5 Star Royal treatment at the Royalton Blue Waters Jamaica
We were supposed to vacation in Turks and Caicos but because of hurricane Irma we had to change our plans at the last minute 2 days prior to us leaving. I’ve never booked anything through a third party before but after checking the website and comparing the prices with bookit.com we decided to book our room through bookit for a cheaper rate.
Transportation- After reading reviews online, we decided to book private transportation with “Major 1 Tours Jamaica“. We went on his Facebook page and sent a fb message to the owner Derron and booked with him directly. The total was $100.00 usd round-trip, cash only at time of drop off. We gave him our flight information and after picking up our luggage and clearing custom we walked directly outdoors and there he was holding a sign with my name on it. Once inside his van he quickly gave us the passcode to the free wifi and a cold drink. The ride to the hotel was pleasant and he told us all about different landmarks, tours and hotels. Major 1 tours also book group and private transportation and tours.
Arrival/ Check – When we arrived at Royalton Blue Waters we were greeted at the front door with smiles and Welcome home!! We was then taken to a separate check in areas for Diamond club guest. In the diamond club they offer you cocktails and snacks. I filled out the required paperwork while sipping on a glass of champagne. We were given our wristbands which also was the key to open the door. I wish all resorts did this because we spend a fair amount of time searching for our room key. We were then introduced to one of our butlers, Julio who we called by his middle name Saint.
Butlers– We were assigned two butlers and given a cell phone to contact them. The butlers check on you all the time and make all of your dinner and other reservations. They meet you each night and walk you to dinner My husband and our butler even surprised me for my birthday and set up a private cabana with a personal pool and decorated it with balloons and champagne. He even stopped at the store and purchased the items to decorate the cabana. It was such as nice touch and I was very surprised.
Room/Suite- When I purchased my room on Bookit.com I mentioned that I would be celebrating my birthday. Because the hotel was not full I was upgraded for free to the 2 bedroom Presidential suite without even asking.
The suite was huge with 2 entrances, 3 full bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 walk in closets, 3 balconies, 3 whirlpools, 1 full refrigerator and 3 mini refrigerators, 3 flat-screen tvs and much more. All the fridges are stocked with drinks. You get premium liquor and whatever wine champagne and drinks you want in your room.
When the butler opened the blinds with the remote control it nearly took my breath away. The view is of the entire resort along with the ocean. The main balcony is very large. The room was so gorgeous I almost didn’t want to leave the suite.
Resort: The resort has two sides the Blue Water and White Water. The Bluewater is the side that we stayed on and is newer. The white water side was refurbished. It used to be Breezes Starfish,Trelawny which we stayed there twice when my daughter was younger. The resort has everything you need and is nicely decorated. It is a little warm in the common/lobby area with no air conditioner and the elevator is slow and hot. The last day we found another elevator down the hall to use that was faster. There is a lazy river which was the best part to me. We walked past the kids area which is a hugs water park with a large water slide. The swim up bar is where people hang out, drink, listen to music and have lots of fun. It can get loud at times so if that’s not your scene you can go to the quieter pool. There’s also cabanas with private pools to rent for the day.
Beach:
The beach is clean, the sand is soft and the sea is a beautiful blue. There were plenty of chairs with umbrellas to choose from. The towel hut is close by the beach chairs. The Diamond club has their own section on the beach along with a separate beach restaurant and bar. You also have sunbeds and chairs with a separate area with towels. You are allowed to hang out at the whitewater side also. There is beachside service where servers will bring you drinks and jerk chicken on the beach so you don’t even have to get up. The jerk grill is on the beach and is in the middle of both hotels and they grill the delicious jerk chicken, jerk pork, with spicy hot jerk sauce. The peas and rice is also good there. Diamond club has there own food which serves jerk, beef patties and other dishes if you don’t want to go to the jerk grill.
Bars/ Every bar that I went to the bartenders was very friendly. I liked the service especially at the swim up bar, the diamond club beach bar and the bar in the lobby. I did not encounter one bad attitude and everyone had a smile on their face.
Activities: There are many activities to choose from. Some activities are included and some you will have to pay an additional cost. The non motorized equipment is included for guests like paddle boats. They provide the life jackets. We paid $40 usd for a 40 minute sailing with JoJo. It was a beautiful day with calm waters so it was very nice and peaceful. JoJo was very friendly and engaging with us. He was also our personal photographer.
Dining:
Buffet- There is a separate seating area for Diamond club guest at the buffet. The buffet has a variety of choices especially Jamaican dishes. They have different theme nights. We went on the Seafood night which they had a ceviche station, king crab legs, several different types of fish and seafood along with the traditional Jamaican cuisine which I loved. The food is delicious.
Specialty Restaurants- There are several specialty restaurant to choose from but you have to make reservations. Our butler did that for us. We only ate at two because we liked the buffet.
Steak house- We dined at the Steak Restaurant which I ordered the crab cakes for apps and the fish and chips for my main course. They serve really small mini portions which was perfect for me. My husband has a huge appetite so he ordered two steaks which they both came out perfectly prepared. If the serving aren’t big enough for you, you can always order 2 or ask for more. This is an all inclusive so you prepaid in advance to eat and drink as much as you want. Everything that we ordered at the Steakhouse was delicious and prepared well.
Japanese hibachi restaurant- It was extremely hot in the restaurant. I was sweating profusely when we dined there. Our server advised the AC was not working but I’m not sure if they ever had AC. The guys presenting the food sang through preparation and the food was okay, nothing different from any other hibachi if you like that type of food.
In room dining was included- We ordered room service for breakfast each morning. You can order directly on the tv or you can call in your order. If you know you want this service there is an option to order ahead and let them know what time to deliver. Room service is 24 hrs a day. Delivery usually take 40-60 minutes. It came up hot, fast and prepared as we asked.
Coffee shop- The Cafe coffee shop is open 24 hrs a day. This is where you can get a variety of blends of the delicious Blue Mountain coffee, lattes and cappuccinos. Pastries and ice-cream are also served there. The rum raisin ice cream was my favorite. The coconut balls are a must try but get them while they last they go really fast. For an after dinner dessert try the coffee crimicide, which is Espresso coffee and vanilla ice cream so yummy!!
Sports Bar- The sports bar is open until 2 am and serve bar food like wings and fries and of course drinks.
Service can be a little slow at times in all of the restaurants, but you’re on island time. We need to learn to relax and live in the moment. You’re on vacation you can go back to your hectic fast paced life when your vacation is over.
Entertainment: Each night there’s different entertainment at 9pm. On Thursday night at 7pm was Caribbean night. They decorated with the Jamaica colors along with posters of the National Heros. They served all authentic Jamaican Cuisines. The oxtails, peas and rice and fish was some of my favorites just to name a few. I tried some new dishes that I’ve never tasted before. The food was delicious don’t miss out on this if you are at the resort on this night. The dancers and singers told the history of the country through song and dance.
Friday was tribute to Bob Marley night. They had a live band and the singer did an awesome job singing all Bob Marley songs that we know and love.
Spa-The spa was nicely decorated. I loved the relaxation room. It had the most comfortable chairs to relax in before and after your treatment. The only bad part was the hydrotherapy tubs or the steam rooms was not working. So I just sat out in one ot the lounge chairs and relaxed. My appointment was Friday at 8am and was a perfect time to get massage on the beach while it was still cool and quiet. The beach massage with Celia was amazing. I never wanted it to be over so much so I booked another appointment for Sunday right before I checked out. This time it was indoors and Celia included a body scrub for free. Celia was wonderful as she worked her magic and hit all the pressure points needed for me to unwind and relax. When I left the spa my skin felt like a baby and I was walking light and relaxed.
Overall- Although everyone experience will be different, I can assure you that I only encountered first class 5 star treatment while I was here which made my vacation/birthday the best I’ve ever had. Every employee that I came in contact with acknowledged me with a hello and a smile. I will return soon and I will continue to rave about this resort to my family and friends.
Recommendation: This is only my recommendation/ observation to the hotel owners or managers. This is a beautiful new resort. In order to keep it up and keep the 5 star rating, you have to stay on top of it. There should be a team that should be either washing down walls in all the hallways and elevators each day or even paint them. Although everywhere I went everything was clean as far as the pools and the restaurants but the walls leading to the suite that I stayed in could be washed down along with the walls in the buffet restaurant. White walls get dirty really fast so each day someone should be scrubbing them down. Other than that keep up the good work. Keep treating your employees great because that will reflect on the service that they provide to your guests.
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