Beaches Royal
Got in late last night from our trip to Jamaica, and wanted to share our experiences with everyone here.
Day One: The flight left Atlanta at 8:50am, so we had to leave our home north of the city about 5:30am. My wife Lisa wiped a tear when she kissed the kids goodbye- this was her first time ever separated from them.
The most remarkable part of our airport experience was observing a 16 year old boy across from me on the airport train (this is after security, and before the gate) who had a huge fishhook on his baseball cap- in full view. I thought it was very surprising, especially after hearing that we shouldn't even carry nail clippers in a carry-on!
Anyway.. we got to Montego Bay about 11:30 their time. Going through Jamaican customs was no big deal in that direction. We were picked up by a BRP van, and were the only passengers for the one hour, forty five minute trip to the property. It was wonderfully private, but seemed kind of inefficient.
Our first words as we pulled into the driveway was WOW! The weather was beautiful, and the designers of the property masterfully allow you to view the ocean via a long hallway from the time you exit the vehicle. The effect is amazing. We were taken to a small room nearby, where a "greeter" (I don't know what else to call him) welcomed us to BRP, and offered us champagne and cool towels (scented with lemon oil).
We were escorted to our room, where our bags were already waiting on us (no problems there, as some had reported). I had heard about a possible upgrade in room category as a returning guest, and boy was I ever delighted in what we were presented. I had paid for a "simple" (ha-ha) deluxe suite, which is basically an entry level room. What we ended up with was a Honeymoon Junior Suite, complete with jacuzzi tub and the most amazing balcony you could imagine. The balcony was a space approximately 10x10, contained the well stocked bar, and overlooked the ocean. My wife, who I had surprised with the trip, loved it, and I found it much, much nicer than I had even imagined. Pictures I had seen on the net simply do not do it justice...
After settling in, we decided to make our way down to Bayside for a quick bite. The menu was terrific, as it was for 99% of our time there. We spent some time watching the ocean and trying to relax, then decided to take a nap to get ready for the evening.
For dinner, we chose to be seated outside. The air was filled with music from the live band playing nearby. I decided to jump right into the culinary festivities and had surf and turf; my wife had jerk chicken. Everything was simply delicious. We got to meet Chef Hugo right away, and he seemed to turn up at almost every meal! Very nice, and extremely concerned about our satisfaction.
I won't bore you with too many details of every day's event, so I'll just hit the high points:
Day two we spent at the beach, where the weather was terrific. Flags are available for beachside bar service. All the bartenders seemed to have their own recipe for rum punch! For dinner, we decided to go to Grande Sport for their Caribbean party on the beach. Comparing the properties was remarkable- BRP is elegant, and grand, and beautiful, while BGS is not (By the way, Grand Sport is across the ROAD from the ocean!). The food was excellent however. Quite a variety, and everything was very good. We came back to BRP (an easy walk from the beach used by BGS to "home") and listened to music at the piano bar. One of the guests even sang, and delightfully.
Our weather on Saturday was the best of the trip, and we enjoyed the entire afternoon on the beach. That night, we enjoyed an elegantdinner at the French restaurant. We both had a delicious salmon dish. It is a much bigger event at this restaurant than any other on the property. I was quite surprised when no photographer appeared to capture the moment. In fact, it was not until the last day that we saw an official photographer- that is a much different experience than I had at Sandals Negril.
Sunday, we decided to make our way to Dunns River Falls. We travelled with a very nice Canadian couple in the property vehicle. The weather looked threatening, and by the time we got to the shoe rental stand the skies opened on us. Rain, rain, rain. This would become a theme :(. We waited for about 45 minutes, then just walked down there while getting soaked. All the water caused the falls to be moving very fast, and no one in our party really wanted to chance it. I waded out a few feet for a photo op, but didn't really feel safe climbing in those conditions. There were no more than 4 other tourists at the falls that day, but a dozen or more Jamaicansthere..
That night, we met our Canadian friends at Bayside for dinner. Unfortunately, we had to eat inside (and would for the rest of the trip). After dessert (flambe Bananas Foster- requested by me and produced off menu by the flexible chef!) the weather suddently turned really threatening. Wind gusts turned over some of the large iron chairs on the outside porches. All the staff began scrambling, trying to do damage control. It didn't really improve, and areas in the large entryway began to flood!! The poor night manager, Scott I think it was, was stressed...
Monday, I had intended to go fishing. (There are small fishing boats that continually case the beaches looking for customers. Couldn't quite tell if it was safe, but certainly cheaper than the tour desk.). The weather didn't permit, so we shopped the local craft market. This is dangerous stuff. These people are insistant!! I should have mentioned this about the Falls trip: the exit from the falls leads through a craft village. I was immediately approached by a guy who said he recognized me from BRP( I really wasn't sure). He led me into his "shop." There, he immediately wanted my name. Despite the fact that I had been warned about this, out it came (dumb American, but habit). Well, here he goes chiseling my name on a carved Jamaican "artwork." Needless to say, I was not happy, but felt obligated to take it home. After all, he had the home field advantage!! Listen to what you're told... do not give your name!
Monday night, our plans were to go to Komono's, a Japanese restaurant at SDR. Several of the guests told us that is was unremarkable, and that the food at BRP was of a better quality than any other available in Beaches or Sandals. I believe them. Other than satisfying our curiousity, I really don't know why we would go.
Tuesday was departure day. Our flight was for 5:30, but we were asked to board the van early due to poor road conditions. The roads were in very bad shape in many places, giving the drive a much more dangerous feel than even our arriving trip did. Once we got to the airport, we had no problems checking in (although they were opening bags at random, right there in line! Not us, though.) We spent about an hour at Buffett's resturant in the airport. Remarkable: AFTER going through security, we were eating food with fork AND KNIFE at an airport restaurant. This blew me away in the aftermath of Sept 11. This was not available in Atlanta, needless to say.
Final thoughts:
1. How can you beat this property? Beautiful! The food was wonderful, and the staff terrific. Our upgraded room was phenomenal.
2. The weather stunk, from Saturday until Tuesday. I learned afterward that it was due to a tropical depression nearby. I sort of thought that, short of the "Hurricane Guarantee," we could get some sort of spa or guest shop credit. No such luck.
3. Was offered drugs by two different property employees. Very disturbing.
4. Occupancy- VACANT. Not totally, but there weren't more than 20 people there on the high days, less than ten on the slower ones. We at lunch on a rainy Tuesday and were alone in the dining room for 45 minutes.
5. If excitement is what you're looking for, this isn't for you. Luckily, there is nightlife at the nearby properties, but you won't find much here. In a place as romantic as this however, you can make your own ;)
6. There is plenty of opportunty to tip, both on and off property. I don't think the employees are very well paid at all. One of the nicest was a Japanese fellow by the name of Hiro who was there for a year as a business school assignment. I felt very sorry for him-must be lonely!
7. Didn't use the spa, but the price list gets your attention. You can certainly spend some cash here if you want.
Overall... this was a terrific experience. Other than the weather, it was nearly ideal and just what I was looking for. We would certainly return, but perhaps not in the "rainy" season..