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The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort: Traveller Reviews

5.0 of 5
1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Rose Hall, Jamaica
Hotel amenities
Ranked #5 of 5 hotels in Rose Hall
4.0 of 5 stars 808 Reviews
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Reviews from our community

What travellers say about this hotel
  • White witch(32)
  • Jerk Center(21)
  • Very nice(18)
  • Friendly and helpful(6)
  • All-inclusive package(6)
  • Would highly recommend(5)
  • Half Moon(4)
  • Ocean view room(3)
Traveller rating
    404
    201
    111
    60
    32
Only show reviews for Family (153) | Couples (248) | Business (51)
Date Rating
meninabella77
Los Angeles, CA
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews
19 helpful votes
“Jamaica No Problem?...Fuggetaboutit!”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 December 2009
2
people found this review helpful

Jamaica and The Ritz Carlton. The two should make you smile instantly, right? I mean, both are synonymous with warm people, genuine service and a good time....well if you are still on the fence on whether you should stay here or not, please read on.

Let me start with full disclosure. I booked a package thru Expedia and it was a steal. $700 Air/5 nights at the Ritz the week before Christmas. What's there to think about, right? I mean, it's the Ritz. I didn't even check tripadvisor (as I ALWAYS do) because of the name - Let's just say, I have learned my lesson.

Our group was comprised of 4 twenty/thirty somethings that were looking for relaxation and a little adventure. We arrived to the hotel after checking in at the airport and were greeted by a nice lady that escorted us to our very colorful and nicely appointed rooms. Because we knew that the hotel was empty (published rate that day was $167) we asked if they might upgrade us to an ocean view, but no such luck...instead we got was we ordered and still had a pretty good view of the nicely kept grounds. The room was a nice size and was decorated in bright colors that we liked. The bathroom was fantastic. Marble, Bvlgari products, Robes. We headed to the beach where we found lots of chairs, towel booths and a nice but very rocky beach - not the end of the world as it was still very nice. After that we headed to the Jerk Centre. Food was fantastic, in fact it was the best Jerk we ate after venturing out every day. The sides were pretty ridiculous though. We ordered plantains and literally 3 slivers of plantian and prices were $15 for order of jerk chicken, $3.50 per side and $10 drinks. The problem I had with the place wasn't the prices but the service. The waiter probably said 3 words to us outside of the ordering conversation - we thought this might be a fluke, so we head to the pool. We ask for help with adjusting a canopy, the response was the closest thing to an eyeroll possible, I was waiting for a sigh. Later at Mango's restaurant after ordering $150 worth of mediocre food (range $25-40 entrees), the waiter was incredibly cold and disinterested. I started to suspect that perhaps we were getting this treatment because we booked a bargain rate through expedia or something?? This happened over and over during our 6 days there....it ranged from, no eye contact when speaking to you and annoyed pool staff when we tried to order food, to bartenders that spoke Patois while preparing my drink while I stood there. At one point I had to stop the server and ask her if it was a problem for me to order from her. It was VERY disapointing. We began to think all Jamaicans were this way...until we did the smartest thing possible...hopped in a cab and left the property. Once we headed out we found great food ( full meals under $20), friendly people and much nicer beaches. The Hip Strip in Downtown MoBay has a good number of offerings The Pork Pit, The Pelican, The Jamaican Bobsled Cafe and Margaritaville (I know, I know, but its got a nice view and $6 drinks). We befriended a cabbie and booked him for a day trip to Negril for $150 and had an AMAZING day. We discovered that Negril was what were looking for all along....Idyllic powdered sugar beaches, friendly locals, walkability and a fun vibe. Once we experienced this we wondered why the Jamaicans at the Ritz were so unhappy.
The bottom line (IMHO) is that this Ritz is NOT for younger singles (or couples) that are looking for a fun time in Jamaica. At times I felt like I could have been at a stuffy hotel in Newport beach. There isn't much about this hotel that represents Jamaica...its very unfortunate. However, if you are a golfer, spa-addict, and/or have the budget to spend about $150 per day on meals and never plan to leave the property, than this could be for you, but I wouldn't personally recommend it to anyone.

Pros:
Nice Grounds
Nice Room/Bathrooms/Good products
Good food at Jerk Centre and Breakfast Buffet
Housekeeping - nice & efficient
Free Sailing/Kayaking

Cons:
Hit or miss service (my experience 70/30)
Incredibly expensive/mediocre food
No appealing activities on property
$20 cab ride in to town each way
Rocky Beach
You don't feel like you are in Jamaica

  • Stayed December 2009, travelled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Bama4Life
Atlanta
1 review
3 helpful votes
“Not the same Ritz I remembered”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 November 2009
3
people found this review helpful

We stayed at the Ritz over Thanksgiving holidays with our parents and 18 month old. My wife and I had our wedding here 4 years ago and because of how fabulous the experience was we had no doubt where we were staying this time. Well that Ritz must have moved down the beach because this place was not it! Service? 50% great/50% you got to be kidding me at these prices. Follow up on complaints? if they have a manager after 3 complaints you would think I know what they looked like or what therir name was. Roaches in a 5 star hotel? I'm not making this up and I wouldn't even be posting this if I wasn't so disappointed with how they handled it. 5 roaches, including one crawling in my sons crib. My wife was mortified. Then they basically fumigated our hotel room with our stuff still in it. Uhh, change our room maybe? Finally after "suggesting" they move us we got another room. No follow up, no is everything okay now. Service in the restaurants is horrible. Some front desk people had bad attitudes as well. The maids were super friendly and the concierge were great. But the food is overpriced and not that great. My wife is Jamaican and she was not impressed either. All in all we won't be back to the Ritz in Rose Hall again.

  • Stayed November 2009, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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HurdinT
New York City, New York
Reviewer
4 reviews
1 helpful vote
“Good Hotel”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 November 2009

I like the bed :) People are very friendly .........

Stayed November 2007, travelled on business
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Spock126
PA
2 reviews
6 helpful votes
“Great Time! Fantastic Service! Wonderful Staff!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 November 2009
2
people found this review helpful

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!

  • Stayed November 2009, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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josiewales
Toledo
Contributor
15 reviews
75 helpful votes
“Ritz-Carlton? Really?”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 November 2009
1
person found this review helpful

Ok never so disappointed in hotel; ever. The service was hit or miss, The food at the hotel sometimes ok; sometimes horrible. The pool was dirty. The room was average. Housekeeping was just average (we had turndown just one night; why just one night?). No shops except the "gift shop" which was poorly stocked. The spa was small and dirty (I did get a great massage though). Definitely needs some attention.

  • Stayed November 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort Also Known As

  • Ritz Carlton Jamaica
  • Ritz Carlton Hotel
  • Ritz Rose Hall
  • Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall
  • Ritz Carlton Montego Bay
  • Rose Hall Ritz-Carlton
  • Rose Hall Ritz
  • Ritz Carlton Rose Hall
Address: 1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Rose Hall, Jamaica

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