We spent a week at Royal Plantation in April. We visited with another couple, who had been there previously. We travel at least 2-3 time a year to all-inclusive vacation destinations in the Caribbean. I can honestly say the service at Royal Plantation is top notch. It starts with the butler service (Gladstone & Sherril), to the other butlers for our friends (Adrian & Alrick). They were wonderful! Always reaching out for any reservations, needs, or any way they could make the stay more accommodating. I will thank more people individually as we go, but the biggest props go to the General Manager, Omar Robinson. Out of all the resorts we have ever attended, I have never seen an employee who knew every attendee by name. He was involved in the daily activities, and I cannot express enough how much we appreciated his attention to our daily activities. This alone made this resort rise above any previous destination, and Sandals Royal Plantation should never let him leave.
The resort itself is very quiet. It has a small pool, and a hot tub/spa. The beach is small, but very beautiful. The rooms and the views are gorgeous. Spend time at the eatery down by the ocean, or at the Tipsy Peacock for cocktails. The service is unmatched. I know I will forget names, but everyone was pleasant and always trying to make your vacation the best possible. Jlee was always very attentive as a server and Garnet was a great bartender!
We played golf at Upton Estate Country Club a few times. The course is beautiful, and hilly. The caddie service was a first for us, but Zandre was awesome. Piece of advice, stay in the fairway.
You also have access to two resorts Ochi Beach Club, and the Great House Estate, up the hill. You have transfers every hour from Royal Plantation to each, and every ten minutes between the two provided by iHop. It makes it very easy to attend the various restaurants and pools. The transfer drivers, shout out to Omar in particular, and Winston as well, were wonderful and entertaining. Ochi closer to the beach has a smaller pool with a swim up bar. The beach by the bar is rocky, with a lot of broken sea shells. Not easy on the feet. They had a convention that week, so it was pretty tame. The swim up pool/bar at the resort up the hill has a very lively atmosphere, and we enjoyed that each day. This is your typical resort swim-up bar, where Johnoi served some great icebergs. Entertainment team and music made it a very entertaining atmosphere. The Jerk Schack is worth attending every day, which we did.
We are scuba divers, and the one knock on the resort, the dive shop was not the best. We checked in, were told "all good." Then on the boat, we were told we did not check in. I spoke with the same person I checked in with, to get the sheepish look of "my fault." Before that, the same person told our friends we did not check in. The next day we booked two dives. Before we left, we checked in for two dives for the following day and were told "all good". The next day, when checking in for the second dive, we were told we had not signed up for that dive. Thankfully, there were openings. Unfortunately, this all occurred with one dive shop operative. Divers understand there will be a dive briefing, guide, and expectations. It was very relaxed, and people missed the briefing, did not have dive buddies, and who was the lead guide was a question mark on almost every dive. We are experienced divers, so we're all good, but stating, "If you don't have a dive buddy, were all family, so watch out for each other" is not a safe practice.
The teppanyaki, and Soy restaurants were excellent. Shout out to Rafiki and Jeffrey at Soy. The seafood restaurant down by the water was a WOW, and the Red Snapper is a must have for seafood lovers. A neat evening spot is The Rabbit Hole. It's a speak easy at the Ochi. Very cool old school spot to enjoy some music and a cocktail. The atmosphere is worth the stop, even if you are not a big drinker. All of the bars and bartenders were very accommodating.
We have used TripGuy Travel for over twenty years. For anyone looking for feedback, input, or peace of mind when booking, I would highly recommend their service. Mitch Toren has been our point of contact for years, and his staff, Laurie (and too many to name) have been wonderful.
We did a private shuttle back to the airport through Reggae Tours, booked by Mitch at TripGuy. We have used this service multiple times in Jamaica, and we have never been disappointed. They are professional, courteous, and it was like a tour guide through Jamaica.
The bottom line: This is a beautiful resort with some of the best service we have ever encountered. It is a quiet resort, but the access to the other two resorts give you several options during the stay.