All Inclusive Option
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My wife and I along with another couple just got back from a five night stay at the Ritz Carlton. We really enjoyed the vacation due in large part to the our experience at the Ritz. We chose the all inclusive option (aka - Keys to Paradise) and booked the vacation through a local travel agency. I must say that the all inclusive is the only way to go (unless someone else is paying the bill). The food is very, very expensive. On a per person basis, expect to spend $30 for breakfast, $50 for lunch and $100 dinner. Drinks by the pool run about $10 each. Find a travel agent that can get you a deal around $2500 per couple for 5 nights. We ate and drank throughout the day and night, pretty much whatever and whenever we wanted. Our bill on checkout was $13 which was for some extra gratuities I charged to the room when I forgot to bring cash with me. The meals and drinks will certainly taste better when you are not worried about how much they cost.

Food and Drink
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For the most part, the food is "good not great" - something we found ourselves saying over and over. Some things are really good, like the lobster from the Jerk Shack or dinner at the White Witch (highly recommended). We did bring a couple of extra bottles of nicer wine with us that I bought at the duty free store at Philly airport on our way down. Although the house wine is okay, I agree with prior reviewers that thought it should be a little nicer selection. There was no charge or problem with bringing a bottle with us to the table. They give you a several page guide to the all inclusive program when you check in. The most important thing to read is which liquors are included and which are considered "premium". We mostly stuck to coconut rum or Ketel One the whole time. In the morning, get the Blue Mountain coffee in the Cohoba bar and take it to breakfast.

Our Room
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We had confirmed an ocean view room and I had e-mailed the hotel before arrival to request a room in the west wing away from the elevators, stairwells and ice machines. Our room was very nice with cool tiled floors partially covered with a tropical colored area rug. There was a large LCD TV with a great channel selection (incl HBO, Showtime and Cinemax) and a box that you could hook in a PlayStation, or portable DVD player if you had one with you. The bathrooms were quite nice with two sinks, a separate tub and walk in shower. The toilet was located in its own small room as well for extra privacy. Our only complaint was the water pressure which was rather low during parts of our stay. In addition, the phone in our room was not able to receive calls so the hotel gave us a free cell phone to use instead in case they or someone back home needed to reach us. For the ladies - a very large and powerful hairdryer seems to be standard in the rooms. Rooms also have a safe, a coffee/tea bar and free high speed (wired) internet access.

Pool and Beach
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From all the negative comments we had read regarding the pool and beach, we were prepared for the worst. We were pleasantly surprised by the uncrowded beach and although small, plenty large for us to splash around in when we got hot. As several reviewers have said, the ocean floor is rocky and we did bring water shoes with us which were useful. The beach area itself is plenty large and sandy. There are ample chairs but perhaps the hotel could add or fix a few more umbrellas. Drink service on the beach is not quite as good as by the pool, which was readily available. There were a lot of children around, but they all seemed very well behaved and did not bother us in the least. The staff seemed to take an interest in entertaining them giving parents a little break every now and then. The pool is not small, but it isn't a mega pool either. There were always chairs available and not very many people actually went in the pool. We found ourselves running into the same people over and over again which was nice.


Transportation / Shopping
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The Ritz has a very nice lounge located in the arrivals hall of Montego Bay airport. They will check you into the hotel there and arrange for your transportation (which was also included in our package).

We did not do any of the Jamaica Tours excursions. Instead, we hired a taxi for the afternoon to take us shopping. The driver's name was Clover and she was excellent with a very nice vehicle. For $50 plus gratuity, she took us to the straw market, the duty free shops and anywhere else around MB that we wanted to go. The Straw Market is a real experience and can be a little overwhelming if you've never been to one. You will likely get hustled there, but remember that many of these folks live in absolute poverty and could use that extra one or two bucks that you would have saved if you bought that basket at a regular store. The jewelry stores are full of good deals and don't hesitate to do some hard bargaining there (we bought a necklace for $170 that had a price of $525 on it). If the shop owner isn't mad at you or calling their manager over, you haven't made the best deal.

Final Thoughts
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This particular Ritz, as others have already said, is not quite up to the same sparkle as say the one in New York or Philadelphia. It could use a little touch up here and it runs at a slightly slower pace too. However, the staff is very warm and friendly and strives to make up for any shortcomings. You can tell that they take a lot of pride in their job and in keeping up the reputation of the property. For the price we paid as an all inclusive, it was worth every penny and we would definitely go back again.

Upon arrival at the Montego Bay airport, it is very nice to have a lounge and front desk for the Ritz right there in the airport. One thing to be aware of is that they will check you in there, but not assign your room. So it still necessary once you arrive at the property to go to the front desk and 'check in' and get your keys. Since we were using Marriott Honored Guest rewards points for our stay, we weren't given any option as to the type of room we could reserve and therefore were looking to upgrade upon arrival. (It should be noted that we could have chosen any Ritz for our stay and since it was our Anniversary, we chose the Rose Hall location above all others.) We were told all the rooms were sold out and yet when we checked the hotel website only a few hours later, there were several types of rooms available for our stay. We checked many times throughout our trip, only to be told the same thing and never upgraded.

Our room was very nice size with marble bathrooms and a nice flat screen large TV, but our view was of the front of the lobby windows facing the pool/ocean and of a service door just below. We would have gladly paid extra for an ocean front or club level view and it was very frustrating not to be allowed that option. The rooms were clean and I requested extra shampoo and conditioner and were given 2-3 bottles each per day. The mini-bar was well stocked but again...very expensive. We called Housekeeping when leaving the room in the morning and it was always clean up on our return.

The only other complaint we had was that all the food and beverages were very expensive. A bottle of water in the room was complimentary but at the pool was $3. A mixed drink was $10 and a hamburger and fries at the pool were $18. Needless to say if you are paying for your trip, you want to do the all inclusive package if you plan on eating at the Ritz. We ate several meals off site and had a very memorable experience watching the sunset at Richmond Hill for our Anniversary dinner. We found the fine dining to be expensive everywhere and as mentioned in other review, taxis are also expensive. $25 one way to Montego Bay. One thing we were not told about was that if you make reservations at the Sugar Mill at Half Moon, they will send a van to pick you up for free....and that is well worth the trip too. Also if you make reservations at Margarittes (attached to Margarittaville but nothing the same), they have a free shuttle that runs hourly from the Ritz. We did use these shuttles once we were aware of them. We did find a place for Jerk Pork and Chicken just down the road (a $5 taxi ride one way) called Scotchies that is worth the visit. It was wonderful to mingle with some locals and have a Red Stripe and Jerk Pork with all the traditional sides for a very low price....all under a thatched roof bar. Well worth the trip for lunch. The best restaurant at the Ritz is defnitely the White Witch and you should head there for lunch for the view and for dinner for the food and entertainment. Expensive again but absolutely great quality. The Jerk Center on the beach is nice for lunch one day too as you sit at a picnic table with your feet in the sand right on the beach.

We didn't find the pool to be too small but we found that the coves along the walkway next to the ocean were absolutely great for lounging in the sun and private. We had our own cove nearly every day. The key to having people wait on you is to go to the bar and tell them where you'll be and that you'll want drinks and food often and they do come around, especially if you tip the first few days you are there.

The staff was overall very friendly and helpful and it is best to make reservations for dinner at the restaurants onsite as well as offsite. Their guest relations department can make those for you but they do expect a tip at the end of your stay if you use the same person the entire trip.

We did golf several places and the White Witch course is definitely the premier course in the area. The caddies are knowledgable and the course is beautiful with 14 holes with ocean views. Bring alot of balls though because it is a difficult course. It again was expensive at $200 per person per round, but if you are there and you are a golfer, even if it is the only course you play, it is worth the money.

Overall we had a wonderful trip but probably would not go back to Montego Bay because of the cost of golf, food and taxis. We have stayed in Negril and Ocho Rios previously but found them to be too far from the level of golf courses we wanted to play, namely White Witch, Half Moon, Tryall & Cinnamon Hill. Plus we didn't enjoy getting off the airport only to be shuttled for 1 1/2 hours to Negril or 2 hours to Ocho Rios, when the Ritz is 15 minutes away. If we do go back it will be to the Half Moon where I'm sure we'll get more of a Jamaican experience.

I just got back from a long weekend at the Ritz Rose Hall. A girlfriend and I chose this location because she had Ritz vouchers and it was an easy trip from where we live. Overall it was a good experience. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful but as others have mentioned the property is isolated and the beach is small. The rooms are nicely appointed with big bathrooms and a large balcony. During our visit there was a convention that had close to 400 guests. I think the property gets a lot of corporate business. This changes the dynamic of a vacation because you feel like they are taking over the property. The positives are that check-in happens at the airport so you can be taken straight to your room. There are plenty of chairs by the pool and ocean, staff go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. We played tennis one day and I suggest you take your own tennis balls if you plan to play. The negatives are the food is completely average and expensive, no beach to walk on and nowhere to really go for a walk or get exercise outside-the gym was suitable. They do offer an outdoor yoga class which I did not attend. It was perfect for a few days but I probably would not go back if I had to pay full price.

My family and I got a terrific air and hotel combo for the Ritz at Rose Hall. The staff, without exception, was very friendly. The room was clean and the grounds well kept. Two HUGE problems.
First, the food was both absurdly expensive and lousy -- especially at lunch. I am ok with the food being pricey, but it should at least be decent for the price ($18 burger, $15 caesar that included 6 pieces of lettuce).
Second, the resort's beach is almost useless. The part that is swimmable is ugly and small. The resort really should not advertize itself as having a beach -- it is misleading.