| Perfectly Pleasurable |
| Hotel Breezes (formerly Starfish) Trelawny Resort |
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Donya >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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This place introduces you to an amazing, unspoiled view of the countryside, while allowing you to experience an amazing experience for an amazing price. When they said everything was included, they meant it. The only extras are the jet skis and the scuba diving.
We snorkeled, toured on a glass bottom boat, played on float rings, rode the banana boat, etc. Also, my daughter LOVED the FREE games in the arcade!
If you are looking for a relaxing atmosphere, that offers a big bang for the buck, check out this hotel! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
There was quality entertainment offered EVERY night. There were extraordinary and well known groups that performed. Throughout the day, the entertainment department filled the time with fun games and competitions, all with an age appropriate prize. Kenisha was our absolute favorite with her bubbly personality and crazy dance moves! They even offer a club for those who want to dance and continue hanging out, after the shows are over.
We toured the countryside, with our FABULOUS driver, Harry. If you want someone you can trust to take you around for a reasonable price, look for Harry. He's usually sitting out in front of the hotel in his White Toyota Corolla. He's the BEST!!! He stayed with us the whole time, even when we went to an Independence Day celebration and then a club. |
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| Arrival |
From the moment we arrived at Breezes Trelawny, we felt welcomed by those who took our bags and offered us drinks. Check in was literally a breeze, and we were quickly in our rooms. The rooms were fine; they had all the amenities needed and were very clean.
After we settled, we descended down the stairs and were treated like royalty by all the employees. The people were the difference between an okay hotel and an amazing one. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The lifeguards were awesome and even rescued a little boy while we were there. Ricardo was the absolute BEST!!
The beach is BEAUTIFUL! And they even have a small island right off shore. The pools were large and accommodated a vast array of guests. There were two waterslides, pool tables, a swim up bar, a volleyball net, tables and chairs and lounge chairs in the water. |
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| Other Comments |
| People who have complained about the staff, where probably like the ones we saw yelling and demanding the DJ to change the music or pitching fits in the lobby because they didn't like something minor. Or those who murmured words of complaint because the room hair dryer took forever to dry their hair, and they had to get to dinner. People can be ridiculous with their expectations and for the value, we don't see how people can find things to gripe about. For our family, anything that arose, the staff immediately responded and took care of the situation. Of course, our family treated them with respect and gratitude. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The food was great. The buffet offered a large variety of food, with a tasty sampling of authentic cuisine. We like Jamaican food and thought they did a great job providing such a vast spread that also tasted really good. The staff was on point, even remembering all the members of our party as soon as we walked in. We loved Sasha Gay, Tamara, Stephny. Sophia made an awesome omelette every morning.
The two specialty restaurants, Casablanca and Munasan, were good. Casablanca, the Italian/French restaurant provided a nice, comfortable atmosphere, with excellent cuisine. The maître d’ and the wait staff were wonderful! The snapper was the most delicious of all the items we ordered. Munasan, the Japanese steakhouse, was pretty good, but really hot. My daughter did not enjoy it, and I ended up taking her to the buffet to eat afterwards.
The bar drinks were good. We did not find that the alcohol was watered down. And if it was, its ALL YOU CAN DRINK! How can you complain about that? The bartenders, Alister, Yvonne, Germaine, Wilfred and all the others always took care of us and remembered from our first drink, what we liked to order. |
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| Rooms |
| We had two rooms on opposite sides, as we requested. And were given ocean view rooms, even though we paid for mountain view. The rooms were a good size, especially considering you don't go to Jamaica to hang out in the room. |
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| TRIP TO REMEMBER! |
| Hotel Breezes (formerly Starfish) Trelawny Resort |
| User Rating:
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K >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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I was VERY dissapointed to see that the beds were not very comfy, the room looked NOTHING like the pictures. It was very run down and the tiolet leaked. The front desk was not helpful on several occasions, but the rest of the staff was nice. The food was great. The beaches were cool the water was warm too. If you are on a budget like we were, it is ok but if you could spend the extra $, I would suggest a different hotel in Montego Bay.
P.S. Make sure you bring bug spray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| beautiful resort |
| Hotel Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay |
| User Rating:
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Dave >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Did Dunn river falls and shopping in Ocho Rios. Enjoyed both but if you like to shop you might want to take a taxi as we felt rushed. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| I was disappointed with the beach to the far left of the resort. Weedy and rocky areas, but it suited our purpose. Pool was huge and warm when we were there. The grounds themselves are well kept and beautiful. I liked the area where weddings are done, it is more secluded than many resorts in the carabean have, making it much more romantic. You cannot walk the beach other than what the hotel has (unlike Mexico or Domincan where you can walk for miles). |
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| Other Comments |
| Beautiful resort but secluded. I would go to Ocho Rios or Montego Bay next time. Lots of kids. We got our money's worth. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The japanees was the best of the alacartes. The main buffet was ok but not as good as I expected from what I had heard about Jamaican food. I would compare it to what we experienced in Mexico. Service was good. Bars were good, strong drinks though. The beach bar is at the far end of the beach, not real convenient. Two pool bars with swim up were good. |
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| Rooms |
| I thought the rooms were very good. You have a sitting area and beautiful bathroom. We did not have a problem with hot water or power. You have to put your card in a device near the door to keep the lights on (note they did diable the power on the morning of our departure, I guess to get us to leave). You need about $50 us deposit for the safe (they charged $6 a day for it, but I would recommend it). We stayed on ground level, the only issue I had was someone stole my bathing suit when I left it out to dry overnight. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Transportation from the airport was well set up. We were taken directly to the hotel (minus one stop to buy drinks etc. which we didn't mind). Check in was quick. We arrived at 11:30 am and got our room at 1:30pm (not bad...I have had to wait longer at other resorts). |
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| Wonderful Resort! |
| Hotel Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay |
| User Rating:
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Taylor >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2010 | Business | With Group
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| I would first like to say that this was my 9th all inclusive vacation. I've been to Dominican, Mexico, and now Jamaica. I read alot of negative reviews on this resort and was alittle worried about going here. But we were going with a group of 16 ppl for a wedding, and had no control on the venue. Don't believe the negative reviews, this was one of my favourite vacations! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
I am not one to be "Active" on vacation...but if you are, there are things to do everyday around the pool. Your typical stuff....volleyball, water polo etc. They also had Bingo, beer drinking competitions, water balloon toss ect.
As for tours off the resort, there are lots to chose from. Again, I did neither of them. But ppl in our group did some. They chose different tours, and they all enjoyed themselves.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
BEACH: This is my only complaint about this resort. The beach is not nearly as nice as D.R or Mexico. Not the resorts fault, just the way god made this strip of beach I guess. It is very rocky as you walk closer to the ocean. There is an area far to the left that is nicer if you don't mind the walk.
POOL: Very nice, clean large pool. Pool bar was great! We enjoyed that daily. There are limited chairs around the pool. We were lucky, my dad likes to get up at 5am and he went down and grabbed chairs under the palapa for us. Other wise, you probably wont get a chair around the pool. If we needed more chairs, we just brought some up from the beach...its a very short walk. No one complained, and alot of guests did this as well.
Grounds were beautiful, well maintained. |
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| Other Comments |
WEDDING: This is a great resort to have your beach wedding. The wedding Gazebo is right on the beach overlooking the ocean, the perfect backdrop for your special day.
Overall, I would say this was a great resort, and I would recommend it. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
I was worried about the food after reading negative reviews on this resort. I'd just like to say, I don't know what these ppl were complaining about. Unless you are Oprah with a world class chef in your home cooking for you, there is NO WAY you could complain about the food.
BUFFET: The buffet was AWSOME! So much to chose from, and the food was good quality. They also did a good job changing it up every night as well. There is definantly something for everyone. They even had a "kids section" at the buffet. The counter was lower, and had favourite kid foods...fries, hotdogs ect, very cute :)
ITALIAN RESTAURANT: We ate here one night. This was the only meal I didn't like. The food wasn't bad, I just found that I like having more choice with the buffet.
JAPANESE RESTAURANT: This was THE BEST A la Carte! If you have a large party....and of course we did, you get your own private room with a chef who cooks right in front of you. rice, veggies, chicken, beef, shrimp and fish. It was fabulous! I Had the Tempura starter, and Fried Ice Cream for dessert...Both Fabulous!
THE GRILL: This was were we had the Wedding Dinner. Bride and Groom chose our meals. Food was good, we had lamb, some had fish instead. Only complaint here was the AC was not working this night, and everyone was VERY HOT! Especially since we were all dressed up for the wedding.
BEACH GRILL: This is an outdoor buffet on the beach. This is were the Jerk Chicken is! OMG, SOO YUMMY!! We had it almost everyday.
BARS: The drinks were AWSOME! I have been to Domincan and Mexico where they put way too much liquor, and your drink ends up tasting Horrible...lol I must say the drinks here was VERY tasty! Made so you could enjoy it! And if you like alot of liquor, just ask for a double, they will gladly do it for you :)
My favourites were Pina Colada and Banana Daquiri's. Very yummy. There beer is good too.
Don't leave without trying "THE BOB MARLEY" shot. It has 3 layers, all different colors.... red, yellow and green, and it doesn't mix....really neat!
WATER: One GREAT thing about Jamaica....You can drink the tap water! I think this is why none of us in our group experienced any type of stomach issues. I felt the same as I would have felt eating at home.
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| Rooms |
We stayed in room #12303. Our room was FABULOUS! No complaints at all! Our lights and AC stayed on without having to put room key in the slot. Not sure why, but we didn't complain LOL. AC worked great, bathroom was very clean, and the location was fabulous. We were minutes to loby, buffet, restaurants and pool.
Maids were fabulous, restocked mini bar everyday. We tipped $2-3 US a day, and she did a great job. |
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| Your Arrival |
Flew Air Canada from Toronto to Montego Bay. Flight was quick, about 3 1/2 hrs. Going through the airport was easy. Air Canada rep was waiting for us, and directed us to our bus. Bus ride took about 1hr. They stop mid way for bathroom break, you can buy food, drinks and local items here...t shirts etc.
We arrived at the hotel around 3:30pm. All of our rooms were ready, and those of us who booked together were all placed on same floor, and very close together. Which was great!
Only complaint here was that my brother and I asked for double beds, and were given a King bed. Apparently they only have limited Double Bed Rooms, and they save these for ppl travelling with children. When they found out we were brother and sister, they brought in another bed for my brother. It was a full size double, placed in the sitting area. It worked out great! When you check in, they will only give you one room key. Very silly! But, we waited until that evening and asked for another key. They were happy to give us one. We found that if you have any issues that need to be addressed to front desk, WAIT AND ASK NIGHT STAFF! They are much nicer, probably because they are not as busy as day staff. And be nice, smile and you'll get what you need. The guests who were rude, and verbally abusive to staff got NOWHERE. Righfully so if you ask me :) |
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| Not as impressive as RIU Palace Macau |
| Hotel Riu Ocho Rios |
| User Rating:
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Sharon >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With friend
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| We had a direct flight and were looking forward togetting to our hotel.The van we were on stopped at some dive to make it an even longer trip. The kite festical slowed up traffic so it actually took 3 hours to getto the hotel. Check in was fine, but it took 45 minutes and two calls to have luggage delivered. They only stock the mini bar with water, etc every other day and it took 3 days for them to respond to a specific request.In case you are interested in any of the a la carte restaurants, you have to get up early to get in line to make reservastions. We didn't like the second seating at 9 PM so we ate at St. Ann's most of the time. Pool was lovely, help is friendier in the DR, but overall it is a pretty resort,nice beach with palm trees, good ocean breeze. Rooms are more than adequate and in our 'ocean view' room, if we leaned over the balcony we could get a nice view of the water. Beds were comfy and check out was a breeze. Only took two hours to get back to the airport.We both had massages, a bit overpriced, but the service was nice. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Lots of vendors selling trips and services. We did the shopping and found lovely jewelry to tempt us. If you buy alcohol from off-site it bneeds to go in your luggage. The duty free shops sell it cheaper than my besr negotiated price. Be prepared to negotiate and checkto see where souveniers are made. Some of the native looking drums available alll over are still marked made in Indonesia. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Grounds and beaches were well tended. Several wedding parties took advantage of that service and everyone seemed pleased. |
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| Other Comments |
| This is a lovely resprt and it seems it might be too big. It did not feel as intimateas my trip to the Riu Palace Macau inthe DR. I did have a medical emergeny which was handled in house. The doctor (clinic across the street?) charges $180 US for the 'house call'.RKG was only $50 but meds were $70. Glad to avoid having to go tothe hospital. The nurse is very caring and professional. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Nothing really exciting and the staff doean't seem very interactive. Only a couple of the bartenders really seemed into their jobs. I hope they are good jobs because the rest of the country looks really impoverished. There are lots of bars to choose from. |
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| Rooms |
| Rooms were clean,although some mysterious tiny ants showed up the last day.They make cool shapes and put flowers on your blankets for you. Lovely view of the garden, but not as much ocean sight or sound as we would have expected. Baths have two sinks and good use of space. Nice mahogany wood abounds so you feel like you are in the tropics. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Front desk was frindly and helpful, giving us a map of the property.It is a large property so be prepared for lots of walking. |
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| Beach was small and crowded - water was cloudy! |
| Hotel Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort |
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carol >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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I went with 2 other adults and 2 teenagers (age 12). the people were very nice, but the hotel should have had fresh drinking water in lobby . I could nevr get a couple of lounge chairs on beach with unbrella or under tree, because the same people would get up everyday at 4am and take twenty chairs!!!
The water park was too babyish. The beach was much to small - no where to walk - and the water should have been cleaner. It was not like I expected.
the water was too rough to snorkle and the water sport people only stay till 12 noon then go off to another resort.
I did not care for room accomodations. We got the adjoining rooms but rather thatn a king size bed with rollaway we would have preferred two doubles with a roll-away!
They should have sunscreen protector for hair in shop ( or salon). They ran out of 50spf spray.
The golf course was too pricey! The food was fair. I would not go back. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Activities were only "ok" . the water sports were hard to reserve , since the people left at 12noon or everything was booked when we got there |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Beach was too small, and crowded with beach chairs - it was horrible! and we could never get chairs together with an unbrella - the same people had them reserved every day ( they must have run down there at 4am everymorning to put towels on chairs - we noticed the same pople all week with the premium chairs and unbrellas . It wasn't fair!!!
The water park was too babysish for teenagers. We thought the slides would have been higher.
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| Other Comments |
Spa massage was not worth the $ /this resort is maybe good for traveling with very small children , but not teens or pre teens
security was very good |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
House wine was disgusting - all watered down, and my brother in-law ( who is a beer drinker ) said the beer ( Red Stripe) was terrible!
and if you orederd water at the bar , they never had a lime or lemon to put in it and I like to drink ice water all day.
The food was ok - as far as restaurants, the food was poor/fair - anything that I wanted to order would have cost me a lot extra, and that's not righ for the $ we paid. Also all the restaurants were booked when we checked in. We did end up eating at once place becasue a person gave us his reservation. ANd the 3 Palms we had to eat 8:30 at night ,which was much too late for anyof us. |
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| Rooms |
Rooms were nice, but we had a 5 people and no one wanted to sleep on roll -away bed. For that much $, I can't blame them. the room with two double beds was very nice and kept very clean by housekeeping, who were friendly, and trustworthy
In bathroom, body lotion should have been included with shampoo and conditioner and a shower cap.
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| Your Arrival |
Have fresh drinking water available in lobby upon arrival and departure ( or when lounging)
Lines too long to check in. thank heaven I was Hilton member |
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| better than expected |
| Hotel Sunset Beach Resort & Spa |
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alain >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Second time in Jamaica, first time at Sunset Beach Resort. Will definitely come hear again. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We walked a couple of times off the resort and down the road. About a twenty minutes walk you will see a shopping centre to your left hand side of the road. Souvenir shops with good prices. Cruise ships disembark nearby. Taxis come by steady to see if you need a ride.
We also went into Montego Bay(Hip Strip). With AirCanada we booked a tour into the city for 10$ U.S. each. there was four of us. Our driver was very friendly gentleman. He drove us to three different areas. One was up on the hill overlooking the bay, the other was at the Hip Strip(shops and restaurants also the Margaritaville.) There is a free shuttle from the resort to Margaritaville, but it is in the evening. Good for the Bar seen and late shopping. And the last spot was like a small village of shops. Our drive was in no rush and let us make the schedule.
All four of us just wanted to do a little shopping and then back to the Beach. Our driver was very informative and a Joy to talk with. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Lets start with the Beaches; The beach was very good for snorkelling, lots to see, specially in the morning. The sea was very calm. Make sure to see the sun set and get your pictures taken. If you like long walks on the beach, not the place for it, limited. We walked also off the resort and down the road, past some good shopping near the port for cruise ships.
Now the pools: Lots of room at the different pools. We spent a lot of time at the 'themed water park' that features water slides and lazy river. (be prepared for lots of Sun)
The Grounds; very nice with many plants and different trees, Banana trees and see if you can find the Ackee Tree but do not touch its fruit, could make you sick. Lots of free space on this resort, nice. Grounds are very well keep, and a joy to the eye. |
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| Other Comments |
We have traveled much over the years and try to enjoy the differences a Country has to offer. Jamaica has a very calming effect for us. The Sunset Beach Resort is an all around excellent place for a vacation, couples, families, singles, Young and old will all find a special spot to enjoy at this resort. Take the time to talk with the Jamaicans you meet, they will bless you. Oh yes, on your walks near the shops in the city they will ask you to "take a look in my shop", if you have the time take a fast look and say Thanks, they will be blest. And if you don't have the time a simple "not today" works.
If you like a little Jamaican History and information go to tea time. The piano player will bless you. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Main buffet; excellent choice of food and lots of tables(resort was full capacity). Friendly servers, always willing to help and chit-chat.
Italian restaurant; Very good, again the servers went out of there way to see that we were having a good vacation.
Asian restaurant: very good
Sunset Grill; Snacks, Chicken, burgers... Very good
All Bars easy to get yourself served. |
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| Rooms |
| We were to have a lagoon view room in one of the towers, at the check in we were told that we have a guest room suit. I did not know of the two guest room areas(Beach Inn) near the water park and Italian restaurant. Nice surprise. Room was very comfortable. Staff excellent. |
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| Your Arrival |
Modern Airport.
Arrival to the resort was very fast, only two other couples in the shuttle bus.
Check in and out very simple.
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| Good Place to Stay |
| Hotel Riu Negril |
| User Rating:
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Vince >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| I went to RIU for one week, the first week of April. After the flight from Wash DC and the drive (yes I drove) to the resort, I found Riu Negril family and kid friendly. Our time there was awesome. The staff was top notch. I walked to the Riu Tropical one day, it seemd dry and small and crowded, unlike Club Riu. I went to a wedding at Sandles, I am glad we pick Club Riu, Negril. Over all, I would recommend going their and I would go back.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Activities were good. The people working entertainment department were the hardest working people in show biz. I can’t remember all of the names (Batman, Sponge-bob, Spiderman, Pencil, etc.), but they were “all that”. Just somebody tell Devon to carry smaller wallet (LOL). |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| I was not really annoyed by the venders like I was lead to believe; they were on the outskirts but I found them friendly and respectful. I observed Jamaican police officers, not in uniform patrolling the beach; you really had to pay attention because they blended in, but they were the only ones wearing long pants. I found Bloody Bay ‘ok’; the barrier broke the waves before they got to shore. |
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| Other Comments |
What I didn’t like was having to pay to make local phone calls, having to pay to use their computers (it is ok if you have your lap top and don’t mind sitting in the lobby). They beach towel situation needs a little work. They should give a choice of American dollars when cashing Travelers Checks.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
I did think that the policy of waking up at 8 am to sign up for the select restaurants was stupid. I knew when they told me that it wasn’t going to happen with me, after all I am on vacation. I found the food in the Green Island Restaurant more than sufficient. What made my dining more pleasurable was this one waiter ‘Otis’. His section is- as you walk in the main door, walk pass the food straight to the back, his section is against the wall to the left. Otis really enjoys his job and is good at it. He is so energetic he was working the next section as hard as he was his own. Take it from a very thrifty and frugal person, I enjoyed tipping him. He personally greeted everyone and he doesn’t miss a beat. He assured everyone had a smile on their faces. He totally deserves a raise.
Bar tenders were top notch |
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| Rooms |
| The beds need to bed a little more firm. The rooms were clean and maids were nice. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We were greeted with the beverage of my choice. My wife knew we were at the right place |
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| Amazing!!! Can't wait to return. |
| Hotel Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
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Lori >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| We were traveling with a 2 and a 4 year old. We chose this resort because of the children's activities. We were NOT disappointed. The children's club was great; my kids enjoyed the activities plan and the staff at the children's were great! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We mostly attened the childrens activities. I thought they were great, well planned by great child care workers. Plus my children loved them. The Sesame Street characters were a great hit with my young children. I can't say enough positive things about the water park...beautiful to look at and fun to play in. There were water slides for the young and old. I especially loved the lifeguards...they were everywhere and noticed everything that was happening in the pools and around the pool area. It gave me alot of security knowing that other people were also watching out for my children's safety. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The beach was small but for us it worked...we always knew where the children were to. The beach was cleaned daily. Tho pool areas were also cleaned constantly. There were lifeguards at the pools, and beach, plus a rescue boat in the ocean. The grounds were beautiful...full of blooming trees, flowers, water fountains, and thick green grasses. There were always people cleaning, painting, mowing and pruning. |
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| Other Comments |
| The staff were great. Some of the lifeguards, reception clerks and waitresses took the time to learn and remember my childrens names, and they would take the time to talk to them. Also had ample number of security guards, both around the pools and on the beach. This made me feel that my children were safe on the resort. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We ate at all of the resturants...the service was great, both for food and drink. The quality of the food was also great. Loved the selection for the kids buffet. The Arizona resturant was the best...loved eating outside over the bay. |
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| Rooms |
| Our room was great. We had a premium room- two double beds on one level, and a step down with a pull out couch, dressor, desk and chairs, plus a nice size patio. The dressor and tv stand did show some wear but the room was very clean, large and much nicer then the rooms at other all inclusives that we have stayed at. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Very quick and easy check in; beautiful lobby to wait in, plus drinks offered as soon as we entered the resort. We were in our room within 15 minutes of arrival. |
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| Fun family vacation |
| Hotel Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
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Jeff >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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This was our families 3rd straight vacation (in 3 years) at Beaches Boscobel. We have a 4 and 6 year old and we all love the destination. The staff throughout the property were all extremely nice.
1) Venetian is the best restaurant. The rack of lamb is excellent.
Arizona is also a good resturant for outdoor dining. There are a few tables which are located out on a small pier in the middle of the ocean which offer a really nice view. Our favorite dish here was the tenderoin and shrimp.
The Bayside buffet is good; however as we prefer 'a la carte', we only used it for breakfast (which was very good).
2) The waterpark is extremely fun. Our kids spent most of their days on the slides.
3) The main pool with swim up bar is well designed and also very nice.
4) The beach is small but the water is calm & warm (in April)and well maintained.
5) Our kids loved the X-Box room- complete with many free play games.
6) There are sesame street shows, entertainment/day, parade and various activities which will also delight toddlers.
7) Rooms are above average; but are a nice size and clean.
8) There are 3 levels of kids camp. We didn't use these much but heard that children quite enjoy themselves.
9) There is a nice bar off the main pool, a piano bar (which is quite dated) and a bar over-hanging the ocean- all with premium liquor. The 'dirty banana' coctail is excellent.
10) This resort offers good value considering all the facilities and activites. For families with small children, it is a particularly appealing spot. It is considerably less pricey than the Turks and Caicos Beaches property.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Golf/Tennis/Ping Pong/Billiards/1/2 Basketball Court/Shuffle board: all seemed good.
X-Box Oasis- Great.
Nightly Entertainment + Sesame Street Shows: Short but enjoyable.
Sesame Street Parade with marching band: Great.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
Beach: Small, but well maintained. Water activites looked fine.
Pools: Main pool is very nice complete with waterfall, swim up pool bar and water mats.
Grounds: Beautiful. In April when we visited, there were NO bees whatsoever.
Waterpark: Excellent. 27,000 sq. feet. Great for all ages. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Venetian - Excellent
Arizona - Good
Bayside - Good (particularly for Breakfast)
Elanors - Decent/Good
Outdoor Lunch Restaurant - Mediocre Food
All day 'snack counter' with popcorn, soft ice cream, sno cones, pop: very popular for children. |
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| Rooms |
| Above Average. Nice size and clean. Free in-room safe. Well stocked mini fridge with pop, juice and water. |
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| Your Arrival |
| April 23 - May 1, 2010 |
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| A fun -filled Vacation for everyone |
| Hotel FDR Pebbles |
| User Rating:
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Susan >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| We just arrived home from FDR with our 5yr. old daughter and 2yr old son. We were really surprised with the size of the resort in relations to the activities and amenities that were kindly offered to us. Upon arrival we were greeted with warm smiles and real Jamaican friendliness. We requested an additional nanny for $20 per day and we were glad we did. Both nannies worked like a team and ensured that all our needs were met. My wife and I have really demanding jobs and were looking for a vacation that we could get some time to ourselves and just to rest and we were in for a treat. Jasmine and Corona took care of our kids as if they were their own, they ensured that they were fed, properly looked after and every cry was met with a hug. We arranged a tour to Dunn's River which was very hectic but our nannies made it possible. They were gems!! I recommend everyone to request an additional nanny if you have a daughter like ours who is very active and loves playing in the water. Our kids were so involved in all the activities, they were even in the fashion shows , which was a treat to us because we never knew that they would have been so outgoing. They tie dye our shirts and made so many friends at the resort. The sad part was watching my kids cry when they were leaving. FDR really made our vacation special and have given us memories of a lifetime. We will be going there next year and we will be requesting our same nannies. |
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| Debbie made my trip an absolute delight. |
| Hotel Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
| User Rating:
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Emily >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Debbie is sooo cool. My brother got a wacky prize from her and he was happy. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| dunn's rivers falls was fun & the safari jeep ride. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| nice nice |
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| Other Comments |
| i didn't like how the craft market people wouldn't leave you alone! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| amazing service |
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| Rooms |
| they were very tidy |
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| Your Arrival |
| march 4, 2010 |
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| Heaven on Earth from beginning to end! |
| Hotel FDR Pebbles |
| User Rating:
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David >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| My wife and I have always wanted a destination Wedding. We have done extensive research on most of the Caribbean destinations and Jamaica came out on top. We have a 4yr old and a 9yr old so we really wanted somewhere kid-friendly and family-oriented. Family members who had been to Jamaica highly recommended Franklyn D. Resort & Spa and Pebbles.We were told that we could get a vacation nanny which was included in the cost at either property.This seemed really great because we could finally get some alone time. When we called the resort, we realized that the same coordinator plans for both resorts. This made us a bit hesitant because we really wanted our dream day to be well planned and professionally executed. After continuous emails and countless phone calls from the Wedding Coordinator we wondered if she showed the same personalized service to other guests. She was amazing! She ensured that everything was taken care of- from assignment of rooms to bouquet selection to the area of wedding! She even emailed me nice styles for wedding dresses for my wife when she did not know what to wear. She even remembered Tahni's birthday( my 4yr old daughter) and surprised her with a birthday cake upon arrival. I probably must have said it in passing and she remembered! She gave us a virtual tour of both properties and answered all our retarded questions. In the end we chose to get married on the beach at Pebbles and it was the best decision we have ever made! I tell people everywhere I go - if you want service second to none, a vacation nanny that will pamper and spoil your children and a wedding coordinator that ensures that all your needs are met and that you leave thrilled at the end of it all- Pebbles will be your destination of choice. We have been to other resorts but we are yet to see any that compares to Pebbles! All the staff are friendly, attentive and they don't make it look as if they are desperate for tips! The only problem is that we had to reprogram our children when we got back home - they got so used to having everything being done for them by their nanny that they were stuck in that mode! We are already planning to visit Pebbles again next year! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| The coordinators are full of fun and energy. The kids have their own coordinators that teach them to do tie dye and arts and crafts. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| They have lush , tropical foliage that gives you that home away from home feeling. They have swim up pool bar with a huge slide. |
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| Other Comments |
| Every penny well spent!!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| It's a small boutique property but it has enough restaurants and bar to make you feel relaxed. The food is average most days and you can always fnd something to snack on. |
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| Rooms |
| We got a junior suite in Block 10 and we were comfortable and had a nice view of the ocean! The suite are large enough to hold our entire family. Additional beds were placed in the living area. The suites are like wooden cabins and are more of a rustic simplicity and comfy enough to relax. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We were greeted by our Wedding Coordinator and our Vacation Nanny with a birthday cake for my daughter! We felt like we were at home! |
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| Avoid this hotel |
| Hotel Spa Montego Bay & Grand Palladium Jamaica |
| User Rating:
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Victoria >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| We were one the 400 rooms that were NOT overbooked for President's Week. I traveled with my husband and 11 year old daughter. We travel about 3 times a year to Mexico and the Caribbean. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We did not go on any trips because we have been to Jamaica before. There is great scuba diving provided at an extra cost by Scuba Caribe. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The grounds are beautiful. The pool is huge, but poorly planned out. All the shade huts are on one side. The bathroom, towels and bar are on the other side and it is quite a walk. The beaches are probably the worst I have seen. If you are looking for a great beach, you won't find it here. |
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| Other Comments |
| My recommendation is to avoid this hotel. The service is very poor and hotel management is rude. Spend your money elsewhere. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| There was at least a one hour wait for all of the a la carte restaurants. Service was attentive, but very slow. The food was mediocre to ok. My favorites were the Asian and Indian. The buffet seating took about 10-15 minutes. Even when there were many empty tables. The service was very poor. Most mornings it was difficult to get coffee. They were either out of coffee or coffee cups. The bar at the pool was always packed and it was difficult to get a drink. |
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| Rooms |
| We had booked a one bedroom suite. The rooms are spacious and beautiful. Just don't go out on the balcony. Our room faced a very busy and noisy road. There were only 2 towels for 3 people. One remote to be shared by 2 televisions (which were fuzzy at best) and the safe was broke. We had an ironing board, but no iron. |
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| Your Arrival |
| The trip from the airport takes about 35 minutes. We arrived around 3 PM and received our room right away. We received welcome drinks in the beautiful lobby. |
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| Glad we went but we won't go back... |
| Hotel FDR Pebbles |
| User Rating:
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Tracy >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| If you are used to Club Med, then this place is NOT for you. Not fancy-schmancy, but still nice. Beautiful grounds and foliage, big rooms with nice balconies, great small beach. My son is 11, so we didn't NEED the nanny service, but it came in handy a few times (Ask for Aneisha, she is GREAT!). Most kids and kid activities were for younger kids, 8 and younger. My son had a good time, but we won't go back because of his age. Our room was in the middle of two rooms with babies, so we were awake all night with crying kids. If you have a baby, you are used to that, but we weren't. Food was a nice mix of N. American and Jamaican. My son is a PICKY eater, and he found something to eat every meal. With the economy/fewer travellers, some activities were cancelled or had a fee. Only 1 specialty restaurant and the buffet. We brought our own beach toys/games and we were glad we did, and we left them there. Big room; hard bed. Water pressure/temperature is hit and miss. If you want to do any excersions, $150 travel fee to Ocho Rios, but if you have smaller kids, there is enough to do on the resort. BRING BUG SPRAY! Plan on tipping your nanny at least $10 a day when you leave, and the nannies will try to get you to hire them in the evenings. Nannies show up at 9am, and will want to eat breakfast with you. Bring plain white shirts for tie-dying. Bring water shoes for the pool, because the surface is rough and my son ended up with bloody toes. More than we expected for service/resort, less than we expected for activities. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Fewer activities than advertised, and some charge a fee. Ocho Rios is a good hour away, so excersions there have a high transportation charge. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Great pool and beach. Bring water shows for the pool for the kids; rough surface. |
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| Other Comments |
| Aneisha is a GREAT nanny! The perfect place for families with young kids! Plan on tipping your nanny at least $10 a day before you leave. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The buffet, the snack bar and 1 restaurant only. The others are closed. |
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| Rooms |
| Big and clean. Hard bed. Water pressure and temperature is hit and miss. Nice balconies. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Not as organized as some resorts, but everyone is helpful. Remember...Island Time! |
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| The staff made up for the bad weather |
| Hotel Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort |
| User Rating:
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Jim Rorison >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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We stayed the first week of January, 2010 at the Beaches and were both blown away by Jamaica and its people. Prior to leaving we were both skeptical of traveling to Jamaica due to its reputation of crime and violence. We are both police officers and have had more than our share of encounters with aggressive people of Jamaican descent. This trip has totally dispelled this skepticism and we are already planning a return trip with our extended families.
We arranged for a private transfer from the airport that ended up being a waste of money. I figured that after such a long flight from Calgary with my 18 month old daughter it would be better to buck up and get to the resort as quick as we could. Well, the people with the free transfer arrived about 5 minutes after we did, so we didn’t gain much of a reprieve other than not waiting behind a line to check in.
I had tried calling the hotel directly the day before to ensure there would be a crib available so we wouldn’t have to drag our play yard down for Riley and they simply told me not to worry that it would be looked after when we got there. Upon arrival check in was quick and friendly and they were calling for housekeeping to have a crib put in our room. We had upgraded to an ocean front suite to ensure a bigger room and also give us a view when we were waiting for the princess to finish up her afternoon nap and evening sleep.
For you parents traveling with infants or toddlers, the crib was clean and in good repair. We brought our own sheets and blankets which worked out well. Having said that the crib is rather small, so if you have a large child they might be able to get out. I saw my daughter trying to put her leg up on the railing to escape, something she never tried at home that I am aware of until that moment.
The room was very clean and the bed was a comfortable king size, nothing like the hard beds in most resorts in Mexico. There was lots of closet space as well as drawers for clothes. The bathroom had lots of counter space and included a hair dryer that Christine said worked well, so you don’t have to bring your own. The only fault I could mention, because we spent time on the balcony while Riley slept was that when sitting down on the balcony chairs the thick stone railing blocks your view of the ocean. Trifling for sure but when you’re reading book or just sitting you have to stand up to see the ocean or look at the beach.
The food at the Beaches was great, although they don’t have as many food stations as they do at the Bahia Principe in the Mayan the quality was very similar. Breakfast included the usual omelets, real sausage, crispy bacon, and a donut making station that we managed to stay away from. We ate lunch each day at the outside buffet near the Dive Centre and I know I ate mine and someone else’s share of jerked chicken each day. They offered chicken, turkey and beef burgers as well as a variety of salads. |
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| Bees, Bees, Bees... |
| Hotel Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
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Paul >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| We arrived at Beached Boscobel very excited about our upcoming week of relaxation, waterslides and golf. What we found was thousands and thousands of bees which infested the resort. There were bees everywhere, at the bar, at the ice cream dispensor, at pop machines, on your food and pretty much everywhere you went. There was no escaping this nightmare. We tried to make the best of it but my wife is allergic and I just hate them so we asked to be moved to another beaches resort. They made room for us at Sandy Bay in Negril which we were told was 45 minutes away and that there would still be golf. Turns out it was three hours away and the golf was extra. We did manage to get them to pay for one round but needed to insist on this. The beach at Sandy Bay was great but we certainly felt like we downgraded by coming to this resort as the facilities were less, the restaurants not as nice and no water park. We were able to also use Beaches Negril which was less then 5 minutes away however the water park there was clsoed the last few days of our trip. There were also bees at both of these locations but not nearly as bad but still disturbing to someone who has an allergy or fear. And by the way what they call bees are in fact wasps in Canada. We have since tried to contact them numerous times since our return but they are not easy to deal with and continue to tell us by email that our problem was fixed to our satisfaction but te computer system they are using is wrong and we are not happy and will not return to a beaches resort in the future. Needless to say, the week was a big disappointment. We were paying for a "sandals" type experience but it was not there. |
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| Jamaica was Beautiful, Sunwing was the Problem! |
| Hotel Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort |
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Lillian >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2009 | Leisure | Family
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| I travelled to Montego Bay on December 27 with my daughter and son for a week. We had a great time in Jamaica at the Rose Hall Beach Resort, a resort that is only two years old. It shares the beach with the Rose Hall Grand and the Rose Hall Suites, both more costly to stay at. The Beach Resort was elegant, spacious and well laid out. Someone was always cleaning so it was spotless! Staff was friendly and always smiling. There were children but not as many as I've seen elswhere.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Visit Montego Bay, especially Margaritaville. Great Fun!
Norman, the cab driver gave us a great tour of Montego Bay and came back and got us a few hours later.
Do the glistening waters/snorkeling tour at the hotel. Amazing! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Pools are big and there is a swim up bar. They are good but don't compare with the pools at the Sheraton in Cabo San Lucas.
Beach was good but there was always some seaweed and sea urchins. Cuba still has the greatest beaches! |
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| Other Comments |
1. The a la carte restaurants insist on long pants for men. My son only had jeans, I had assumed he had packed long pants so he wore dress shorts to dinner. The Japanese restaurant was very rude about it so he had to go and put jeans on. The night before the Steak House said his shorts were fine.
2. When you stay at the Rose Hall "Beach" you are not allowed on the other Rose Hall properties even though the other 2 resorts can visit and eat in the Beach restaurants. If you try to look in the other resorts they are rude and ask you to leave. Money counts here!
3. We had brought Starbucks insulated mugs for drinks ($20 each), the maid removed them from the room thinking they were garbage, even though they were sitting on a desk away from any other dishes. We never got them back. Starbucks in Jamaica? Front desk was of no help and said we had to deal with the maid ourselves.
4. There are Sea Urchins in the water and not just on the rocks. My son stepped on one the first day and it was quite painful. Apparently it happens all the time. Wear water shoes!
5. We arrived at the airport on time for a 9:45pm departure on the Sunday night but there was no indication Sunwing was coming, resulting in mass confusion. The Sunwing rep had been at our hotel while we were waiting to leave for the airport. They finally checked us through only to continually delay the plane, first 12:45am, then 3am, then 7am. At 12:30am the Sunwing rep said the plane wasn't coming and we would be sent to the Holiday Inn. Many passengers were angry and we were never clearly told why the plane wasn't coming.
We met with another Sunwing rep at 10am the next morning who said weather had held up the plane and we would be flown out but not until 11pm that night. Many passengers were upset about this late departure.
We did have another day in Jamaica at an all inclusive so that was the good news. The Holiday Inn doesn't compare with the Rose Hall resorts but they do have a great beach.
***** The lack of communication from Sunwing was very poor and I heard several passengers say they will never fly Sunwing again. Hope this info is informative for other travellers.
Overall I would return to Jamaica and the Rose Hall.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Food was good in the buffet and was also very good in the three a la carte restaurants. |
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| Rooms |
| Nicely done and clean. One of the nicest I've been seen in the Caribbean. There was a view of the ocean even though it was a garden view room. We were even able to watch City TV from Toronto. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We went through the airport quickly but waiting for other passengers to board the bus was time consuming. It was almost 11 when we arrived after a short 20 minute drive. Check-in was slow as only 2 people were working on the desk. My son got us a drink from the bar while we waited. They did serve a light meal in the restaurant for late arrivals. |
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| Kids loved the lazy river and water-slide |
| Hotel Beaches Negril |
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Cameron from Minesing, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009 | Leisure | Family
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Just got back from resort and having reviewed the comments posted would add the following, the food does need to be improved but is OK, we had Conrad as butler and he was amazing, if your going with the family and want your wife to enjoy holiday spend the extra money and get the butler service.
Rooms:
Rooms are clean, large and well stocked, no complaints....
Restaurants and Bars:
The Seville is overrated, Kimonos Japanese restaurant was by far the best, breakfast was average, the wild cats in the dining room are cute but also scary if they ever decided to bite one of the kids. My oldest daughter was giving them food and did not have any problems, events are first rate and the marching band was excellent
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pools are are amazing, kids loved the lazy river and water-slide.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
SCUBA is well run and very safe, the guys and girls who run the shop are very nice once they get to know you.
Other Comments:
Conrad our butler was amazing, our 3 kids loved all the activities, women staff need to learn how to smile, security is first rate, if your a diver most of the dives are less than 60ft but you will see turtles, stingrays, large schools of fish and crabs and the equipmet is OK I dived 6 days and did not have any problems, the beach is safe at night, bus ride from airport and back is a great way to see what life on the island is all about, overall its a great holiday.
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| Our stay at Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
| Hotel Beaches Boscobel Ocho Rios |
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Carie >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jul, 2009
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Arrival: July 22-29, 2008
My husband and I have been to a number of all-inclusives to include Oasis, Crown Paradise, Secrets, Excellence Resorts, Couples and Breezes. This was our first Sandals associated property and if it's any indication of the Sandals brand, we weren't impressed. Overpriced for the quality received and in fact quite rundown and dirty.
Rooms:
Accommodations were pretty typical resort hotel rooms. We were allegedly "upgraded" to the concierge level service but didn't notice much change in service or amenities. Were given a rollaway, which was nice to separate the two kids. Bathroom was pretty small for the type of resort but similar to a stateside Ramada or Comfort Inn. We had to take a list of what we wanted stocked in the mini bar to the concierge if we wanted anything outside the ordinary. Another peculiarity was there were snacks in the room but a price list accompanied them...so much for all-inclusive. Guess our thousands of dollars didn't includ gummy bears and nuts. No free internet in room or anywhere on property...disappointing.
Restaurants and Bars:
Our first dining experience was disappointing at best. Very slow service. We ate at the BBQ Park and nothing was good. Fries were cold and limp, ribs were fatty and tough, no flavor in any of our four selections. Eleanor's was very good food and service was prompt. The Bayside Restaurant was the buffet and was overall good with bouts of average. Food was flavorful, selections were stocked and there were ample choices, to include healthy options. The Venetian (Italian restaurant) was the best by far. Service was incredibly slow and seating limited, so prepare accordingly. Tiramisu was delicious especially with a cappucino. There is no room service offered...something one would expect at a resort at this level. The Appleton Bar was a fun little getaway spot for steel drums and kid-friendly fun. Kids loved the place...much like a small beach bar. Great atmosphere! Pool swim-up bar was loaded with bees...they were everywhere! Desserts were not worth the calories consumed except for the tiramisu mentioned before.
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Beach/Pools/Grounds:
An example of how the grounds were kept: the same three french fries were on the stairs near the spa for more than three days. It almost became a joke on our way to the gym every morning...are the fries still there? Pools were kept clean, although chair areas could have used a more thorough cleaning...used cups and plates stayed around a little too long. The plants are gorgeous and the beach is kept nice. Experienced no poolside waiter/cocktail service, something we've totally appreciated at other resorts. No fun cocktails in coconuts like at Excellence Resorts. Water slides were nice and lines weren't too long but they advertise 11 slides and for our kids (ages 10 and 14) there were really 3 that were usable for those ages. The rest are for tiny tots...good if you have small children.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Gym was decent but not top notch...only large beach towels were offered, hand towels made more sense. Only water fountain, no bottled water. In fact, no bottled water available outside the room, only pitchers and water fountains. Not exactly ultra luxury. There were water sports available and they seemed available most times. Off-site excursions were available, heard feedback from a couple who was upset about their experience so we decided to book on our own.
Other Comments:
Beaches claims "ultra luxury" but I can tell you this is NOT even luxury let alone ultra anything. For what we paid I would at least expect internet access to be complimentary yet we were charged $38.99/week. Power outages were frequent and incredibly annoying. Be ready for a more than 2 hour drive to the resort...without music. Thought a nice touch would be some Jamaican/reggae music to get vacationers in the spirit of their stay. Overall, wouldn't return to a Sandals property...we've had much better stays at lower-priced resorts with much better food. Can't imagine why a couple would come here at all (geared more toward families) when there are wonderful resorts like Couples and Excellence out there to choose from where there are no children screaming in the dining room.
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| Great for Teenagers |
| Hotel FDR Pebbles |
| User Rating:
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Amanda >
4 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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Arrival
We are a professional couple in our mid-40s with 2 daughters, 11 & 14. We spend our winters skiing and our summers at the cottage and this was our first time to Jamaica. We had the best vacation of our lives at Pebbles and are already making plans to go back. This is very much a family resort, small & intimate, and focused on kids.
Rooms
We loved the rooms, probably because they reminded us of the cottage. We had 2 adjoining suites in Block 10, right on the ocean and it was more than enough room for the 4 of us. We could easily stay in one suite. You are rarely in your room, so get what you can afford and don't worry about it. Beds are great very comfortable with lots of good pillows (and I'm fussy about my pillows!). Every room has a good sized balcony with either a daybed or 2 chairs and a table. It's a great place to sit in the evenings.
Restaurants and Bars
We were all including my VERY fussy 11 y.o. - able to find things we really liked at every meal & the grill. Lots of great salads, lots of fruit and at least one delicious Jamaican dish at every meal. They never ran out of anything in our time there and we certainly weren't the first ones at any meal. We loved Sabbia (the adults-only Italian restaurant) and thought the Overproof (the adults-only Jamaican restaurant) was okay. Definitely get the jerk chicken at the grill as your afternoon snack' fabulous. The drinks are yummy - lots of smoothies for the kids and name-brand alcohol for the adults.
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Beach/Pools/Grounds
The pool is great, with a 100' twisty slide that the kids all love. It is on the cool side, but that makes it very refreshing on those super hot days. If you have kids who are going to spend a lot of time in the pool, jumping around on the bottom, bring water shoes for them. In spite of all the vacuuming they do, there is a lot of sand on the bottom and it rubs the kid's toes raw. My daughter won't wear anything on her feet because she doesn't like the feel, so we just put bandaids on them and that worked fine. Bring your own bandaids, though they are very expensive down there.
The grounds are beautiful - winding paths with lush greenery and gorgeous flowers (that the maids use to decorate your room).
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
You should definitely go on the free tour to Falmouth it is very informative and interesting and a great way to show your kids the living conditions. It's also nice to stop and get some fresh fruit and the absolutely delicious beef & cheese Jamaican patties at Juicy Patty.
Check the activity boards every day they always have fun things going on for everyone. For adults, we especially recommend the Know Your Spouse contest (hilarious) and the jerk chicken cooking class. For kids, the daily slide competition is a must-do and the scavenger hunt is a blast. Also, bring lots of white t-shirts for everyone for tie-dyeing - the results are spectacular.
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Other Comments
Teens and Tweens Although there are lots of littler kids around, this place is a piece of heaven for the 11-16 set. Because the resort is so small, you can let them go anywhere on their own and find them in 2 minutes (if you really want to!). I didn't really believe I would be able to do that before I went because I am pretty protective, but they were basically gone after day one. Shane, the teen coordinator, is unbelievable at getting all these kids involved and doing stuff they would never normally think is cool'. As my 14 y.o. said, Shane would find us and say c'mon and we would just follow him without asking any questions. The games room is a great hang-out - very centrally located above the restaurant so parents can easily check in - and kids just love having a place of their own.
Nanny
We got a Nanny because my younger daughter is under the age limit, and at first we weren't sure why we would need her. But Sasha was terrific, and she was able to help us figure out what was going on, when it was happening, the smart times to do things, the fun things to participate in and just generally point us in the right direction. I thought it might be awkward because there wasn't a lot for her to do, but she was completely unobtrusive and very willing to chat or not chat, depending on our mood. I would highly recommend her to any family, especially one whose kids love soccer Sasha represented both her school and her parish (like a province/state) on their soccer teams and she loves the game.
We read a lot of reviews before we left that complained about the mosquitoes. If you've ever spent time at a cottage in Canada, there is no mosquito problem here! Granted it was windy the week we were there, but we were able to sit out every night with no incessant dive-bombing attacks, we never used the mosquito nets and we only got a few bites each (and I am normally a mosquito magnet). We never used our repellent, but I would bring it anyway, just in case the wind really did make that much difference.
amanda.dexter@yahoo.ca
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| Best time ever, just booked it again. |
| Hotel Spa Montego Bay & Grand Palladium Jamaica |
| User Rating:
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Michele >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009 | Business | Family
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| I can't believe these people writing negative reviews stayed at the same resort as us, because we thought it was so great we just booked it again last night. We are going again for March Break. Same price as last year. $4200 family of four, direct flight Northwest Airlines. Through Expedia. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Evening entertainment is really the only thing that is a little average. Although the Infinity bar upstairs always had a local live band, which we enjoyed, and the bartenders were quite entertaining. Also the steel drum show was really good. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Pool beautiful and large. Lots to do around the pool. Played lots of beach volleyball, and of course the swim-up bar.Nice beaches, especially sunset where you can snorkel, paddle boat, and eat from a beach grill. |
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| Other Comments |
| We have been to Rui, Sandals, etc. and this was our favourite. That is why we are pumped to return. I thinking it has only gotten better, as we went very early after opening. If your not a major complainer, you'll love it. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Best food out of any resort. I mean buffet is buffet, but the a la carte restaurants were top notch.Great food, great service. Little bit of a wait, but your on vacation. |
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| Rooms |
| Stunning rooms and views. Emailed a week prior requesting oceanview, 3rd floor and need the pool. Got all three. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We got picked up by private transfer service. Clives travel. $180 return trip. A little pricey, but you have the car all to yourselves, no stopping to drop anyone off, cold beers waiting for you, and a driver that seconds as a tour guide. He took us to get more Red Stripes and coconut drinks and coconut candy. Trip took 40 min. from the airport. Interesting views made it seem like 5 minutes. |
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| It exceeded our expectations |
| Hotel Breezes (formerly Starfish) Trelawny Resort |
| User Rating:
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Jan >
5 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Feb 10 - 17
Flight was on time, the bus for transfer to the hotel was not at the airport when we arrived, but it did arrive within half an hour....it took approx. 35 minutes to arrive at hotel....smooth check in....as I was first in line!!
Rooms
Rooms are in a need of an upgrade, rather disappointing on initial arrival, but after a few days, the room grew on us......bathroom sadly needs major makeover, but we had lots of hot water most days and lots of pressure for showers etc...the tv had tons of channels, could even watch our local city tv station from Toronto........only problem is, the volume was quite loud and could not be turned down...had a nice balcony and they supplied a bar for your wet clothes.
Restaurants and Bars
main dinner restaurant left alot to be desired, lunch and breakfast were fine...we upgraded and ate at the speciality restaurants..Casablanca, and Guiseppes....wonderful....men need long pants for Casablanca and no open toed shoes were allowed either.......some menu items were not extra....i.e. the lasagna was wonderful and it was included....at Guiseppes....wonderful staff especially Adrian at the Casablanca and Caroldean at Guiseppes....most bar staff very friendly...especially at the pool bar and boy, are they over worked...needed another bar by the pool....too many line ups most of the day...would recommend a Hummingbird drink..........wonderful and healthy with a fresh banana in it!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
grounds were lovely, well kept and clean...pools by the beach were amazing...the private beach located to the right of the resort, is absolutely stunning, the water was so warm and you could walk out quite far...
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
lots of poolside activities, entertainment at night was mostly bands, but not every night.......good music...did not go on any tours....
Other Comments
this was definately a three star resort in many ways, and in some it exceeded our expectations....lots of families with children, so if that is a problem, you may want to stay somewhere else...heard that they are changing ownership in October and becoming a Breezes, so the price will definately go up, but hopefully there will be some renos done at the same time........all in all...considering everything, I would say it was definately rated a 7 out of 10 most days...
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Arrival: Feb 10 - 17
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Flight was on time, the bus for transfer to the hotel was not at the airport when we arrived, but it did arrive within half an hour....it took approx. 35 minutes to arrive at hotel....smooth check in....as I was first in line!!
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| Rooms |
Rooms are in a need of an upgrade, rather disappointing on initial arrival, but after a few days, the room grew on us......bathroom sadly needs major makeover, but we had lots of hot water most days and lots of pressure for showers etc...the tv had tons of channels, could even watch our local city tv station from Toronto........only problem is, the volume was quite loud and could not be turned down...had a nice balcony and they supplied a bar for your wet clothes
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| All in my family felt constrained by the resort model. |
| Hotel Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa |
| User Rating:
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Angus >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: Feb. 21 - 28
A 6 pm departure from Halifax meant a 3 pm arrival. Landed at Montego Bay at 11 pm, five hour flight, processed through customs, forty minute ride to resort, in room by 1:30 am. All amounted to just under 12 hours travel time.
Rooms
Our "basic" room was on the third floor, with a corner balcony overlooking the Caribbean. It was over 500 square feet in size, and had amenities beyond my needs. Contrary to those who had comfort issues with the mattress, this light sleeper never awoke once during the night. The room was as good as it has to be: clean, comfortable, and well appointed. Housekeeping staff are discrete and do a wonderful job. I liked the feature where the a/c doesn't operate when you have the balcony door open. It is but one of the measures taken in the spirit of being environmentally concious.
Restaurants and Bars
Got to all restaurants but one, and left that one, Bubba's, to those tourists (not from Canada), who can't seem to go without their daily fix of steak, burgers and hot dogs - not that I'm no patron of red meat, but given options like Indian, Asian,Mexican, Italian, Jamaican, and buffets with a huge variety, I chose to avoid the familiar. There was ample choice on all menus, and apart from the Mexican dishes lacking anything exciting, my family unanimously endorsed every meal. Our favourites were the Poseidon for its fish, and the Asian. For lunch, we kept the jerk chicken and jambalaya chefs in business - their location at Sunset Cove dictated our choice of beach.
If I was a whiner, I might complain about the quality of the coke they mixed with my rum, but this was as bad as it got. Feel sorry for me yet?
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A day trip tour guide suggested trying a Dirty Banana at a bar, which we did the next day at the beach. Resembling a Tim Horton's iced drink, it gently brought our senses into full relaxation mode, while soothing a parched palate. Others in my family found the same relief with a similar drink called a Hummingbird, made with strawberries.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Not a big pool fan, but the place is so big you could float your own armada in privacy.The three beaches are small, but once you pick a spot in the sun or shade, and listen to the waves, size hardly matters. The grounds are a delight to walk about, with gardeners and landscapers at every corner. For a property only opening seven months ago, they have worked hard to bring it to where it is.
We came prepared for snorkeling, and while the water was as good as it gets, brilliant colors were not to be found on the bottom. It is what it is, and likely the boat you could hire would take you off shore to a more vibrant reef.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
There is a huge theatre with a nightly show that we grew to avoid coming withing earshot of its deafening MC. I trust someone in management will soon realize that all those empty seats means others felt the same way.
There were four or five spots on the resort you could find entertainment nightly, and while the bands were good, their set list was clearly appealling to the same people who lined up for Bubba's steak and burgers. Too many mainstream pop tunes, pop tunes with a Reggae rhythm, and as a treat, some authentic Reggae, made up the evening's entertainment. We chose a few excursions off site, as despite the excessive creature comforts at our disposal, we all felt a bit of cabin fever (even with such a big cabin).
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A tubing float down a river was a poor choice on our part, as we have all grown up with water and boating. We assumed we would find a spirited river, and navigate our own tubes through challenging rapids. Instead, the dry season gave us a river so low, we were all linked to the charming guide, who had to yell "butts up" each time the river bottom threatened ours. We also expected wildlife to abound; nary an insect to be seen, and I think we saw two species of birds, probably six birds in total. A trip to Negril and Rick's Cafe turned out to ne predictably touristy. For many I'm sure it was enjoyable, but we were naively looking for something more authentically Jamaican. The locals are warm, inviting people, but the resorts don't want to accept the liability for the risks that come with such excursions, and can't say I blame them. Two members of my family took a tour to Nine Mile to the town Bob Marley was born and is buried. While there was similar comment on the limitations to freely explore, there were no regrets for having gone.
Other Comments
Here I am offering a reflection on a type of vacation that I will likely not attend again. All in my family felt constrained by the resort model. We wanted more access to the community, and at the Lady Hamilton, they would not let you leave the premises unless with an approved escort, again, with good reason. We will choose our next vacation site where we can have the best of both worlds - the mix of sun and surf, along with a local village where we can explore the culture a bit.
This resort has it all for those who want to be pampered on site. The place is the largest in Jamaica, and that bothered some in my group, but I saw it as an excuse for a good five minute walk for the next Dirty Banana. We had a fabulous family vacation, because we focused on the measure of family, not whether the mattress was too firm or first come first served was inconvenient.
I read hours of reviews before deciding on the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton. Too many people complain about things that shouldn't matter. My resolution upon returning was to offer a more realistic profile of my experiences there, I hope some will gain by it.
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| The FDR Pebbles has an awesome “Teen Program”. |
| Hotel FDR Pebbles |
| User Rating:
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Bev >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2005
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Sunquest Vacations
Skyservice
About us:
We are a professional couple in our mid 30’s with two children ages 12 and 7 yrs old! Our previous travel experience includes multiple trips to the UK., Island hoping in Greece, many visits to the USA (mostly work related) and a yearly “Caribbean relaxation” trip to an “AI” resort. Some of the “All Inclusive” resorts that we have had the opportunity to visit over the years are: Iberostar in Cozumel, Spanish Bay Reef in Grand Cayman, Sandals Dunn River in Jamaica, Paradisus Rio de Oro in Cuba, and finally the FDR Pebbles in Jamaica.
We have stayed in accommodations rated from a 2* resort through to a 5* resort. When choosing our vacations, we typically try to decide on “exactly “ the type of vacation we want first and then we go from there.
For example, our trips to Cozumel and Grand Cayman were based purely on the quality of the “aquatic programs” the resort offered, likewise for our trip to Cuba, we were interested in a “low key” romantic vacation and we were not disappointed. On this vacation we were looking for a resort that was extensively geared towards family and kids, we really didn’t care which Island we were visiting or the * factor. We knew exactly what we were looking for in a resort and for the most part the FDR Pebbles met our expectations
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at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay was right on schedule. The airport does seem a little “run-down” and could use a real good “make-over”. Finding our luggage was not really an issue as it arrived quickly on the carousel, we headed to the “nothing to declare” line (and declared that I was happy to be in Jamaica) and then tried to find the Sunquest rep.
Now the fun begins…Being that this week was March Break for many people and a Saturday night, I guess I should not have been surprised with the amount of people pushing and shoving their way around. Once we finally found the person who we thought was our rep, we were directed to go to another counter to speak to somebody by the name of “Marlin”(?). After wandering around aimlessly we managed to find and speak to Marlin, whom, handed us our information packet and told us to make our way to the exit and speak to “Bethany” “she will set you up with your hotel transfer”!
Okay, frustration was really beginning to settle in now. Finding Bethany became almost as daunting as finding Marlin. Once again through perseverance, we eventually found her and she instructed us to “go out” into the parking lot to find Omar (?), “he will be your driver”, she said… So, now we had to find Omar!
Finding Omar, took another 10 minutes of us wandering around the parking lot aimlessly with our entire luggage collection and two very tired kids… FINALLY another driver helped us find Omar (for a tip of course) and we settled in for the 40-minute drive to the resort. We were traveling with three other families from our flight and one American family.
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2) Better Security!
Okay, the beach at this resort was not really all that bad, I mean, Steve and I had a chance to visit Hedo III while we were in Jamaica, now that was a truly horrible beach!
The beach at FDR Pebbles was quite narrow, however there was some length and never busy, always lots of room! If you like to take long walks along the beach, you can do this here, however you will need to go past the fences and the security of the resort. Security, what security, oh yeah, I think I saw somebody once and awhile, wandering the beachfront in a uniform!
As the beach was public, anybody can walk along, and they do, all day long! Locals, mostly from the “bamboo village” calling out to you “Hey mon, do you want me to braid your hair? Hey Mon, don’t be rude, come see my wares!
All day this would occur, I would even see them coming up past the beach. I don’t mind sharing a beach with the locals, after all this is their Country; however we were constantly harassed! It got to the point where we would not sit at the beach anymore! I would not have wanted a “beach front” room that’s for sure, It would have been very, very easy for somebody to walk along the beach and hop with onto the bottom balcony and break right into your room. There would have been NO security to stop them! Needless to say, we made sure the “chain” was across the door every night!
3) The Nanny program!
Okay this was our single biggest disappointment, which is why I left it for last! The concept is a GREAT idea, however in practice, I think the service needs a major overhaul! Part of me feels horrible complaining about this, as maybe our expectations were too high, we did see plenty of families who were completely satisfied with the nanny service! In fact some people went as far as to say, that the “nanny” would be the only reason that they would return to FDR Pebbles, however, we were truly disappointed with the program! |
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Food:
Despite all of the negative reviews that I had read about the food at this resort, I was really quite impressed, and I do consider myself a “foodie”! The only true disappointment was the Curry dishes; they were way too bland for our taste, with only a hint of “curry” in the flavor!
The food served at the FDR Pebbles was by no means “haute cuisine”, however very wholesome, fresh and certainly had a “home cooked” feel about it! The meals were very similar to the type of meal my “mother-in-law” would create, as my husband is from Newfoundland, I found it quite surprising that they shared some “similar” dishes…
For the “less adventurous’ they had the North American staples…
Breakfast consisted of: Omelet Station, toast machine, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal (cold and hot), fresh juice (apple, orange, pineapple, papaya), milk, “home fries (or some other potato variation), bacon (yuck) or sausage. More traditional Jamaican dishes were “dumplings”, “braised kidney’s” callaloo (steamed and put into quiche), creamed cabbage, esckovitch fish, and of course Akee and callaloo, Akee and rice, Akee and fish. I somehow think the chef managed to somehow “incorporate “ Akee into every breakfast. Lunch: Word of advice, if you don’t want to get “sick” of the buffet, I would avoid lunch at the Oceanside.
If we even had lunch (as we were usually too full from breakfast) we would try and hit the “Pool grill”! These guys really do make the “BEST” Jerk chicken that I have ever had… Tried the pork 3 times and all 3 times, all I got was a plate of “jerked fat” (Yuck)! The “Grill” also served burgers, hotdogs, French fries, sandwiches, a daily special (patties, curries), Ice cream, fruit and cookies… The kids really loved “saddling up” to the old “pool bar and grill” to order their daily fix of hotdog and fries (Erich liked a side order of jerk sauce to “dunk” his fries into).
Dinner: Dinner was buffet style, and again had plenty of North American dishes! Each night the buffet had plenty of salads and “salad fixings”, three or four types of vegetables, and one or two types of carbs. (Usually potato and rice), two fish and one chicken dish, and a “roast of something” at the “carving” station. Of course the kids were thankful for the “pasta” person as well. Pretty much every night at least one of the kids would find themselves at the “make to order” pasta station!
The resort also had three theme nights, Monday was Asian night at the buffet, Wednesday was “beach BBQ” night and Saturday was Caribbean night (this is the night you will get a chance to try curried goat).
Now, the resort also has one (1) “adult’s only” restaurant called the Sabbia, the food and atmosphere was supposed to be really nice, however we dined here twice and were really disappointed. The meal itself was good, one night I had the pork, the second night the lamb, however, dining here was anything but relaxing.
The service has haphazard at best, and downright non-existent at its worse. Not only was the service horrible, the fact that this restaurant was on the edge of the resorts property, with the “public” beach just on the other side of the fence, made for some very interesting fumes coming from the “sellers” next door. I actually witnessed a “mother” from our resort purchasing some of the local herb, while we tried to look inconspicuous eating our appetizer.
The “soft” dinner music they were playing was actually just the local radio station, playing top 40 hits from a “ghetto blaster”. Now the kitchen was another problem, the kitchen window was so large that you could “plainly” see what was going on in the kitchen while you were trying to eat. I am not trying to nit-pick, however between the condition of the kitchen and the less then sanitary practices that I witnessed on our second trip, left us with no desire to return!
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Here is a list of some of the “Preteen activities”:
Pool and Beach volleyball, Soccer, Cricket, Hikes, Dance class, Disco, talent show, Camp-outs (both weeks in the disco as the beach was too windy to set up tents), Beach party, Kayaking, Sailing, Windsurfing, Scuba lesson, Tie and Die, Tattoos, Pool (Billiards), Air hockey, Table Tennis, Video Game tournament, Pool Party. The teen and preteen coordinators also took the kids on field trips off the resort to places such as “Bamboo Village”, Tubing down the White River, Trip to Ocho Rios and FDR (the sister resort, for a day of friendly competition), Montego Bay trip, Water Park and Go-cart racing.
Adult Activities:
For the adults they also had activities scheduled from around 8:00am till 11:00pm. Although I never really participated in many of them…
They had poolside games, power walks, trips (already mentioned above), water sport activities (including Scuba), fitness classes, aerobics (water or land), dance classes (really lame), trivia contests, “not so newlywed game”, and evening entertainment. They have a resident band, which played most nights, however I found the band quite disappointing, as I did with most of the evening shows. I certainly was not expecting a “Las Vegas review”, however I was hoping for something better then a third rate garage band or high school drama production.
Most evenings the “main bar/restaurant” cleared out pretty quick. This is the first resort that I have been to where the evening entertainment “chased” its customers away! Oh well, this is a family resort and for the most part I was really ready to “crash” by 10:00 pm anyway!
The adult coordinators Leon and Paulette really did try their best to get people up and motivated, unfortunately I think most people come to this resort looking for relaxation. I really did not see a “huge” turnout to any of the “adult” activities!
Excursions:
As this is a review about the FDR Pebbles, and not of Jamaica, I wont really go into great detail about the “excursions” we took away from the resort, except to say, even though we “went” to our “Sunquest meet and greet”, we found her information to be basic and her tours of little interest. She had the “obligatory” Martha Brae rafting tour, Swim with the Dolphin tour, “Dunn’s river” falls, Shopping excursions and several “combination” packages for astronomical costs… The resort has its own tour desk with more reasonable costs and is willing to “mix and match” specific tours for you.
The other alternative here was to “hire” a taxi driver for the day! The resort has its own drivers that you can hire from $75 to $125 USD per day (you need to negotiate a price, depending on where you want to go), the driver will not only take you to your places of interest, but he will act as a tour guide along the way, pointing out several points of interest, and will stop for photo opportunities if you choose!
The resort also organizes several “field trips” throughout the week! You can find out about these tours from either the “adult coordinators” or the tour desk personnel, the costs are reasonable, and it’s a nice way to meet people from your resort! The excursions we took, were the “Luminous Lagoon”, Shopping trip to Ocho Rios, Tubing down the White River, Falmouth Historical tour (free), Bamboo village walking tour (free), an evening in Montego Bay (which included dinner and music at Margaritaville) and a “Day trip” to Hedonism III for my husbands birthday!
All in all, I was disappointed with the tours offered through Sunquest, however we did like the “flat rate”, “make your own tour” option that was available through our resort!
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In Summary:
I have tried to keep this review as factual as possible, without “injecting” my own biases! However I do want to take this opportunity to share MY rating of this resort and a brief explanation as to why!
Please keep in mind that I always take in account the “value per dollar” scale when assessing a resort or vacation destination. For example, if I paid $20, 000 to visit Atlantis Paradise Island in the Nassau for two weeks, vs. the 10,000 I spent on my trip to Jamaica and experienced the exact same service and facilities, I can assure you the Paradise Island experience would see a much lower * rating.
Overall I would give my vacation experience a 2.5 star while I would give the resort itself a 3.5 star, I probably would have given the resort a 4 star rating if they did not disappoint me so badly with their inability to “pull it together” when the resort was at its maximum.
The resort was beautiful and a lot of care really is taken considering the “age” of the majority of its guests.
You have to imagine that a resort geared specifically towards children must see a lot of abuse. The pool was quite large and the resort quite small, so there was always plenty of room in and around the pool (They could use more sun-beds when the resort is at its capacity). The food was a pleasant surprise, again I found a delightful mix of Jamaican and North American cuisine being served, and as long as you didn’t eat all three meals in the buffet, the meals were not too repetitive.
The mix of guests for the most part was different then what I am used to while traveling. I would guess 75% American, 20% Canadian and 5% other (for the weeks we were there anyway). Normally we AVOID resorts that are geared to the American population and tend to enjoy our vacations with a more “European” cliental, however for the most part we were quite delighted with the people we met, the resort seemed to “draw” an unusual amount of people from the “Midwest”!
W e did have the opportunity to meet several wonderful families for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, even Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. We met a “single mother” and daughter from California who were a delight to get to know, and of course we did “bond” with other Canadians while there. I would like to send a very special “shout out” to the Harmons, whom we did have an opportunity to get to know quite well through the help of our daughters (who were practically inseparable the first week).
The entertainment coordinators for both children and adults truly worked hard and tried their best to get people involved. Again, the scheduled activities for “all” age groups, kept everybody “hopping” all day long. The staff in general from the gardeners to the waitstaff, really tried their best and was always smiling, even when you knew they had to be exhausted.
Mr. Rance himself showed up several times throughout the two weeks and during the second week, I was able to discuss with him some of our enjoyment and concerns (That is a first for us while on vacation).
The beach, although not the best beach we have been to, certainly was not the disappointment I had expected. The only real problem I had was the constant barrage of locals, that would try and “sell” you their wares, although they were never aggressive, they were persistent, several people all day long walking the beach.
Word of warning… DO NOT lead these people on; they consider this extremely disrespectful (as do I). They will not forget your promise and will come looking for you. I saw this several times on the beach!
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Prefix:
I always start my reviews with a warning!
Reviews are just individual travelers experiences. I think reviews can give you great tips, advice and a general feel for the resort; however, you have to remember that your vacation is going to be what YOU make it!
What one family may find exciting and extraordinary, another family may find uninspiring and unpleasant.
Planning a family vacation can be a daunting task, especially when you have many personalities to consider. My best advice would be to read as many reviews as possible, take the time to figure out what everybody in your group wants from their vacation, and try to find a resort that best matches their needs. Never discount a resort due to a few bad reviews, and don’t book a resort based on overly exuberant reviews. Stay focused more on “factual”, “middle of the road” reviews as they tend to be the most “honest” and probably the closest to “actual” you will get!
I hope you find this review enjoyable and informative. If by any chance at the end of this review you still have questions regarding the FDR Pebbles, please feel free to contact us at sbbudgell@rogers.com Thank you,!
Flight:
As “Sunquest tours” is the only “tour company” that carries the “FDR Pebbles” we had no choice but to fly with “Skyservice” (Sunquest uses Skyservice as its Aircraft carrier. With the seat configuration of 3 seats isle 3 seats), we prepared ourselves for what we figured was going to be a long, miserable, cramped flight to Jamaica. However, I have to say that my husband and I were pleasantly surprised. Although the seating was cramped, we were able to “prebook” our seats and as we are a family of four, we were able to book seats A, B, C and D of the same row… This allowed me to sit with our children and in return this did afford us a little extra room (our kids are pretty small for their age).
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The Activity Programs:
As I mentioned earlier in the review, we chose the FDR Pebbles based on its “advertised” children programming. We realized that the resort as a whole was only rated as a 3.5* and for the most part we would agree, however, the children program was rated as 5* and we expected to see a 5* program in place” again, for the most part that is exactly what we got!
The activities center around three distinct age groups:
Children Center (Children 2 thru 8)
For children ages eight and under they have there own children center called the “Yellow Bird” club.
The center is open from 7:30 am until 10:00 pm daily with organized activities every half hour around the clock. The daily activities are listed on a black board in the children center, so every morning on our way to breakfast, Natasha (7yr old daughter) and I would check the board for the daily activities, and then we would “mark-down” the activities that she was interested in doing for the day. If Natasha was with us, we would drop her off at the activity, if she were with the Nanny, our Nanny would stay with her until the activity was completed. Typically we would have the Nanny clean the room first thing in the morning, while we tried to have some “quality” family time together. The Nanny would normally join us around 11:00 am and then she would watch the kids for the rest of the afternoon!
Here is a sample list of activities offered for children 8yrs and younger:
Arts and Crafts, Fishing, Shell collecting, Crab hunting, Crab racing, Beach Games, Beach Picnic (field trip), Talent shows, Fashion shows, Tie and Dye, Kayaking, Soccer, Snorkeling, Dance Lessons, Nightly Disco, Evening movie, Playground time, Glass Bottom boat rides, Tennis Lessons, Video Games, Treasure Hunts, daily Scavenger Hunts. While we were there the resort had a “magic show” one-week and a “snake and alligator” charmer the following week. The Yellow Bird coordinators also arrange great birthday parties for anybody having a birthday while away!
Preteen Activities (9 thru 12yrs)
We also have a child who is considered a “preteen” (ages 9 thru 12). The Preteen coordinator was awesome, probably one of the “shining lights” at this resort, between the Preteen and Teen coordinators our son Erich always had something planned (whether or not he would join the activity was another story).
Currently the “preteen” center is under renovation, so, the teens and preteens are sharing the “games room and “ballroom” as the meeting center. However most of the day, if they are not on a field trip somewhere, you will find them at one of the many sports areas.
During our first week, their really was not a lot of “preteens” so Francis the “teen coordinator” really tried to include Erich in many of the “teen activities” ensuring that he kept a special “eye” on him. By the end of our first week going right through to the end of our second week, there were at least 25 to 30 preteens on the resort. Rick the “preteen coordinator” was really able to “kick-up” the activities then, although Erich found it harder to make friends with so many preteens around!
Here is a list of some of the “Preteen activities”:
Pool and Beach volleyball, Soccer, Cricket, Hikes, Dance class, Disco, talent show, Camp-outs (both weeks in the disco as the beach was too windy to set up tents), Beach party, Kayaking, Sailing, Windsurfing, Scuba lesson, Tie and Die, Tattoos, Pool (Billiards), Air hockey, Table Tennis, Video Game tournament, Pool Party. The teen and preteen coordinators also took the kids on field trips off the resort to places such as “Bamboo Village”, Tubing down the White River, Trip to Ocho Rios and FDR (the sister resort, for a day of friendly competition), Montego Bay trip, Water Park and Go-cart racing.
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The Resort: FDR Pebbles an Overview:
Two resorts, the Franklin D. Resort and the FDR Pebbles resort are the creation of – and named for – Frank Rance, an enterprising Jamaican hotelier. Mr. Rance was an innovator back in the 1970’s when he was the first General Manager at the original Negril Beach Village. That was the first resort to incorporate what was to become known as “the Caribbean all inclusive concept.” And, it was Frank Rance who subsequently came up with the idea of a resort for “couples only.” Mr. Rance managed the conversion of Tower Isle Hotel Ocho Rios into Couples – the world's first couples only resort – as well as becoming its first General Manager. He also spearheaded the creation of Boscobel Beach Resort.
Eventually Mr. Rance wanted to “break out” on his own and open his own resort, a resort geared exclusively for families, this resort however was to be designed slightly different then the other family resort his helped create (Boscobel Beach). At the FDR resort not only will your entire vacation experience be geared towards entertaining you and your family, each family vacationing at the FDR resort is supplied a “Vacation Nanny” to ensure that it does happen.
With the success of the Franklin D. Rance Resort, the opportunity to open a second resort presented itself and Mr. Rance took the “plunge”
The FDR Pebbles is the “sister resort to the original FDR resort. FDR Pebbles was a dream of Frank Rance for a long time – FDR Pebbles is an all suite, all-inclusive family resort with 98 deluxe air-conditioned cedar wood suites. FDR Pebbles is closer to the international arrival gateway of Montego Bay and offers most of all of the same amenities and services as FDR. However, as the FDR tends to cater to families with small children, Pebbles is geared more toward the youngsters, as they get too old for FDR. In other words, the families start at FDR and go to Pebbles after the children get older.
The FDR Pebbles, s advertised as a “soft adventure” resort, where the emphasis is on learning as well as fun for the children. There they can learn first hand about the history of the island of Jamaica, as well as experiencing the ecology of the nearby coral reefs and the area surrounding the resort, including a luminous lagoon. Children learn where bananas come from and what causes the Caribbean to be so blue. They tour a working sugar plantation and historical sites and go on ecological trips in the parish of Trelawny.
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A family, had complained about their Nanny, the Nanny was “let-go” and for the rest of the week, the other Nannies made sure, the children they were looking after did not play with the kids of the family who complained.
To make matters worse, I had heard from another family a nasty rumor about the family that had let their Nanny go, of course they were told this “nasty rumor” by their Nanny!
So, Steve and I just kept our mouths shut, and took it upon ourselves to make sure the kids were having a great time, after all they are our children and this was supposed to be a family vacation. The Davinci Code isn’t going anywhere!
Just so people don’t think we got the “rotten apple” in the bunch…. Who do you think our Nanny was taking to all of the times she should have watching the kids?
That’s right, other Nannies who were also supposed to be looking after kids.
One of more comical things I would see is, the Nannies would “fawn” all over the children when the parents were near by, however as soon as the parents were out of sight, the children would be neglected. As soon as the parent would begin their approach, one of the Nannies would signal the other Nannies and the “fawning” would begin again! So the parents naively believed the Nanny was there the whole time paying lots of love and attention to there children. Sorry to say, the majoirity of the time this was not case! Now with that being said, I really did see some GREAT Nannies, the funny thing is, the Nannies that seemed to be really into their jobs, were not part of the “clique”. They pretty much “stayed to themselves” and spent time with their charges… I really wished we could have had somebody like that… Oh well, maybe you will be luckier!
One more thing… I asked our Nanny how much training she received and she laughed!
“Training, what training”?
Our Nanny told us that she came for the interview and they had her with a family the very next day!
The “kicker” here is that she was actually applying for a wait staff position!
Apparently there is a “Nanny Pool” for the FDR Pebbles, and they do have a hard time finding and keeping Nannies, many of them don’t like being “casual labour, which is what these girls are. In a pinch they have assigned wait staff and bartenders to act as “Nannies” (according to our Nanny anyway).
So, I would not recommend this resort to somebody who is basing their vacation on this service, because you could be very, very disappointed, and I would never recommend the Nanny Service to families that have children who are too young to tell you when something is not right! |
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Finally Steve and I asked our Nanny to NOT allow Natasha into the pool after 2:00 pm and we spoke to Natasha to ensure that she understood that she was not allowed in the pool. Natasha assured us that she did not ask to go the pool; it was the Nanny who asked Tasha…
Anyway, the following day, I found Natasha down by the sports beach playing with a few girls that I had yet to meet and there was no Nanny around anywhere. I asked Natasha where the Nanny was, and she didn’t have a clue! I did find our Nanny waaaaay down by the other end of the beach, yes that’s right, chatting it up with 4 other Nannies. I will add here that not one of those Nannies had children with them either!
Another thing I wanted to mention was, even though our Nanny was supposed to be responsible for both our children, she never once knew where Erich was. Whenever I would ask where Erich had disappeared? She would always reply the “games room”! I would check and surprise, surprise, no Erich!
By day six 6 I had enough, I ended up writing out an afternoon agenda, clearly outlining what I wanted Natasha and Erich to do for the day, that evening, Erich told us that the Nanny was mad at Natasha, because she figured Natasha had complained about her! Pretty much from that day forward, I kept the children with me!
The Nanny would hang around the pool all afternoon chatting with her friends while I made sure the children got to their activities, had somebody to play with and I really enjoyed the water activities with them! Steve would always dismiss the Nanny as soon as he got back from diving, which would be around 4:00 pm.
A couple other things that bothered me was that she would alternate between Steve and I, asking us to get her a “drink” from the bar. We would always oblige, however we would ask the bartender for something without alcohol.
I think she caught on, so the Nanny started to ask us to get her and her friend a couple of “rum creams”. Yeah, that’s right, the Nanny thought we would supply her and her friends with alcohol while she was supposed to be watching our children, I told her under NO circumstances would we supply her with alcohol, and with that she stopped asking.
You might be wondering why Steve and I didn’t ask for a new Nanny? Well, this brings me to my final complaint…
The Nannies here are a very close nit, gossipy group! Not only would they gossip amongst themselves, our Nanny had a tendency to want to tell me about all the stories she would hear. In some cases, the stories repeated were completely inappropriate.
However with that being said, we pretty much knew instantly if we tried to “swap” or dismiss our Nanny, the children would have been ostracized by the other Nannies and I could only imagine some of the stories that would have “floated” around about us! We did unfortunately happen to see this is action by the way!
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I knew ahead of time, that “water pressure” and temperature of the water would probably be an issue, so, this was the first thing I checked, however in all honesty, with the exception of one (1) evening (where we had virtually no pressure) we were never bothered by the lack of pressure nor did we find a problem with the temperature of water being too cool, actually we found that for the most part the water never really got cold, we ended up brushing our teeth with warm water most mornings.
These suites actually reminded of my childhood cottage, beautifully constructed with cedar wood paneling, warm lighting and cathedral ceilings, quite spacious with two rooms separated by a ¾. wall.
Our room was slightly different in design to the other suites, as our “living room” area actually had the “two” single beds as oppose to the one “pull out” couch and “rollaway” bed. We also had the television in our room as opposed to the children’s room, which worked out fine for us, as the only time the children were allowed to watch TV was when we were all getting ready in the evening for dinner.
We had a huge private balcony just off of our room, with a nice view of the mountains from one side and a view of the pool and further out the ocean on the other side. The balcony was our favorite place to hang out first thing in the morning, where we would sit outside to enjoy our morning cup of coffee…
In total I believe the suite was approximately 430 Sq Ft.
Just a note, we brought our own coffee machine and filters with us as they don’t supply coffee machines in the room, they don’t have hair dryers or irons either, however you can borrow one from the front desk. My daughter and I had our hair braided by our third day so the hair dryer thing did not bother us, and who the heck “irons” their clothes on holidays, especially at such a casual, family friendly resort!
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I was not offered drugs at the Bamboo village, however my husband was offered several times, as he had to go over to the Bamboo side of the resort fence on a daily basis for his diving. As “drugs” are not our scene, he kindly said “no thank you”, and he was left alone (at least until the next day).
The only time “marijuana” was even mentioned to me was by our Nanny. When she asked me if “I smoked”, being the naive person that I am, I went into the whole story of how I “smoked” for years and finally gave up the horrible habit using the “nicoderm patch”. It wasn’t until she told me that her father “grew the stuff” and if I ever needed “anything” she could arrange something for me, did I realize that we were talking about two different things.
After I quickly explained that I was talking about cigarettes not marijuana, she quickly apologized for bringing up the topic. I never reported the incident, as I am sure that as wrong as it is, many families probably do go looking for marijuana while in Jamaica, This was probably just our Nannies way of trying to be helpful. I blame the tourist for that one not the Nanny!)
The resort also provides a free excursion into the town of Falmouth. The adult entertainment coordinators host this trip, which leaves the resort Tuesday and Saturday around 2:00pm and returns around 4:30 pm. I would not really recommend the tour (Falmouth is far from Kansas), except that we did get a chance to visit the “Juicy Patty” shop (The best beef patties in all of Jamaica) and I was also able to finally buy Mangos at the local vegetable market. The resort couldn’t make my favorite milkshake (mango) because apparently Mango was out of season. So during our trip to Falmouth, I bought some mangoes and had the bartender whip me up a Mango and rum milkshake. Yummmm!
Vacation Nanny:
At FDR Pebbles, families are provided with the services of a “Vacation Nanny”. At the very least these ladies are charged with cleaning the suite and stocking the refrigerator daily. However, her real responsibility is to help plan, coordinate and participate in the fun filled activities for the children throughout the day.
Unfortunately, we did not have much luck with our particular Nanny, however we met many people who were absolutely pleased with this service and mentioned that by the end of their stay the Nanny almost feels as though she was part of their family.
The Nanny normally arrives at 9:00 am in the morning, she takes a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30 pm and then she is with you again until 4:40 pm. The Nanny is also available to stay with your family in the evenings for the cost of $4.00 USD/hr (+tip), the Nannies really do try and solicit the overtime, as whatever they make from you during the “after hours” care, they can take home. Contrary to what I have read in other reviews of the FDR Pebbles, the nanny IS allowed to eat with your family in the dining room, you just need to go to the “front desk” and ask for a permission slip for her. This slip shows that you have made to personal request to have your Nanny dine with you and your family. The manager will also need to sign the slip, however the whole ordeal is really quite painless, and probably took no longer then 10 minutes to do.
The resort does provide meals and accommodations to ALL of the staff in the “staff” housing units”, which were located directly behind our block of suites… The Nannies/Teen coordinators and entertainment staff are allowed to spend the night in the “staff quarters” if they have worked late into the evening.
However, the one (1) night we had our Nanny stay late, we offered her the option of having us pay for her cab home or stay in the “staff house” she quickly replied that she wanted to go home. Apparently, things can get a little wild and outrageous in the “staff quarters” and the Nannies prefer to just go home in the evening!
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I would also like to mention the woman who kept my children well fed with the “make to order” pasta at lunch, she was also a hero to my family, very sweet, and worked extremely hard and always with a smile!
By the end of the second week, we also had our favorite waitress and waiters, and really did try and make sure that we sat in there section each night… One of our waitresses even dedicated a song to us on the “staff and guest” talent show night! This was a very enduring waitress and such a beautiful gesture will never be forgotten!
Now the negative:
Three (3) areas for improvement stood out loud and clear while we were visiting the FDR Pebbles! Keep in mind that we had the opportunity to stay for two (2) weeks and had a chance to observe many things that either really bothered us, or we could see some real room for improvement!
1) Better “hands on” supervisors!
The second week we were at the FDR Pebbles, we were totally “flabbergasted” at the difference in service; it was almost as though the staff was on a “work to rule” schedule. A total lack of organization. During the second week found ourselves “bussing” our own table, getting our own coffee/wine! The second “beach BBQ night” we were seated at a table that when the “surf” came in, we got completely washed out, my husband was “drenched” from the knees down…
Three waitress stood by and watched, completely perplexed as to how to remedy the situation. I finally got mad and grabbed our linens and plates from our table and started to reset a “dirty table” further up the beach, as I went back to our “washed out” table to get our water glasses, a different waitress proceed, to give our second table away.
Now I was fuming, I approached the second waitress whom at this point didn’t want to have to remove the other family, as there were no more tables, “sorry”, “I guess you are just going to have to wait” she said!
“No problem” I said “I will speak to the “General Manager” (who happened to just enter the beach area)… This did not help remedy the situation, as I had mentioned earlier “one speed” (dawdle). The GM himself helped to clean off a third (3) table for us, and as it turned out we very nearly lost that table as well. By the time I made it to the buffet, the “curried conch” and “suckling pig” were all finished!
I could go on and on about the little things that went wrong the second week we were there, like “saved” sunbeds, “lack of towel’s, constant “power failures”, over booked field trips, however I believe it was just that the resort staff just could not handle so many guests, and I did not see any supervisors giving guidance or assisting in any way, I did see a lot of staff standing around aimlessly or dawdling, which aggravated me further!
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If you are the type of traveler that chooses to stay on the resort or in organized tours, I can see how you can walk away with a positive opinion of Jamaica, however, we are more “independent travelers” who prefers to “blend-in” with the local culture, and really get to know the Country we are visiting.
In the case of Jamaica, the more I got to know about the “Culture”, the Country, the Politics, the more I just wanted to leave. For the most part, I truly felt the people we had met, had an “angle” or a “hidden agenda” and were not interested in a genuine friendship. I really did begin to feel like all I was to these people was a “walking” sack of cash. I did not feel safe leaving the resort (unless accompanied by a local). The “rampant” drug use, and the “laid back” attitude really did start to anger me, especially after I had met so many hard working people on the resort, who were trying their “damdest”, to “sell” Jamaica as the “perfect” vacation destination.
As of right now, I can’t say that we would return to Jamaica. If we do, it would be to “experience” the resort not the Island (Hedonism III was a great resort).
I still recommend people visit Jamaica at least once in their travels, as the Island is beautiful, the “theme resorts” are great and you will make some “interesting” acquaintances. I will chalk up my own experience by saying that “I” really did not feel a “kin-ship” with the Jamaican culture, which is not saying that you wont!
As for FDR Pebbles…I read a description once that described our experience at FDR Pebbles, to a tee… “Jamaica all inclusive meets Northern Ontario summer camp”. If you keep your expectations in check, you really will have a great time! I would recommend the resort for families with children that do NOT need the “Nanny service” (ages 7 thru 16), who are adventurous, who want more a more Jamaican experience then what you find at a typical “AI” resort and do not need all the bells and whistles of a more lustrous resort.
I hope you found this review insightful or at the very lest enjoyable to read. We have attached two links of our vacation photos for your viewing! Thank you, very much for giving us the opportunity to share our trip!
Stevenbev,
(The Bev half)
http://community.webshots.com/user/stevenbevjamaica
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The “in-flight” crew were completely professional and attentive, the meal service on the flight to Jamaica was actually quite good (Chicken Teriyaki in a potato boat), however, a little less desirable on the way home (Penne Pasta). One complementary non-alcohol drink is served prior to the meal service and coffee and tea is served after the meal. Those wishing soft drinks, bottled water or alcohol on board will find these items are subject to charge- between $1.00 to $5.00- depending on your request”.
The flight to Jamaica went off without a hitch, a nice smooth ride on the way down with very little turbulence. I believe the total flight time was just over 4 hrs. The flight back was quite rough, actually, probably the most turbulence we have ever flown in, however the pilot and staff handled the situation calmly and professionally and I never felt as though our safety was in jeopardy. The flight home was closer to 4.5 hours with approximately 3 hours of turbulence! Both flights left exactly on time with no delays!
One other note of interest, Skyservice is very strict about the weight of your checked-in luggage. The allowable weight limit is 20 kilo or about 44 pounds per person, which may be spread between two suitcases per person. When two or more people check in together they usually take a combined weight, but they don’t have to. I spoke to several people who had to pay the “excess” weight penalty (and that was on the way down, I would hate to see what they would have been “nicked” on the way back once they bought all of the souvenirs).
Excess weight baggage is penalized at a cost of $7.00CDN or $5.00US per kilo.
With everything taken into consideration, we would not hesitate to use Skyservice again! Yes, the seating is still very cramped, however for a short flight (3 to 4 hours) I can survive, I am just thankful that we have the “charter” option in Canada as it really does help keep the costs of traveling down a bit!
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The FDR Pebbles has an awesome “Teen Program”. I don’t believe you can find a resort anywhere that offers as many activities and programs for the “Teen/Preteen” then the FDR Pebbles. The resort has set aside its own supervised tropical "campsite" for outdoor camping (Which sometimes takes place in the disco as the weather does not always cooperate) The preteens are taken hiking, the had beach party outings, pool parties, cycling trips, field trips up the nearby Martha Brae River. tubing on the “White River”, day trips to Montego Bay (waterpark/go-cartes). They receive instruction on how to Sail, Kayak or Wind surf. They'll learn about the flora and the fauna indigenous to Jamaica.” And then they come back with stories about how fascinating the island of Jamaica really is. Located on the oceanfront, the 12 cedar wood buildings each house 8 junior suites and are nestled among palm trees and beautiful, lush gardens. Most suites have ocean views, while others are situated directly on the 600 ft white sand beach. The resort also boasts an expansive pool, complete with “swim-up” bar.
The FDR Pebbles has three (3) restaurants to choose from, The Oceanside, which is the “open air” main dining room that offers buffet meals three times daily. The Sabbia is the “adults” only restaurant, which offers an Italian (loose translation) a la carte menu. Finally the “Pool grill” which makes the BEST jerk chicken I have ever had!
There is also a “kids” buffet offered in the evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 pm situated above the pool grill. I don’t recommend the kids buffet! The one night I took our daughter upstairs to check it out, I found “Mac and cheese”, plain spaghetti noodles, hotdogs, French fries, cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. They also had cookies and melon for dessert. It appears the only people who actually eat in the kids buffet are the children that were left with the Nanny for the evening. Actually I saw more Nannies eating up in the kid buffet then children!
Other Interesting Resort Features:
This resort also has a ‘’petting zoo”, a turtle farm, a “catch and release” stocked pond, excellent condition tennis courts, basketball courts, whirlpool and sundeck, volleyball court, PADI scuba diving clinic’s with programs starting for children 8yrs old and up (1 dive per day for certified divers is included in the cost of your AI package).
There is also a gift shop and beauty salon, Steve and I each had two massages outdoors in the massage hut for $60 USD 1/hr session.
On the premises you will also find a nurses station, tour desk, games room (pool table, foose ball table, air hockey, and X-Box), cyber café (really only two very slow computers, but at least its something), disco, gym and fitness center (which I only visited during my orientation).
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The water Sports center included: Snorkeling, Windsurfing, Kayaking, Sailing and Glass bottom boat rides (which I only did once as I was waaay too seasick to try it a second time)
If that is not enough and you really want to get off the resort…
There is golfing nearby in both Montego Bay and Runaway Bay, the hotel will arrange a shuttle for you.
Directly to the left of the FDR Pebbles is a great “Gilligan Island” type beach bar and grill called “Time n Place”!
This “beach grill” had excellent food, and even better atmosphere, a great place to “escape” the loud sometimes over bearing noise at the FDR Pebbles… Conde Naste traveller listed this place as one of the top 30 Caribbean hangouts. Many a movie and photo shoots have happened in this location, including the famous beach bar scene in the move “How Stella got her groove back”. Not sure if I got my “groove back” here, however it was a great place to come and get recharged!
Directly towards the right of the FDR Pebbles along the beach heading towards the “Starfish” is a local group of entrepreneurs know locally as the “Bamboo Village”, The people at the Bamboo Village try to pass themselves off as artists living in an “artist” community, however this place is really very far from that.
I was lucky enough to be turned onto a local craftsman by the name of “Puttymon” who owns a “hut” in the Bamboo Village, and gave me the “real score” about what the Bamboo Village is really all about.
Although you will find some “true artists” at the Bamboo Village, most of the people actually get their wares in the “big city” and mark them up in order to sell to you the tourist. I suppose there is nothing really wrong with that, as most tourists would rather not go into Montego Bay to buy their souvenirs anyway, as long as you understand that you are most likely not buying an original piece of art. You are still supporting the local Jamaican economy and bringing home a gift for somebody so why not?
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The whole process described above was totally chaotic and un-called for. From the time we left the “nothing to declare line” till we reached our driver, took over an hour and we were “sent off” to speak with four (4) different people! This is a process that I think Sunquest needs to spend some time ironing out! The vacationers who were staying at the “Superclubs” resort were just ushered to their own waiting area and offered refreshments while they waited to be escorted to their buses… Urrrhhhh!
Resort check-in and first impressions:
I had read somewhere that “what the FDR Pebbles lacks in curb appeal she makes up for with charm”; well I was certainly counting on it as we pulled into the driveway. I have to admit, even with all the research I had done on this place before we arrived, I don’t think I was expecting how “low key” this resort actually was.
The “check-in” process was smooth and painless. There were two efficient staff at the reception counter and we were not asked to leave our passports however we were asked to leave our “departure pass/tourist card”. This resort does not have “in-room safes” only “safety deposit boxes“ that are kept in the “office” behind the reception desk. Just a word of warning, do not lose your safety deposit box key, they will charge you $100 USD to have the “locksmith” come and “re-key” the box (This happened to a family while we were there). Across from the reception desk is a little waiting room with a few wicker coutches and chairs, a tour desk and the manager’s office. In total I don’t think the lobby could have been larger then 40’ by 40’ in size. Please keep in mind that this resort is actually quite small with only 96 suites so I guess they did not feel the need for a “grandiose lobby”.
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This excerpt is taken directly from the “FDR Pebbles” website!
Our Exclusive Vacation Nanny Program
Our Nannies are special. They are not just based in a Kids Centre. They are assigned to your family exclusively, full time, for your entire holiday. Your Nanny will welcome you, and say goodbye to you. You will love her. Your kids will adore her. From rinsing swimsuits to combing their hair, from getting them dressed to taking them to dine, the same trained Vacation Nanny will care for and entertain your children. She is also available for babysitting after hours. So you will complete your holiday feeling relaxed, pampered and totally revitalized and your kids will want to return year after year.
This could not be further from the truth. First I will begin with the positives!
Our room was always spotless, our nanny did a great job cleaning our suite and our fridge was always stocked. Our nanny was personable with a great wealth of knowledge which she enjoyed sharing. Our Nanny was quick to explain the “do’s and don’t” in Jamaica and would always have the “inside scoop” (including gossip) of what was going on at the resort!
Now, when it comes to the most important part of her job (watching our children), she was really not interested!
As we wanted to spend time together as a family, we would have our Nanny clean the room in the morning and then meet us around 11:00 am. Most days she would not show up until 12:00 and then want to leave for break at 12:30!
Okay, so we figured that would be fine. Steve had his Scuba diving each afternoon, so as soon as the Nanny would have her “lunch break” we would have her watch the children so that I could have some “time” to myself (I wanted to finally get around to reading the DaVinci Code), however this too never seemed to work out!
You see, once the Nanny would get off her break and “find” us (like that should be too hard at a resort this small), it would be 2:00 pm, she would then proceed to take Natasha to the pool and then sit with the other Nannies chatting around the pool, Our Nanny was not watching Natasha at all!
Thank god Natasha is a good swimmer, as I am sure she could have drowned and the Nanny would not have taken notice! I had asked the Nanny on several occasions to take Natasha to the organized activities at the “Yellow Bird” club, however, the next time I would walk by the pool, I would find our Nanny once again chatting it up with the other Nannies around the pool, When I would ask why Natasha was not participating in her programs the Nanny would tell me that Natasha was not interested!
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To be honest the buffet offered more choice anyway, and we enjoy eating with our children. Everybody is so busy doing their own thing during the day that we enjoy getting together over dinner to discuss our day’s events!
The Staff:
Okay, normally I would not comment on the staff at a resort, however, as this resort is so small and you really do get to know the staff, I thought I would make an exception.
For the most part (with the exception of the nannies), the staff does work really hard to try and please you. Especially the front desk personal, I really would not want their job, I mean having to deal with people complaints all day long really must wear on you! The staff at the “swim-up” bar ALWAYS worked hard especially the “Chef” and a special bartender by the name of Natalie, who always remembered our food and drink preferences, made my special Mango and Rum milkshakes, however, MOST importantly, remembered my daughter’s allergy to “strawberries”!
As most of the children “drink special of the day” had strawberry syrup, Natalie always made sure (and instructed others to do the same) that she would have a “Natasha Special” conjured up daily! Not only did this make me feel comfortable knowing that Natasha would not inadvertently drink something she shouldn’t, it made Natasha feel special as well.
As I mentioned earlier, the coordinators worked long and hard hours as well. Francis the “Teen coordinator and Rick the Preteen coordinator worked tirelessly trying to create and organize activities “geared” to the particular group of kids they had each week. Even though my son is a bit of an “introvert” and chooses to spend a lot of time on his own, the program was there if he wanted to join, and after explaining to Rick some of Erich’s challenges (extremely shy), Rick made a point of sincerely trying to encourage Erich to participate. Rick really went out of his way to ensure Erich always felt included, which as parents we really, really appreciated! The restaurant staff was a “curious” sort…. They were very obviously understaffed (especially the second week when the resort was over-booked), however the staff for the most part had one speed…
DAWDLE (as my mother would call it)!
The busier the resort became, the more frustrated the staff would be, however they never, never seemed to “pick up the pace” instead they became more “surly”. Again there were exceptions to this… We had two eggcellent (joke!) omelets makers in the morning, no matter how large of a line-up they were always pleasant and ready to “crack” a joke.
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Total check-in time took no longer then 20 minutes! To our great delight, the resort does not require you to wear those dreaded plastic ID bracelets, nothing worse then being “banded” like a “Canadian Goose”, so, with our room assignment, basic resort information and key in hand, our suitcases were loaded onto a pulley and we were whisked away to our room.
Now, I had contacted the resort prior to our vacation and did request a specific room, however realizing that no request is guaranteed, I had at least asked for a second story room. Although I did not get the room I had initially asked for, I was rewarded a very lovely, corner, second story suite! The only problem with the location of our room was that we were located right beside the resorts “petting zoo” which, with such humidity, the wretched smell of the animal pen could be enough to make you physically ill, especially in the late afternoon/early evening, as you were making your way back to your room to prepare for dinner. Yuck!
Thankfully the smell never permeated through our room or was it noticeable off the balcony.
The bellboy brought our luggage up to a second floor room and took great care and time to explain the air conditioning controls and to show us the “care package” our “soon to be” Nanny had left us! This care package included: cheese, crackers, cereal, sliced melon, 2 pop, 2 Red Strip beers and a jug of water. Each evening prior to the Nannies departure she would restock your “mini fridge” with the items that you request from the “order form”. You can find this “order form” on your fridge the first night you arrive. The list of choices are not extensive, mostly, Pops, Juice, Beer, Cheese, Cracker fruit and Cereal.
As it was quite late when we arrived (10:30pm), the meal service was over, however the “main bar” was still open. The bellboy graciously offered to “show” Steve where the bar was, so that he could get us a couple of Daiquiris while I unpacked and got the children settled.
My first impression of the room was quite favorable, actually I would say, that this was the best room/suit that we had ever stayed in (even nicer then the Paradisus). However as the consciousness traveler that I am, I made sure prior to unpacking that everything was in good working order.
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We also enjoyed the “Body shop/Beauty Salon! We had the opportunity to use their services for both “hair braiding” and massages, and in both cases, the attendants were truly professional, friendly and certainly knew what they were doing.
When we arrived at FDR Pebbles, both my husband and I had a year worth of stress on our shoulders, by the time these ladies were done with us, the stress had melted away into nothing more then a memory! As for the hair braiding… Our daughter managed to keep her braids for almost 3.5 weeks and they still looked as good as the day they were created!
As mentioned before, our single biggest disappointment was our “Nanny” experience, although our room was always spotless, at best, our Nanny was an adequate “babysitter” and I certainly would not trust her with a young child. For a resort that “sells” itself on the “Nanny Program”, I think Mr. Rance and the management team really need to evaluate its current program!
I was also disappointed with the disorganization and chaos that took place from ALL levels of service during our second week, when the resort was at its capacity. Again, I believe this may be a training and/or lack of supervision issue that “management” should seriously look at. If we had only visited the FDR Pebbles on the second week of this vacation, I can assure you my review would have been extremely different.
It truly appeared as though the resort “fell apart” under the pressure of capacity. The only area the benefited by the “capacity” issue was the activities! More people at the resort the more people to join the activities! Finally, you may have noticed that I gave my “vacation experience” only a 2.5 rating, while my resort rated at a 3.5… Please keep in mind that this is only my opinion and based on our travel experiences, however we really did walk away from Jamaica feeling quite sad and disappointed.
I have never in my travel experience seen such poverty, sadness or felt such an undercurrent of anger or animosity towards the vacationer.
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