Our vacation started with the discovery that our reservation had been mis-scheduled for the prior week, due to some sort of miscommunication between our booking agent and the resort. While this had the potential to be disastrous, the staff at the Jewel Grande took things in stride the best they could, and upgraded us to a one-bedroom suite for no extra charge (and only a minimal delay at the front desk, all things considered).
The service at the Jewel Grande continued to be over the top throughout our stay. All of the staff, from concierge to maintenance, always acknowledged us as we approached, no matter what they were doing. They even headed us off before we naively attempted to walk to the Shoppes at Rose Hall and called a taxi for us. (It’s a short walk, but the road is a busy one and the weather is way too hot for walking very far.) Later in our stay, when my husband accidentally took his phone into the ocean, the lifeguards and the kitchen staff did their best to help him resurrect his drowned phone in a bag of rice. (Alas, it was in vain, although we appreciated the effort!)
Our room in Sabal Palm (Building A) had a beautiful ocean view, and was pleasantly quiet. We could hear the surf lulling us to sleep every night, with no noise from other guests. The restaurants and buffets all had good food, although nothing stood out as spectacular. Pro tip: Le Bouchon is perfect for a quiet breakfast buffet; Orchids (the main buffet) tends to be more crowded. During our last evening at the resort, several of the restaurants collaborated to host a Jamaican Street Fair on the resort grounds, with various buffet stations wtih meats, soups, veggies, and desserts.
The pools are nice, but so is the beach, and it’s much less crowded. We had very little trouble locating two or three beach chairs for our gear, and our son had a great time playing with other kids, seeing the sea life, and making sand castles.
There were only a few disappointments during our four-night stay. The Kids’ Club was lackluster compared to others — no swimming, very few kids in attendance, and children must be picked up to have lunch with their family. The first time we dropped our son off at the Kids’ Club, he got bored and asked the staff to have us come get him. We tried the Kids’ Club again later in our stay, and our son got to play with another child he had met on the beach the day prior.
Apart from the Kids’ Club, our only real complaint was that while the exterior of the buildings are always getting a fresh coat of paint, the interior of the rooms could use a little freshening up. Broken door latches and peeling paint aren’t a good look, although the room was clean and comfortable.
Overall, though, we loved our stay at the Jewel Grande! Memorable for all the right reasons.
