Travel Date: February 28, 2025
UK Review Simply outstanding. I’ll try to be in-depth as possible with this review. We travelled as a couple at the beginning of February, from start to finish the service we received was nothing short of exceptional. So, let’s start at the transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival at MBJ...
UK Review Simply outstanding. I’ll try to be in-depth as possible with this review. We travelled as a couple at the beginning of February, from start to finish the service we received was nothing short of exceptional. So, let’s start at the transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival at MBJ airport, the process through immigration/passport control was seamless, I’m glad I didn’t book the Mobay lounge as from the plane touching down, to us reaching our hotel was less than an hour. This might have something to do with the time of year we travelled. Back to the transfers, once out of passport control, you will descend into what looks like a chaotic throng of people trying to usher all and sundry, we found our Virgin rep and within 10 minutes we were put on our transfer vehicle and being whisked off to our hotel. The Hotel: Upon arrival, the grounds were immaculate and the buildings looked the same on 1st impressions too. Check-in was hassle free, our room wasn’t quite ready, so it was a case of getting your bands and then off to sample the food, drink and surrounding areas. Nathaniel was on the front desk, and he was superb at explaining everything you needed to know about the hotel, we crossed paths many a time throughout our stay, and every time he excelled, more on the staff later. The Room: We were in “C” block, it looks like the newer of the 3 buildings and that again, was immaculate. We opted for an Ocean view suite, the room itself was perfect, very tidy, no missing tiles or paint peeling off the walls as I have read elsewhere on the Interweb. The bathroom was very well equipped, and the shower was fantastic. Certainly no complaints on the accommodation front. Pools: We didn’t frequent these areas. However, the main pool outside the reception area was very well kept and would be the pool you would want if you want a quieter area to chill. The pool by the rum runner is a tad more raucous, this is due to that most of the daily activities and entertainment are held around this area, plus it incorporates the swim up bar, if whooping and hollering Americans is your thing, then this is the area for you. Beach: This is where we spent every day, very quiet, clean, plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas to cater for your needs. Activities on the beach are available, would highly recommend the hobie cats, excellently skippered by C.T, all the members of the waters ports staff were exceptional. Kayaking will be sea condition dependant, again good fun. These activities are free, but a tip does go a long way, as when they’re not taking tourists out on the water, they are cleaning up the beach and bagging up any seaweed that gets washed up. The girls who work tirelessly walking up and down the beach collecting your drinks orders also deserve a mention, always polite and smiling, these also deserve to be tipped. Grounds: All garden areas are very well kept, walkways even and clean. There are a lot of steps to get to different levels, anyone with walking difficulties may struggle to get around. However, the staff will gladly get you a buggy to take you to any places you wish to go. Gym: I went a few times, the cardio area is well equipped and the weights rooms, all though limited, had enough for me to do my workout. One word of warning, there is no air con, even an early morning session (7am) got a tad warm. Bars and restaurants: I’m going to use the “exceptional” word again. The food is to die for and will cater for all needs. Let me start with “The Orchids”, this is where you will find your buffet breakfast and lunch, breakfast has your typical variety of foods with the added bonus of an egg station where fresh omelettes or fried eggs are cooked to order, there is bacon and sausages for those who crave a full English, no baked beans though. There’s the usual cold meats, cheeses, fruit, cereal and some local fayre if you care to indulge. For those who want something light for breakfast, the coffee shop next door (The Sugar Cane) does freshly baked pastries, the coconut muffins are heavenly. Still on The Orchids, a buffet style lunch is also served here, this ranges from pasta, local Jamaican dishes, pizza, curries etc. Again all well prepared and very tasty (curry was my go to dish most of the time) if you fancy something lighter then the 2 cafes have a selection of sandwiches and salads. The Fiery Pelican – Tex/Mex: Does what it says on the tin, honest good food. Burgers are lovely as are the Jerk wraps. Crickets bar: Less of a selection than other places, but again, the food was still tasty. Evening dining: Le Bouchon – Steakhouse: This does get busy, so if you want an early sitting, then I would suggest you start to queue around 5:45pm, the piano bar is virtually next door so you don’t have to wait with a thirst. The food in here was lovely, the service, as expected was outstanding, there is a buffet style starter and then your mains are cooked to order. Again, dependant on how busy the hotel is, this can feel quite a rushed place to eat as they want to cater for all. House wines are inclusive in your package, if you are wanting something different, then there is a wine list available, prices are by the bottle and quite expensive. Moonstone – Italian: Fantastico!!! This also gets busy, so if you want an early sitting, then I would suggest you start to queue around 5:45pm, the rum runner is only a stones throw away, so drinks while you is no problem. We visited 3 times over the course of our holiday, the food is….you guessed it, exceptional. The carpaccio of beef is exquisite as an appetiser. And a massive shout out to Terrence, the waiter who we were fortunate enough to have, this lad was a legend, mainly because he kept supplying me with G&T’s. Now this brings me onto the wine list, it’s not cheap, I ended up paying $66/£55 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio, it was a decent bottle, but not worth that money. Pierside – Asian: Booking required if you want the Hibachi grill experience, other seating is first come first served. Firstly, the Hibachi, very entertaining, you do get quite a lot of food and audience participation is recommended. As they take bookings for this – 6pm – 7:30pm & 9pm, your dining experience can feel rushed as they need to get all bookings in. The walk-in side of the restaurant is a more relaxed affair, and to be honest, I preferred the food in here rather than on the Hibachi. A nice selection of appetisers, starters and mains to suit most palettes. Waves – International: As the saying goes, save the best to last. All I can say about the food was WOW! We ate here 5/6 times and pretty much completed the menu, as with the steakhouse, this does get busy, so if you want an early sitting, then I would suggest you start to queue around 5:45pm, the piano bar is next door so you don’t have to wait with a thirst. What made this eatery standout more than the other, apart from the food was our gorgeous waitress, Kristina. She had a smile that would light up the darkest room and such a bubbly personality. She made us feel so welcome and even on our day of departure, she came running out of the restaurant to bid us farewell. If you are lucky enough to get her as your waitress, then give her a decent tip. Bars: Christ, where do I start on this? The lobby bar: During the day, this was manned mainly by Sanjae, great guy, very funny, will make you any cocktail you want. In the evening……..Gary! (If you’ve watched only fools and horses, you will get the joke, as does he) Gary is a legend, within 2 days he knew our drinks order and would regularly keep us topped up without asking. However, if he tells you he was born in 1951, take it with a pinch of salt, along with his rookie barman routine. If you tip him, the shots get bigger and usually the premium stuff comes out too. The Rum Runner: Kerrol during the day was an absolute gentleman, always smiling, always joking and always polite, what this boy doesn’t know about cocktail making just isn’t worth knowing, a font of alcoholic knowledge. My man Richard in the evening was another who sussed out our drinking habits very early, sometimes before even reaching the bar, the drinks were poured and waiting. Crickets Bar: Oneill was on during most of our stay, another top bloke, always chatty and friendly. Staff: From the cleaners, to the gardeners, to the ones you bump into every day, like the waiting staff, bar staff, pool boys, towel boys, water sports boys, the concierge. Every single one of them made you feel welcome, you were always greeted with a smile, a hello, a fist bump etc. This is what made the holiday for me, the staff. Without them, the hotel would be nothing. Another shout out to Damian on the water sports team, after meeting him on day 1, he remembered our names and would chat to us on a daily basis, he even made the effort to find us on our last day to wish us safe travels. Activities: During the day. On the beach, there are the water sport activities, as I said earlier, these are free but the guys are appreciative of a tip and in my eyes, deservedly so. There’s a table tennis table and volley ball if you’re feeling a bit more energetic. At the Rum runner pool, there’s water aerobics, water volley ball and a whole array of activities, you will usually find families with children up this end as there is also a water/splash park situated just over the road. Night time: On the main stage, next to the Fiery Pelican, they put on a nightly show, the Michael Jackson experience was very good, as was the story of music originating from Jamaica (Ska is my bag) In the lobby bar, there is also a pianist that plays from 10pm to 11pm. Again, very good. Trips/Excursions: The hotel taxi prices are very expensive, a trip to Dr’s cave beach (more on that later) cost $80 return, bearing in mind it is only a 15 minute (maximum) journey, I found this very expensive, there is a price list outside reception which gives you costs to take you to different places around the island and some of these are eye wateringly expensive. One suggestion I would offer, would be for the hotel to review their prices so as to increase their footfall of people wanting to take trips out. Speaking to one of the drivers, Patrick (another legend) he says that some days they don’t get any fare paying passengers, this is probably due to the prices they charge. Dr’s Cave Beach: $80 to get there $37 for entry, sunbed hire and umbrella. Food and drink is expensive when you’re in there (captive audience) it isn’t a 7 mile beach, probably more like 400m and then it’s cordoned off to the surrounding hotels. We arrived around 08:30am, the beach was quiet, very few people and was very relaxing, this was soon shattered by 10:30am. I think we were unlucky when we went as there was a cruise ship that had docked and that must have been part of their planned excursion, the beach soon filled up and became unbearable, we left at 12:30pm Would I recommend? In a word, No! If there’s a way of checking as and when the cruise ships arrive, then that may be the deciding factor as to whether or not you want a day at a different beach. We decided to walk down “hip strip”, it’s your usual strip of shops if you’re looking for souvenirs, you don’t get hassled by the shop staff to go into the shop, they are quite chilled. Summary: Hotel – 9.5/10 Activities – 9/10 Staff – 11/10 A couple of improvements, maybe review the prices of the hotel taxis, the pricing certainly put me off wanting to go out venturing. Have an ATM on site, rather than having to visit the Hyatt next door, which unfortunately was out of order for the last 2 days of our holiday. Overall, probably one of the most chilled holidays I have had, perfect destination and as I said many times before, the friendliness of the staff was exceptional. Thank you to everyone at the Jewel Grande who made our visit so memorable.
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