Molly’s Royal Plantation TTO Prize Vacation, November 2004
We
just returned from our second stay at Royal Plantation. This was an exciting
trip for us, as I was the winner of the TTO Anniversary prize, FREE
NIGHTS AT RP!!! A warm thank you to Peter Fraser and Suzanne Millwood
(who unfortunately I did not get the chance to meet) for making this prize
available to Debbie and TTO. And thank you to Debbie for her week of games and
prizes that lead us (and others) to wonderful trips!
In
early June my husband and I booked our airfare, “signed up” for the Royal Plan
and made sure our friends booked their all-inclusive package before the then
July 1st deadline. Once that was all taken care of, it was sit back
and learn all about the changes that would be taking place at RP as well as
waiting until we got our documents and were close enough to begin the official
countdown to our departure. At that time November felt very far away!
We
left
Our
suite was very nice... paint was fresh, still same drapes and upholstery, but
instead of the bedspreads a big white poofy duvets on the bed! We love the
nightly turn down service--- room tidied, fresh towels, music playing, lights
dimmed, breakfast room service menu as well as the next days schedule of
dining, entertainment, activities and weather, and 2 of the 5 nights we had
towels and slippers next to our bed. A big plus for us was having our rooms
cleaned early in the morning, I believe they were done
by 10am. Our mini bar was stocked daily (usually late afternoon) with items
that we requested. One of the reasons we like Royal Plantation so much is
because of the room, we truly feel pampered and well taken care of with all the
special little touches plus it has a very cozy, romantic feel.
Once
our suitcases arrived to the room, the four of us headed to Royal Café for some
much needed food…it was almost 4pm and a light afternoon shower had just passed
and the staff was unwrapping the new resin wicker chairs. They are very nice
and have big comfy cushions! There was one new, large glass top table (seats 6)
and I am assuming they will be replacing the other tables too, but for now they
are covering them with blue table clothes and it looks very nice. We also found Wesley, with big hellos and hugs all around. He
was just getting ready to go home, but stayed a bit to chat with us and made
plans to see him at the beach the next day. We all ordered and were eager to
get some RP food into our system, the second reason we like Royal Plantation! I
started my vacation with smoked oysters and a salmon/boursin croissant, yum! As
we were just finishing up, the rain clouds started again so we headed up to the
spa to book some treatments. We spent most of the afternoon/early evening
hanging around the terrace chit chatting with others and around 7:30 headed
back to 253 to order room service for dinner. We weren’t starving as we had
such a late lunch, and decided to “stay in”… we ordered 3 lobster tails and 4
ice creams. The meal arrived, and there were 3 lobster tails (small) on one
plate! Which was fine, as I said we were not starving and
although I am not sure how many tails are on a normal order, what we ended up
with was plenty for the 3 of us and if we had each ordered an entrée it would
have gone to waste. I mention this only because I think we ordered “3
lobster tails” instead of saying “3 lobster entrees”! J We said
good night to our friends at 8:45pm as we were all anxious to get a goodnight
sleep and start the next day fresh!
I
am not going to give a day-by-day break down as we don’t do a whole lot other
that sit on the beach and eat! So I will try to cover as many areas of the
trip/resort that people may find interesting. I thought the resort seemed
bustling (in a good way!) and asked about occupancy rate and was told it was at
80%. One change since we were there 2 years ago was being presented with a
bill. Currently everyone signs for meals/drinks and on the slip are given the
opportunity to add an extra tip for your server- 15% is included in the bill.
You may sign for your tips so no need to carry cash. If you are RP or AI the
only charges you will see when you check out are extra purchases, including any
signed tips. From what I understand, there is a $10 per person room service
delivery fee for everyone (does not apply right now to AI guests)
We
met every morning for breakfast at 8:30am. We ate inside each morning, outside
dining filled up by 8:20am. Breakfast took about an hour and over the next 5
mornings we sampled a nice variety of fruits, breads, eggs/omelets and the best
banana French toast ever! And of course there is nothing like Jamaican coffee
served with hot milk! Breakfast was the only meal that we missed not being able
to get up and walk away from the table when done eating. Being anxious to start
our day, every minute from the last bite until we signed our bill was time
missed from the beach J (actually, the 3 or 4
cups of coffee may have hyped us up a bit!)
We
like to spend our days at the water sport beach and head down there by 10am.
Every morning Wesley had our 4 chairs and 2 tables all set up for us, perfect
angle towards the sun! He took good care of us when we met him 2 years ago and
was taking even better care of us this trip! One day this beach was pretty
crowded (as well as the other), but most days it was the 4 of us and maybe 3
other couples. Only one day of the 6 was the green flag up. So there really was
not a whole lot of activity down there. I recall it raining at least once a
day-- light, quick shower otherwise it was a perfect mixture of sun with an
occasional cloud to cool you off! The water was warm, but most days quite wavey
and on our last full day very rough… I went out for a little dip and was
bobbing in the waves when one took me for a tumble right up to the shoreline!
When I came up all sandy and laughing, I looked at my husband and Wesley who
both gave me the thumbs up sign… phew, I was okay!!! J I really was okay, but I guess being tossed and
turned in the surf doesn’t look half as bad as it feels!
Currently
on the water sports beach there are two sea turtle nests that they have been
staked off and are being watched. I have seen nest sites like this for years in
Hilton Head and have never, ever seen the babies. One morning while we were
there (maybe Saturday) 6 baby turtles hatched! They were the cutest little
things! The water sports guys scooped them up and put them in a bucket. They
drew quite an audience. Eventually they were set out to swim into the big wild
ocean! (I worried about them all night! They were just babies!) We were hoping
more would hatch while we were there, but we were not lucky to witness a second
group. (Thanksgiving crew, please go check it out and see what the status is! I
would be interested to know if anymore hatched after those 6)
We
did not have beach flags this trip, but the water sports guys were very
attentive about getting the West beach bathers drinks. On the green flag day
when they were busy with sail boats, snorkel groups, kayaks, and sea bikes, a
girl did come to take orders and mist us all with rosewater (a must try for
everyone, even the men!!!) We then figured that perhaps on red flag days the
water sports team shifts their duties a bit and help out the wait staff by
getting drinks too. Of course we took the trip to the bar many times ourselves,
was my only exercise all week! Again, Wesley took special care of us and made
sure we had plenty of water as well as our daily bloody marys, extra spicey!
Daily
we ate leisurely lunches at Royal Café. The mento band is great entertainment
and as pretty as peacocks are, I do not find it pleasant to have them about
when I am eating. There is something about having birds hovering when you are
eating. They would walk right up to the table. We did not like this, whereas
other guests were feeding them from their hands. I think it is fine to have
them around the property, but they should not be on the patio and I personally
think guests should be discouraged from feeding them. Of course not wanting the
darn birds around us, whose table do you think they pecked around the most?!
Ours! Oh well, a few “shoo shoo’s” and off they would go. All our lunches were
fabulous. And unlike our last stay, this trip we did try things other than
Lobster BLT’s! I thought the seafood salad was very good as well as the pumpkin
soup! I did not have one, but was told that the Jamaican patties were very
good! Service here was great, not one complaint!
After
lunch we would head back to the beach to catch the last hour or so of sun.
Around 3pm sunny chaises are at a premium at RP! Although we would love to sit
on the beach in full sun and watch it set at 5pm (like in Negril) we came to
terms with the fact that after 3pm there would be no more sun on the beach at
RP. We would head up around 4p, have a drink (rum punches and Hensley
Specials!) and then split up until 7:30pm.
We
did notice that the pool and Jacuzzi area filled up around this time (4ish) as
it seems this is the last spot for sunning. We prefer the beach, so never went
to/in the pool or jacuzzi. The new chaise lounges are
nice!
One
afternoon I had a spa treatment. I highly, highly recommend that if you want a
treatment after 4pm to book it in advance. I was able to get one at 4pm, but wanted
an 80 minute treatment and there was not a slot after 4pm that could
accommodate me. So I booked an aromatherapy with Dahilia and it was AWESOME! I
would have had booked another if any late afternoon slots were available and if
the rainy morning had been any day other than our last, I would have gone then.
Our
evenings started off in the Appleton Lounge where one night we met Peter Fraser
upon his return from a business trip in
Papillion
was fabulous! And we were so happy that we were going back the second night as
it made it easier to make our choices as we could have our second desires the
next night! Jackets are no longer required, but our husbands wore theirs
because they brought them. There were very few men wearing jackets; a long sleeve
or short sleeve dress shirt was appropriate and seemed to be the most common
attire. I had escargot, potato soup and lobster followed by banana crème brulee
the first night. It was delicious, but I was stuffed! The next night I had a
salad and the lamb and left the table fully & completely satisfied, yet not
stuffed! The four of us love the food and service at Papillion and rate it up
there with some of the finer dining spots in
Our
dining experience at Flambe was “so so”… we liked the atmosphere, small and
intimate, but we were not overly thrilled with the food. We didn’t like the
amount of sauce covering the entrée (lamb, shrimp, beef)
and were not sure if this was flambé style or not as none of us have ever had
flambé before. I am not a sauce/gravy lover and like to actually taste the
lamb. HOWEVER, I will say that if we had been served the same meal at SN last
year, it would have been our best meal there. Flambe was by no means “bad”… if
you don’t like Italian food and go to an Italian restaurant you would not say
it was “bad” because it wasn’t your taste, but you likely would not rave about
it either. I met a couple there who do not like Papillion and never eat there.
Food is truly a personal preference. We just didn’t love the Flambe and with other
options we wouldn’t choose to eat there again. Or perhaps we would try it again
and request no sauce on the entrée.
Evening
entertainment: The flutist was our favorite; she was very, very good. Another
night was a male singer; we were eating outside at Papillion that night and
enjoyed his show. Unfortunately his sound system wasn’t so great and we could
barely hear him, but he and his band played a great variety of music. At the
BBQ they had fire dancers/limbo… that was ok. We were finishing up dinner when
they started and it was fun to watch (especially the guests that were asked to
participate!). We usually are not interested in the formal evening
entertainment and would not seek it out, but having the entertainment right
there caught our interest.
On
our last night we went to the BBQ as it was the only dining option available.
We were not looking forward to this meal as we are not huge fans of buffet, but
when we ever saw the variety and quality of the food we were in heaven! It was
really, really good! I especially enjoyed the salads: hearts of palm, cold
seafood, pasta, green, etc. For dinner I chose beef and lobster tail, rice and
steamed vegetables. Everything was fresh and delicious. None of the food had
that “I have been sitting in a chafing dish for who knows how long” look or
taste. This was by far one of the best buffets I have ever seen or had. The
guys of course made numerous trips to the buffet! I was so full I never made it
over to the dessert table, but what I could see from my table it looked pretty
good!
Around
10p on this our last night, we said goodnight as we wanted to pack and be up
early to catch a few more hours on the beach. When we returned to our room we
found chocolate covered strawberries, cheese/fruit plate and a bottle of champagne
chilling as well as a note from Suzanne! What a nice birthday (my husband) and
20th anniversary surprise for us and for the birthday girl next
door! And I forgot to mention that early
this same evening, concierge knocked on our door to deliver what he called a
“returning guest gift”… two Frette Royal Plantation bathrobes! Quite nice!
On
our last morning we woke up to fog and heavy rain that lasted on & off all
morning. A bit of a bummer as we would have liked 2 more hours of sun and we
just did not see the weather letting up at all. Instead, we went to the gift
shop, showered and got ready to go home. At 11am we checked out of our room and
moved our stuff to our friends room where we were kindly given a late checkout.
Due to the weather, we hung around the room, read, and ordered room service for
lunch. At 12:30 we headed down to meet our bus for the return trip. How sad is
that?! Five months of planning and anticipating gone in 6 what feels like very
short days!
Our
drive back to Montego Bay was uneventful. We stopped once and it certainly does
not have the same feeling as the stop on the way to the resort! No Red Stripes,
no jerk chicken, just last few minutes of fresh Jamaican air and wondering how
long til we feel this warmth again! We were at the airport in plenty of time
and check in was fairly quick. Walked thru the shops and then went to
Margaritaville for a preflight snack. Our Air Jamaica non stop return flight
(6:20p-10:20p) had been cancelled back in July, so we were rebooked on USAir thru
Philadelphia to Boston (4:55p-11:46p). We were not happy to lose our AJ resort
check in, late resort departure and fairly quick non stop flight home, but
there was not a thing we could do. The USAir flights were comfortable, as they
were not full and both couples on both flights had a row of 3 seats to
themselves. Luggage in PHL took forever, we raced thru customs so we would have
time to get something to eat (vacation not over yet!), inhaled a meal to get to
the gate 30 minutes before departure to find out once we got to the gate the
flight was delayed an hour, errrr. All the shops were now closed, so we just
stood there and waited. We finally walked in the door at 1:45am, 13 hours and
15 minutes after we left RP. The 6:30am alarm came too soon! Hard not to think
if we had the original AJ flight we would have left RP at 2:00 and assuming
flights on time, been in the door by 11:30pm making it a trip home shorter by 4
hours and a better night of sleep before a work day. Oh well. Another one of
those things we cannot control and just hope it doesn’t happen again.
But
back to the good stuff!!! We had 5 wonderful nights at Royal Plantation, and of
course our time there was not enough. As the four of us compare past trips with
hopes of finding the resort that most meets our needs for future trips, RP
keeps coming up to the top of the list. No doubt that there are other great
resorts in Jamaica as well as the Caribbean, but RP offers so much of what we
are looking for. We think we are realistic enough to know that we would
probably find some little quirks/annoyances no matter where we go. And we
always hope the positives outweigh any negatives. RP can’t help where the sun
rises and sets and there is nothing we can do to change it J, and someone does have to get the rooms with
the Bayside view and that we can change by booking a different category room or
requesting the other wing. Other than that, we would return just to see the
warm and friendly staff who makes each and every day special for us… for the
delicious food that we have yet to find better anywhere else… for the beauty
and calmness of the small, elegant property… and for suites that have so many
of the “finer” touches it is hard to not feel pampered. We also enjoy and “must
have” water sports, a fitness center and a spa to round off our vacation
experience, and RP’s facilities for all three are top notch in our book.
On
behalf of our group, I would like to thank Peter Fraser and Suzanne Millwood
for their generous donation to TTO as well as making our “vacation for four”
wonderful and memorable. A special thanks to Ricardo, Wesley, Iverone, and
Hensley for making our stay at Royal Plantation absolutely, positively
fantastic! And thank you Debbie, for putting the prize and our trips together!