Sandals Royal Plantation Ocho Rios

It is rare that I’m moved enough to provide a written Review however our recent stay at the Sandals Royal plantation Resort prompted just that. The ‘Aha’ moment was present from the moment we entered the facility till the second we regrettably took our leave. The superlatives were far too many to mention so I’ll stick with the highlights. (as it’s hard to distinguish between highlights as the bar kept getting higher and higher). Beginning with the General Manager, Omar, then the Head of Customer Comfort, Marvin, our TWO Superstar Butlers, Marvin and Bebeato and countless wait staff, they all embodied Customer Service at an elite level. The service was easy and not forced and unrehearsed and contagious and effortless. The ‘Can do’ attitude was refreshing and special. Although you knew that you couldn’t have everything, you always got the impression they would die trying……………and sometimes the intent outweighs the outcome. We were thrilled with the intimate and quiet elegance, the attention to detail and the deliberate election of providing quality over quantity. The entire staff were exquisite and fostered a family atmosphere rather than that of employees. The thoughtfulness and friendliness was unmatched and makes it very easy to recommend this place to anyone who would ask. We were sad to have to leave but enjoy the notion of someday getting to return, We were both grateful and flabbergasted by the experience. and it made our twenty fifth Anniversary a most memorable occasion an we hope that we could be able to relive the feeling for any upcoming notable milestones. Thank You Royal Plantation from the Roberts. Read less

We recently took our 15th anniversary trip to Jamaica to visit Sandals Royal Plantation and then Sandals Dunns River. For reference, we are 43 and 41 years old, and have been visiting Sandals since 2010 for our honeymoon. We are currently Diamond Level guests and have been every year (sometimes mulitple) except for 2020 (covid). Royal Plantation: we stayed for 3 days. What an experience! We've seen the resort from Ochi on our 6 previous trips, but only ever got to go there for a dinner one night. This time for this occasion, we decided to give it a try. What an impressive small resort! There were so few people you felt like everyone was there FOR YOU! Our first night at dinner, 3 hours off the plane, Omar the GM walked to our table to greet us and called us by name. Even if he "cheated" and saw it on a book somewhere, it was extremely impressive and we havent ever received this type of personal greet other than being taken to our rooms or at VIP lunches/dinners. Omar had a great personality, as well as a strong work ethic. Its clear his staff feed off his energy, they were phenomenal; friendly and very personable. The people make this resort what it is. I see why guests return here over and over again. Quiet, relaxing, and personable. Exactly what we were looking for in our 3 days. Night life was very calm, so if you want to have fun after dark? NO PROBLEM! Take the bus over to OCHI! First night we did just that. Walked into the manor house looking for our favorite person SHADINE who booked our very first return trip! She wasnt there as we were really late so we walked towards the piano and bar area (we found her the next day, and she was amazing as ever!). An employee was walking towards us and both of us stopped and looked at each other like the batman/robin meme. We knew each other, just couldnt place it. Then we figured it out, he was Jason in entertainment. THE SAME JASON that made my 5 year old sons day at Beaches OCHI in October 24! He was great with the kids, and since Beaches has closed he transferred to Sandals. What a great surprise, we were excited to see and talk to him. Met up every night for all the entertainment and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Great guy, great work ethic, and a wonderful asset for Sandals. Food was phenomenal. There were only 3 dinner restaurants on property, but it worked great for our stay. We really enjoyed La Papillion for French cuisine. Of all our Sandals stays (20 total trips) this was the best creme brulee I had ever had. Shout out to the entire culinary team, they are a cut above the rest. The Jamaica night Buffet on our last night wasnt your average buffet. Lots of flat grills and custom cuisines were prepared right in front of you. Lets call it a gourmet buffet. Our butlers were Safiya and Orayne. Great for us, not overbearing and left us to ourselves unless we contacted them. Took care of us bringing food, decorating our room for our anniversary, and keeping our fridge and bar stocked. Two words, coconut lobster! Ask for it, its phenomenal. Rooms were perfect for our needs. Seems like they had converted the balcony into an in room area, which was great for adding space. Typical old school feel mahogany beds and furniture, but new paint brightened up the room. Large closet, usual amenities like fridge, coffee maker, etc. This is a vintage feel Sandals resort, and it fits the vibe of the property well. Room service was standard and a great add on as we ordered breakfast every day to arrive following our morning gym routine. West beach had activities every day, but we stayed on east beach the whole time. Quiet, easy going. Most we ever had with us was 5 other couples on the entire beach on one day. Most days we were the only ones until after 1PM. This beach is nicknamed "smokers beach" because smoking is allowed, but it was extremely rare and you rarely ever noticed. Easy tradeoff for our peace and quiet. 3 days was short, but perfect for Royal Plantation for us. As we were leaving to head to Sandals Dunns River, Omar personally bid us farewell. I made a joke to him, making sure he knew where the gym was on property. The guy had arms so big Im surprised the Jamaican government doesnt make him register them as weapons. Great stay, great experience. Id definitely do this resort again, likely as a split stay so I can enjoy 2 resorts in the same trip. I sincerely thank everyone we met during our stay and hope this review gets the mentioned team members the recognition they deserve. Read less

We have been coming to this resort for over 10 years and it gets better every trip. Omar has added a new level of service as general manager. He knows everyone on the resort by name and is always walking around making us feel welcome and appreciated. We can't say enough how wonderful Gladstone and Sherrill are as our butlers. The beach butlers Romaine, Trevardo and Daniello remember our drink preferences year after year. I went scuba diving next door at Ochi and the dive masters took great care of me. Kemar, WInston and Dennis and all the dive crew are fabulous. I did a night dive that was spectacular. My husband golfed everyday and the staff over there are fantastic. Janoi at the front desk remembered us and made us feel welcome and appreciated. The level of service from housekeeping, restaurants, butler service, bars, and the water sports is excellent! Even if you don't ask for help, they ask what they can do for you. I feel so spoiled and special here. It's our home away from home. Read less

This Sandals is a hidden gem! This is our 2nd time staying here and we are already booked again! The service is exceptional at every level and the staff really enjoys building relationships with their guests! We had the best butlers Andre and Johovan that went above and beyond our expectations and made us feel special. Omar Robinson, the General manager, has created a such amazing resort environment at this beautiful resort! Read less