More about Rooms On The Beach
LOVED Rooms on the Beach!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
A group of 8 stayed at Rooms over the Easter holiday week. I have traveled quite alot, but had never been to Jamaica. Along with others, I was a little concerned about some of the negative reviews of Rooms and the fact that the price was VERY reasonable. I tried to prepare myself and my children that we probably would be disappointed, compared to where they are used to staying. I WAS WRONG! Rooms is fabulous! Yes, there are minor problems (very quirky shower) but the friendly staff make up for any of the hotel's shortcomings.
The location is perfect, with a lovely, large beach. Yes, there are cruise ships that come in and obscure the view quite often, but they are gone by late afternoon. I had noticed this was a complaint that many people had, but if the ships were not there, you would be looking at a flat expanse of ocean. We enjoyed watching the ships come and go. By no means did they cover your entire view.
There is a public beach adjacent to Rooms' beach. Since we were there during Easter, many of the Jamaican people were also on holiday spending time at the public beach. This added much to our vacation and the Jamaican people were very respectful to not "take over" the beach. My youngest had a ball playing with the local children, but Rooms security made certain that the hotel guests were never bothered by anything or anyone. Security was a major concern for me, and I was impressed by the constant patrol on the beach and entire hotel premises.
We only ate at the hotel once so I am not a good judge of their food. The one meal we had was fine and the price seemed reasonable. We walked to dinner at one of the neighboring restaurants nightly and were amazed at the variety that we found. I found the prices to be a little costly, but it's vacation. If you don't want a sit down meal, there is a Burger King within walking distance, as well as Mother's (burger place). Also, Mr. Humphrey's is to the left of the Rooms entrance and they have good pizza (with the kids with, we needed some fast food).
The staff was wonderful! They were very friendly and so eager to please. To be honest, I did get a little frustrated with trying to call the front desk (no answer often) but if you walked to the desk, they did everything they could to help. Not once, was a staff member cross or rude. I found my children calling them by name and Ricardo, the bartender, (after his work hours) taught my daughter to play dominoes! Of all the islands in the Caribbean that I have been to, the Jamaican people were by far the nicest.
Because it was not all inclusive, it made you venture out into the city of Ocho Rios. This was a definite plus because we learned alot more about Jamaica. If you don't ever have to leave the resort, you don't see much of local people or customs. We experienced the real Jamaica, in my opinion.
All in all, our stay at Rooms was perfect. Do not be frightened by any negative reviews. I am a very particular person (I'm told) and I was completely satisfied. The hotel is clean, the staff is great and it's in a prime location. We are already planning another trip!
very nice at rooms on the beach
by TripAdvisor Member orangecountymom
Three generations took a week to stay at Rooms on the Beach Hotel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The hotel was very pretty, sitting right on the beach, with a open-air dining room and pool overlooking the beach, as did our room. In fact, we were so close we could step out our sliding door to a small patio and reach the pool. The food was adequate, moderately priced. There is no room service.
Our main problem was booking the trip with Expedia and Delta airlines. We were not given a shuttle ticket from the airport in Montego Bay to the hotel, which is about a 2 hour ride, and we paid extra for that. We had to buy our tickets twice and have not yet been reimbursed because Expedia sent paper tickets to my daughter's apt via UPS, who left them on the front step!! We never got them, and no one is taking responsibility.
The weather was beautiful in February. The hotel was within walking distance of the town, but there was a lot of soliciting when you walk around and I wouldn't feel safe at night.
First time in Jamaica; had a great time
by A TripAdvisor Member
Yes, it's true the shower was quirky but I had read that on the reviews and used caution. The hotel was clean, the staff courteous, the 25% added to the food bill is very common in Jamiaca. Most places we ate (with the exception of Marqueritaville) added 15% tax for the government and 10% gratuity that is shared with staff (cook, dishwasher, waiter, owner). Find the cab driver named Kevin. Great young man. We learned a lot from him and I felt he was very honest. I was not at all nervous walking around at night as long as I wasn't alone. I soon came to realize that approaching tourists is a way of life for many Jamaican's. They took no for an answer very well in most cases. If the staff was "crabby" I soon realized that I saw the same staff people for the entire seven days from early morning until late at night. The people at Rooms work long, hard days and I guess I might get crabby sometimes too; although I never had anyone be anything but pleasant. We met couples, families with young kids, older kids, some spring breakers....everyone was great. I have nothing else to compare it to but I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend this hotel to the budget minded traveler. The jerk chicken is great in Jamaica. We even had a Jerk chicken pizza one night from Mr. Humphreys. It was very good. The beach was clean, I actually enjoyed seeing the different cruise ships come each day. Unlike some others, I felt shopping on the days the cruise ships were in was better because there are too many people around and it was easier to look around without being "hounded." Daily our kids were approached to buy marijuana but said no thanks and the response was that's okay mon! Respect! Good time. I would go back.
wonderful hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed for one week, from March 9th-16th. It was a GREAT location, well guarded, but not stuffy. I would advise family against a poolside room, since younger visitors like to hang out poolside late into the night. The staff take some time to warm up to, but by the time I left I was very sad to know I wouldn't see them the next morning. The hotel is directly attached to a great beach area, and the pool is quite sufficient if you are a pool person. The food at the hotel restaurant was good and the rooms were nice and clean. The showers went hot-cold once in a while, but I would definately recommmend this hotel to anyone who wants to be able to access the city and enjoy local flavor. The hotel also hosts a fun pool party on Fridays with great DJ's!
good for the price
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at the Rooms for 4 days. The hotel was very clean, comfortable, safe and the staff was freindly. The beach is clean & plenty of chairs to relax. Compared to the cost of several other hotels in the area you can not beat the price. If you are on a budget or just want to relax without "the frills" of a larger hotel this would do. The food was ok, not a big selection. The downside of the hotel is the cruise ships block your veiw, our cable didn't work and we did have a few surges of hot & cold water in the shower. According to the wait staff the hotel keeps all tips & are paid $65.00 every 2 weeks. Although the hotel charges American prices for their food they do not help the economy by paying their help a fair wage. Rest up if your going to town. You will be hassled EVERY step to buy drugs or crafts or a taxi. The Italian rest. on the hill was great! The drive from the airport is very long and the roads are terrible. Of course going to your hotel they stop at the tourist trap. Candy bars that cost us $ .44 are $1.50 and canned soda is $2.00. The farmers market in town is really scarey. So, the hotel was good, but not my choice of a return visit because of the surrounding environment.
I loved It!!! yeh mon!
by A TripAdvisor Member
Well i stayed in Rooms for about a week with my friend. And it was great! there was nothing to worry about the A/C worked fine so did the cable, the showers had a little problem but u had to adjust it cause it will get hot and cold. The breakfast was good sometimes the coffee machine wouldn't work put there's aways some OJ. the locals were very nice and we got great deals from a guy who works on the beach named Luke he takes pictures but if ur cool with him he'll take to you places. I went to Dunn's River in where i can climb up a waterfall of course if u go with the hotel it's more expensive and the water there makes you 5 years younger! and i Also went to see Bob Marley's resting place for nearly half the price! so u should really look for this guy Luke. oh yes u must try Jerk chicken it's like BQQ and some spicy things but it's good. Oh and yes i did go to Burger king a lot and it really hit's the spot and since it's so hot you won't get so hungry....so you should exchange some of your money into jamaican money it's really not that hard to understand. Oh and yes people wil hassel you but you should say nah mon we're strait but do it with a smile and they go away but they always say yeh mon so just say yeh mon back lol. Oh and if you go to the market place where they sell theres little stuff that say Jamaica ...well there whatever price they say you say half the price. like small little things should be a dollar and if they say no then u just walk away and then they will take the price you wanted so just bargain around. And yes the water was so clean i never saw any critters like roaches anywhere not even in the street. The only bad thing i found that you must bring your own shampoo and conditioner which i did. And the ride from the Air port to the hotel is about 2 hours yea not 10 mins...but it does go by fast since the view is so beautiful. Oh and if you want to go at night go to Margaritaville it very nice it has a beach/ pool/ bar and dance floor and it's located in a mall just ask front desk cause i can't remember the name. well i hope you'll have a great time cause i know i did and i would go again and for the price it was good.....and everything was in good condition the hotel.
I am going back to Rooms in June!
by TripAdvisor Member ashley080202
We stayed at rooms the first week of April and loved it! The food was good, the staff was good and the rooms were clean and everything worked great! The cable went out one night for about 30 minutes but it was storming, no different then cable at home. I don't like the 'all-inclusive' resort type hotels, this is more comfy and relaxing. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a relaxing vacation. The hotel is close to everything, from shopping, food, recreation, and night clubs.
enjoyed my stay
by TripAdvisor Member mplewis876
Rooms on the beach is above average when you consider the price of the rooms. My suggestion is to carry a set of towels if you love fresh towels everyday. The location is of the hotel is in the heart of Ocho Rios. When preparing to go to this hotel, ask for Ricardo. He is excellent and will carry you to different sites fir ideal rates. In fact, it is good to have a telephone number and an idea of what to expect Ricardo is the man, and his number is (876)406-0278 .
Nice Rooms/Poor Quality Food
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I came to Rooms on the Beach to visit family in the Ocho Rios area. We were treated well on arrival and the Management changed rooms for us twice. Once because we were to have a beach view and didn't and again because we couldn't get the safe to work. The rooms are all clean and roomy.
We usually enjoy eating at the same hotel that we are staying at for convenience however we found a number of items on the menu were not available. My wife is Jamaican and accustomed to the food as she worked in the hotel business in Jamaica until we married and she moved to Canada. For the first few days we tried different foods on the menu and found very few that were tasty. The curry chicken was good as was the fish and bammy for breakfast. After several meals we were completely discouraged by the quality of the food and decided to eat elswhere while staying at the hotel. For this reason we would not stay at Rooms again.
Unfortunate as the staff were generally friendly and helpful although seriously underpaid.
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