Frist of all let me start by saying this was probably the best vacation in the carribean my husband and I have had. We arrived Feb 1 for 2 weeks. We were met by our driver Michael. He had cold beer and soft drinks waiting for us since it was quite hot (not that we were complaining!) We had a nice ride with michael about 1 1/2 hours to royal plantation. the staff especially Dwight couldn't do enough for us! anything we needed or wanted was a phone call away.. We stayed in the gov general suite (360) beautiful... 2 huge balconies overlooking the beach. this is where we had morning coffee/breakfast on most mornings and champange/cheese/fresh fruit every day after the beach and just watched the world go by! lovely....

The beach was beautiful, calm water and never a need to rush for chairs, unlike alof of places. the staff set up your chair to your liking and served you a mangosa or whatever you please! nice...

The pool was a favorite in the afternoon, never crowded although a bit small you never minded! Afternoon tea was also wonderful, they will know your preferences after a couple of visits..

The food was great, don't miss the jamaica days lunch. that was prob my husbands favorite lunch. And the lobster blt at the
beach grille was fantastic! Le Pappion was very nice, a little slow for our taste, but everything is served to order and they don't like to rush you. i think we probably were just tired from our long days of doing nothing! oh they do soup really well here if you are a soup fan. try the pepperpot. yum. i think our favorite was the
grille by the beach (not open every nite) but it was very casual, nice steaks, seafood, etc.

Did visiti the spa, as i developed a very bad cold while there, one trip to the sauna, gone! My husband suprised me one morning with massages on our balcony. very nice, very royal plantation!

Our last evening there (another suprise) We had dinner served in the gazebo. the most amazing nite! a private butler, who served us course by course. We did pay extra for this and you may pick your menu ahead of time. so worth it. and very romantic! Several members of the staff came down to see if everything was perfect. and it was.

In closing i wanted to say if you get the change to go, run to royal plantation. We have been to many 5 star resorts, and have never returned. Royal Plantation we will return:) thanks to peter fraser and his staff, we had a fabulous vacation!

Stayed with my mother and brother the first week of May. Looking for an upscale, classy, quiet resort.

Rather than going into a long story, I will provide highlights.

Pros:

Beautiful Property, all the pictures you've seen are not exaggerated.

Transfer from airport was delightful. Had to laugh at all the suckers cramming themselves into non-airconditioned busses and heading to sub-par resorts. (you get what you pay for)

Nice check in, with sugarcane sparkling wine. Note: the house "Champagne" is a nice sparkling blanc de blanc from France bottled for Royal. Don't let the plastic cork fool you.

Service is superb. Staff is genuinely friendly unlike what you get on other islands/resorts where they seem fake. Please note, the servers do not get paid. They work on tips ONLY.

Rooms are excellent, fluffy robes/slippers, full bar, etc.

Royal Plan is a MUST! (unless you don't eat or drink liquids). NO hidden fees.

Beautiful beach. If you want privacy, go to the east beach where the water sports are, you will practically have it to yourselves.

Spa is incredible, one of the best.

Excellent entertainment. Very classy and non intrusive. They won't make you get up and dance like they do elsewhere.

Cons:

The food is terrible. You will not starve because it certainly is edible, however it was shocking to witness at every meal. The presentation is very nice, but nothing tasted good. Ranges from bad to okay.

C-Bar does not exist. I was told reservations were required for the C-Bar so I made one for 7:30 prior to our dinner. We arrived and I informed the Maitre'd of my booking, to which he responded, "What is the C- Bar?" I figured I didn't hear him correctly because there was a sign above his head siting the C-Bar and all it's awards and accolades. After much confusion, we were seated at a small bar in the dining room of Le Papillion and handed C-Bar menus. After about 30 seconds of looking at the menu which boasted three types of the finest caviar, as well as incredible Champagnes, we were told that, "We do not have any caviar" okay...nevermind then.

Incredible resort overall. I have been completely ruined by the Royal Plantation and cannot see myself going anywhere else. If they could only get a chef in there that knows what he's doing, it would be flawless!!

What a wonderful week. I would definately stay there again. there were a few bumps along the way but the staff more than made up for it. To begin there was no car for us at the airport and we had to share a car with another couple. It was fine. We booked the deluxce oceanfront room. When we saw it we were not too pleased. It seemed a bit dated and the shower did not have a shower head. We asked if we could upgrade and much to our surprise they upgeade us to the govenor general's suite which was available...for free, It was amazing. The seervice was uncomplarable. They went above and beyond all the time. We did not do the meal plan and I think we actually saved money that way. The tours and the cab company they used were also great. We never had to find a cab for the return ride....the driveer always waited for us. I had a spa treament and it was one of the best massages I ever had. The food was good at all the restaurants. This resort was great for a relaxing vacation. We met alot of great couples and looked forward to nightly drinks and talks on the porch. It was great fun.
I would highly recommend this resort. If you find there is something you are not happy with and you let them know in a pleasant way they really go above and beyond to make sure your stay is perfect. I loved it and I hope to return again one day!
Trumaine and Marcia were extra special!

The private ride to the hotel is really appreciated after the journey. Check in is a breeze, and the service is wonderful. Our room was a luxury suite on the corner and it was very nice, plenty of room and a stocked bar with top shelf liquor. Our bed was very comfortable. We did miss a balcony, but that was a minor inconvenience. It's very relaxing, they did have entertainment nightly, piano bar some nights and bands other nights on the terrace. I have to say again that the service is top notch, especially had fun with Murphy at the beach bar, but everyone was great. The beach service is excellent and the food was good. We've travelled extensively in the caribbean and like nice hotels and this is one we will return to. One other note, if you like golf, and we do, the course was very good. Had some challenging holes and was in very nice shape.