Sunset Jamaica Grande

By Patrice Kenner from Newark, NJ • Loved the Jamaica Grande Resort

Overall Rating: 10   

Oh my goodness where do I begin - this Resort was soooooo WONDERFUL. My husband and I went to the Jamaica Grande on 3/17/2006 and stayed until 3/22/2006 and had a BLAST each and every day we were there. First, the ride to the resort for those who have never been to Ocho Rios is about 2 hours long, and it goes by really fast because the sights along the way are GORGEOUS. We saw everything from kids... [more] jumping out of coconut trees into the crystal clear waters to goat herders, not to mention we got to stop and rest a bit, get food, drinks and gifts at this really nice little open market.

Well, once we made it to the Resort we had refreshments and smiling faces waiting for us. Check in was easy and there was a bar right there in the beautiful open lobby waiting for us.. oh yeah there is a lovely view of the ocean from the lobby area and they have these great over-sized oval seats that are really comfy - my husband and I feel asleep in them after coming in from a long night of partying, the staff asked if we were comfy and they let us stay rite were we were I though that was really cool..

The resort has soo many activities available rite on site jet skiing, scuba diving parasailing, party boats, and snorkeling just to name a few.. all the rally fun stuff though is off site like Dunns River Falls, The Bob Marley Safari, Mountain biking, Cliff diving or jumping. The Haunted white witch of Rose Hall Mansion (really creepy) and the dolphin experience and those are just a handful of the activities available..

The food was great they had island specialties as well as a host of other types of food available there are about 8 places to eat at the resort three of them require reservations which you should make as soon as you get there if you plan on eating at one of them, there's a buffet open for breakfast lunch and dinner and its really good food. The beaches were nice the only thing was that on the right side of he beach were the resort water sports is located it was a little rocky but only for about 2 feet as you walk into the water then the sand becomes smooth and soft and feels great on your feet.. The rooms were nice we paid for a standard room and we wound up having an ocean and pool view it was really nice and very very clean the beds were comfy and king size and the balconies have little tables on them with chairs for relaxing outside.. another great thing I noticed about this resort is that there is great security 24 hrs a day they blend into the atmosphere so well you might not notice them at first but trust me they are there..

I can't talk enough about how much fun I had and oh yeah for you GANJA SMOKERS never fear the stuff is everywhere and cheap all ya gotta do is ask one of the bar tenders they can usually hook you up (the male bartenders) and don't forget to tip those who help you - it's really appreciated.. All in all, if you wanna have fun your going to but if you go looking for things to be wrong or if you nit pick at every little thing STAY HOME or go to an ULTRA LUXERY RESORT. [less]
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By All-Caribbean User from NC. USA • Mixed feelings..

Overall Rating: 6   Location [8] • Room [10] • Service [6] • Value [8]

My husband and I just got back from spending a weekend at this Resort. We were pleasantly surprised by the impressive Reception area. It is HUGE, very modern and upscale.
The Reception desk staff was polite and professional. I would not go as far as describing them as "friendly" though.
We encountered no delays at check-in and within 10 mins. or so we had our room keys in ... [more]hand.
Our room was very spacious, very clean and had a magnificent view of the bay and the mountain.
We had requested (AND paid for an "ocean front view)but I'm not so sure that that is what we got since I later realized that we were located on the side of the tower instead of the "real" ocean front..Oh well, the view was still very nice.
The Hotel itself is very nice but there's still construction going on. It didn't really bother me but it IS noticeable at times and in certain areas.
The pools are the best feature of this place, all very clean, never crowded and enough of them to allow you as little or as much private space as you'd want.
The pool towel service was excellent and plentiful. Anytime your towel was wet, all you had to do was go and swap it for a clean, dry one. No lines, no wait.
The food at the buffet I found lacking. I found no seafood in the menu, no beef. Mainly chicken and fish, basic fare. It was plentiful and filling but with a big enphasis on the cheap, vegetable route.
No ice-cream to be found anywhere.
The service? Umm.. that's where I have mixed feelings. I found the staff to be, neither friendly nor hostile, just polite enough.. the few smiles a bit forced, just a "hint" of an attitude.. but mostly silence all around.
We made reservations at the Italian Restaurant on arrival but that evening, when we showed up at the Restaurant, we were turned away because our friend's husband was wearing dress shorts.
Yes, we were given a written confirmation of our Restaurant reservation and, later we found out that, in small print it said that no shorts were allowed but.. who reads a piece of paper that -to us- merely confirmed that we had reservations for 8:00 pm?
We certainly didn't since we had just arrived and all we cared to do was to go to our room, unpack and change into swimm suits. I think the Guest Service rep. who took our reservation could had taken the time to explain the rules to us, as long as we were standing right in front of her at the time.
It should also be noted on the on-line Hotel description that the Restaurants have a dress code. Obviously, by the time you get there, it's too late to go back home to bring back a pair of long pants, right?
That night we ate at one of the other restaurants, by the beach. The food portions were ridiculously small, the steak I had was tough and overcooked and the waiter kept getting our food and drink orders mixed up.
As far as entertainment, the place is dead! We are not really "party people" but the place turned into a nursing home at night. We read that there would be a band at 10:00 pm so we showed at the appointed hours but.. 10 mins. after we arrived, the band packed up and left, and that was the end of entertainment..
Only thing left was the disco.. and there were 3 people in there..
So.. I have mixed feelings about this place. The staff needs more training in customer service. You can feel that they are merely just "doing their job" and not entirely happy about it.
The food needs improvement in quality and variety.
It would be nice if they added beach service since the bar by the beach requires shoes and clothes, even though it's just a couple of steps from the sand..
The rules need to be explained clearly, either on-line or on arrival, not after the fact.
But in general, I'd probably go back to this place because of its cleaness, spaciousness, safety, and overall beauty. [less]
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By • *Beautiful*

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

*I had the best time! Everything there was great and the ocean was soo pretty! i had soo much fun just being there! i can't wait till i go back! :-)
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