Sandals Royal Plantation Jamaica

My wife and I have been frequent travelers to Sandals Resorts over the years and we have been to the Royal Plantation numerous times. I'm happy to write that it is still our favorite. I believe, but I'm not positive, that the Royal Plantation is Sandals smallest property with about 74 rooms. It is a haven for people who want to rest and relax. There is no loud music, no one pesters you into beach & water games that you really do not want to participate in. The place is classy and quiet. If you would like some loud, over the top, type entertainment you can always take a trip over to Ochi which is pretty much right next door. Over the last few years, the Royal Plantation has undergone several renovations to the exterior stairways/walkways and the roof over the Terrace Restaurant. They have also renovated one of the rooms on the East side and it looks like they are currently in the process of renovating a room on the West Side. The staff at the Royal Plantation is tremendous. From the time you arrive until the time you leave, everyone if friendly and helpful. The General Manager, Mr. Arnold Nugent, runs a tight ship and keeps all of the staff on their toes. He is very approachable, and tells every guest he meets to let the staff know if there are any problems or if the staff can do anything to make your visit unforgettable. If your bed is too hard, you can request a bedtop to make it softer. If the bed is too soft, you can request a bedtop to make the bed harder. The resort Operations Manager, Julian, is also always visible around the property and she does an excellent job of interacting with the guests and staff to ensure that the guests are having a great time. Michael, the supervisor at the Terrace Restaurant also is a constant presence who ensures that everything is to the guest's liking. Servers, Barbara, Ornella, Sophia, Natasia and Odene are just a couple of the people working at the Terrace that go out of their way to make your breakfast, lunch & dinner a great experience. Try and eat at the Terrace when they hold Jamaica Night. You will get both great food and terrific entertainment. Jermaine, the Entertainment Manager does a great job coordinating all of the resort's entertainment. The man seems to be everywhere...lol. The entertainers at the Royal Plantation are typically accomplished musicians, and do a great job providing relaxing entertainment from 8pm until 10pm on the Terrace. After 10pm everything moves inside to the Wobbly Peacock Pub where they have a piano player and Karaoke. A special shout out to the Happy Smilers Mentos Band who provide musical entertainment at the Royal Grill a few afternoons a week, and on some select night at the Terrace. These gentlemen do a great job of providing culturally authentic Jamaican music. Other servers/workers that should be mentioned are Hushane from the Royal Grill (lunch & Dinner) and Simon & Carlos at Le Papillon, the French restaurant. Guests staying at thr Royal Plantation also have the ability to eat at the restaurants at the Sandals Ochi resort, next door. We always go to Kelly's Dockside and Kimonos at Ochi when we visit the Royal Plantation. Devern was our server at Kelly's and he was great. I am a scuba diver and I dive as many days as I can while I'm on vacation. The Dive Shop is located at Ochi and they typically run three dive trips a day. This makes it convenient to find the right time for yourself to dive. They also run private dives during the early morning hours, and a night dive. The regularly scheduled dives are included in the cost of your stay. There is a charge for the private dives and the night dive. There is a shuttle that goes back and forth from the Royal Plantation to Ochi. Make sure you consult the shuttle schedule posted by the front desk at the Royal Plantation for the pickup & departure times. Dive boat Captain Winston and dive masters/instructors Clayton, Londale, Ike and all the other do a great job providing you with fun & enjoyable dives. I have been scuba diving for over 35 years, and I am always impressed with their dedication to safety. Make sure you bring your Certification Card if you want to dive. If you do not scuba, there is always snorkeling or glass bottom boat trips if you want to get out into, or onto, the water. If you would like to treat your wife, or significant other, to a special treat then book a candle light dinner. It's a little expensive, but a very nice experience. Also, the Spa at the Royal Plantation provides a range of service to pamper yourself, your significant other or both of you. My wife loves the Hot Stone massage (this trip she had two) and we always have a couples massage on the afternoon before we head home. Finally, I have to mention the Butlers. The Royal Plantation is an all Butler Resort. We always request Neil Shand & Chase Laing. These two guys are great. I use them to set up all of our dinner reservations and to take care of anything that may pop-up during our stay. Then, there are the Beach Butlers. Unfortunately, I do not remember all of their names but Adrian and Danello as two of the mainstays on the beach. They will bring your drinks, you name it - they bring it, and food if you feel hungry. The Royal Plantation is not perfect, but the important thing is that they strive to be perfect. Take adavantage of that, and if something is not to your liking during your stay - make sure you tell them and give them an opportunity to make it right. Have a great vacation!

Beware: I am an over share-er and I am so lucky to be here now to celebrating our 4th anniversary and completing my Masters in Teaching! Arrived on Tuesday and had awesome congratulations decorations, attended the returner dinner with some of the first lobster (so very excited and the sauce, soup, salad, and dessert were AMAZING! And Julian was a lovely dinner companion) of the season, stopped at Wobbly, having a beach day, and purchased carvings on east beach! Shout out to Chadworth and Audell (our second time with this amazing butler team) and Barbara (works at Terrace and recognized us from last year right away! She really made us feel at home!). We are staying in Royal Monarch room which is perfect and we love tea! Wednesday: Gorgeous beach day! Floated in the ocean, calamari, Greek salad, and coconut shrimp from Royal Grill for lunch on the beach, a tea break at 4 followed by a surprise bubble bath from our wonderful butlers (Chadworth and Audell), and a French dinner at La Papillion. Can’t decide what to get? Don’t worry you can have multiple appetizers, a combo of entrees, and all the dessert you want! Like escargot, French onion soup, chateaubriand, lobster, and crepe brûlée. Or Camembert frit, scallops, and carre d’agneau. Thursday: All before noon! A morning tray of coffee, mimosas, rum cream, fruit, and pastries, reading on the beach, name that tune fun, breakfast with ackee and lobster or royal eggs Florentine, and beach lunch of Jamaican patties and lobster tails! Remember just because it is not on the menu doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask. 😁 Stopped by the spa for a lovely coffee wrap and deep tissue massage 💆 before dinner. We opted to go to Royal Grill and were the first to see the brand new dinner menus. Beautiful view, but I am extra sweet and require some bug deterrent here. 😜 The surf and turf was my favorite meal so far! Upstairs at Terrace, Thursday’s are Italian night with favorites like lasagna, ravioli, osso bucco, and more! Also got a shot of someone enjoying a candlelight dinner on the pier. Friday:I mentioned in our butler preferences that my hubby prefers gluten-free options and Chad brought him an awesome pizza that hubby can’t stop raving about! Tonight is Jamaican Night. All buffet with plenty of options, lobster, shrimp, and jerk pork on the action station, a hot bar with fish, goat curry, ox tail, jerk chicken, rice, soup, and more plus a cold buffet with salads, shrimp, and mussels. Lots of flavorful treats! We left early because even with my bug repellent patch I was getting eaten alive, but bugs find me extra delicious for some reason, so it may have just been a me thing, but we didn’t stay for the band and dancers. Loved the beautiful breakfast in room from this morning and the station in Terrace with nachos, popcorn, coffee, cookies, and ice cream! (We were a little early. Nacho fixin’s are set up around 11.) Room service, breakfast door hanger (you can even write stuff on), and Tea Terrace are great! Our awesome butlers (Chad and Audell) also wrote out a schedule of activities and wrote in reservations for us. Saturday: Plenty of fun to be had in the beach! It may be a breezy day, but there are still games and water sports everywhere. We took advantage of swings, hammocks, and floats. Of course the beach is also a lovely place to nap after a ham & cheese waffle from the lovely Barbara at Terrace. We even saw one of the resident kitties relaxing near the beach. Sunday: Who has the best butlers? We do! Thank you Chadworth and Audell for setting up this amazing in room sushi picnic! Andrew and I love sushi, but hate the noise of Sandals Ochi next door, so our wonderful butlers organized this delicious dinner for us in room and we couldn’t be happier. This is after they brought us afternoon snacks and a fabulous lunch on the beach. These gentlemen are the best!!! Monday: No Monday morning blues here! Enjoying all those little touches 🍒 that keep loyal Sandal-iers coming back year after year. From beautiful views of the beaches 🏖 at the chapel to a fully stocked bar at Royal Grill. From the complete event schedule for both Ochi and Royal Plantation in the nightly Footprints 👣 to the ever clean and cool bathroom 🚽 right off the east beach. It may be the bacon 🥓 and booze 🥂 that I am happily enjoying from my beachside bed or it could be the extra safety touches that ensure the perfect vacation, but Sandals has captured our hearts! ❤️ Lovely day of floating and food. Andrew even had some amazing gluten free bread and pasta thanks to Hushane at Royal Grill. Sadly we received our eviction notice, but not before witnessing a wedding on the pier. An amazing week is almost at its end. Thank you to Jason for the awesome bocce ball game.

Everything about this property was top notch - from the location, the vibe, the butlers, the service, absolutely everything was perfect! Special Big Up to Hector & Richard our butlers! If you are looking for a party, stay at Sandals Ochi Beach. If you are looking for a true vacation escape where you can relax, unplug, recharge and reset yourself look no further than Royal Plantation!