I’m a bit late with this review, as I stayed with my husband
and two children (five and eight) in February, but we had an amazing time, and
I really couldn’t fault anything!
The staff were all brilliant. With the exception of one lady
at reception, everyone was friendly, chatty and helpful. Contrary to what I’ve
read in other reviews, we never felt under pressure to tip. We usually did tip
anyway (I’d advise non-Americans to change up a bunch of $1 and $2 notes before
you visit, for this purpose) but didn’t feel that the service was any different
on those occasions when we didn’t.
The room was great. Fairly standard for a Hilton, and not
very ‘Jamaican’ but it was clean and comfortable, with toiletries, TV, safe and
iPod player. It had a fridge, which was replenished everyday with bottles of
still mineral water. We had a decent-sized balcony with beautiful views over
the pool and the sea. It was a ‘partial-sea view’ room, and it certainly wouldn’t
be worth paying for the full view, as ours was just fine! No lights on the
balcony if you want to sit outside at night, but we used one of the lights from
the room and could see perfectly. I’ve read lots of reviews complaining about
the noise from the entertainment, but I really didn’t see the problem. It was
fairly loud if you were on the balcony or had the door open, but if you were
inside with the door shut, it was quiet (and the children were able to sleep
through it). We went to bed fairly early (never quite got over the jet lag!)
and it was always finished before we went to bed.
The cleaning was of a good standard throughout. Our lovely
maid Jacinta made towel sculptures every day and left us little notes.
Everywhere was clean, and you often saw staff walking around collecting litter.
Yes, you occasionally saw cups around the pool that hadn’t been collected
because they’d been left in stupid places – this reflects more on the guests
than the hotel.
The food was delicious! We ate almost exclusively in Fresh,
the buffet – the food was so good, we kept coming back, there was lots of
choice, and I like the way a buffet gives you the chance to try different foods
(especially good for children!). There was a theme every night, and there was
always plenty to choose from, including Jamaican specialities and a kids’ buffet.
There were lots of fresh tropical fruit available, and a good selection of
juices and non-alcoholic drinks as well as alcoholic. The breakfasts were
amazing – as well as the usual cooked and continental breakfast fare, there
were omelettes, pancakes, waffles and French toast cooked to order, as well as
a variety of fresh smoothies and some traditional Jamaican breakfast dishes. We
didn’t eat at either of the a la carte restaurants (Luna Di Mare – Italian –
and Three Palms – Jamaican) – we did make reservations but we couldn’t get them
until 9pm, and we soon realised this was too late for the children (and us –
jet lag again!) so we cancelled. If you would like to eat at these restaurants,
it’s worth booking as soon as you arrive. We didn’t eat at the Seaside Grill
either (just didn’t get around to it), but we had some lighter lunches at
Mangoes a couple of times, which were very nice. They also had an al-fresco
barbecue restaurant set up near the beach/pool while we were there.
The pool was great. There’s a traditional rectangular pool
in front of the main building, where aqua-aerobics and other activities take
place, and then there is also the waterpark. This makes it sound grander than
it is, but there was enough to keep us happy – one big slide, on which you need
to go down on an inner tube, and three shorter slides (no tube needed), joined
together with little pools. There were height limits, but these didn’t seem to
be implemented on the smaller slides, although the lifeguards were always very
attentive. There is also the lazy river to float around on a tube, as well as a
swim-up bar (the smoothies/slushies are to die for). It wasn’t always easy to
find a free tube, but we always managed it if we looked hard enough! Same story
with sunbeds – there were the usual reservation issues but we usually managed
to find sunbeds somewhere, and the staff were good at helping with this.
As other people have mentioned, the beach isn’t the best in
Jamaica, but it’s okay. There is an adults-only beach towards the left, which
was always very quiet, and the right end is more crowded. Again – we always
managed to find a sunbed in the end! The sea was lovely and warm, and there’s
an area roped off for safe swimming, but it was too sandy to be able to
snorkel. We did sign up for a snorkelling trip, but the sea was too rough for
that or the glass-bottomed boat, which was a real pity. We did have a go at
kayaking, though, which was fun and free! There was also the opportunity to go
sailing (also free), but we didn’t try it.
Other activities included tennis, paddle board (like table
tennis), corn toss and giant chess. There were various things organised by the
animation team too, for adults and families, like dance lessons. There were
books and board games to borrow from the towel hut. There was a children’s play
area and a kids’ club, which our boys went to on several occasions. They had a
great time, and did all sorts of things. This was also free, but there was a
small charge for some of the craft activities where they got to take something
home. The evening entertainment was relatively samey – a band and/or singer,
usually playing/singing reggae – but it was enjoyable and laid-back and helped
you feel you were in Jamaica and not somewhere else in the Caribbean. They had
occasional other acts and activities too, like the hermit crab racing, which
was good fun. There is an area near reception where you can get free WiFi, although
you have to re-register every day and it is quite slow. There is a golf course
on one side of the hotel, which is nice for a walk around even if you don’t
play golf. We didn’t leave the hotel except for a visit to the nearby Rose Hall
Great House, which is worth a trip – the hotel has a free shuttle bus that
takes you there. The bus also takes you to a nearby shopping centre, but I can’t
comment on this!
The thing that really made my holiday special was the extras. It was
my birthday at the beginning of the holiday, and our maid obviously saw my
birthday cards, as she made me a beautiful towel heart on the bed with a happy
birthday note. My husband also mentioned it when he made our restaurant
reservations – they then brought me out a special pudding at lunchtime with
candles and my name, and sang happy birthday. When we returned to the room
later, they had sent up a bottle of champagne and a personalised card – these little
touches really made the holiday for me.
All in all, we had an amazing time, the only downside being
that we only had a week and it wasn’t nearly long enough!
