We just needed to take a vacation. Our first choice was the Ritz in Grand Cayman but we had limitations, to wit: using all Marriott Rewards points and A/A frequent flyer points. So the stars had to all align for a nine night stay. We went from May 20 - 29.

On arrival the great staff had accomodated our request for an upgrade. Now on an all points trip we doubted we would be given a better room than the "garden view room" that we were slotted for....but wrong! At the front desk we were advised that they had moved us to a full suite with two balconies and ocean/pool/property views. It was really fab!

The staff here, as in all Ritz properties, were "ladies and gentlemen - serving ladies and gentlemen. They couldn't have been nicer in every instance. The staff, many who have been at this property for years, were on top of every detail. As it was a significant anniversary, the requisite champagne *actually good and truffled chocolates were waiting in the suite. At night the turn down staff made beautiful swans out of towels and decorated the floors and bed with rose petals.

Sorry, we have been to Jamaica on many ocassions (not at the Ritz) so we didn't want to do the tourist stuff. We brought a half dozen novels and only wanted peace and rest.

The beach, as other guests have written on Trip Advisor, is not a destination. It is carved out of rocks and the remains are found on the beach and in the water. The beach is small. It lacks sufficient umbrellas for shade and the water is good for cooling off but not the typical Caribbean white smooth sand environment.

We quickly figured out where the tropical breezes were and scoped out our nest for the next nine days. By tipping the beach sstaff we had our beach chairs and towels waiting for us each day after breakfast.

The pool is nice, big enough and wasn't crowded. While we did stay over the Memorial Day holiday the crowds did arrive for their short five day stays so on those particular days it did have some traffic.

As others have commented the prices for food and drinks are high. But actually they equal the same amounts as the Four Seasons in Nevis or at any other Ritz property. Just count on $40 entrees and $12 bar drinks. Do the Duty Free and bring a bottle to your room, unless you are fortunate enough to be on the Club floor. Those that complain about food and beverage prices haven't stayed at equivalent properties. It is a sad fact but part of the deal.

Those guests paying rack will find that the special food and beverage package is their best bet here. Take it.

We ate many meals on property and all four restaurants have good meals and nice wines. We left the property and found a great nearby jerk shack called Scotchies just a few minutes away. I think Food and Wine magazine just wrote it up. No glitz, juust great jerk and cold Red Stripe beer. There is an Indian/Asian restaurant called something like Akabars. Good stop and free transportation. Also went to the Native - nothing great but recommended by the Concierge - also free transport.

Why do I mention free transport? Because those Great Montego restaurants we wanted to try would inflict a taxi ride of $60 r/t - and that soured me on their value.

Their White Witch restaurant is very good with wonderful views for the sunset.

I give complements to Sean Thomas and Navar who bartend at the pool bar! Ask them to make a rum punch from scratch and not cloying sweet. Knock you off your feet they are sooooo good. And both men are friendly and delightful.

Don't count on being inundated with beach waiters. Sometimes it is easier to go to the bar yourself and carry back the libations.

The hotel has bottled water in the room for free. We brought them down to the beach and refilled them at the pool bar. Ordering a bottle at the pool is a $4 unnecessary expense per bottle, altho many didn't care.

If you have an EARLY morning flight and count on a wake up call - DON'T. For our A/A 7:30 a.m. flight we were told to be in the lobby for our shuttle at FIVE a.m. We left a 4:30 a.m. wake up call that came at 5:30 a.m. Hint for those similarly afflicted: Pack your bags the night before and send them to the porter the night before and bring a small overnight back for the remainder of your belongings. So check out is a breeze that way.

The aquasize experience at 10:30 each day was enjoyed by my wife. The trainer was from Ft. Lauderdale and her name is Laura Deronda (sp?). She does a power walk, aquasize and yoga class each day. Don't miss her. She is full of energy, smart, well trained and gave fabulous classes.

Try the lobby bar in the evenings. Relaxing, comfortable and truly a resort experience. Damion (sp?) pours some great drinks.

Each day the lobby hosted a nice coffee bar - gratis. So we took our cups to the breakfast area and saved $5. on the menu tab each day - per person.

One evening we went next door to the Half Moon hotel. I was there many, many years ago, and it was the #1 best off property meal we had. Lovely and romantic music and unlike the Ritz had local charm and flavor that cannot be recreated by the mega hotels like the Ritz. When we go back, which we will, we will plan to stay there. Much nicer beach and an intimate feel that can't be beat.

Would we return - Yes. But the Half Moon will get my credit card next time. Would we recommend a destination wedding at the Ritz? Based on the couples and families we met there absolutely. Their wedding planner was praised to the high heavens by everyone who took part.

Okay, we also intend to stay at the Ritz in Grand Cayman. We have walked that property and it is fabulous. Actually we have stayed at so many of Florida's Ritz properties and now I think all of them in the Caribbean (with the exception of Cayman) that one cannot go wrong.

Some friends have stayed at the Montego property in HIGH season and found it crowded and difficult to find a nice beach or pool chaise. That was not our experience, but I wouldn't want to fight a crowd anytime. You know the routine...get up, run to the pool/beach and grab the best locations early. Not on our stay here, thank goodness.

If you can, get a Club Room.

Over all - a Ritz is Res Ipsa Loquitor.

What a wonderful experience! We took our two adult children for a family getaway. It could not have been more perfect. The service was above average, as was the food. We must have chosen the perfect week. The pool and beach were not at all crowded, the service top-notch and we did not have an even slightly mediocre meal. Anything we requested, even if it was not on the menu, they produced. The staff was superb!

We arrived at the airport and were greeted by a driver asking if we preferred a Lincoln Towne Car or Mercedes for transfer to the hotel. Upon hotel arrival, we were greeted with mimosa's and room keys for the 2 rooms we requested. Of course, our rooms were upgraded.

We were celebrating our anniversary as well as Mother's Day and were pleasantly surprised to have champagne and handmade chocolates, and fresh flowers in our room. We were also given champagne poolside along with cake and chocolates the next day. We were taken to the White Witch Restaurant by Towne Car, and again, they celebrated our anniversary, this time with desserts and a serenade by the entertainment and the management.

Jennifer, the poolside waitress went above and beyond the call of duty, as did the guys in the Cohoba Lounge. The Concierge also was absolutely wonderful.

The service we received was definitely worth the AAA 5-diamond rating the resort has been awarded.

The beach, as has been stated in other reviews, is just okay. Yes, rocky and small, but we knew that in advance and expected it. We have no complaints about anything. I simply do not see how anyone could be disappointed in this resort.

We enjoyed our stay at the Ritz Carlton very much!

We stayed in a standard room which was excellent. Very spacious and clean with 'caribbean' furnishings including a pineapple lamp!!! The bathroom was huge and very clean! The room was cleaned to a high standard every day!

We spent most of our time around the pool which was lovely! Very clean with nice sun loungers and plenty of them! There were pool butlers to bring you drinks and a great Ice cream seller called Jennifer who always brightened up our day!

The beach, as mentioned in other reviews was quite small and not really a true representation of caribbean beaches. But it was clean and I did see quite a few people using it. To me this was the only thing which let the hotel down! The hotel grounds were beautiful. Full of greenery and constantly being attended to by gardeners. It is a lovely place to get married!

We found the food to be Excellent! Breakfast was a good quality buffet in horizon with plenty of choice. We ate by the pool during the day which did snacks, burgers, sandwiches etc or at mangos which did a great pizza. In the the evening we would eat at Horizon or order room service. We didn't have a bad meal while we were there. One night we ventured out to the neighbouring half moon hotel. They have a Thai/Indian restaurant which was well worth the trip.

We went on 2 trips while we were there both organised and booked through the hotel. One was swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios which was combined with a visit to Dunns falls. I would highly recommend this trip and it was a great experience we will never forget. We also went on a catamaran half day trip which was nice to get out of the hotel.

We went out one evening to the local nightcub/bar margaritaville which i didn't enjoy, it was full of local people and the atmosphere was quite threatening!

Jamaica is not my favourite place and I didn't feel that we could venture out of the hotel by ourselves. It doesn't have the same relaxed and friendly atmosphere that Antigua has and I probably wouldn't return. That being said the Ritz-Carlton is an excellent hotel which lives up to it's name and I would recommend the hotel to anyone!

My husband and I found a special for this hotel on Hotels.com and decided what could be better than a stay at the Ritz. We're 49 & 50 and even tho we feel we're on the young side of those numbers we went to just veg and relax for a week for our 25th anniversary. First of all you need to know we're not complainers and we knew Jamaica was not necessarily a place to explore and planned to stay the whole week at the resort but 4 days would have been enough. The Keys to Paradise plan is the way to go as food is expensive - you get an actual bill after each meal- so I can tell you a 3 course dinner ran from $175 to $250 each evening with 2 or 3 drinks total. We're foodies so I can confidently say the food is exceptional but even we couldn't eat all the food that's included here- 3, 3 course meals a day- or as we did it -the $29 each buffet breakfast each morning complete with mimosas- more than 1 if you want -which was beautiful. Great bread and pastries, choices like smoked salmon & jerk chicken hash, carving station and plenty of fresh fruit. But you tend to eat more at buffets and tend to order all 3 courses since you already paid for them and then there's the drinks-unlimited so the week becomes an exercise in gluttony if you let it. We started to skip meals and at the end of the week I wanted to get back to work- I guess that means the trip did the job it was supposed to do! The staff was great- went out of their way to treat us special, Happy Anniversay Banner in our room upon arrival, Bottle of Champagne already chilled and waiting (and we already had a glass in our hand from the lobby), gourmet chocolates waiting- all gratus- and a trail of rose petals trailing from the hallway to the terrace and all over the bed (don't hesitate to tell them why you're vacationing- they'll definitely capitalize on the information). Service was spotty but mostly gracious, most of the staff tried to always greet you by name. The first waiter we had at dinner had another waiter with a great voice sing a love song for us at dinner but when he did the same minutes later for the next table, it no longer felt special- but they deserved to celebrate too I suppose!
The grounds are beautiful, pool area was nice but could have been nicer-broken chase lounges, few umbrellas and several broken ones. You did get service both at the pool and beach but waitresses only came once each day and if you're the type that likes to have the lounge chairs set up for you with towels, etc, you'll be disappointed. We left NY with a fistful of $1 bills as we knew tips would help with service but we didn't feel it really made a difference and one evening the maid didn't even take the tip we left ($5) because she was afraid it wasn't for her and we just accidently left money on the nightstand!
When we met her in the hall she told us this and we invited her to take it each evening. She left us thank you notes with broken english (you could almost hear her Jamaican accent) and that we found charming and added to the personality of our stay.
We had the One Love One Heart couples massage and spa bath at the Spa and it was wonderful, spa was immaculate and we were treated like royalty. After that you're entitled to use the spa all week gratus for a steam or a cold plunge- or to dress for the airport if you've already checked out.
The lobby has one computer you can use for e-mails or whatever and we never had a problem with a line to use it. The hotel was only about 1/3 full at the beginning of the week and by the end was much fuller as some company's conference group had arrived and they do tend to monopolize the bar and pool area but we still managed to find peace and quiet.
The resort is definitely recommended for couples- older ones- who want to just relax- our teenage daughter would have gone crazy here and I would recommend it but there are too many other places to see in this world so I doubt we'll be back.
Thanks to the Ritz and the lovely Jamaican people for a truly gracious and relaxing celebration to start our next 25 years together!