My wife and I booked a week at the resort and we were a little concerned about it after reading negative reviews here before we went.
Let me just say that for what we paid for the trip from Toronto, I would rate this hotel as being very good value for the money. OK, it's not a top notch, 5 star resort. If that's what you are looking for then this is not the place to stay.
If you are looking for a nice beach, friendly staff and acceptable food, for a fair price, then have no fear booking this place for your holiday.
We stayed in an oceanview room up the hill. If you have concerns about an extended walk up a hill to your room then these rooms are not for you. It was a total of 80 steps up from the beach to our room, which was located on the third floor up on the oceanview rooms. If you are not concerned about a good climb to your room, then the view from the oceanview rooms is worth it.
Food was good, although greater variety would have made it better. We enjoyed the Pineapple grill on those nights when it was available. Having to book your dinner every night was not much of a problem for us. We made sure that we went before 9 am every morning to book our dinner reservations and we had no problems. However, we like to dine early so that may have been why we never had any problems getting a time we wanted. You can book the Topaz restaurant up to a week in advance and we were always able to book any of the dinners at least 2 days in advance. There really are only 2 restaurants at this resort. They split the big central restaurant into 2 separate sections on most nights. The only separate restaurant is the Pineapple Grill and it is only available 3 nights a week. Mary's outhouse is worth the walk up the hill. Great ribs and chicken for lunch and the only place for bottled beer at the resort. The poolside snack bar is adequate, although they often start to run out of stuff late in the afternoon. Breakfast is standard buffett, but the fresh made omlettes were quite good.
Drinks were great. Premium liquor available at the bar, although only draught beer, unless you walked up to the outhouse.
Beach was fine, although not the best I've seen in the caribbean. I'd rate is around 7.5 out of 10. Lots of loungers, it was never a problem getting one. The beach was never really overcrowded any time during our week at the resort.
Staff were very friendly with my wife and I. All that was required was a thankyou and you always got a smile and a pleasant reply.
The resort manager was quite open about the Sandals takeover, at the weekly managers cocktail party. He indicated that no firm decisions have been taken yet as to what Sandals want to do with the property. Nothing will be changed until late this year or early next and they have not decided exactly what changes they are planning to make.
Average age of the crowd at the resort would be 45 to 50. Lots of seniors and lots of repeat visitors. There were not a lot of children or families here and that was fine for us. If you want a younger, party atmosphere then this is not the resort for you. If you are looking for a laid back quiet atmosphere, where you can rest and relax, and you are not looking for the 5 star price and services, then have no fear booking the Grand Pineapple Beach Resort. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised and we would return there for another vacation.





