Our Return Visit to Royal Plantation Golf Resort & Spa: February 5, 2003 – February 11, 2003
My husband and I spent a week at Beaches Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios the first week of February 2002 and loved the resort’s beautiful setting, small intimate size, first class dining and countless other things about it. At the time, we did notice some areas that we felt needed small improvements, but overall we felt it was the best all-inclusive resort we’ve stayed at in over a dozen trips to Jamaica. So, when weighing our options for our annual winter getaway, we decided to return to Beaches Royal Plantation (now renamed Royal Plantation Golf Resort & Spa by Beaches) and enjoy another relaxing week. I contacted our travel agent, Sue OKray at Discount-All-Inclusive.com and she gave us a terrific rate for a premium level room with roundtrip airfare from Chicago O’Hare on Air Jamaica. Needless to say, I booked the trip on the spot.
Anticipating an upcoming vacation is always a wonderful thing, but before we knew it, our “waiting to go” period was over and it was time to pack and head for O’Hare. Thankfully this year the weather was cooperative and our early morning drive from our home in Madison, Wisconsin to O’Hare went smoothly and we made it in just around two hours. Departures on Air Jamaica used to always leave from Terminal 2 at O’Hare, but they have recently moved over to the International Terminal for both departures and, of course, arrivals. We had practically no wait at the Air Jamaica counter and much to my surprise my husband noticed that upgrades to first class were available for our flight and he pulled out a credit card and upgraded us to and from Montego Bay!
Flying first class on Air Jamaica is quite nice as the seats are only two across and are large and comfortable with loads of leg room. Service from the flight attendants is more attentive and the big plus is having the use of the First Class Lounge at Sangster Airport in Montego Bay when awaiting your departure back to the U. S.
We were delayed leaving Chicago due to some mechanical malfunction with a frozen valve somewhere underneath the plane. We all sat patiently for over an hour and a half wondering if this was a problem they could successfully repair or if our flight would have to be canceled. Thankfully, our 6:15 a.m. departure finally left around 7:45 a.m. and we were on our way, landing in Montego Bay around noon local time. Immigration was fairly quick although two planes had landed at roughly the same time. We headed down to baggage claim, quickly found our one checked suitcase and waited only a few minutes more to go through customs. Our Air Jamaica Vacations rep at the airport ushered us over to the transport coordinator for Sandals/Beaches resorts. We declined the offer to wait and fly to Ocho Rios since the next flight didn’t leave for about an hour and a half. Our bags were immediately tagged for Royal Plantation and we were off to the parking lot and a lovely Toyota Camry which would be our transport to the resort. Joe went off to buy a couple of bottles of Diet Pepsi for the trip, but soon he and I and our driver, Mr. Dunkley, were on the road to Ocho Rios and the Royal Plantation.
There is a great deal of road construction going on between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios and the scope of this project is truly mind boggling. Despite some rough patches and a short rest stop which we requested, we arrived at RP in just a little over two hours. Alistair greeted us and welcomed us back and then ushered us into a small sitting area, brought us cold towels and two glasses of champagne while we filled out some minimal paperwork. Another couple had arrived around the same time we did and after all paperwork was completed, Alistair took them on a quick tour of the resort. Since we were returnees, he arranged for a young lady at the reception desk to escort us to our room.
It was so good to be “home” at RP again! Joe and I just constantly grinned at one another, but I knew inside we were both jumping up and down with happiness as we walked over to our room in the West Wing and took in, once again, the beauty that surrounds every inch of this property. The sky was cloudless and blue; the ocean surf was pounding gently on the shore and the water’s beautiful turquoise color mixed with the incredible greenery of the lush foliage that is everywhere you look made us quickly forget the cold gray skies we had left behind in Chicago.
Our Room
We had booked a premium level room, but were upgraded one level to a Luxury Beachfront room (Suite 259) in the West Wing. We were surprised and delighted to receive this upgrade, especially since the resort was at nearly 100% occupancy.
The views from the West Wing are truly incredible. We had a beautiful ocean vista and a direct view over to the Jamaica Inn from our French balcony doors. Once we became used to the heat and humidity (less than 24 hours), we often threw open the doors of our balcony to let in the fresh air and listen to the “music” of the surf. So very peaceful!
This category suite is “roomier” than the premium level. It has a chest of drawers on each side of the king sized bed, a larger incorporated sitting area with no step down as in the premium. The rest of the room set up is nearly identical to the premium; TV housed in a beautiful armoire located across from the bed; the same beautiful fabrics are used in the draperies, bedspread and the chairs in the sitting area; the in room bar and refrigerator, along with a coffee maker and that amazing lead crystal ice bucket were all identical to what we had in our premium room the year before.
The big difference between these two categories is found in the bathroom. The large open shower is separate from the Jacuzzi tub and the bathroom area is larger. However, instead of the two sink vanity area we had in our premium room, there is a smaller one sink version (same lovely marble top and gold fixtures) outside the bathroom itself. The walk in closet is also much smaller (but still more than large enough with plenty of shelves, hanging space, and the same “set your own combination” electronic safe) than the closet we had in our premium room. The smaller closet meant that the drying rack for towels and swimwear was now located in a corner of the bedroom area and we also had to leave our large suitcase in a corner of the bedroom rather than the closet.
Access to the Bayside restaurant is just a short walk down the corridor and there are beautiful areas of lush tropical foliage behind the West Wing as you walk over to Bayside. Beach access is very easy by using the elevator located just a few doors down from our room.
So, in comparing these two room categories Joe and I both agree it was nice to have the extra roomy feeling in the Luxury. However, we both missed the two sink vanity area (OK, we’re funny that way) and more importantly, we missed being in the East Wing. While the ocean views can be somewhat obstructed in the East Wing (Suite 305 had a great view however), we found the East Wing quieter overall. I guess it’s a toss up really between these two categories --- they both have their pros and cons. We would be more than happy in either category on future visits to the resort.
Food and Service
After being blown away by the incredible dining at the resort last year, we couldn’t even begin to guess how it could be improved, but somehow Chef Hirn and his very talented staff have managed to make perfection even more perfect! Every breakfast and every dinner we had was beyond delicious.
OK, let me back up here a moment and explain that we tend not to eat lunch either at home or on vacation. We find, especially in the tropics, that our appetites are not large enough to eat three meals a day. But, we do eat very hearty breakfasts each day on vacations which tide us over nicely until dinnertime and then we are hungry enough to really savor all the wonderful, creative offerings on the menu at the Royal Plantation. The previous visit, we did lunch one day at the Royal Café and found everything very good, but it completely took away our desire for dinner that evening. So, given this dietary peculiarity of ours, we would rather skip lunch and really anticipate and enjoy a leisurely dinner.
Breakfasts each day were wonderful, whether we dressed and went over to eat at Bayside or simply felt lazy and ordered in room service. Joe loves ackee and salt fish with the accompanying Johnny cakes and boiled bananas and chose that nearly every morning. One morning he deviated and ordered the escoveitch fish with Johnny cake and bammy and another morning he ordered a cheese omelet. I love Eggs Benedict and had them at least three mornings (they have perfected the hollandaise sauce now, which was a little less than perfect the previous year). Other mornings I had French toast or scrambled eggs and some of that delicious Jamaican bacon. Now, add in glasses of fresh orange juice, a couple of slices of their scrumptious banana bread and a chocolate croissant and of course, Blue Mountain coffee and some fresh fruit and you can see why we’re not hungry again until dinner time! Thank goodness swimming is such good exercise or we would have each gained five pounds from these breakfasts alone.
Dinners were exquisite and throughout the week we dined on shrimp cocktails, escargot (wonderful!!), smoked salmon, their wonderful market salads with mango vinaigrette dressing (yum) followed by entrée choices like jerked marlin, Cajun swordfish, grilled lobster tails (out of this world), veal saltimbocca (this was my favorite meal of our stay --- words fail me), Black Angus beef filets, and even fettuccine alfredo. We generally topped off a meal with either one of their delicious fruit sorbets (we especially like the apricot and the raspberry) or gave into total decadence with a slice of cheesecake (this is much improved from last year and is more akin to a true New York style cheesecake now) or the warm peach crepe. Wines are also much improved this year and vary from a wonderful French Pouilly Fuisse, a great California Chardonnay, an Australian Chablis that was just dry enough, but not too dry as I sometimes find Chablis to be, a pretty decent California Merlot and a terrific Australian Shiraz. Several times, Joe would finish his meal with a cappuccino and again, as last year, declared it “perfect”.
Despite how full the resort was (by Thursday they were at 100% occupancy with the arrival of a large wedding party of 40 people all there to witness the Saturday wedding), we never had to wait very long for someone to take drink orders, refill wine glasses, or take our food orders. Maybe we’re just used to the slower pace on the island (apparently, as the large wedding group was doing more than their share of rather loud griping about how “slow” the staff was in getting their drinks), but we felt the service was first rate. It always embarrasses me when fellow Americans are so loud and impatient. The staff was really hustling to keep up with the full house and yet, the complaining goes on. It honestly makes me cringe. One more example and I’ll get off my soap box on this subject. How much effort does it really take to be polite and appreciative to the staff at this wonderful resort? (Or any place for that matter...) Yes, this is a pricey resort to stay at, but that price doesn’t mean you’ve “bought” the wonderful people that work so hard to make your stay memorable. One morning at breakfast, our waiter, Wentworth, was really working like crazy to keep up with all the orders. A woman at the next table (not a part of the wedding group) snarled out “More toast” as he went by. I could have died. How hard would it have been for her to simply ask politely “When you get a moment, would you bring us some more toast please?” The simple common courtesy we show to the staff by saying “please” and “thank you so much”, or “when you’ve got a moment as we see you’re really busy right now” was very much appreciated by them. Apparently, this is a lesson far too many tourists (not just Americans) still need to learn. OK, sermon over.
A Few Words on the Returnee Dinner
We arrived at RP on Wednesday which is also the night of the returnees’ dinner. We worried that after such a long day of travel we’d be too exhausted to attend and this is something we really looked forward to going to. It was a little touch and go for us in the late afternoon (sleep was calling to us loudly), but we showered, dressed and headed up to the Drawing Room a little after 6:00 p.m. for the pre-dinner reception. Much to our amazement, the room was packed! The reception and dinner were hosted by Suzanne Millwood, the Resident Manager of RP, and Giovanni, the night manager. They were incredibly gracious and friendly despite the general chaos taking place. When it was time to do the group photo, Suzanne announced that this was by far the largest returnee dinner the resort has had with over 50 couples in attendance. Trying to get this large a group all together for a photo took some doing to say the least. Out of those 50 couples, there were about 8 or 9 that were actual RP returnees, with the rest made up of returnees from other Sandals or Beaches properties. The Returnee Dinner is one of the really nice things Sandals/Beaches offers its guests, and while it was enjoyable, we suggest they perhaps take a look at also holding a second dinner or some type of event strictly for RP returnees.
Dinner was delicious with a chilled gazpacho soup, followed by a pepper encrusted Brie baked in pastry (really good!) and an entrée of charbroiled filet of beef and grilled lobster tail. Dessert was a combination dark and white chocolate mousse. Everything was outstanding --- especially the sweetness and tenderness of the lobster which had just the right amount of grilled flavor to it.
We sat indoors at Le Papillon (obviously too many people for the outdoor dining area of the restaurant) and were at a table with Giovanni (he’s a very charming man!), two couples from Calgary, Alberta Canada and two women who were having a “husband and children free” vacation. Conversation was lively and interesting. During dinner, Joe and I noticed that our friend Hensley was bartending and we were trying to figure out a way to quickly excuse ourselves and say a quick hello to him. Providence stepped in as one of the women at our table didn’t drink wine and had ordered a glass of beer. Hensley brought it to the table and the look on his face when he saw us was priceless! For any of you reading this that know how quiet and business like Hensley normally is the look of surprise and delight on his face was a moment we’ll never forget. We greeted each other warmly, but as he was on duty we didn’t draw it out. He quickly resumed his “all business” demeanor and returned to his bartending duties, but we arranged to meet him after the dinner down in the Appleton Lounge.
Some Highlights of the Rest of Our Trip
Since this report is quickly turning into a novel, I’ll just hit a few highlights and memorable moments of the rest of our stay at RP. We had absolutely beautiful weather the entire time. The only rain came on Sunday morning, but by early afternoon the skies were blue and sunny again. We came home with beautiful tans, but as I sit here and write this two days after our return, those tans are already fading fast.
Thursday night after dinner turned into a very interesting night/early morning. We listened to a very good reggae band during dinner, but went into the Appleton Lounge around 10:00 p.m. for a night cap and to do some more visiting with Hensley and our other favorite bartender Dave DaCosta. The bar was very busy at times with various members and guests of the wedding party that had arrived that day coming in and out, so Joe and I also had a chance to just chat with each other. My glass of Chardonnay kept magically being refilled as was Joe’s dark rum and Coke, so time went by very quickly. At one point, the two women we had sat with at the returnee dinner came in after spending the evening over at Grande Sport. One of them excused herself and went off to bed while the other one stayed and we chatted on for a good long time. Also during this time, the bridegroom to be and his law partner came in. Dave told them that Joe and I are also lawyers, so you can imagine what happens when you get a bunch of lawyers in the same room at the same time. We are a rather talkative bunch to say the least. Again, the glasses kept being refilled as if by magic and we had no idea what time it was. The other young woman from the returnee dinner went off to bed and I noticed that it was now after 2:00 a.m. Officially, the bar closes at that time and we told Dave and Hensley to kick us all out, but after cleaning up and putting the bottles of liquor away, they kept telling us to stay. Joe was, by this point, into a fairly heavy discussion with a very nervous bridegroom who was about to marry another lawyer and wanted to know his/our experience with this particular combination. Dave was into a deep discussion with the bridegroom’s business partner about politics and who knows what. Hensley popped in a good reggae mix tape and came around the bar and asked me to dance. So, here you have the scene: it’s really late (3:30??), Joe is counseling the nervous bridegroom, Dave DaCosta is enjoying his discussion with the business partner and Hensley and I are enjoying a few dances to some great music. (The bridegroom seemed to have a bit of a problem with this and asked Joe how he felt about his wife and the bartender dancing, but Joe told him we all knew each other and it was nothing to worry about.) There was nothing “funny” or “improper” about our dancing --- just two friends having a good time. Joe and I finally called it a night and left, but the bridegroom and business partner were still there. Needless to say, we both felt pretty awful the next day, but a few hours of sunshine helped alleviate the “pain”. We also got a good reminder that we’re getting way too old to stay up that late and party like we did when we were in our 20’s!
We walked over to check out Sandals OR next door on Saturday. We found it to be very pretty there --- especially all the gardens, but we didn’t stay long before wanting to go home to RP, which is exactly what we did.
Once again, we spent a lot of time just relaxing on the porch after we were done sunning and swimming. Perhaps this seems a little odd to some people, but there’s something about that covered porch we love and we find it so relaxing to sit and look out onto the Caribbean with a soft breeze blowing and feeling like we’re a million miles away from everything. We had tea on the porch once and had a couple of those yummy fruit tarts they make (alas, no lemon ones, though). It’s a lovely way to end the afternoon before heading back to the room for a little rest and cleaning up for dinner.
Sibony, the bartender we have heard so much about, but have never met was once again absent during our stay. We must keep hitting the resort during his vacation time. In fact, many of the staff and management were gone until Monday (Beach Party night).
Entertainment at RP which was, in our opinion, their weakest point last year has vastly improved this year. Whether a jazz group, reggae band, a wonderful female singer/guitarist, there was something very entertaining going on every night of our stay. We hope the resort keeps doing this as clearly all the guests enjoyed the entertainment.
Departure day came much too quickly and we were genuinely sad to be leaving what has without a doubt become our favorite all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. While not a place everyone will enjoy, it has the exact combination of relaxation, fantastic food, beautiful accommodations, lovely beaches and most of all, the warmest, most gracious staff on earth that we have been looking for in a vacation spot. There is absolutely nothing we would change about the Royal Plantation as it currently is and God willing, we’ll be back again next year if not sooner. As Joe and I said many times to each other during the week, we LOVE this place!!!