full support
seat and the electronic programming. They also had weight benches,
treadmills, and stair masters. It was all new equipment and top of the
line. It was air conditioned with either music or the TV. They also had a
water cooler and cool towels soaked in ice and lemon grass. They had a step
for step aerobics and mats if you wanted to do exercises.
ACTIVITIES
There are no playmakers
at this resort. It is very quiet and sophisticated. They do have
snorkeling and the glass bottom boat. If you want to scuba, they take you
over to Beaches Grand Sport. The glass bottom boat ride is more like a tour
of the coast. They explain all the different hotels, bed and breakfasts,
and some of the history in addition to seeing the fish. We got to see a
stingray, brain corral, urchins, snapper fish, and some pretty striped
yellow fish they call "Jamaican piranhas" because they will come up to you
and jump in the water if you have bread - don't worry - they are
vegetarians. They do have kayaks, catamarans, sunfish boats, and aquatics,
but we didn't use them.
WEATHER
The weather was nice every day - usually partly
cloudy. On Monday and Thursday we got a brief shower in the afternoon.
MANSFIELD HEIGHTS BASIC
SCHOOL
We didn't get a chance
to visit the school, but did take lots of supplies down there (crayons,
paper, notebooks, scotch tape, pencils, pens, paper, tote bag, ...).
School just started on 9/1 and we had planned to go on Friday morning
before we left. However, we got delayed on Friday morning and couldn't do
it.
RENEWING OUR VOWS
The weather turned out absolutely gorgeous. We
were supposed to do it at 4:30 PM on Thursday, September 5th, but on
Tuesday, we asked to change it to 12:30PM because it got cloudy or we had
a light rain each afternoon. We opted for the video ($150) and later took
the pictures which they gave us for $100 for 15 5x7 photos. I would
highly recommend getting the video and the pictures. The video includes
shots of the entire resort, the landscape, the ocean, and more. They also
dub in any music you want and it is personalized with your names, date,
wedding coordinator, minister's name, ... The picture package was going to
the $140 for 12 photos, so I think we made out doing the pictures they way
we did (i.e..e. after the fact). The video and photographer are twin
brothers. Everything was done in regal style and was right on time. It was
a beautiful ceremony. There were four couples there from England and one
of them was getting married on Saturday. So, they had a bunch of confetti
they had brought with them and showered it all over us after we had
finished our vows. It was so awesome. We renewed our vows on the beach
and the pictures turned out spectacular. Unfortunately, I don't have any
digital images to share. The video and pictures were over around 2PM and
then we went and had lunch. Two of the playmakers from Sandals Dunns
River who we had met in July came over to be our witnesses, so the four of
us ate at the Bayside. They were really impressed at fabulous the food
and service were. Note that the food and service aren't bad at SDR, just
not as great as BRP.
FINALE
Here's the best part. On Friday morning (9/6),
we did the early check-in with Air Jamaica. You put your bags out by 7AM and
have to check in at the games room with Air Jamaica between 7AM - 8AM. BRP
agreed to let us stay in our room till 1:00 PM since our shuttle to the
airport didn't leave until 1:15 PM. At around 10:30, I went over to
finalize our bill and they said, "Oh Mrs. Kubich, we were trying to reach
you. We are so sorry, but Air Jamaica has cancelled your flight for today"
(due to tropical storm Fay hitting Houston). Well, I thought it was a joke
at first and then realized she was serious. It was a perfect ending to the
trip. So, we ended up staying an extra night and leaving on Saturday. The
trip home was uneventful. Our flight from OR (Boscobel) to MoBay was right
on time and our flight to Houston left about 15 minutes late.
We are scheduled to go to Sandals Negril from
11/22 - 11/30 and have contacted our travel agent to change to Beaches Royal
Plantation - we loved it that much. However, we still plan to go to MoBay
from 11/30 - 12/4 so we can meet Brad & Joan and Tom & Sue.
OTHER
We went over to SOR, SDR, and BGS. My husband
walked along the beach a couple times to go over to SOR to play volleyball.
The guard at BRP and SOR got to know him pretty well. They preferred that
you walk to SOR by going through the main gate or took the shuttle, because
there is a strip between the 2 properties that Sandals doesn't own.
However, they didn't stop him when he did go via the beach route which is
much faster (about a 100 feet). The locals got so used to seeing him that
they didn't even bother him to buy anything after the first 2 times. When
we went to BGS, we took the shuttle down to the beach where they have a
trampoline and a swim up pool bar. Instead of taking the shuttle back, we
were able to get a ride back on the BRP pontoon boat because they had just
brought somebody over to scuba dive. All we had to do was show them our BRP
card and put life jackets on and we were on our way.
They do not have complimentary shuttle service
to Boscobel Beach. One of the couples we met went over and said it was
gorgeous. It cost them $30 roundtrip.
Also, one of the other couples rented the blue
Mercedes stretch limo to go on a shopping trip - they didn't share how much
it cost.
One couple stayed at BRP for a week and went to
Sandals Negril for a week. After 2 days they returned to BRP - they said
the food and service didn't compare and they didn't have running water in
their room during the entire 2 days they were there (they were staying in
the top of the line room - loft).
The General Manager, Mario Machado, has been
there for 4 months (he was previously at Turks and Caicos). It seems he has
fixed all the problems. He will not allow customers to be bumped over the
BRP. We met his wife at the returning guest dinner and she was lovely. We
thought Mario was great. He made a point to talk to us at least 2 or 3 times
a day and to point out to everyone that we were 17 time returning guests.
The only thing that I noticed was that they only delivered the NY Times Fax
on the first day and every day after that I had to pick it up at the front
desk. This wasn't a big deal since I went over to the gym in the mornings to
ride the stationary bike for 20 minutes. I never mentioned this to them, but
have no doubt it would have been corrected if I had told them about it.
QUESTIONS
I am going to be on business in California from
9/16 - 9/26, so I will not have access to my Road Runner account (ckubich@austin.rr.com).
Please post to this board and I will try to check once or twice during the
week. Or send an email to my work id (cyndi.kubich@sun.com)
if you need a fast response.