Royal Plantation Jamaica and Sandals Luxury
February 12th, 2010 by Andrea Freed
Flight Centre’s Andrea Freed travels from Toronto to holiday in Jamaica and she gives us the inside details of what you can expect from a Sandal’s Luxury Included Vacation. From private, hassle-free check-ins to beach butlers and fantastic food to melting massages Andrea tried it all. Hey Andrea, is it island time yet?
We started our journey to Jamaica very early in the morning, flying direct to our holiday in Montego Bay with Air Canada. Our first travel tip is to be sure to check in online or at a kiosk to avoid extra line ups! Also, remember that if you book a latitude fare on Air Canada, food is included! Arrive early at the airport, especially in high season – lines at check-in and security can be very long.
When we arrived in Jamaica we went directly to the Sandals Lounge where we were able to have a cold drink with our furry Beaches buddy Elmo and we have the pictures to prove it. Our luggage was corralled to the transfer bus and in no time at all we were en route, stopping at Scotchie’s for amazing Jamaican food – jerk chicken, pork, festivals, and yummy Rum drinks – there are 2 locations we know of – one in Montego Bay near the airport – and one in Ocho Rios. After about an hour and half drive we arrived in Ocho Rios. Beverages were also available on the private transfer bus.
Arriving at Royal Plantation we were greeted with a cold towel and a welcome drink, check-in was private, no line ups at all as the property is very exclusive and only 74 suites in total. We were shown to our suites and already were blown away – all are ocean view, massive suites with beds that looked and proved to be so comfy. There is a mini bar in each suite that is restocked daily and 24 hour room service, but we will get to that later. The views were amazing, the bathrooms have a double vanity, closets are big, tub/shower in our rooms were standard size – we recommend upgrading your room to a higher category that might include Jacuzzi tub and walk in shower!
The hotel has three floors, with an elevator servicing only the west wing of the hotel. Do not be surprised if you see peacocks roaming the property.
Ok, The Beach – the most private beach you can be on other than owning your own island. The beach is a bit of a walk down several stairs, but it is well worth it, and if you are having any trouble getting down the stairs, the staff at Royal Plantation will literally carry you down.
The beach butlers (yes we said BEACH BUTLERS) will greet you and get your chairs set up and give you a beach towel and a flag – this is a magic flag! You put the flag up or in the sand and a butler will appear to take food and drink orders. There is every drink you can imagine and a grill that serves food from 11 am to 4pm daily. You MUST try the coconut shrimp! Fantastic!
There is a big pier with chairs set up so if you don’t want to be in the sand all day, head there for some great late afternoon sun worshiping. The pool is on the small side, classic peanut shape, but won’t disappoint as it’s very pretty with lots of local flowers and plants surrounding it.
If you are a large group, there is also a stunning three bedroom villa adjacent to the main property, only a few feet away, where you will have your own private pool, butler etc. The hotel manager and our sandals representative tell us that soon every room at Royal Plantation will include personalized Butler service!
Now let’s talk about the food – Wow is all we can say. We experienced breakfast daily in our rooms, with open windows, floor to ceiling, overlooking the ocean. The room service was quick and one morning we even amended the menu to include waffles that were not listed. They arrived hot and delicious! If you aren’t as lazy as we are, you can enjoy buffet breakfast at The Terrace restaurant, which is also ocean view and overlooks the main courtyard. Lunch is also served here, (or in your room) or as mentioned above, the beach grill is a lunchtime pleasure.
Ok, dinner time! Our most amazing meals by far, were at Le Papillion, the French restaurant on property – reservations are recommended and we suggest you make them upon arrival! While waiting, you can enjoy the only champagne and caviar bar in the area (not part of the inclusive package). Our recommendations are: filet mignon, sea bass, and lobster (add this to whatever you order as a “side”), mixed seafood appetizer, chocolate pudding (a molten cake you will have more than once for sure) and with dessert, have some fancy coffees – Italian is our favourite (made with amaretto – yum).
The Red Lane Spa had a serene ambience and so many treatments to choose from. Five star all the way. We loved the complimentary full body scrub with aromatherapy that the hotel was offering for free with any massage. The seaweed wrap was detoxifying and the saunas and steam rooms, which can be used anytime, were clean and eucalyptus scented. We recommend taking home some of the amazing luxurious products from the Red Lane spa. Ditto the gift shop had lots of cute stuff, Sandals own jerk sauce, clothing, jewelry etc.
We left the property a couple of times, including a trip to Mystic Mountain, a super cool spot where you can zip line, take a canopy chair lift to the top of the mountain and try your luck at Jamaican bobsledding.
Also, we made an appearance at Margarita Ville in Ocho, for dancing and oversized drinks. Don’t forget the Sandals chains all include golf, and scuba diving. There are lots of other excursions available that Sandals staff will help you decide upon and many of the Sandals properties are near to each other and “stay at one and play at all” rules apply; you can enjoy the other properties/restaurants as an added bonus included with your stay.
We were so sad to leave the Royal Plantation and can’t wait until we have the chance to go back.
If you have any questions, feel free to be in touch.
Montego Bay, Jamaica has been marked on the Flight Centre travel map.
Looking for more information on travelling to Jamaica and experiencing the lavish feel of a Sandals Luxury Included Vacation? Contact Andrea Freed, a Flight Centre Team Leader based in Forest Hill, Toronto, Ontario who can be reached at 1 866 581 7768.
Tags: butler, Cuisine, holiday, massages, Plantation, Resort, Royal, Sandals, vacation
Categories: Destinations
