We just returned from a week stay at the Ritz in Jamaica. I will try to make my review as helpful as possible to future travelers. My wife and are avid Carribean travelers, and have stayed everywhere from Bermuda to the Rivera Maya.
Service:
From the moment we arrived till the day we left, we were treated like royalty! Everyone was so nice. The guys mowing the grass, and running the weedeaters were even friendly. We brought our baby with us, and by he end of the week the staff was calling her by her name everytime they saw her. They were very accommodating to all of our needs. The staff was constantly asking us if we needed anything for the baby or for ourselves. They set up our beach chairs, and towels every day. Mr. Brown even cut us fresh coconuts one day for us to drink on the beach. Overall the staff was fantastic, and very genuine. We never got the impression the staff was being so accommodating in anticipation for tips. For example, we left a very generous tip one night after the staff put together a birthday dinner, and celebration for my Mom at Mango's. When my wife and I arrived back to our room that night we got a phone call from Mango's ( I can't remember who it was) calling to see if we forgot some money at the table. When my wife explained that was the tip they were very grateful, and appreciative. I feel this demonstrates how genuine the staff is at the Ritz Rose Hall.
Beach and Pool:
The beach is okay, a little rocky along the beach, and the water gets a little cloudy on windy days. The beach chairs, and palm trees offer a nice atmosphere and provide nice shade. The food and drink service on the beach is better than the pool area.
The pool is fine, the drink service around the pool is good. The palm trees around the pool also provide a nice atmosphere, and some shade on a hot day. And you can hear reggae music anywhere you sit.
Food and Drinks:
Definitly book the all inclusive package. The food and drinks are expensive, and you'll easily spend over $1,000 on food and drinks for a week for just two people. The food is good, the drinks are fantastic. The service was some of the best I've ever experienced. Just remember you're in the Carribean, life is slower paced down there. The food is fine for the all inclusive package. You can eat at most restaruants, except White Witch, you get a 20% discount. White Witch is over rated, not much different food selection than restaruants on site. Just a nice change of scenery. I would say that all of the restaurants are pretty much the same as far as food quality, service, and selection go. Mangos is nice for an evening dinner since it's close to the beach. Some of the best food we had was at the Jerk Center beach cafe. This place had a lot local carribean food choices. We had some of our best food at the Jerk Center. Plus it's right on the beach. All restaurants have entertainment in the evenings. Horizons has a fantastic acoustic guitar player during breakfast each day. We called him the "guitar guy". The evening music is just okay.
Rooms and Hotel Condition:
The rooms are nice, very clean, and serviced daily. Every room has a balcony, and all marble bathrooms. The bathrooms have spacious showers, double sinks, and separate rooms for the toilets. And they're spotless! We have a 6 month old, and they provided us a crib. The crib was in good shape, and we felt very comfortable putting our baby in it.
The interior sections of the hotel is nice and clean. It has a carribean feel in most areas, and has a lot of dark mahogany tones to it. The outside gardens and grounds are beautifully manicured and maintained. This is a very tropical and lush property.
Suggestions for Improvement:
Overall I was very happy with my trip to the Ritz. I got a good deal and was pleased with my experience based on what I spent. My suggestions are just tweaks to make a very good vacation a great vacation.
It would be nice to be able to have dinner at the Jerk Center. A few nightly beach parties here would also be a nice thought. This cafe has the sterotypical beach bar feel. A bon fire, and some steel band music under the moon light a few nights a week would be great!
There isn't much night life. Some reggae bands, or the "guitar guy" a few nights a week would be awesome!
A bigger pool, and a few more hot tubs would also be nice a nice addition. The pool is fine as is, but I can see how it might get crowded when the hotel is fuller.
In summary, this was a great trip with my family. We enjoyed all aspects of the resort, and I have no major watch outs with this place other than do the all inclusive package. It's a great place for families or couples to just get away, relax, and be waited on hand and foot. Book a trip here and you'll have a great time! Find Mr. Brown and have him cut you a fresh coconut to drink on the beach.
Thank you Ritz staff for making our vacation great! We'll be back!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
