My wife and I are very busy, and we needed a break from the rat-race of our schedules. We set out to find an all-inclusive resort on the beach with a variety of food and drink options. Before booking, we researched a lot of Caribbean destinations - some we've been to, some we haven't. We'd both been to Jamaica, so we didn't have a big desire for excursions or adventurous outings. We chose Lady Hamilton, in part because of its remoteness and in part because of the beauty of its location and property. I don't mean to imply that there aren't excursions available - there are plenty. It just wasn't a factor for us...we just wanted to lay around and be catered to all week.

The property is lovely. It is not perfect. (As an aside, it is my opinion that any property you build right next to the ocean will be a maintenance nightmare due to the salt air, wind and rain.) So with this in mind, LH is a stately "southern plantation-style" property. You will notice some blemishes, but the staff does a great job of keeping it updated and repaired. I think there were painters and landscapers working on property every day we were there. Also, we chose to upgrade from a standard room/suite to the Honeymoon Suite. We used Funjet.com to book, and the cost difference was negligible. It was money very well-spent!

Our day-time preference was for the main beach. It was mere steps from our suite, which made it very convenient. It is also steps from the adult pool bar, which was also convenient (no waitress service on the beach). We sat at the main pool twice. It was too loud and busy for our taste, though I did indulge in sand volleyball our last day there. We visited the water activities beach 1 time. It was VERY hot on that beach, as it is set back in a cove and doesn't have much of a breeze. Unfortunately, that's where the jerk hut is.

The food at the buffets was pretty standard fare for an all-inclusive. The fresh fruit and juices were so great! We do our best to eat healthy, and there were plenty of options at every meal. The a la carte restaurants were also decent, tho we had some bug issues at the steakhouse. Yuck. Oh, and watch out for the spicy salsa at the Mexican restaurant - it is HOT!

The bar service is generally very friendly. I am a tipper, so once the servers got to know me, the service got even better. Seriously...how big of a deal is it to drop a buck or 2 once in a while. These folks live in a very poor nation and are working hard to make sure your vacation is perfect. If you have a favorite rum drink, tell them. If not, ask for their specialty. They love to show off.

We were not fans of the evening entertainment. It's not their fault - we are in the performance arts industry - and tend to be harsh critics. We did not choose this property for the entertainment, so we were perfectly happy to retire early and use the GIANT jacuzzi tub.

A few final thoughts. Wait to book your spa treatments until you get to the resort. You'll have plenty of opportunities, believe me, and you'll get a better deal. Once you've had them, politely decline when asked again, and they'll leave you alone. Also, our wrist-bands had "VIP" on them, and it didn't get us any extra service or accommodations. This was a negative to me. We waited a LONG time to be seated at the steakhouse and at the Italian restaurants. It would have been nice to have had reservations. You'd think the honeymoon suite upgrade would have gotten us that. But it did not. If it was supposed to have, and we weren't told how to make use of that service, then I will be disappointed.

We had no issues with bad service or rude employees at this resort. Everyone was very pleasant. I think some people having bad experiences reflects as much on them, and incumbent attitudes, as it does on the LH staff. If you can take a deep breath when you step out of the bus or car upon arrival, and accept the fact that you are now on ISLAND TIME, you will have a much more enjoyable trip. Chill, have a drink, and have fun.

In summary, we are not big on repeating vacations, so we will probably not return to the Lady Hamilton. This really has nothing to do with our experience. In fact, we enjoyed it enough to recommend it to our daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law for their honeymoon in December.

Give it a look. Know what you're booking, and enjoy!

Pros: Not too much
Cons: food, not good. We went to the "best" seafood place and the seafood was DRY, for both my wife and Me.

Seems like staff just doesn't care. No need to help either. They seem slow and non-responsive. We had a much better time in the DR, because the employees just have a genuine interest in assisting. You don't get that feeling here.

The buffet was not as expected. Don't expect to be wowed. The Jamaica show was the only decent show. The expectations were a lot higher, don't come here feeling that way.

Spa itself was nice, lots of bugs in the pool though. Massage for the wife was good, mine was not as desired. Seemed like the masseuse never used hot stone before. They assured me she was so experienced after the fact, only defending her experience without her ever getting a complaint. Well, there is a first time for everything. And there is no doubt in my mind, she was not experienced or even half decent. The spa facilities like the steam room/suana/hot tub, are all in working condition and fairly nice to use.

When checking out, they tried to charge me $4 just to use the computer to print out my airline tickets. WHAT A SCAM. After negotiating with the front clerk that that was nonsense, they allowed me to have my booking tickets emailed to their "main" email account and then they printed out the email. Either way, the bar code never printed out with the email and was a complete udder waste of time. 5 days of a Semi-hell.

OH WAIT....I almost forgot. EXPECT power outages, FREQUENTLY. They happen all too often, usually about 5-10 times a day. No matter where u are, you can expect it. Whether your having a nice dinner, getting a shower, watching tv, sleeping....the power WILL turn off.

The temperature in the rooms: HOT. It is barely comfortable. The air conditioning is not premium and is without a doubt, way to hot. Nothing the front desk can do about it either.

No cold bottled water ANYWHERE in the hotel, except the two or three they put in your refrigerator . I REPEAT: There is NO cold water bottle throughout the resort. It's tap water only or soda/juices. That's it. Little ridiculous if you ask me.

The prices in the stores they have on the property for regular USA type items food/medicine/clothing is ASTRONOMICAL.

We had a private guide take us to the locations/excursions that we wanted. BEST TIME EVER.