Hotel Class: 
3 Stars - 5 Reviews and 1779 Opinions
St. Ann, PO Box 65, Runaway Bay, Jamaica, Caribbean
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1784 Opinions
Winch
User Rating
This was our second visit to Club Caribbean in 20 years. Under new ownership, and now an all-inclusive property, we found much to be the same and yet much-improved.
I've never been to such a spotless resort. First-world health codes were in effect. And efforts were made to keep the resort "green".
Club Caribbean is located on a series of man-made coves with very nice sandy beaches. There is a medium-large pool on the oceanside patio, alongside the buffet-style restaurant and main tiki bar. A large outdoor stage at one end of the pool offers nightly entertainment.
In addition to the main bar, there's the Jetty Bar, the adult pool bar, and the disco bar (which was rarely open). A snack bar also serves drinks along with mid-afternoon meals.
You won't go hungry. The three daily buffets offer fresh local fruit and a wide variety of main dishes and sides which will please the adventurous and the kids. Two ala carte restaurants (Jamaican and Asian) operate on alternate nights (reservations required). The snack bar serves burgers, wings, etc. all afternoon. And from 11pm-1am, amazing burgers and hot dogs are grilled by the pool.
Rooms are of two types: 1-room cottages (on the beach and in the gardens), and hotel rooms and suites. All cottages have private baths, air conditioning, phones ($$$), walk-in closets, safes ($) and satellite TV.
Unique Quality: The entertainment varied every night, and there were usually two shows. From 8:30 to 9:30, the Fun Crew performed skits and songs and played audience-participation games. From 9:30 to 11, professional dance troupes and singers took the stage. And 2 or 3 nights a week, the Disco opened from 11pm-2am.
The beaches were much improved from 20 years ago, no sea urchins evident, but wear swim shoes to be safe as the deeper parts can be stony & weedy.
The staff were (mostly) pleasant and efficient. Some were indifferent. And a few were just rude, even insulting. ("No tip for you!")
Tipping is not required, but a couple of dollars here and there goes a long way.
If you didn't yield to the Rasta outside the airport, or to your bus driver, you'll be offered ganja within hours (or minutes) of check-in. If you indulge, don't pay more than 1/3 what you would for a similar amount at home. And bring your own papers. Not that we condone this sort of thing.
Last call at the main bar is 12M.
The Adult Pool does NOT mean clothing-optional! Just no kids.
Peacocks roam the grounds. Cute. Did you know they crow at sunrise? Loudly?
Upgrades continue (2011). New water lines were installed during our visit, which involved jack-hammering the sidewalk and drilling into the side of our cottage during our naps. Cottages too near the stage will hear music late into the night.
Royal Decameron Club Caribbean Photo: Welcome!
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mbabbe
User Rating
When I arrived, I tried to love the resort, but within a few hours realized that I couldn't. We stayed in 3 hotels during our 10 day trip and this was supposed to be the nicest, but so many things went wrong with the hotel, that my wife described it as "a nightmare.” Our $50/night eco-hotel was more enjoyable that this $170/night all inclusive.
Noise, Noise, Noise. If you go to Jamaica only to party, then this is your place. I would say about 50% of the bungalows are too noisy for a couple to enjoy, with only about 5 feet between many of the bungalows and the outside streets. The West side of the resort has constant truck noise on Highway A1, and the East side has Garbage trucks (for about 1 hour) at 4AM. If you're lucky enough to get a quiet bungalow then it'll be nice. I told the reception that I was here to relax, and they stuck me in the loudest room (right behind the main stage) and when I asked for a change, they put me next to the Garbage. Smelly and noisy.
Summary:
The Beach: Not a real beach. Looks like they tried to convert a rocky coastline into a beach. Thumbs down. I only used the pool, not the "beach".
The Food: Much lower quality that I expected. First night was okay (Jerk Pork) but low quality (very fatty), but second night was terrible. Their Mexican night is worse than Taco Bell. A real pity, since there is so much fresh fish just outside the gates.
The Drinks: All you can drink, was the only bright spot. Strong drinks too!
The Staff: Okay, but very impersonal. Felt I was just 1 of 400 guests, and they didn't care about me. So many rules: Sign up for snorkeling at 9AM. Sign up for Sailing at 10AM (don’t try signing up at 9AM). Missed out on many things I wanted to do (Scuba, sit-down restaurants, Glass Bottom Boat) because their rules made it difficult to do more than one or two things in a day. And they don’t tell you about the rules in advance, only when you missed the deadline.
The Low point: The main reason I picked this resort was they showed 3 sailboats in their pictures on their website, since I used to race sailboats and wanted to impress my wife. When I arrived they only had one that was “operational”, and actually it had a hole in it. We had to be rescued at sea, and it turned out they knew about the hole the entire time.
If this is your only place in Jamaica, then you are missing out and might as well stay in Florida. Either go to Port Antonio (near San San Beach and Frenchman’s Cove) for the real Jamaica or pay a little more for a better resort. Either that, or drink tons of their free drinks and everything will seem better than it actually is.
Y001644
User Rating
1ST OF ALL I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I'M NOT A HARD PERSON TO PLEASE. I EXPECTED A 3 STAR HOTEL STAY FOR THE $$ I PAID. INSTEAD I GOT A NEGATIVE 10 STARS. I STAYED AT THE ROYAL DECAMERON FOR MY HONEYMOON 02/09/09. THE MINUTE I STEPPED INTO THE ROOM IT BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES. THINK OF A 6X10 CELL AND YOU WILL START TO GET THE PICTURE. THE GARDEN "SUITES" IS NOT FIT FOR A PRISONER TO STAY IN. THE SINK WAS STOPPED UP AS WELL AS THE TOLIET. WE PLUNGED IT OURSELVES. WE WERE SUPPOSSED TO GET A COTTAGE WHICH SEEMED TO BE MUCH BETTER. WE WOULDN'T KNOW BECAUSE WE NEVER RECEIVED ONE. MANAGEMENT SAID THAT EVERY ROOM WAS BOOKED AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. ON TO THE NEXT DISSAPOINTMENT, THE FOOD, IT WAS SO SO. DON'T THINK YOUR ABOUT TO GET A JAMAICAN CRUSINE. LADIES YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT INSTEAD OF GAINING ON THIS TRIP IF YOU DECIDE TO BOOK,BECAUSE THE FOOD IS NOT GOOD. I AM TELLING YOU DON'T DO IT. NEXT, THE ENTERTAINMENT, WAS NONEXSTINTENT UNTIL OUR LAST DAY. I'M 30YRS BUT IT'S MOSTLY AN OLDER CROWD 60ISH AROUND FEB. THE DRINKS WERE GOOD AND THE STAFF WAS NICE. BUT THERE NICER PLACES TO STAY FOR THE $$ YOU WILL SPEND HERE. IF YOU INSIST ON NOT TAKING CAUTION AND BOOK HERE YOU ARE CRAZY. BUT I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES ALL DAY EVERYDAY TO STAY AWAY FROM THE HARSH REALITY OF THE ROYAL DECAMERON. THREE WORDS.....DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!! TWO WORDS.......STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!TRUST ME I WOULD NOT TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE THIS. I'M TRYING TO PREVENT YOU FROM A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. DON'T DO IT. THERE WEBSITE IS VERY MISLEADING.
ishstar39
User Rating
Helpfulness
Royal Decameron: never again---bait and switch
Written on Apr 24, 2006
Tip Rating: [Not enough ratings yet]
Satisfaction:
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Accommodation Name: Royal Decameron
wer reserved a cottage 3 mnths in advance.When we got to the hotel we were told there was no cottage for us and were given a room on the second floor of a building that ws across a gravel parking lot and behind a dumpster and the service entrance .Our window view was one of empty milk crates on one side and the top of buildings and wires on the other. A warm bottle of water sat on the cigarette burned dresser , no fridge,clock or radio.the tv was all static.I complained daily in the lobby and they did absolutely NOTHING to make up for our trouble We were told on our last nite there that we could have a cottage but then they backed out of it and said there was no room us that day either. they would not give us any money back so we were forced to stay there.. It ruined the entire trip and I doubt that I will ever go back to jamiaca..Daily we walked by and smelled the nasty dumpters and looked at trash.This was not an isolated incident as I kept meeting more and more people in the lobby who didn't get the rooms they reserved.
The food is poor.. It is hard to find something good to eat.
Unique Qualities:
Not a nice beach. The sand is not the white that you would expect to see and the beach is small and rocky.. The cottages might have been nice but I never saw the inside of one of them.. I could have rented dumpy hotel room anywhere..
this was not what I came 2000 miles for. They were trying to send quests to the sunspree
I did not care for the undignified, unfriendly service at customs in the airport either... I felt like i was a in a womans prison was I got patted down and was asked to trn around so they could feel my back pockets..this was while i was forced to put my hands over my head..lol....their requests were orders.. I was so glad to get back to the states were people were friendly and actually smiled..
Unique Quality: The unique characterisiic of this resort and that are not willing to do ANYTHING to make up for their overbooking mistakes... even coffee bought up in the morning would ahve let us feel they even gave damn that were were stuck in a nasty room..
there wer snorkling excursions once a day at 1p but you couldn't book them in adavnce. you have to be there at 8am to try and be one of the 14 peole who got to go..14 peole out of how many??? Several hundred at least. glass bottom boat rides at 1 but with a passanger limit and there is only one ride per day...
The bartenders were nice and our room maid wasgreat.. the lobby people were tired of gettting yelled at by guests and one of them flaty lied to us about gettting a differnt room and then refused to discuss it.. i hate the royal decameron..
dawnandash
User Rating
Helpfulness
We stayed here march 05, The location of this hotel is good for excrusions, but Not for beach lovers. Runaway Bay is lovely were golf courses are located. Hotel & beach bungalow were great, 1 row back from beach,(97), which is shale, shame......... clean & tidy resort, with plenty of activites to do, such as scuba diving, glass boat,etc;. Food not as good as we thought, but al-carte restrauants were good. All staff very welcoming,
Unique Quality: Exellent location for Dolpins cove, & Nine miles , Blue mountains, and Hooves riding stables, which we did all.
Royal Decameron Club Caribbean Photo: warm lazy afternoon
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1 - 5 of 5
my friends stayed at Sandals, but we were on a budget and this place was a great find. We stayed from a Sunday to Sunday and it was great. probably only 5 minutes from the airport! great views. if you leave the property, the guards sign your name into a book and check you back in after your return. all the meals were great and service was very good.
We arrived in Jamaica on 15th April and never wanted to leave. The hotel complex is always clean and tidy, the bar is stocked and even the room attendants place a bottle of water in your room every day - this place has it all. Me and my new wife arranged to get married at the Club Caribbean and with help from Ann the wedding planner the day went of perfectly (perfect location, perfect weather, great photographer). The staff are helpful, George and Taz are two of the funniest bartenders who make you drunk really quickly (dont ask them to carry you back to the cottage though!) and the entertainment both day and night are fun. I've read a lot of bad reviews from Americans on various web-sites and after visiting the resort I don't see what they are complaining about. If you are going to visit please say hello to Eddie Lizard from us!
my family {14 of us } all came to club caribbean and had excellant time. all the staff were excellant and very welcoming. the only rude people were the americans and they seem to moan about everything but in fact they are the only ones worth moaning about... !!!!! we found the resort to be very clean and nothing to much trouble for the staff they are allways happy and never moaned about anything{unlike the americans } puts us all to shame. entertainment very good for all ages, you even get entertained by george {the best bar man } while waiting for a drink. dwayne and kemrod {entertainment } are a good double act allways cheerful and very funny. my children also fell in love with roxianna {kids club } and wanted to bring her home. i feel i made a lot of new friends in the staff and i will be going back.... !!!!!!!!!!!!!
An excellent time was had by all the the Club Caribbean in April 2003. It was our first time to Jamaica and also our first time on an all-inclusive holiday, so we didn't really know what to expect. I don't think I'd ever eaten so much on a holiday as I did there. There was an excellent choice of food, possibly a bit repetative but always something new to try. We stayed for 9 nights and as I'm not one for lazing in the sun, we arranged through our rep to go on a trip virtually every day. We went to Dolphin Cove where you can swim with the dolphins (quite expensive), we went horse riding at Seville, shopping in Ocho Rios, walked up Dunn's River Falls, went to the home of Appleton's Jamaican Rum where you got to sample every different rum they produce (about 16 I think). We got to see crocodiles on the Black River and swung on a tarzan rope into the YS Falls...... the list goes on. The watersports were a bit of a con at the hotel. You had to book otherwise you wouldn't get a place, even to go out on the banana boat, and you couldn't book the day before so you had to get up early to ensure you got a place on whatever you wanted to do. The hotel's private beach was made up of a number of small coves, so if you wanted a quiet spot you could usually get one. There was entertainment on throughout the day and in the evening. We went on a nature tour to the local village and also a bike ride. There were always things like beach volley ball and pool aerobics on daily. I wouldn't recommend going for a stroll out of the hotel, there weren't any proper bars or shops and you really stick out like a sore thumb amongst the locals. We'd heard a few bad reports about Jamaica and theft, so were were etremely vigilant out of the hotel and never had a problem. The only thing we weren't aware of is the amount of tips you have to give people. Every driver you have on your trips requires a tip and so do all the guides at the river falls etc. although I must say some of them deserved it and they really knew their stuff!!Th checked our luggage in at Montego Bay Airport where the guy confirmed that I had ordered a vegetarian meal. When we were on the plane and the meals came round, they didn't know anything about it and even showed me a print-out of the passengers with special requests, and I wasn't included. I therfore had to have a chicken meal and leave the chicken - they didn't have any spares on board! The reading lights did not work and there was no in-flight entertainment on the return journey.All I can say is that I would definitely recommend Jamaica to anyone, but beware of their driving over there, it's quite scary!!!!
I could write a book on how awful this place is, so I'll just make a list..... 1. VERY RUDE STAFF (front desk the most!) 2. nonaccomodating 3.LIARS, I was booked through fun jet and when I went into the tour office and told them who I was with and asked who I could book my tours with the lady lied to me and said I could through her, turned out she worked through the hotel and I was overcharged for all of my tours! They did nothing about it of course and when we did complain the front desk asst. manager said I was rude! These people are just awful! 4. You don't get wash cloths because they say they are trying to conserve on water and if you ask it will take at least 2 days to get one or they will act like you are inconveniencing them. Or you get dirty towels! 5. You can't take food back to your cottage, there afraid you might steal the plate, I guess! 6. The coves are very mossy and beaches are not that clean. 7. It takes forever to get a drink at the bar, you get very small cups and you might as well stand in line again after you get your drink because you'll be done with it before they help you again. 8. The food was not that great, I have had better back home. Basically nothing special, I expected good fruit, seafood etc. Instead we got bad fruit, bugers, fries, hotdogs etc! 9. Don't sit by the pool to eat or drink because you'll get ignored! 10. WE HAD TO FIX OUR OWN TOILET! It was running all week, very annoying!! 11. Don't expect to be entertained, it wasn't that great and the disco is A JOKE! 12. Air conditioner very loud and did not keep the cottage very cool at all. 13. Use toilet paper sparingly, you might have to resort to leaves by the time they bring you some more! I could probably go on forever but I hope this helps some one when making their decision on where to go, I really depended on peoples reviews so I hope you do not make the same mistake as us. Jamaica is such a nice place and the resort took away from some of that. I really regret spending the money for such an awful reE ROYAL DECAMERON!
This was our first trip to Jamaica and we wanted something not too expensive and be close to the water. We stayed in one of the oceanfront cottages and the extra money was well worth it; not having to hunt for a place to "park" every day. The food was very good for a 3 star resort, as were the rum drinks, no complaints there. The staff was extremely friendly and fun without being overbearing. If you are a die hard beach lover, then this place won't be for you. The beach is made up of several small 'coves', most of them full of weeds and stinging critters of some type. The clearest water is by the beach bar. Once you swim out a bit, then the water is very nice. We enjoyed our first visit to jamaica, and I have been back since, the next trip was to Negril.
Club Caribbean - Garden Cottages
Royal Decameron
Runaway Bay - Jamaica
Runaway Bay - Jamaica
Looking to travel to this resort on an RCI deal in november--It is the club carribbean st. ann's jamaica timeshare resort
Has anyone been there? It is an all-inclusive and we have a great deal, but I'm interested in the condition of the units and what the roofs are made of--have a son with asthma and need to be sure the roofs are not bungalow style--made of straw or natural materials. Is the resort fairly new, and will we find lots of families there? Our kids are 11 & 14. My husband is very aware of the poverty and crime in Jamaica and says we will not have many opportunities outside this resort, which is OK. also, weather is great in November?
thankx
Exellent location for Dolpins cove, & Nine miles , Blue mountains, and Hooves riding stables, which we did all.
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We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: St. Ann, PO Box 65, Runaway Bay, Jamaica, Caribbean
