We came with a family of 50 people! TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
First, I want to say that the staff members themselves were friendly and did their best to help. The real problem is the management. Almost every issue we experienced came down to poor management, lack of communication, and poor organization.
We checked in and immediately noticed our room smelled like cigarette smoke and chemical fumes. We were told the room would be changed and to watch for an email within a few hours. Three hours later, we still hadn’t received anything, so we walked back to the front desk only to be told the room change request had never even been submitted. To make matters worse, the on-duty supervisor was on lunch, so we were told we’d have to wait even longer. We checked in at 2:30 waited till 9:00 PM. Eventually, another employee helped us find a different room—but only if we paid an additional $450. With a newborn and a toddler, we felt we had no choice but to pay so we could finally get settled.
The rooms are also much smaller than expected. If you’re traveling as a family of four, good luck. The beds advertised as doubles are actually full-size beds, making it very cramped for two adults and two children.
The food was another major disappointment. At breakfast, the buffet repeatedly ran out of basic items. There were no plates available, no cereal for my son, and we waited about 15 minutes for it to be restocked. They also ran out of bread, bacon, regular eggs, and sausage. For a resort that advertises luxury, this was unacceptable.
The lobby bar advertises top-shelf liquor, but many of the bottles appeared to be reused and filled with different alcohol. At the pool bar, the mojitos were great until a bartender came on shift and started making them with tequila instead of rum. When I asked about it, even the waitress told me not to order mojitos when that bartender was working.
The Gondola restaurant had decent food, but the ceiling was leaking. Instead of fixing it, they simply placed towels on the floor and told guests to walk around them.
The snack bar was average—burgers, hot dogs, and chips—but nothing memorable.
We were excited to watch the World Cup in the entertainment area, but the screens and sound system stopped working during the event, which completely ruined the experience.
If you’re expecting a quality steakhouse, lower your expectations. I’ve honestly had better steaks at Applebee’s.
The so-called resort credits are misleading because they can barely be used for anything worthwhile. Also, don’t waste your vacation attending the timeshare presentation—they push it hard, and it’s simply not worth your time.
The lobby has so much potential, but it feels lifeless. There are speakers everywhere, yet they rarely play music. It lacks the fun, upbeat atmosphere you’d expect from a resort.
Our room’s air conditioning constantly shut off because the system kept saying the balcony door was open, even though it was completely closed. It made sleeping uncomfortable and was never properly resolved.
I’ve stayed at other Moon Palace resorts and had great experiences, which makes this one even more disappointing. The staff deserves credit because they genuinely tried to help, but the poor management lets them down at every turn.
Save your money and stay somewhere else. There are far better resorts in Jamaica.
This resort is advertised as a five-star hotel, but based on our experience, it’s nowhere close. If I could give it negative five stars, I would. Since we were here during the World Cup, I’ll put it this way—this hotel deserves a straight red card. Between the poor management, constant maintenance issues, misleading resort credits, tiny rooms, undersized beds for families, and overall lack of organization, this resort simply doesn’t live up to the Moon Palace name.
