My husband and I couldn't have dreamed a better honeymoon! We stayed for 5 nights in August. The Royal Plantation exceeded my expectations and provided us with wonderful honeymoon memories. The beach, the food, and especially the service was outstanding in every way.

Each day started out at the beach where we were greeted with mimosas and fresh fruit after the staff set up our chairs, which were super comfortable and soft. When the sun was really hot, a staff member was there to mist me down with cool refreshing rose fragranced water. This was followed by lunch at the Royal Cafe... the lobster BLT is fantastic as well as the fried oyster appetizer. I looked forward to hearing the mento band that played at lunch everyday. Ask them to play Bam Bam LuLu!

In the afternoons, we snorkeledd (again, just the 2 of us) sailed out on the Hobie, kayaked and napped on the beach or by the pool. We also climbed Dunn's River Falls, although I wouldn't recommend it. But never the less, we were given the royal treatment even when we left the resort. Our driver took us to the falls and walked us straight though the line to our tour guide, who was great. We were given the VIP tour of the falls (just 4 of us) and didn't wait in any lines.

At the time of our stay, there were probably one 15 couples in the whole resort, which I believe has just under 80 rooms. Because of the low occupancy, the resort hosted a dinner on Wednesday night for all the guests, the GM (Peter Forgot-his-last-name), the head Chef Dennis, the food and beverage manager, etc... We were all seated at one long table for a very formal dinner, in which Chef Dennis explained each course as well as the wine selection.

My husband and I really enjoyed the low occupancy. For example, our first night at dinner we were the ONLY couple in the restaurant. Talk about being treated like royalty! That was my first impression of the resort and still is one of my favorite memories of the entire trip. We were seated on the terrace at Flambe' and enjoyed the sound of the waves, the stars and candlelight... the perfect way to start our honeymoon. The food was fabulous as well as the pinot and the service.

There is no crazy nightlife. But we did have a blast every night, whether it was my husband and I hanging out with other guests in the piano bar or us and the staff. If you buy the bartender (Milton) a few shots, he'll get you as many bottles of pinot as you want ;) I think we had the bartenders, the band and a few other staff members watching as my husband and I danced the "pretzel" on the empty dance floor around 2:00 a.m.

I can't say enough how much we enjoyed the RP. What stands out the most is the attentive staff. Another example, I asked the bartender at the Royal Cafe (beach restaurant/bar) for the breakfast menu to which he replied, "I'm sorry, we only serve breakfast at the restaurant upstairs." Of couse, I said no problem, don't worry about it. So i ordered another hummingbird and headed back to my chair. Ten minutes later, a waitress approached me with the breakfast menu and asked what would i like. They brought us french toast and eggs right to our beach chairs!

My experience at Royal Plantation:

My lovely bride and I were married at the royal plantation on May 21, 2005. Our experience was one of joy and pure satisfaction! We couldn't have chosen a better resort on the island to host our very special occasion!


First of all, when planning our destination wedding (weddingmoon) there were several factors that went into deciding our planning:

1. Accommodations (must be 4 star or better)
2. Geography (Travel for us and our guest should be no more than 5 hours)


At the time...TripAdvisor, listed Jamaica Inn and Royal Plantation respectively as the number #1 and #2 top resorts in Ochoa, Rios. I originally picked "Jamaica Inn" however; my wife-to-be selected the Royal Plantation.

After several conversations, she won and we both decided on The Royal Plantation.

Once we arrived at the airport (Sangster Airport), we waited at the sandals lounge, these accommodations are just for guests staying at its properties on the island. The lounge is comfortable and has the added plus of air-conditioning (be thankful, everyone else waits in the airport waiting area where there is little to no air conditioning).

The employees in the lounge serve cold beer from the tap, and sliced quarter sandwiches (during “our trip”).

We ended up waiting 45 minutes to an 1 hour for our car, it seems that the transportation company that RP contracts with bumbled the reservation. If possible, call RP a day in advance and confirm that your car pickup is scheduled. However, the air-conditioned lounge made it much easier to deal with the mishap of the private car.

I won't say much about our drive to the resort, because others have commented plenty about half of the unfinished roads. All in all, the 1 hour 45 minute trip wasn't bad.

Once entering the resort you will see nicely manicured lawns, beautiful peacocks, flowers, and richly painted colors throughout. You are greeted with a smile and led to the receiving area where you are given refreshing cool hand towels to wipe your face and hands, and something to drink (champagne or whatever you request). Once you check in you are then given a tour of the resort and shown to your room.

The beach is both excellent and clean, pools are always available. The resort is meticulously clean and you can tell attention to detail is a priority, in the service that you receive.

There is a mix of tourist staying at the resort from Europe as well as the U.S. and other countries, for the most part everyone is friendly.

The Royal Plantation, will allow guest to tip their wait staff/housekeeper/etc, however, don't feel forced, (to tip) as gratuity is deducted in the upfront purchase price of your stay if you selected the "all-n-clusive" plan. However this is not the case if you chose the EP (European Plan).

I, on the other hand tipped, as I traveled outside the resort and made an attempt to learn more about the culture. I discovered that very many of the individuals who work for the many different resorts don't get paid much. Many of the resorts, it seem to me, take advantage of the locals.

Speaking with the individuals I met on the island many are paid $40.00 (U.S.) a week, working 6-7 days a week.

Many depend upon tips to make ends meet, so while your there, tip if you feel your service was excellent.

Many of the other resorts in Ocho, Rios also include tips in their purchase price, however, the wait staff isn't allowed to accept tips or they can be fired!


Bottled water (20 fl oz) truly costs $3.00, a cheeseburger and French fries cost $11.00. The food is good! Especially, the Royal Cafe and Le Papillon restaurant and I don't want to forget about the Flamb'e.

There are cabs arranged through the resort that can take you anywhere you want to go off-site on the island. However, be warned that you are going to pay $15.00 for two persons, each way ($30.00 roundtrip) no matter if your trip is only 1 mile. However, if you are willing to walk off-site and hale a cab yourself you can arrange for a much lower fare! My cousin, who served as my best man paid $1.00 US one-way to go to the same destination! (Wow! what a racket!)

They tell you the costs are elevated because the cost of insuring the cabbies are expensive.

In addition, to the regular resort fee we also purchased the Diamond Wedding Package ($1,499), which the RP included additional amenities, such as massages, pedicure, & Manicure, private car pickup from the airport, etc. You can read more about the wedding packages by simply going to ---------.

We chose to get married onsite on the ocean pier at 4:30PM, however we were told because it rained two days prior in the evening that we should move it up to 1:00pm by our wedding coordinator.

Ohh.. Our wedding coordinator, Andre Reid, What a constant professional! He made sure that our every need was being addressed. If you are looking to get married at this resort, he will be the person who will pull all the strings to get you what you need at the resort.

Andre, we even spoke to Andre 2 months prior to the wedding asking questions and making plans.

He made himself available and was patient and courteous to the end. In fact, my wife and me consider Andre part of the family. Andre, if you’re reading this review Kudos to you!!!!!

The wedding turned out beautiful! When we share our wedding photos with our friends and family members they couldn't believe how beautiful the pictures were. In fact, many thought that we were in a photographer’s office with a fake background of the water and beach.


One piece of advice, wear white!!! Although, our ceremony took place on the pier under the gazebo, it was pretty humid. My groomsmen and I wore black tuxes, while my wife wore an ivory dress and escaped the heat. However, after 40 minutes of poses on the pier and the beach we made it to the reception room ("Drawing Room").

The wedding cake, the food, the Calypso band was great! However, keep in mind that you won't be able to take your wedding cake home with you if you don't eat it all, as cutoms will stop you from carrying food back to the US.

I thought that the photographer and videographer did a great job but my only complaint was... they (videographers) could only shoot footage using analogue equipment. They don't have digital equipment. The latest trend is to use digital video equipment, which offers better resolution. When they film your wedding they hand the footage to you in the form of an analogue VHS tape. However, if you own your own video camera and would like them to use it, they just might allow it for no charge. However, this shouldn't be a problem, as they will move to digital equipment in the near future.


In closing, my wife and I anticipate on returning to the resort for our five year anniversary.

Be interested in what your experiences are.

Jay!

My wife and I spent our honeymoon (7 days) at the Royal Plantation and it is something that we will never forget. The resort is small and quaint, but I think that if you are looking for a party spot you can always go to one of the other properties in Jamaica that cater to a younger crowd. After a year of wedding planning this was the perfect place to relax and enjoy each other. The room was that we stayed in was the "Honeymoon Plantation Ocean Front Suite" and it was a large and beautiful room with a great view of the ocean. There was a fully stocked mini bar in the room that was stocked on a daily basis. There is an evening turn down service that I really enjoyed. Just something about coming to your room after dinner and a walk on the beach to find a robe and slippers waiting on you. The staff is the best there is. They have that way of making you feel like you are royalty and that they are there just to please you. They were always able to handle our every need in a timely and fashionable manner and even a few special requests they handled with no problem. The staff was very helpful, friendly and professional and I haven't seen anything like that at any hotel in the U.S. (even at some of the higher end chains e.g Ritz-Carlton). The only problem that I had with the resort was the breakfast. In my opinion the breakfast was the worst meal that I had while there, and it wasn't that bad. However, it simply didn't compare to the other meals served at the restaurants. If you are into caviar, they have a caviar bar on the property (wasn't included in the all inclusive package, but hey it was my honeymoon). The spa services were great. My wife and I really enjoyed the spa (it was my first time ever going to a spa and now I am spoiled). I ordered room service a few times and the food was just as good as the food at the restaurants on the property. This a beautiful property with A+ service and if you are looking for a little quiet time and romance I would say this is the place to go. I know that the next time that I am in Jamaica, this resort will be my first choice.

My husband and I spent our Honeymoon at The Royal Plantation in February of 2005. The resort was charming, but very small. Overall, the resort was very clean and the service was good. Sometimes they made mistakes or were slow, but they tried to please. Tipping was definitely appreciated!
The pool was tiny! If you are a pool person, forget it! The pool is smaller than a back yard pool. Although the pool chairs were really nice & comfortable. The beach was a little bigger than the pool, but the chairs were TERRIBLE! They didn't even go all the way down, so that you can lay on your stomach!
The food was great! I have to say that we were impressed. All three restaurants had great menus. The French restaurant especially, had excellent food! The incredible desserts in all of the restaurants were a bonus!
The suites are beautiful! The views incredible! The bar stacked! But how much time do you actually spend in the room? It was nice to enjoy the beautiful balcony and the view of the ocean in the evenings and when you first wake up... But I think it's more important for a resort to have a beautiful big pool and lounging area. That definitely lacked.
The spa was nice, although I can't say that they were the best massages we've ever had. The gym was really nice for a small resort!
We were there 8 days and because the resort was so small, you knew everyone that stayed there and you would notice as new people would arrive. So if you want your anonymity, it's impossible.
Nightly entertainment is limited. The piano bar or the billiards room are your 2 choices for entertainment. Needless to say we got a lot of practice at pool!
My advice: If you find small resorts charming in their own way, then you would appreciate this place. If you need a nice pool and comfortable chairs to relax in, you will be dissapointed.