Just returned from our trip to RP and had a great time. Would like to mention our wonderful butler Garey and his attention to details also the big man Adrian our beach butler who never forgot us for even one second and made sure I was never alone on my husbands golf days. Servers Gee,Odane,Fitzroy and Dwayne who always made sure our meals were served with a smile. The fabulous hands of Andrew and Lorraine, the couples massage on the cliff was by far the best we have ever had. This is the place we love to go back to because the second you walk thru the door it feels like your home again. If your looking for lazy days on the beach and pampering this is the place. Also thanks to Peter Frasier who makes it all possible.

We took our honeymoon at the Royal Plantation, Ocho Rios staying for ten nights from 1st August 2011.

Usually, after a stay at a hotel we write the review and mention a few staff by name because they provided outstanding service. Here, they are too numerous to mention, we were treated so well from start to finish and unwound in paradise after many months of wedding planning. The weather was great, Royal Plantation was peaceful, the food was gorgeous, the Jamaicans were welcoming and we enjoyed a perfect honeymoon.

We would definitely recommend Royal Plantation as a restful relaxing retreat best suited for couples and honeymooners like ourselves. Royal Plantation was perfectly calibrated to meet our needs to the highest standard and it was a joy to stay there.

Things we definitely wanted:

• All inclusive, adults only
• Low / no risk of hurricanes
• Small boutique feel
• World-class service
• High quality food and drink
• Relaxing, stress-free holiday in a world of our own

Things we were worried about / unsure of before going:

• Would the Sandals takeover affect things?
• Would hurricane season impact the weather?
• Would we require jelly shoes in the sea / on the beach?
• How to use the butler service to suit us (we’re pretty self-reliant)

August was off-season for the hotel and for the life of me I can’t guess why. The weather was flawless 31-32 degrees day in day out, no rain, and we had only two days where the skies just clouded over in the afternoon. As a result, we feel we had the best of the weather and the best of the service – with the hotel being less than half-full, we had someone on hand whenever we wanted.

The beach was immaculate and during the day it was repeatedly combed by the resort staff to keep it that way. The sea was clear, warm and safe. (We used jelly shoes only for the trip to nearby Dunn’s River Falls – here they are a must, as is the experience itself.) We found Royal Plantation was literally manicured wherever we went. It carried the hallmark of a great hotel throughout – attention to detail.

The Sandals takeover seemed to have had only minimal impact. There was some staff churn and some Sandals staff from other resorts (outside Jamaica) were being trained who didn’t therefore know much about the hotel or Jamaica but the service was attentive, professional and polite. We made use of the Sandals affiliation to use the Golf & Country Club with free greens fees. The location is a veritable Garden of Eden not to be missed and a twenty minute drive from the resort.

The butler service was something we took a few days to get our heads around. It seemed like more of a responsibility than a luxury to begin with as we fielded a stream of helpful suggestions of doing this or that which a) cost money and b) didn’t interest us. The trick was for us to take control and use them for the things we needed – like planning day trips, arranging special meals and smoothing over tweaks to dining times.

We found the food and drink truly comparable to the finer restaurants found in top European hotels. The celebrated Papillion restaurant delighted us with beautiful meals and crowned these with the best chocolate fondant pudding we’ve ever had. We generally kept to the ‘free’ wine choices which were more than quaffable but there was a separate quality wine list we could use to compliment a meal more closely.

On the Terrace, the simpler food was varied and here we experienced delicious real Jamaican cuisine and had a few lighter, lower fat meals. If we didn’t like anything we saw on the menu or wanted it slightly different, we just asked and they made it up exactly how liked it. The grill by the beach sustained us during the day with lip-smacking jerk chicken, ice-cold ‘mangosas’, champagne cocktails, Red Stripe, you name it.

There are some additional facilities we made use of. The gym is small but usable with a mix of weights and machines. Of the inclusive water sports facilities, we enjoyed snorkelling over the barrier reef, exploring the coastline in a boat trip and sailed a catamaran. The on-site shop carries souvenirs and sunscreen, cigars and a range of rums. The caviar and champagne bar is part of the Papillion restaurant and a useful location to await friends. The main bar is a gem, with award-winning cocktail creators at work (try a Coffee-Tini - awesome!).

I was at the Sandals Royal Plantation in December 2011, this resort is beautiful. very intimate and small and has a lot of British charm.
The food was wonderful, as was the service by the staff.
All of the rooms at this resort face the ocean.
if you are someone who likes to have that extra elegance and and high tea at 4:00pm everyday this resort is for you.
if you are someone who likes a very lively resort with lots of action, maybe stay away from Royal Plantation (try Sandals Montego Bay)

I had been reading trip advisor reviews for several months prior to our departure for Ocho Rios and had very high expectations for this holiday, however I could never have imagined how special this place really is and that was largely down to the amazing staff at this resort. When I had previously read about other reviewers 'Plantation Family' no disrespect to them, but I really did feel they were being a bit OTT to be honest, but it is remarkably, very much, how myself and my husband felt when we reluctantly had to say our goodbyes at the end our our two week holiday from the 14th-28th January.
We were greeted and directed into the Sandals Lounge from our flight, where we each had a cold drink and waited a few minutes for our transport to arrive. The journey was 1hour and 40 minutes and, as it was dark outside was a bit tedious but the lady driver was lovely and tried to keep us amused with her occasional commentary. At the Plantation we were greeted with cold flannels and a lovely drink. Our Butler and soon to become friend Audel, greeted us and took us to our room. Now, as an English nurse and Carpenter who have more recently migrated to the sunny canary islands to become restaurateurs, being served does not come easily to us, however, Audel 'read' us straight away and made us feel very comfortable and at ease with saying what our expectations would be. He showed us around our suite and offered to unpack for us which we declined. We had previously filled in the on-line preference form and found all our requested premium brand spirits, wines, champagne and soft drinks chilled and waiting for us. We ordered a room service meal as it was late and opened our French doors to a breathtaking view of the Caribbean sea!!
The following day we were introduced to our other lovely butler Sophia. Between them, her and Audel gave us, literally, the holiday of a life time, they surprised us with bubble baths, soft music and champagne after a night out, afternoon snacks after the beach, the most amazing towel art I have ever seen, surprise meals, restaurant bookings for wherever we requested (usually Papillon) and mostly for just chatting and making us laugh and becoming very special friends who we will never forget.
We had room service breakfast on several occasions which was wonderfully cooked and always spot on time, frequently delivered by Audel with a massive smile and a joke!!, other times we had breakfast at the terrace which was always good and if the buffet was not to our liking we simply ordered something decadent from the al la carte menu. Tea and coffee was always served in a proper teapot and coffee jug (and they have Tetly blue) which I was
very happy about as well as a huge selection of speciality teas.
Lunch was usually at the seaside grill and delicious. I don't normally eat seafood but that went out of the window on this holiday. The coconut shrimp was delicious (as were the many lobster dishes served at night). We occasionally went next door to the grand for nachos, enchiladas or patties when we felt like something a bit more spicy at lunchtime and this was always good too. We also went to the Japanese and sushi restaurants at the grand and had a great time, the food was lovely and there was a great buzz about the places but to be honest, we were always happy to go 'home' again after our meals.
Most amazing was the Papillon Restaurant and again this is absolutely down to the fantastic staff in this place. Peter, the restaurant manager always greeted us by name and was lovely and very professional. We almost always had the same server who was Kayon. this young man definitely deserves to be considered butler material, he was wonderful, always anticipating our every need. He even came to find us when we due to leave to say goodbye and wish us a safe journey home!! Melvin, the sommelier kept our glasses full and a smile on our faces with his funny quips and the pianist was excellent, lending a really lovely ambience to the place and finally the kingpin to it all was the fantastic chef Jeffrey who delivered Michelin quality food night after night and after we complemented him, always made a point of coming out to say hello.
The beaches, are small but the beach boys keep to place immaculate, We usually stayed on the west beach and found that by sitting, on the 'chess' pier we had the sun for a little longer. Cleon, the beach butler was great and was constantly around with Mangosa's on a morning or another new and delicious cocktail for us to try, he even brought rosewater around to spray us with and cucumber slices for our eyes.
We did take advantage of the complimentary Scuba diving whilst we were there, we did four dives which were very professionally lead although I was surprised and a bit disappointed at the lack of aquatic life around (nothing the resort can do about that though!!)
We also did the trip on the catamaran to Dunns River Falls, this is a brilliant day out and we never stopped laughing although if you want quiet and restful, probably not the best trip for you. It involved, snorkelling, climbing the falls then back on the Cat for drinks, food and loud lovely Reggae music whilst you sail back to resort. We felt it was really good value for money and immense fun.
We also did the swimming with dolphins which was lovely but didn't bother with all the extra things included as we were told that the stingrays had their barbs surgically removed, a fact which we really didn't like but that is just our opinion.
Whilst there we also renewed our wedding vows and thanks to Naomi, the wedding planner, and the photographer (sorry cant remember his name) as well as our amazing friends Audel and Sophia, who became our wedding guests, we had an amazing day with memories which we will treasure forever. We renewed our vows on the pier then had photos and retired to the drawing room for cake, champagne and canapés. Audel even treated us to a few tunes on the Steinway Piano!!
The only small disappointment was the very small swimming pool but on saying that, we could have gone next door to use one of their pools, including a large complex with music and a swim up bar only a few yards up the beach from us, however, with the beautiful sea and wonderful beach butlers attending to our every whim, why would we want to move????
I can unreservedly recommend this holiday destination to anyone looking for an amazing holiday experience, it has everything for a relaxing pampered time and if you feel you need a little more, you can pop next door (it's about 50 yards up the beach) for more lively activity. (I promise, after just a very few days though, you will become so relaxed, you just wont want to leave The Plantation).
Sorry, this is a bit long but hopefully, you will be able to feel our passion for the place and anticipate your holiday with even more excitement, as I did when I read reviews prior to our visit. If I can answer any questions you have, please feel free to email me via tripadvisor.