IberoStar Grand Rose Hall-Montego Bay, Jamaica

Hello Naturals!

So, I'm finally getting around to writing a post/review about our honeymoon...almost a year later... :-/ Oops! Better late than never,right? I wrote my original review on TripAdvisor, but I wanted to write a more in depth one on here.

(Source)

We stayed at the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall Suites in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was an all inclusive hotel and adults only on this side. (I should mention there are two other units that are designed for family vacations as well, in case you're planning on bring the little ones.) We stayed for 5 nights, 6 days in early October. Which really is a perfect time for traveling. The pool was not crowded so we did not have to compete with other guests for a spot, the weather was perfect, with the exception of the last full day we were there. 

(Our Room...please excuse our mess...we took pictures on our last day there)

 (The view from our balcony)

(The lobby piano bar)

(The grand stair cases leading to the pool area, as well as two of the many restaurants on site)

(Practically empty, it had finally stopped raining for a bit. It had rained so hard/much that while we were getting massages, the power went out and there was a little "flooding" at the base of that stair case)

(My husband's dinner. Lobster)

(I had these yummy flounder "rolls")

(The pool bar-usually pretty busy.)

(Us)

(Nightly entertainment by the "Star Friends"

(Bye-bye Iberostar! It was fun while it lasted, but we have more adventuring to do!) 

Pros: 

• With the exception of tipping the bell hops and your personal butler...yes, your own butler, you do not have to worry about paying for drinks at any of the bars or food at any of the restaurants. 
• You get your own butler..after my husband and I would finish with the evening activities, our evening butler had prepared a bubble bath with a bottle of champagne for us. (We're still trying to figure this one out because the water was still hot when we entered the room)
• Friendly staff...maybe too friendly....The Star Friends, their job is to make sure you have the drinks you need when lounging at the pool, tell you the daily activities and make sure you feel welcome during your stay.
• Excellent Service. Everyone was really friendly and really helpful and provided a list of activities for us to do away from the resort. (We did the Dunns River Tour, full day which included lunch, a history lesson provided by our excellent driver, snorkeling, climbing a waterfall and partying on the boat)
• Lots of activities to do. If you're the type of person who likes to stay active during your vacation, there are daily scheduled activities. We did yoga on our second day and my husband played boccie on the last day.
• Breakfast buffet that is out of the world. Fresh juices, fresh fruits, eggs made to order, different pastries, breads, milk, coffee, tea, pancakes...pretty much the works. 
• Lunch buffet that like above was out of this world. If you go, order the grouper it was amazing every time! This is located by the pool and they specialize in more fresh seafood dishes as well as some items that we might be more familiar with. Such as pizza, Chinese type food, red beans and rice...really a good mix of items to eat.
• Since we were there during the low season, not only was it cheaper, but we didn't have to compete to find a day bed or lounger, depending on what kind of mood we were in. 
• There are a few pools to pick from. The one furthest from the beach is the quietest. Perfect if you want to dip in the water occasionally and relax. The second pool is a little closer to the action and is a bit more crowded. The third pool features a volleyball net. And the fourth pool, closest to the beach, has the swim up bar and is certainly the party pool. (We mainly stayed at the first and second pools, we could still have drinks delivered to us)      
• They have an on site "grocery" store in case you forget or need any emergency items. They also have souvenir shops to pick up a gift or two for your loved ones, as well as any mementos you'd like to keep. They also have a boutique clothing shop, where I purchased a swim cover. 

Cons:

• Since we were there during their low season, there was a plethora of staff...so much so that while trying to relax by the pool 5 or more would come over, one after the other and try and get us to join in one of the daily activities. We didn't mind them saying "hi" and ask how we were doing, but that got old rather quickly.
• This is more weather related, but while my husband and I were getting our massages, it rained so hard that the power went out for several minutes. Afterwards, we went to the sauna and hot tubs. The sauna was nice, the hot tubs could've been, but they were all cold. (They're supposed to be at different temperatures, but they all felt the same)
• The room service food is just alright...after our spa visit, and since it was raining, we decided that we wanted to be a little lazy the rest of the day. So, we ordered room service. 

Tips:

• They do have a spa and salon facility, but that is extra money for those services. (However, the sauna, steam room and hot tubs are free to use)
• Room service is free 24 hours a day.
• The in room mini bar drinks are free and feature alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 
• They require that you make dinner reservations on your first night there to ensure you have a seat. But really, there were extra tables and spaces.
• If you stay at the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall Suites, you have access to all the other pools and dining facilities. If you you stay at the other two (family-in-mind resorts) you are limited to those grounds only. 

Overall, we loved our time there. By the end of it we felt it had gone too quickly. We met other couples who were staying for two weeks, but we felt that would have been too long at one resort. (If we decide to stay two weeks anywhere, we would move to a different resort/location to try something different) We would go back, but we also want to visit other islands in the Caribbean. I highly recommend this resort.