More about Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Hotel
Not a 5 Star!!!
by TripAdvisor Member JamCan_Gurl
Okay, to start off, I would not say that this hotel is not a 5star.
My boyfriend and I arrived there, mid July primarily for the 3 day Reggae Festival. First off all, we drove passed the resort, because there was absolutely no signage at then front of the hotel and there is still construction going on for the second phase of the resort. That was a bit surprising....anyhow, we finally found the place and we were very impressed with the lavishness of the resort, ie. the Spanish inspired structure of the building and decor. Check in was smooth and fast, were greeted by a waitress that offered us a nice strawberry daiquir.
The rooms were spacious, extremely clean and modern. The bed was a king-size, with nice plush linen. **What I had a problem with is that, there was no alarm clock in the room. Gabriella (PR) told me that they couldn't have any clocks in the rooms because of the different voltage?? I don't think she even understood what she was talking about.
**The mini-bar was was refreshed every other day, it consisted of beer, water, and juice.
**There is a gym on the first floor, very nice, that's where we spent most of our time. New equipment, got really hot in there, though.
**In regards to activities, there wasn't much to do, which was VERY disappointing. I remember seeing some dance lessons going on, which appeared to be very boring, then they moved onto pool aerobics, that was just ok.
**Aviod going to the convenient shop, because it was extremely expensive!!! I bought a speed-stick deodorant for a whopping $7.00 US!!!!
** No signage throughout the entire resort?!!?
The food at the buffet was horrible!! It was bland and tasteless!! Alot of pork. We're vegetarians, so u could image how displeased we were. There were probably 3 fish dishes and about 10 meat dishes. I would recommend the Japanese restaurant, that was really entertaining and the food was fantastic. I couldn't go to the other 2 restaurants: Creole and the Steakhouse, (Your only allowed 1 reservation, if you stay for 3 days, 2 res if you stay 5 days, etc.)
In summary, the highlight is the attractiveness of the resort and the good drinks, but essentially it was straight out boring,hopefully when the second phase opens in the next few months, the staff/chef will get their act together.
I went to Hedonism the following week....OOO!!! Read my review there. Amazing, Absolutely no comparison!!!
great place with potenital, but not fully there yet
by TripAdvisor Member gorilladog
ill tell you all teh absolute truth.its a great resort with some kinks. i obviuosly dont expect ti to be perfect (with it only being open for a few months) but ill jsut put a few of our problems out there. first off, teh place LOOKS great. realize the emphasis on looks. its all beautiful , but truley it wa smade quickly so they cam open up and make money. during our stay, the lock on the door fell off, our friends' toilet paper cover broke off as did one of the flusher covers in a local bathroom. the maid service was very lacking and forgetful. they would forget to leave towels, toilet paper when it was empty and never cleaned teh counters of mirrors. (that may seem to demanding but u no, if ur tehre for 10 days, the mirrors get dirty and you can hardly see yourself. the first day we walked into our room, there where flies that bite (yes, flies in jamaica bite so i suggest bringing bug spary or 100mgs of vitamin b1 , trust me, it works i used it) overall, he people were very nice. although, if you venture off beyond the iberostar beach, people are nice but can make u feel alittle uncomfortable (although i do figure were a little to over protective since we live in the hustels and bustles of the unpredictable america ) when u went to the beach, teh chairs were all covered in bird poop, since the tree on the beach are where the birds rest and sit. there are rocks on the shore,so bring water shoes if u plan to spend extended time there. the pol is cool, but relturning to teh fact that teh palce is porrly made, the tiles in the pool are falling off, so waitch out for them. i dont know how to explain it, but even concidering all of these falts, we really loved it. the entertainment was AMAZING. they really got you entertained. our family enjoyed them so much that we;d return just for the entertainment if all esle was bad. its rele a great place, i jsut think they have to work out tehse little kinks. and honestly, u learn to get over those little things when ur having fun on the beach, drinking something "Special" as we always asked tehm to serve us at teh bars. gonig on tha catamaran, parasailing and kayaking was a blast. if u u go anytime soon, u can say hi to teh bulgarian lady at the catamaran desk from the"polish friends" that went to cuba on the catamaran...lol...i really miss it...ic ould spend forever there....it was very nice and id return any day, even with the negatives ( which i assume will be fixed as the hotel progresses)
Great Experience
by TripAdvisor Member famousCt
We just returned from the Iberostar Resort, and we were very pleased with the accomodations. The resort is beautiful, the beach was lovely (and not very crowded), and the service was decent. We couldn't believe that there was construction going on because you never heard a sound. The Japanese restaurant was good but we didn't get a chance to try the Steak House. The Cajun was ok but some of the entrees could have been better. The pool was great and you must try the aerobics on the beach or by the pool. Very good workout! I encourage you to get involved in the activities offered. You will find plenty to do (if you so desire)!!
Overall, good experience at IRH!!
by TripAdvisor Member klb0521
My husband and I stayed at the IRH resort from July 27-Aug 1. We had a wonderful time during our stay. I have also stayed at the Iberostar Maya in Rivera Maya, Mexico so I was able to do some comparisons during this stay.
In my opinion only, I think the hotel is decorated with a more Mexican décor than Jamaican. I would have liked to see more of a Jamaican influence throughout the hotel.
I was able to get upgraded to a view of the pool and the ocean and the view was excellent! The room was great. No problems there! Never saw any bugs in the room and NO musty smell!! Towels were plentiful and there was never a problem with the water pressure in the shower. The mini bar was stocked every other day as planned.
The bed was so comfortable. I slept like a baby. The room was very clean.
The day we arrived we missed lunch, so we ordered room service. Nothing great about our room service orders and in fact my order was missing some items that were supposed to come with the dish. That was the last of room service for us!!
The drinks were oh so good!! The guys at the lobby bar really know how to make a good drink. Dr. Dean, Andrew and Andre were awesome. Never had a weak drink at the lobby bar! Don’t order from the bar menu, have the guys make you one of their specialty drinks, you won’t be disappointed.
On to the food, this is where I was most disappointed. I was looking for more Jamaican dishes on the buffet. There was more Mexican/Spanish influenced dishes than Jamaican dishes and that was disappointing to me. I felt like I was in Mexico than Jamaica. I did see one or two jerk items on a couple of days, but I felt that there is so much more that I wanted to experience in the Jamaican food that they just didn’t have.
The buffet was okay. You would never go hungry. I think the breakfast buffet was best.
I was able to get reservations to the Cajun and Steak restaurant. The Cajun restaurant was a big disappointment. I ordered the Cajun blackened grouper and it was grilled, but no spices!! The grouper had no taste at all, it was just grilled. The dirty rice that came with the dish was also tasteless. The two cosmos I had to drink were great through!!
My husband had a pasta dish and he said it was good, but not great! The lobster bisque soup tasted just like gravy. It was horrible. The coconut shrimp were good, but that’s about it. Maybe it was the items we ordered, I don’t know. The Cajun restaurant in Mexico was about 10 times better. In fact, the Cajun Restaurant in Mexico was so good that my husband and I booked the restaurant twice during our stay. I can’t say the same for the Cajun restaurant in Jamaica. I had higher expectations!
On our last night there, we ate at the steak restaurant and it was really good! My steak was tender and very tasty. I had the sirloin and my husband had the tenderloin. We both enjoyed our dishes!!
We could not get reservations at the Japanese place and we were put on the waiting list twice for two days for any openings or cancellations they may have had there. As other people may have mentioned, when you walked by the restaurants there were spaces at tables, so I don’t know why they would not fill them with guests? They are going to have to address this when the resort gets full with more people.
The service was great throughout the hotel. Everyone was very helpful in the restaurants and for drinks. I never had to wait long to get a drink. No one ever looked for tips and most times I didn’t see any tips given. I did bring dollars with me and gave them out for my bar drinks. Everyone received the same service whether you gave a tip or not.
There were always lots of seats around the pool and beach. There are some pool tiles missing, which is strange considering this is a brand new hotel. I wonder how they are going to address that issue. As you walk around, you can also see some structural issues that were either patched up or fixed.
The beach had lots of seaweed and it was a little rocky, but there were plenty of people in the water. I just enjoyed being under the palapas (sp?).
No one ever approached us to sell drugs or anything while on the beach. I had a very relaxing time at the beach.
I liked that the resort had a game room to play cards and to play pool. There were so many areas around the resort to just sit and enjoy the resort!
We watched the night time entertainment a few nights and they were fine. They gave us something to do after dinner. It was entertaining.
The disco was also a cool place to hang out after the evening entertainment was over. The disco was never crowded, but there were always a few people at the bar and a few on the dance floor having a good time.
Overall, I really enjoyed my trip and it was very relaxing. The food was a little disappointing to me, but I always found something to eat! The grounds are beautiful and always kept clean. If you want activities, there is always something to do or if you want to relax, you have plenty of places to relax also.
You never heard any construction going on next door and I am sure that the next two resorts being built are going to be great! I would come back to Jamaica, but I may try one of the other Iberostar resorts next door when they are completed or a resort in Negril.
If you are thinking about going to the IRH, don’t hesitate. You will have a good time!!
What a treat
by TripAdvisor Member ReadingJuju
I stayed at the Iberostar for 14 nights with my husband and two children (10 and 11). We had actually booked the Rose Hall Wyndham down the road, but it closed for renovations and we were upgraded to the Iberostar. Whilst it didn't have the water park for the kids like the Rose Hall, the move to the Iberostar was in no way a disappointment.
At check-in, we were immediately brought a cocktail (very welcome after the chaos at the airport!). Our hotel room was exceptionally clean. A slight problem with adjusting the height of the shower was attended to straight away by a maintenance guy. Minibar was filled regularly. Maid service good, but somtimes room not cleaned until the afternoon, which was a little inconvenient.
The food was superb. The choice at the buffet was amazing, with shellfish, fish, roast of the day, local dishes, fresh fruit, cheese platter, huge array of desserts. We weren't expecting to have waiter service too, but at every meal you had a waiter bringing/topping up drinks, clearing plates and serving coffee. Went to the Japanese restauant twice - that was good fun and very tasty. Not as impressed with the Cajun.
The pool was lovely and warm and we enjoyed sitting at the pool bar. A shame that some of the tiles have started coming off the bottom. Hopefully they'll sort that out. Beach just a few steps down from the pool with plenty of loungers, although these could have been cleaned a little more regularly. The ones at the pool were very well kept and had comfortable mattresses.
The highlight for the kids was the entertainment team. This gang of incredibly talented young people seemed to genuinely enjoy their job. Working 6 days a week (14 hours a day), they organised games for chldren and adults during the day and put on excellent shows during the evening. Mad Dog, Kenny, Hot Dog - what great guys!
If you like your premiership football, then make sure you visit Ryan at the lobby bar. My husband was there every evening to discuss the finer points of the game(!) whilst sampling the excellent cocktails, champagne, wine, rum........
Every member of staff, from the cleaners to the management, was genuinely friendly and keen for us to enjoy Jamaica.
Whilst we still think that the Rose Hall Wyndham would have been the best choice for us as a family because of the water park, there were enough children at this hotel that our kids made friends and spent their evenings playing pool. We would certainly recommend it very highly.
good value for the money
by TripAdvisor Member kkooll1
the place is great . good food great resturants though not enough as of yet. the steak house called uncle tony's is not air conditioned but neither is margurites by the sea in montego bay.uncle tony's steak was great,margurites by the sea was great , but a dinner for 4 costs $350us.oh by the way margurites is in the town of montego bay not in the iberostar.the beach is great trees instead of beach huts which is a really great idea.the help although a little slow is competant and very helpfull.the rooms are neat and clean although it is a new hotel .the problem i find with all caribbean hotels is the air conditioning is not what we're used to back in the states,not as cold as i like it. the hotel should invest in better and bigger pillows those toy pillows they have don't cut the mustard. the beach and pool are great .take what you need to this place toiletries are very expensive like all resorts. for the money spent i think the trip was well worth it.if i could i would go back again. the drinks are good and no ones cheap with the liquor so enjoy your trip to this lovely place.
Nice Place
by TripAdvisor Member THBOK
We just returned from 6 nights at the Iberostar with our 18 and 21 year old girls and had a wonderful time.
ROOM-the room we had was a great room with a beachfront balcony, although we did not pay for a beachfront room we were given one on arrival and it had a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. The rooms were very clean with excellent maid service. The mini bar did have drinks and a couple of candy bars to snack on.
HOTEL-The hotel itself is a very nice place. Although only 1 section of this complex is done, we did not notice the construction in the other complexes except for one day. Although there are things to do at the hotel there is nothing else within walking distance and you must use some kind of transportaion to get any where else
BEACH & POOL--The pool area was very nice and always clean. The only thing about the pool was it was missing a lot of tiles for being a brand new pool. They will have to fix this soon. The beach is very nice with plenty of chairs with shaded and sunny spot available.
STAFF--The staff was very nice and would try to do anything for you if you were nice to them. They are not pushy for tips like the rest of Jamaica is.
FOOD- The main eating place is the buffett wich had a good assortment of food everyday. We found plenty to eay at all times but I am not sure if I would have wanted to eat there for two weeks, but for a week it was great. The specialty places to eat included a steak house, cajun and Japenese food. The Cajun place was so-so, the steakhouse was good. We also wanted to eat at the Japenese place but had used our two reservations that we were allowed. I asked the reservations lady about getting on the standby list for the Japenese place as I had seen empty seats in it every night but she said they were full. As with most things in this world if you talk to the people actually doing the work you can get something done, so I went down to the Japenese place and told the lady at the door that I wanted to eat there, noticed there were empty tables and offered her a nice tip and she found us a seat. The food was great.
Overall we had a great time and would stay here again.
Very Nice Resort
by TripAdvisor Member cinbob96
This resort is very nice. Being very new (opened in May 2007) they have some kinks to work out that will hopefully get better. We were there Aug 2-5. The food is probably better than the average All Inclusive. The Japanese restaurant was my favorate. The pool is nice, but it takes a while to get a drink. There are not many waiters/waitresses walking the pool deck and the pool bar is very croweded with only one bartender. The drinks are very good, they do not scrimp on liquor. Most of the restrooms were typically out of paper towels and toilet paper, which was quite annoying.
Overall, it is very nice and will be beautiful when the vegatation matures.
Fledgling Iberostar-great vacation!
by TripAdvisor Member mapiccoline
We travelled to Jamaica 25 years ago for our honeymoon, and returned with our chikdren to crelebrate our 25th anniversary. The resort is beautiful and will only get bigger and better. Yes there were areas where the resort could do better, mainly in the buffet selection and presentation for dinner. The food was a bit too European for us Americans and not enough local fare (we didnt have Jamaican lobster once!) Breakfast and lunch were fine. We are used to cruising with Princess and we are admittedly spoiled with their dinners--quality and presentation. The service at the resort was fantastic--lots of smiling faces very eager to help, but one bar waitress covering the entire beach or the entire show at night was too little. Yet the bartender in the show venue got annoyed when we got our own drinks. Ryan at the lobby bar deserves extra praise--be sure to visit with him! Plenty of beach chairs, grass umbrellas, quiet beach areas and two beautiful infinity pools. The rooms are not huge, but tastefully decorated with great bathrooms. One addition that would be great would be a better late night variety of food. Shows were good, and the Star crew worked their tails off to entertain. They will only get better and more professional. We would go back in two years or so when the resort matures.
Beautiful Resort
by TripAdvisor Member NewYorkStarTraveler
We just got back from our stay at IBH from 8/13 to 8/17. The resort was very nice, beautiful decor, and good people. We were upgraded to a beach front view room which was lovely. The drinks were the best at the lobby bar. Try to have Michael make your drink. You wont be dissapointed. Our room was clean and the air-conditioner worked well. However, the fridge in our room was not re-stocked. My major complaint with this hotel is the food. I have stayed at many different hotels and had never experienced food as bad as this one. We were all sick especially my daughter who ended up being sick for 2 days after we got home. The food at the buffet was cold and sometimes hard. There were also many dishes that was just tasteless. We booked the Japanese restaurant which was okay and also the Cajun restaurant. I ordered a Caesar salad one night for room service. They made this salad with sardines and honey mustard for the dressing.
I was completely dissapointed with the food. If that is not something you care too much about, then you can stay here. Everything else about the resort (pool area and beach) was great.
One more thing: Try to avoid booking an excursion with JTL Jamaica Tours. They were late for every excursion and also late for our transfer to the airport. This caused us to miss our return flight.
Photos
The Cage
Going upstream is a lot more work
From the water
ATV's on Mt Zion
Forum Posts
Jamaica - Iberostar
by aatkins
Does anyone have any current/first hand info on the new Iberostar Grand at Rose Hall? Couples/adults only? I know it just opened and my boyfriend and I are booked to stay there in Feb. Any info will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Re: Jamaica - Iberostar
by YVRDave
I drove by last week only. It looks ok. Seems to have a nice beach but, rocky coral just off shore
Re: Jamaica - Iberostar
by aatkins
Thanks YVRDave! Could you tell if there were people staying there? ANY other info you can give.....does it look like it's still under construction? Where were you staying? Thanks!
Re: Jamaica - Iberostar
by YVRDave
It looked finished outside, can't say about inside. There were people around. I was at Sandals Ocho Rios
Re: Jamaica - Iberostar
by aatkins
Thanks for the info!
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