A family haven in the islands, The Renaissance Jamaica Grand
Written: Oct 28 '02 (Updated Oct 09 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good for families.
Cons: Not for couples only. Big complex. No intimate feeling.
The Bottom Line: The grounds, the food, the drinks, the games, and the total atmosphere made this a fun family vacation.
|
|
|
| popsrocks's Full Review: Renaissance Jamaica Grand |
My wife and I have been to Jamaica four times. This was the only time with the family. On this vacation we were with our four youngest children. We have five. They were nineteen, seventeen, twelve and ten at the time. It was a very good overall experience for all.
GETTING THERE
We flew Air Jamaica into Montego Bay from New York's JFK. That is how we have always flown. We got in, "No problem mon". After a short wait for luggage we hopped into the mini van that was slated to take us to the hotel. The two hour ride I dislike intensely. It is too long, winding, hilly and depressing looking at the half built shacks, vacant buildings, and very poor areas. I also get motion sickness as does one of my daughters so this is not a great memory. Transfers were included in the price.
We paid about two hundred fifty dollars per night, per room for two, and an additional one hundred twenty for any additional person in the room. We didn't have to pay for our youngest. Any one under twelve stays free. Our youngest was twelve er a no a I mean a er eleven that's right she was eleven. She was free.
POVERTY
There is great poverty on this island. You see it while on the road driving. My wife and I have been to Kingston a couple of times on missionary trips. We worked with the Missionaries of the Poor. It is a group of Brothers who have dedicated their lives to working with those who have the least in life. They are led by Father Ho Lung. He ministers through care and music. Elderly that have been dropped off by families who can no longer care for them, handicapped children and adults, mentally retarded, and those that are terminally ill, most with aids are in the five different sites in Kingston. The Jamaican people are a proud people but the poor have few resources. The brothers help as much as they can. It was an honor to work for the people with the brothers those weeks. But hey, wait. I'm supposed to be telling you about a hotel.
THE HOTEL
Once at the hotel you are taken to the huge open aired reception and lobby. It is quite an impressive way to enter. It's beautiful and inviting.
We waited in line for check in, about five minutes. We were given wrist bands. Kids get a different coloured one so they aren't supposed to be served alcohol on the complex. Kid's are considered as anyone under eighteen. That meant I had one guy who could legally be served there. You have to know your kids and trust them if you are to come here and let them enjoy themselves. By watching the bartenders at the Jamaica Me Crazy nightclub they certainly aren't watching what they are serving or how much.
BACKGROUND
We were taken to our rooms in the South Tower. Let me mention here a bit about the history of the hotel. This hotel is actually two properties that were bought out and made into one. One was the Mallards Beach hotel and the other was the Americana. There was a face lift, a kind of joining of the two through construction of a main pool between them and making the walks from one to the other more open. The fact is we never went to the North tower. If you look at the buildings you will see they are architectually very different.
On the way to the room you will pass the bar in the lobby of the South Tower. Here is where they consistently made the best drinks. They even dressed them up a bit here with fruit, umbrellas and the sort. There are about six or seven bars around the grounds. There was sometimes a wait to get a drink. Not terribly bad but I have been to other places that are much less crowded. It was slow mostly due to numbers there. The tenders were good and worked hard. I have to say up front that the help overall was very helpful and friendly.
OUR ROOM
Once in our room on the seventh floor, I believe this was a fourteen story building, I started to relax. Our room overlooked the front of the building and the beaches. I enjoyed sitting on our outside deck and watching the happenings below. The room was large. We were three in each room at the time. The last nights it was just my wife and I in the one and all the kids in the other. Please don't tell the management.
They were not adjoining rooms. We never look to get that close to the kids. We have, over the years wanted them to have a sense of freedom, to a point. We always agree to do certain things together and to sit down as a family once each day for a meal. They always know where we will be and we always know where they are and they must be together. It works out well and if this is good for your family then I believe this is the place for you.
The rooms had somewhat soft yet fairly comfortable beds. We had two queens in each. The decor was colourful, open and airy. The room had plenty of storage space. Even our kids room looked pretty neat with everything put away. The TV was on satellite reception. There was an iron and board in the closet. Each room had a coffee pot and coffee. Stock was refilled everyday. The bath had a good shower, plenty of pressure. Soaps, shampoos, and rinses were in the room. The younger kids wanted one as a souvenir. There were ample towels for all. The rooms though very clean were a bit tired looking but nothing really terrible to note. We were there almost three years ago. I would ask if they have had any kind of upgrade since. The air conditioning was not quite up to par. The maid service was good. Rooms were cleaned early each day.
THE GROUNDS
We all walked the grounds together getting a feel for the place. The main swimming area is quite impressive with it's Dunns River falls look. They actually have waterfalls flowing over a tower of rock formations. The kids loved this pool. It was open late into the night. There are no guards. If you have very young ones you must again be sure they know what and where their limits are.
There are two other pools on each side of the main one but a distance away. That is good. These pools are much quieter. In fact the pool by the South tower was empty most of the time. This is also a very quiet beach area. Few people walk over here. The beach is not as nice as the rest. It is closer to the open sea. It's sort of on the end of a peninsula. Some sand has washed away and it's harder on the feet to walk on the stones and rocks. There were plenty of open lounges here. The main pool was a kind of survival of the fittest to grab a chair.
There were a couple of places to get towels at the beach. They do an exchange bit so as to try to keep the towels from disappearing.
EATS
We were hungry when we first arrived so we went to the open Cafe Jamaica deli. It was perfect for a quick something to eat. This place was also open later at night so you could always get a burger, a good sandwich, or some local foods.
The hotel has a few different restaurants. They have one that is the L'Allegro, it served Italian. There was a long wait to get in. the Chinese restaurant was very good it is called the Dragon.
There were also huge buffets every morning, afternoon, and night. We were there in season and had a bit of a wait getting in but it wasn't too bad. They also set up buffets on the beach on two nights. It was lovely with big oil lamps for lighting etc. That was an interesting and fun experience. We were all together for those nights. The food at the Grande was good. I would not say it was great at any point at any restaurant, including the dinner restaurant. Sorry I don't remember the name. This was ok though. It was a family vacation. The food was good, plentiful, and fresh looking and fresh tasting. The kids loved being free to get what they wanted anytime they wanted!
I do want to mention. Any children going to a place like this must be trusted to behave well or else they should not be left alone or taken there in the first place. They need to be aware of where they are and that there are people around who's "space" must be respected. People pay a lot of money to sit and relax. They don't need screaming kids running around them when they are trying to relax on the beach or at the pool. At the same time I must say I don't recommend this as a beach for singles, or couples. It is not a romantic place. You can get out from the crowds but there are better places to go to than this for that. Get it. Got it. Good.
THINGS TO DO
What was fun for all of us was the games they had. There were always some kind of silly contests. Sometimes the kids were interested and sometimes they weren't. It was funny though. We would tell them "Let's go to the watermelon spitting contest at the pool at 11:30. They would say no. At 11:30 my wife and I would be there for the contest. Who would show up to watch and sometimes to play? Yes, the kids. Another thing is to be sure the kids have their own camera with plenty of film. We gave them one of our inexpensive ones and they had a ball. They loved showing us any of "their pictures" later. It also shows a different perspective of the hotel.
Every night they would have some kind of entertainment. It would be at Mallards or on the beach. They had different themes etc. We saw a great fire eater show, steel drums, and other entertainment. There was some excellent local talent that made the rounds at the hotel.
One night they took that quiet beach I was talking about earlier and transformed it into a hot spot and peddlers village! It was unbelievable how they did it. They started working early in the day building huts, bringing out tables and grills, and food etc. The whole outside perimeter was huts with local people selling goods. Inside that area were hundreds of tables. You just get a table, go on line get some food, eat, get up, go shopping, and then listen and dance to the live music. It was amazing!!! Everybody got into it. It was extremely crowded with people dancing and having a great time as we left. We enjoyed watching it all from our windows above later on into the night.
They have a small room with some video games etc for the kids but they kept themselves very busy in the pools, and water sports. None motorized pieces are included. They have paddle boats, small sunfish, and other things available. They would also take you out for snorkeling. This was not extra.
We rented Jet skis on the next door property. We let our two older children out on them and I took one of the younger ones while my wife took the other. It was great!! What I liked was that they had everyone ride them in huge circles in one direction. This was much safer. For those who like complete freedom on the skis, this is not the place. You are actually doing this on the area of water the hotel faces. It's sort of a bay. It's protected on three sides. You could also see huge cruise ships come in on the other side of the bay. The crowds from the ships never affected us at the hotel. On side trips they did. Ocho rios and Dunns river Falls were jammed with them when we went. Plan these things when ships aren't in. They can tell you at the desk.
OFF THE PROPERTY
We went shopping in Ocho Rios. It was a terrible experience. There is a limit to how much hustling and harassing I can take. I know this is the only livelihood for some of them but sorry, it's too much bother to me. We left the markets after a little bit of time. One thing I must say is that this was pretty much the first time I liked the idea of not having too much hair on my head. I didn't have too many people ask me to have my hair braided.
We also went to Dunns River Falls. This is just a few miles away. I will tell you of that experience another time. All I can say now is "You will Love it!! or You will Hate It." The beach at the bottom of them is beautiful!!
Aside from those two places that are very close you have to travel a bit to see most anything else. The drivers, roads, and vehicles available make this a non option for me. Also, I would not recommend renting a cart a driving around on your own. In fact I say "don't do it" It's really not safe there on the island unescorted.
Back at the hotel all is very safe and I have "no problems" Just a couple of things before I close out this review. They do have babysitting available. They will set up somebody for you to inteview. There is a Kid's Club. My kid's didn't go there. They stayed together pretty much.
There is a disco on the grounds. It was large with a great lighting and sound system. I know those things though my business. These were first class. My older two enjoyed hanging around there meeting other kids. There do seem to be few "local kids" there also. Just know your kids. I suppose like anywhere else kids can get into trouble. Mine didn't and I didn't see or hear anything that would tell me not to recommend this place. The music was loud, some kids and adults were dancing, and many of the kids were just "hangin".
I don't think I mention the continuous volley ball games, pool volley ball, aerobics in the pool, and many silly games going on through out the day. You can get involved or just relax.
They also have an area with a steam room, sauna, and exercise equipment. It was good but not tops. What was great were the massages they give at the place. These rooms near the lobby of the south tower. I loved it. I treated myself to one while my wife was sunning. It was a very good value!
I hope you enjoy yourself with the family. My kids always talk about this place and want to go back.
www.renaissancehotels.com
(876)974-2201
Other reviews in Jamaica and Carribean resorts
Jamaica, the Island
http://www.epinions.com/content_79715208836
Sandals Negril, Jamaica
http://www.epinions.com/content_78916914820
Renaissance Grand, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
http://www.epinions.com/content_79371210372
St John, Virgin Island
http://www.epinions.com/content_74383462020
Westin Resort, St John, US Virgin Islands
http://www.epinions.com/content_74150940292
Dominican Republic, Barcelo Bavero Resort
http://www.epinions.com/content_74779627140
Alegro Resort, Playacar, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_75575365252
Hotel Mayaland, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_77819317892
Key West, Florida
http://www.epinions.com/content_74431499908
New Orleans
http://www.epinions.com/content_76371365508
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.