Look for the positive

luvjamaica Nov 13, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

we had a wonderful time, I would not recommend this hotel for persons with limited mobility as there are no elevators and ... lots of stairs. The view was beautiful from our room and the food was good. Only one bar offered top shelf liquor but other than that, No complaints

Great Resort and Location!

Dove Nov 12, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We were like everyone else and reluctant after reading all the reviews about going to this resort but we were part of a ... wedding group and didn't have a choice in this selection. In the end, we were so glad that the bride and groom selected this resort. From the moment we arrived until the moment we departed we were very happy with the resort and the staff. The reception and the resort was first class, from the welcome rum drinks to the check-in to the escorted ride to the room.We booked a honeymoon villa (3083)on the Lady Hamilton side and it was wonderful. We had a few ants in our room but nothing that ruined our vacation. We were careful not to leave any food or drinks around the room to draw any ants. The outdoor shower was fabulous and the views from our villa were to die for. Didn't have any serious problems with the air conditioning. Cleaning staff and support staff for room were great! Would like to say that [...] (our maid) and [...] (the gentleman who looked out for everything else) were absolutely the best! Had no problems getting extra towels or drink refills in the refrigerator like other people stated. I believe this is the first time I have paid extra for an upgraded room and was not disappointed. The food was pretty good. We ate mostly at the buffet because it was easier for us. We did eat at the Asian restaurant one night and the sushi was very good, as was the Phad Thai. Loved it!The rest of the staff at the resort were wonderful and very accomodating. Everyone we met were friendly and smiling and could not have been more helpful. The beaches were beautiful and the pools were clean and there were no more missing tiles.Already looking forward to booking a return trip and would not hesitate to recommend this resort to friends and family!

What a Great Experience!

Chris Nov 10, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

What a wonderful vacation experience! I have to admit I was a little skeptical before arriving;I had read a few reviews that ... really slammed the Lady Hamilton. However, after spending 5 glorious days there, I came to the conclusion that some people must be very difficult to please! Was my experience perfect? Of course not, nothing in life is perfect-at least not anything that I can afford. Did I have a great vacation in an absolutely beautiful setting for a reasonable price? Yes, I did! My experience with the people, the service, and the surroundings were wonderful. Everyone at the resort from the front desk to the maid service was friendly, warm and very accommodating. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and maintained. There are several pools throughout the facility and all were immaculant and open for use. The largest pool is the infinity pool with the swim up bar. An earlier review had said the pool was shut down.This was true, but the repairs are done & the pool is back in use. The beaches are well maintained & gorgeous.The water is pristine;the areas marked for swimming have nice sandy bottoms. There is coral so bring water shoes if you wish to explore. Also, I saw many small tropical fish, so if you snorkel bring your gear! Unfortunately, I forgot about mine. The resort & rooms are clean,the decor is nice & the food is very good with many choices. There are several free activities available such as volleyball, pool, air hockey, paddleboats, canoeing, etc. For a small fee, you can take a sailing lesson & then you have free use of the small sailboats that are available. There are several fun bars; a sportsbar, the disco, the casino,& an open air bar that has live entertainment. There are also outdoor bars positioned around the pools & beaches. Of course, all drinks are free. There are free shows nightly in the paladium that were quite fun & entertaining. There is also a gym and awesome spa on the grounds. The gym is free, spa services are extra. If all this isn't enough to keep you entertained, there are all kinds of excursions available; of course, they are separate from the resort and do charge a fee. Personally, I enjoyed the resort so much that I only went on one excursion.It was fun, but I couldn't wait to get back to the resort! Does it sound like paradise? It was! Was it perfect? Nope. Am I going back again? Yep! There were about 32 of us that had went to the resort to attend a wedding. I don't think anyone was dissatisfied or dissappointed in their experience. My family and I have already decided that we will be returning in 2011. I can't wait!

Aniversary Trip

Danielle Nov 4, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We had a great time while at this resort. The main pool was closed but there were plenty of other pools to choose from. The ... food was good, Lotus House was our favorite. We stayed in a bungalow suite and had no complaints about our room. I am not sure what all of the other people are complaining about with their rooms but we had no problems at all. The best drink there is call the dirty banana! We hope to be able to go back to this resort soon and hopefully the main pool will be back open. We went zip lining while we were there which was really fun but just a long bumpy drive to the location.

Never go again

Ludicrous Oct 22, 2009

[...] Upon arriving at the Grand Palladium Resort my wife and I found their main swimming pool closed which was very ... disheartening because it is the main reason we chose this resort. The pictures we saw of the resort showed a beautiful infinity pool on the ocean with an outdoor restaurant. When we researched the right resort to book with we looked for an attractive swimming pool which the Grand Palladium Resort's brochure showed because we do not swim in the ocean. [...] When we got to the airport we found the drive to be a 50 minute ride at a cost of $50.00. So not to ruin our vacation any more than it had been ruined we were forced to swim in a very small pool while people played volleyball around us. [...]We were given room 2704. For some reason this room had an over abundance of mold even though the air-conditioning ran on high all of the time and I believe the mold was blowing out of the air-conditioner. My wife and I have asthma and allergies which is normally under control without medication but the mold in the room posed an extreme health hazard and we were both forced to take our medication daily. As we met other vacationers at the resort we asked them about their rooms and they all stated their rooms were musty and moldy as well. Sleeping was extremely difficult as well because of the breathing problems we had. Knowing that all the rooms were as bad as ours it was pointless to move to another so we did the best we could with what we were given. When we returned home to what we consider a normal environment we realized just how bad the air was in room 2704 because of how bad our moldy clothes and luggage smelled. Even clothes that were not worn had to be washed and luggage aired. Not only did we have mold spores blowing around in our room we also had other uninvited guests. On Wednesday when returning to the room after lunch we found a cockroach on the floor and consequently that night there was a note slipped under the door. This note stated that the building we were in was going to be fumigated the next day. We called the next day and asked not to have our room fumigated because we both would have a serious asthma attack from the poison. Friday night we ate at the restaurant Bubba's Steak House located on the property. During dinner we found another cockroach walking on my wife's purse and called the waiter over and he promptly did away with the pest. Upon waking up Saturday morning we found two more cockroaches in our room and this time one was dead. Before check out Saturday morning we filed a written complaint with the resort which will be faxed as well.

Amazing Stay in Paradise

Missing Paradise Oct 13, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We had a wonderful stay at the resort. The people were so friendly and it felt genuine. The food was amazing. The rooms were ... very nice. No bugs, the AC worked. We did not run out of towels. The staff were very helpful. We only wish the main pool was completed during our stay. But that did not take away from the amazing time we had.

2nd time, and not the last!

Christy and Joe Sep 21, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

This place is simply amazing! The only thing we didn't like about this hotel the first time we went was the firmness of the ... matresses. When we arrived this time we were pleasantly surprised to find that they had purchased new, memory foam mattresses. Now the Grand Palladium is simply perfect!

Not all its cracked up to be...

Mr. Not Impressed with the Lady Hamilton Sep 20, 2009

First things first, good customer service is the exception and not the rule at this "resort". Its quite obvious that the ... employees dont work for tips. If you're at a restaurant you should expect ridiculously slow service (on two occasions we saw employees take lunch breaks before bringing us our food or drinks). When (not if) you have a maintenance issue you should expect to make several calls to the front desk before the situation is resolved. Employees pass the buck when it comes to responsibilities ("Oh you should call the bell desk/maintenance/hospitality services for that, its not my department"). There is NO ROOM SERVICE, its not even available as an added cost option. Please dont believe this place is "all inclusive". When I complained about a bug infestation in the room the reply I got from the front desk was "What type of bugs?" How about the type that I feel are unacceptable to be covering my bed and furniture! Secondly, the place is literally falling apart. The hotel has been open for 14 months and its obvious that construction was rushed or they used the cheapest materials available. 3 of the 4 pools were completely out of service for maintenance (complete tile failure), and none of the hot tubs were functioning. There are cracks, peeling paint, missing stucco, and visible patch jobs all over the place. The A/C in our unit struggled to keep it cool (an assistant manager admitted to us that certain units have poor A/C design and the rooms never get cold enough). And this takes the cake, while laying on the beach we (and another couple) were chased away by the overpowering smell of METHANE GAS (thats sewer gas). That means one of two things: 1) There is a sewage outfall somewhere near the beach, 2) There is a venting issue with your plumbing and you're going to continue to have these issues. Both are completely unacceptable for a place that bills itself as a luxury resort. Our first (of three) room had an unstocked mini-bar, no towels, and a BUG INFESTATION. Our second room had no towels, a broken ipod docking station, and no reception on any tv station (apparently the entire villa had an antenna issue and none of the rooms had any reception). Finally our third room was acceptable but the cleaning lady admitted to us that they were out of towels and she would bring us some when they were available (several other couples had this issue). How does a resort run out of towels? Thats like McDonalds not having french fries! Our second day on the resort we contacted Orbitz to be transferred to a better facility but we couldnt find availability at a four star in Montego Bay. Its a safe assumption to say that in our 8 days on the resort we ran into 5 employees that understood the concept of customer service. Even with the maintenance issues aside the complete lack of customer service would prevent me from ever patronizing/recommending this resort, or any other facilities owned/managed by the Fiesta Hotels group. Dont be fooled by the propaganda-like photos the place is like a Monet painting, it looks impressive from afar but once you're up close its nothing to be impressed about. Save yourselves the time, money, and aggravation and do not patronize this resort.

Beautiful to look at but needs work

family vacation nightmare Aug 13, 2009

We were a group of eight with four rooms. They kept running out of towels. Every morning the maid would come to the door and ... request our dirty face cloths. We would pray to get clean ones at the end of the day. The jacuzzi in one room had permanent stains in it. One morning the guest in one room woke up to find a roach in the bed. Another room had an ant invasion that they came quickly to fix. Another room stayed warm and it took numerous calls and fours days for them to fix the air conditioner. We heard other guest complaining about the temperature in their room as well. The steak restaurant was good but you had to get there early to to get in. All of the restaurants the food was cold and the service slow. The buffet restaurants were good. They had electrical blackouts everyday. Bring plenty of one dollar bills they can make the difference in the service you receive. The staff was friendlier if they thought you were going to tip.

A Need to Get the Bugs Out - Literally

Jay Aug 1, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

My high hopes were slowly dashed upon arrival and check-in, and later crushed altogether. After the 1hr 20min wait for ... transport & luggage delivery to our 1st room (only 3 of the 9 carts were working), we just made it dinner at the Jamaica restaurant. The food was fine, but the drinks were better! Upon return to our room we found 1 bath & 2 hand towels but no washcloths. We later learned that "no more washcloths" would be a familiar theme and we had to track down housekeeping in the hall and/or "leave a little extra" just to get 2 of them. We had to leave that room (with a stunning water view) after the sewage back-up, bed-mites, old squeaky mattress, & non-working outlets got the best of us after 2 nights. [w/o in-depth discussion re: the room-change logistics, suffice it to say that it wasn't easy.] The new room (w/ only partial water view) also had no washcloths, the beginnings of a plumbing problem, and -- ROACHES! Notwithstanding that 2 of them were actaully the largest I have ever seen in my life, my bug complaints yielded only a can of "Baygon" bug spray and an "I'm sorry but ..." Not wishing a premature end to a well deserved and desperately needed break, we stuck-it-out but remembered to spray our luggage, bathroom, underbed, and around the room daily. Our efforts yielded a 98% kill rate! "Insectopia" notwithstanding, the resort grounds are lovely, the beaches are great, and the jerk chichen was yummy. We took only 1 tour- shopping to Negril, which was fine for its price. The wait staff would do well with a bit more training, although several individually were exceptional. The food was OK & "Xamaica" restaurant (the only one w/ Jamaican/creole food) was our fave. Coffee lovers: the "Blue Mountain coffee" is smooth, tasty, & worth the price & the trip. The nightly "stageshow" performers are clearly not professional but do provide some entertainment. The pool, breathtaking in appearance, has many broken/missing ceramic tile hazards & is due for shut down & repair this Sept. The opulent, "spared no expense" look in the common areas does not cotinue to the guest rooms which show poor/rushed workmanship but comfy decor. The employees were generally friendly but their 12-15hr days do leave them a bit "quiet" at times. There are many free activities to enjoy & we had a blast with the sea kayaks, paddle boats, and snorkel. A list of other free items may be found in a "booklet" in each room, and you may wish to hang on to some free "WATA", soda, or beer from the room frig. The resort is HUGE, easily seen from the air, & perhaps too big to manage efficiently. Unless they offered me a truly fantastic deal (like free nights!), I don't believe I would go back to this resort. In that someone else is unlikely to have our same experiences, I might recommend this resort to a friend with exceptions. If you do opt to go, however, remember: (1)that this is not a 5 star hotel; (2)to have a "flexible" attitude and approach to problems; (3) to bring water shoes (the rocks hurt!!);(4)bring mosquito repellant;(5) tips go far & are highly appreciated; (6) Jamaica is a beautiful island so get out & see it; (7) the rum punch can leave you with a massive headache in the morning; (8) the hotel is more than 30 mins. from airport and there is plenty of road & other construction going on; (9) that you really do need a vacation; and (10)that washcloths are precious - bring your own!!

Relaxing couples Getaway

Fun Couple Jul 15, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We had to contact Housekeeping everyday for missing wash cloths or towels, the fridge doesn't get very cold. The tours are ... great Ricks Cafe was awesome and the zipline was a great experience. The chicken at the Jerk Hut is very tasty.

grand palladium june 2009

elsa Jul 14, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

This was the nicest hotel we have stayed at abroad, although our room was not ready at check-in. Our full suite with the ... ocean view was worth every penny extra that it cost, but as every other review states - the beds are firm. The sofa bed is unsleepable - thankfully I had my teenagers on that. There was a great selection of restaurants and the buffets were good as well. Drinks abound and the staff was so friendly and hospitable.

Great time!

is Jul 9, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Just got back on Saturday. Had an amazing time. We are a young couple who have very busy lives so it felt good to finally get ... away where you can finally relax. We were originally going to Mexico but with the whole swine flu we felt that it was safer to go elsewhere. I found an amazing deal on this hotel, and also had a friend who went a month before me. I been to many all inclusive resorts and im not going to say this was the best but it wasn't bad at all. I loved the fact that there were 3 diff beaches to choose from. We stayed in building 29 and it was the perfect location..we had an adult pool right in front of our room, adult beach to the left and another beach to the right..everything was steps away and there was always something available. Unlike in other resorts you where you need to make sure you wake up early and run outside to put your towel down here there was always something available if it was the beach or pool. The restaurants were all pretty good and the buffet wasn't bad either. The 1st night when we got there we had air blowing from our AC but it was really cold, so i called the front desk and someone came in 5 min to fix the problem. Little details like tiles falling out of the pool didnt really bother me to a point where i wouldnt recommend this place. The property is huge and very nice. If you are looking to get away from it all and just want to relax this is the place to go especially for the money

I would go back, but not to this hotel

Experienced Traveler Jul 6, 2009

Overall our trip to Jamaica was a good one, but the resort needs some work. We thought that by going to a resort that was ... only 1-2 years old we would have nice rooms, nice pools, and basically a really nice resort.... boy were we wrong! The rooms were all very musty, humid, and stayed damp 24-7 (we were traveling with a group of 19 people all in different buildings, some even had the villa) all of the rooms had mold in the shower stalls, none of the rooms had a/c that worked that well. We all ended up moving our beds to the middle of the room so we could be under the ceiling fan. Now onto the pools... yes they are big, but they are ALL missing tiles and you have to watch where you step so you don't cut your foot open. The pool with the swim up bar is HUGE, but you have to swim across the entire pool to get a drink.... basically a really poor layout. The food, this is the only part of the resort that none of our group had any complaints about. The restaurants did not require reservations and the food was good at all of them. The buffet was also very good! If I had to do it all over again I would have stayed in Negril or Montego Bay. Jamaica was beautiful, the resort just needs some work.

Great Architecture Poor Craftmanship

AverageTraveler Jul 5, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Travel off the resort was slow because of very poor roads on the island. Hotel repairman made me feel as though he was going ... out of his way to do me a personal favor by replacing a non-functioning telephone in my room. MOST Jamaicans expect a tip even in this all-inclusive.

Beautiful but it needs improving

Vacationer Jun 29, 2009

The hotel was beautiful and the staff was very friendly. The staff at the sunset cove beach and Miss Lou's bar were ... excellent. Several guest were compaining about the air conditioning not working in their rooms. My air worked but it wasn't very cool. We traveled with a group of friends. When they complained about their AC not working they were told that the hotel was working on the problem. After two days of no air the two couples insisted that they be moved to rooms with air conditioning. We later learned that the resort had been having AC problems for 2 or 3 months. Jamaica is hot and the air should have been fixed immediately or do not put guest in the rooms without AC. The restaurants were also very hot (as in heat). I would not have expected paint to be coming off the walls and the pools to be missing so many tiles in a resort that is only one year old. But the pools were beautiful and clean. It also was a long drive for our tours. The roads in Jamaica have several pot holes which made those long drives very uncomfortable. I would not stay at this resort again because of its location and it needs some repairs (mainly the air conditioning). If you decide to stay at this resort let houskeeping know that you would like your sheets changed because they will just make up the bed if you do not tell them. I had to call them twice at night when I returned to my room and found that they did not change my sheets. Also, the best beach is the Sunset Cove and it is where you can rent the kayaks, sailboats , and pedal boats which are all included in your payment and the staff at the sunset cove are really nice.

Try not to sweat the small stuff . . .

brook2jl Jun 28, 2009

The hotel was HUGE, and everything was a lot of fun . . . it is obvious, however, that this hotel was put together very ... quickly, and will very soon need some maintenance work. Our biggest complaint was ants. By the end of the week, our first floor room had ants all over the few, and we even found a few in our bed the last two nights we were there. My recommendation would be to request a room on the second or third floor . . . no one we spoke to on those floors had any issues with ants. Overall, though, FANTASTIC trip . . . be sure to see Leroy the bartender at the pool bar . . . he is AWESOME!

A couple's getaway

Shar Jun 20, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Our first day at the hotel was HORRIBLE. It was raining and they didn't have our room ready. They said it was flooded after ... we signed in so we were thinking we were going to our Bungalow. They put us in a Suite, mine was good but the other people we came with was leaking and didn't have anything in the fridge. They told us our Bungalow would be ready the next day and it was. That made the trip 10 times better. The food and the pool was great. The private beach was a little small but nice as well. We went to the adult pool alot and I really enjoyed that. Great music and drinks. Had more then enough places to eat and the hotel gift shop was a nice size. Don't forget to bring alot of singles.

More than we expected

norcal couple Jun 13, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

It was more than we could expect. We've read so many reviews and wondered how could "people" complain about the smallest ... things, you're in JAMAICA (no problem mon). To us it was great! Food was yummy (especially the breakfast buffets and the Pastafarian restaurant)!!! For restaurants, Men: Bring long pants (linen is perfect!)and a collard shirt... Women: anything goes. There is enough coastline and remote areas on the resort for privacy to tap into your romantic side but also a warm friendly atmosphere in the more public areas. The staff was so friendly and truly wanted to ensure that their guest's stay was "irie" (Jamaican term for everything is good). Our Bungalow room was the most elegant room I've ever stayed in. A huge Jacuzzi tub, an outdoor private shower, comfortable king size bed and large flat screen tv & sofa. We were sad to leave, but we wish to return soon. Our stay here definitely left a special memory in our hearts.

Great hotel for the price!

Needed Relaxation Jun 11, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We relaxed by the pools most of the time and it was fantastic! I liked the smaller pools better because they were less ... crowded and more relaxing!