Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa

Stayed here from January 2 - January 13, 2025. As has been mentioned previously by others, this is an older property that has not been well-maintained. I will spare you the photos of the state of disrepair, which has been well documented by others. However, by way of example, we stayed in one of the three buildings and one of the elevators did not function for the entirety of our 11 night stay. I cannot fathom how or why management would not arrange to have the elevator fixed promptly. Another disappointing (and quite frankly, disgusting) feature was the dirty beach. And I’m not talking seaweed - I’m talking dirty diapers, food waste, used straws, etc. strewn across the shoreline. I have stayed at other resorts where there are staff dedicated to ensuring the cleanliness of the beach. There did not appear to be anyone tasked with this job. There was likewise a lack of available seating unless you were prepared to wake up at 630am to claim a spot. On a positive note, the food was actually quite good and the guests and staff were pleasant. However, be warned of the 10$ “delivery charge” for room service, which does not align with the advertised “complimentary” room service. There were also a couple of other “resort policies” that suggested the resort was looking to unnecessarily lessen the guest experience. Again by way of example, if you missed housekeeping service because you were taking a midday nap and had your DoNotDisturb sign hanging out, there was a 10$ charge to get your fridge restocked with a couple of bottles of water. Also, when I asked for a late checkout to permit my young son to take a nap before our departure at 2pm, I was advised that there was a 50$ per hour charge applicable to any stays past 12pm. Perhaps most frustratingly for my family was the fact that we were contacted by the resort through WhatsApp at the outset of our stay. We received the following message: “Hi XXXXX, your wonderful stay with us can only get better, we are delighted to assist you with any of your vacation needs, questions, concerns and suggestion. Feel free to contact us at your convenience. How satisfied are you with your stay at Jewel Grande Resort & Spa? [1 Very Unsatisfied] - [5 Very Satisfied]” We responded with a list of concerns and suggestions, but received no response even though we followed up. I see that the “social media coordinator” responds to reviews posted on TripAdvisor, but based on our most recent visit those responses and commitments to “enhance the experience” are not being followed through on. There were two instances when we were advised that restaurants were out of a particular item (ie. at Crickets Grill (aka Waves) we were told they were temporarily out of salad). There was also an obnoxious spa staffer who tried very hard to sell us on overpriced spa services. And who could forget the taxi drivers parked outside who would harass me and my family by “offering” us “smoke.”

Our family of five (two parents 50+, two college students and one middle schooler) enjoyed our first ever NYE family vacation December 30, 2024 to January 6, 2025 at Jewel Grande. We gave our travel agent these specific requests: • Direct flight from Charlotte, NC • Short ride from airport • All-inclusive with a variety of food options • Three-bed rooms • Good beach for hanging and swimming • Daily activities and water sports that would appeal to our kids The Jewel Grande delivered. There are questionable reviews on the travel sites, but we had a great experience. I attribute part of that to the back that we had butler service with our three-bedroom suite. Orrett and Suline were amazing – some of the best service professionals I have ever worked with. They stayed very connected with the entire week and helped in a million different ways. Our Suite: Yes, the furniture and décor of our suite was dated, but it was clean and HUGE. We were in the center tower on the 9th floor in an end unit. There was a huge living area and kitchen with a half-bath, the master was huge with a big bathroom and tub and two other bedrooms each with their own bathroom. And the outdoor balcony wrapped around the front and side of the suite. The housekeeping service was exceptional. They kept the room clean, replaced towels daily and our fridge was always fully stocked. We were literally in the room just to sleep and get ready for our day or evening, so we weren’t so concerned about the furniture or paintings. The Resort: I loved that the resort was small and large at the same time. It was relatively contained and easy to get everywhere (thought there is a lot of stairs). It was really beautiful and the grounds were well maintained. It was almost like three separate sections. One big section of beach was very active with the water sports and tiki huts that were first come first serve. Next section of the beach was more relaxed with lots of chairs and the cabanas. In the middle was the “quieter” pool and bar. Then there is a huge section of beachfront where you cannot swim or hang out, but it’s beautiful to walk around. There are two different areas where you can walk out on rock formations/paths out into the ocean. The second pool is larger and where all of the daily activities and DJ fun happens. That’s also where the swim up bar is located.   Food: With a vegetarian and a picky eater in our group, we wanted food options for everyone but definitely some great culinary options. The buffet was pretty much what you would expect each day. There were lots of Jamaican and Indian options as well as regular American fare. The lunch options were again a good mix of Jamaican street food and American fare. The most amazing lunch option by far was the Jerk Chicken Shack daily on the beach. Every day there was a grill set up that made an enormous amount of jerk chicken that was usually available by 1:00. The chicken was cut in front of you and you could get bread and sauce. My husband LIVED for this chicken daily. It was the most amazing food. In general, anything grilled was off the charts. Our favorite dinner meal was the hibachi table at Pierside Restaurant (make sure to reserve the table, not the a la cart seating). The view was spectacular, the food was perfection and it was thoroughly entertaining. Our second favorite (and the only one we repeated) was Moonstone. Great Italian and loved sitting outside. Typically all the entertainment happens in the gazebo area below this restaurant so if you make a reservation during entertainment time you get a two for one experience. Le Bouchon was a really good experience and a must do as well. As my husband said, the Jamaicans are the best at grilling anything. We were not a big fan of Waves and didn’t go to Jam-Mex. The NYE buffet was absolutely amazing. So so many options. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table but the bar was open and there was live entertainment, so it was great. It was such a fun meal and so great. Again – the grilled options were the best – lamb, steak and chicken. But the sushi and seafood were amazing and we loved all of the Jamaican options. Daily Activities: We are beach people so we spent very little time at the pool. One day the girls did dance lessons and bingo, there were always activities. On the beach, there was lots of volleyball, corn hole, paddle boards, kayaking and the watersports team would take you out on a catamaran. The food/drink service could be spotty on the beach, but our butlers were always taking care of us. We rented a cabana twice and it was amazing. Lekki and Darmont were the very best attendants!! The tour desk was very helpful. We planned a tour, but it had to be cancelled due to winds and we had no issues with the refund. Evening Activities: There was some form of entertainment every night. One of our favorites was silent disco – we had a blast. There was a Michael Jackson night, an international culture night and a Jamaican culture night. The NYE Beach celebration was amazing. There was a DJ and dance performances, lots of food and drink and 2025 swag and amazing fireworks over the ocean at midnight. The late night scene seemed to be tied to the lobby piano bar. My girls went to the DJ a couple of times and no one was ever there. Spa My oldest and I had a spa morning and I am so glad we did. The service was spectacular. It’s not the fanciest spa (and the resort gym is located in the same area – the gym is amazing and there are lots of free classes). We didn’t hang out with the sauna or things because we wanted to get back to the beach, but we both had the very best massages we have ever had. She did the Himalayan salt 80 minutes, and I did the bamboo 80 minutes. The were both amazing. Summary This was exactly what we were looking for and Jewel Grande delivered for us. My girls had a great time and my husband said he would come back – highest praise.

This trip was ok. It didn’t feel as if we were on vacation, but in downtown Miami with the large buildings and limited grounds. The hotel grounds were very well kept. The people were excellent and the rooms were larger than other all inclusive properties we’ve been too. The beach is small, and the water has a lot of seaweed in the swimming areas. Also, the sun exposure is also limited because of the size and position of the buildings. There seemed to be plenty of chairs, but not a ton of shade, so if you didn’t get a hut, you were exposed for the entire time the sun was out in that area. There are 2 pools. 1 pool only gets sun between noon and 3 and it is small. Maybe 20 chairs available. The main pool is a bit larger, but only gets sun late afternoon, and only half gets the sun. Same number of chairs. The entertainment is non existent, except for about an hour and a half at night, if you care about that. We don’t, so didn’t have any effect for us. They do have a couple kayaks and a small catamaran, but it was super windy, snd you need to have a staff member take you on the catamaran. The unpredictable Caribbean weather hit us for 3 days, and the reason for mentioning this, is there is nothing to do here except sit in your room, or a small bar in the lobby. You can’t leave the property to walk anywhere, as it’s on a highway. Cabs are expensive because they know you can’t go anywhere. $40 to/from the airport, which is 10 minutes away. The Hyatt which is literally next door is $15. You can take a tour to Dunn’s river or Ricks cafe, but they are expensive, and if the weather isn’t good, a waste of time and money. We had issues with the hot water at times, as has been mentioned in previous reviews. The buffet isn’t open at night, so you need to eat at one of the dining restaraunts, which is ok, but you can’t get take out. It cost $10 for someone to bring it to you, you can’t wait apparently. If the restaurants are filled, you have no where to eat, as they are only open from 6-9:30. They do not exchange money, and there is no ATM on property, but the bellman will take you next door to the Hyatt as they have one. The website is not correct with information from the hotel, which I find ridiculous. The website says the buffet is open for dinner, that Moonstone is open for breakfast and that 4 of the restaurants are closed on a couple of the days. All of which are not true. We didn’t get the mini fridge filled automatically, but we’re able to ask for what we needed. For all you Pepsi vs Coke people, this is a Coke property. There are a ton of little kids here. I haven’t been to a place that had so many. Maybe it’s because the property is small, or we got on off week, but a couple dinners, had a screaming kid throughout dinner. Wasn’t enjoyable at all. I wouldn’t come back to this property.

This a lovely hotel with a lot of potential but it needs renovations and refreshing. Infrastructure 4* (bones are good) Beach 4* (needs a small tractor for seaweed) Pools 4* (Need new unistone) Restaurants 4.5* (delicious with good service) Service 4.5* (attentive with a smile) Rooms 3.5* (Bldg C was renovated but not A&B) Hallways 2* (worst I’ve seen in a long time) Lobby and Common Areas 3* Bars 3.5* (fountain drinks flat) Maintenance 2.5* (hot water spotty, AC struggles, some sockets don’t work, some lights flicker, 6 of 8 beach showers don’t work, one elevator was out for our entire stay and the other was down one day and we had to use the service elevator) If you can be assured of a room in Bldg C, I wouldn’t hesitate to book here. Bldg A & B are hit and miss. They are spacious and comfortable but have lots of electrical, HVAC and plumbing issues and need refreshing to modern standards and second sinks in the bathrooms! When we arrived it was a complete miss. Our 2br suite with ocean view had an unspecified issue so they put us in 2 x 1br ocean view suites. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise but at first we were not happy and were denied an upgrade. The weather didn’t help our mood so I requested a transfer to one of their sister properties (Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Hilton Rose Hall) all owned by the same franchisee. I was denied by the hotel and by the local tour representative; Island Tours who were tasked by Air Canada Vacations our tour operator. This was a missed opportunity on all fronts. An unhappy customer is an opportunity not a problem. They should have moved us to the Hyatt Ziva next door at no cost to them but didn’t. Or at least upgraded us to bldg C or an Ocean Front in A or B. Fortunately the weather improved and we began to taste and feel the charm of the Jewel through the Rough. With a lot of love and hard work this resort could be great again!

This was our 2nd time visiting jewel Grande and both times have been excellent. The staff is friendly and always trying to help. Food quality, spa service and all of the staff is top notch. We've officially found our winter vacation spot. Jewel staff keep up the good work