Rose Hall Greens

A weekend at Rose Hall Resort and Spa

Rose Hall Resort and Spa has been a staple resort for many years in Montego Bay, Jamaica formerly the Wyndham Rose Hall

An older resort located on prime ocean front land in Montego Bay, about 20 minutes away from the Airport, the views of the grounds and ocean are still breath taking.

The ownership has changed and it is now the Rose Hall Hilton Resort and Spa where the property recently went under major renovations.  The interior upgrades are now simple, elegant, and welcoming.

From the exterior you can tell that the building is older however, my focus was on the Caribbean Sea, the skies and the well kept layout of the grounds.

I was told that all the rooms are basically the same except for the Caribbean & Presidential suite. I noticed ocean front rooms on the lower/ground levels have chaise lounges on the balconies compared the patio chairs and table on the rest.

One thing that is important to mention is the thinness of the walls.  Both in the rooms and also when in the ballrooms you can hear everything in the next room.  In our room our neighbors would play their Ipod at 6:30am every morning and again at 10:30pm.  When we complained to security that this happened everyday and we had gotten fed up of waking up that way, by the time security came up to deal with the guest they were gone. Something you don’t expect at a 4.5 star resort.

During a training meeting in the Ballroom our speaker competed with another speaker in the next room also having a meeting.  It was very distracting trying to concentrate while both speakers were using mics, it was very unprofessional for both parties to try out talk each other due to the thinness of the walls.

The Pool and Beach

Rose Hall Beach View

Amazing pools with lots of available cabanas, and lounge chairs with extra cushioning located at the heart of the property. No problem with towels or finding seats either by the pool or beach (the hotel was at capacity). A special feature available by the beach is their, borrow, buy or donate library where one could choose reading material from their slightly used selection. Also available are board games again slightly used but there for those so inclined.  Most could spend the entire day at the second pool, where the water park with its’ water-slide, rolling lazy river and water tube are geared for young families and the young at heart is another fun option.

There you will also find the 3 Jacuzzi s which are aptly hidden away in different alcoves around the water park, large and piping hot.

The beach is small and intimate.  Lots of beach lounge chairs available and un-motorized water sports.  Another plus is the privacy from other resorts, the beach stretch is only for the Rose Hall guest and not shared which also limits the hassle of beach vendors.

The Food

I was happy to eat at FRESH daily, the buffet option for breakfast and dinner were delicious; it was more than enough for me however compared to North America buffet standards it was not extravagant.  I would have liked to eaten at the other two restaurants but as only being there for 3 nights and the hotel being full I could not get a reservation.

The Golf

For someone who has only golfed once I did take a walk around the 18-hole grounds and found it well kept and beautifully positioned in the hills on one side and the ocean on the other side.  There at Cinnamon Hill Golf  Club a we came across a refreshing clear water spring at the one of the  holes or half  point, an stunning way for golf pros to cool off in the noon day sun.

What made this a pleasant stay for me were the staff and their quality service. I’ve read and heard about the negative, nonchalant attitudes of the younger Jamaican staff at other big tourist resorts.  Certain tourists have complained that the customer service has become very poor, hinder future bookings however; I was pleasantly surprised when I could not find a bad attitude anywhere. The employees went out of their way to provide friendly and efficient service- I haven’t seen this in a while. It was customer service 101 beginning at the front desk, the concierge, the spa, the restaurants, the gift shop lent me) and those working on the grounds.  One particular employee went out of his way to lend me his personal mobile phone to make a quick local call.  I was extremely impressed overall and must say that I’m glad the true Jamaican hospitality that was reminiscent of the early days of Jamaica tourism has return- at least at the Rose Hall –Hilton.

If this is a true representation I would highly recommend this property to and hope this type of hospitality continues to spread.