Review: Grand Bahia Principe, Runaway Bay Jamaica

Location: Runaway Beach
Property type: All-Inclusive
Price: $260/night Avg (better price on vacation packages)
Recommended for: Couples and Families
Room reviewed: Junior Suite Supreme
Note: for this trip we got upgraded to the “royal golden club”.

What we loved:
THE STAFF
The staff was really friendly and accommodating. Upon check-in the staff was able to accommodate our second group into a room close to ours. During our stay, every employee greeted us with a warm “good morning” every day. The waiters in the restaurants also went above and beyond for us whether it was making sure our drinks were refilled or going to the nearest bar to bring us mimosas for our breakfast.

THE ROOMS
Our room was spacious and clean. There was a mini-fridge that was filled with water, beer and soda every day. One of our favorite things about the room was the balcony, which had a view of the pool and beach. The balcony made it easy to catch a sunrise or a sunset! The restroom had a jetted tub and a standalone shower. On the first day we had an issue with the toilet which got quickly resolved after just one call to the service desk.

DINING OPTIONS
The food options at the resort were enjoyable. The resort has about 5 sit down restaurants and buffets to select from. Our highlight of the trip was the jerk chicken at the Pisces restaurant also known as “the snack” bar. We recommend you take a break from the pool or beach and head here for lunch! It will be nearly impossible for you not to have seconds!

SPA SERVICES
After a long day, checkout their spa services! The minute you walk into the spa you are treated like royalty. If you upgrade your room to the royal golden club upon check-in, you get an additional 20% discount on all spa services. The spa offers various services that range in price so you are sure to find something that suits your needs and budget. Our 60 minute Jamaican hemp oil massages were nothing short of perfect!

ENTERTAINMENT
Grand Bahia does a great job at providing guests with a wide variety of entertainment options. There is a nightclub on the property. Additionally, the resort hosts multiple events by the pool such as water aerobics, reggae dance classes, volleyball and so forth. Our favorite were the nightly shows put together by the resort. On our last night there, there was a great reggae band playing live by the pool area. Everyone from older adults to younger children were out dancing with each other. The staff does an amazing job at creating a fun and carefree atmosphere!

Grand Bahia provides just 60-minutes of free wifi per day, while this may seem like a downside for those addicted to technology, we found it refreshing! You are on vacation, disconnect yourself from the world and enjoy the beauty of Jamaica.

Tips to make your trip more enjoyable:
-As they inform you upon check-in, the sit down restaurants require that you make reservations ahead of time. For our 5 day stay, we had 3 reservations available to book, for the other 2 our options were at their buffet restaurants. To avoid any issues, make sure you make your reservations the same day you arrive or at the beginning of every day.

-Ask to have your pool towels dropped off in your room on day 1. Keep these towels and have them swapped as necessary.

-Purchase water shoes, whether you plan to swim at the resort’s private beach or anywhere else in Jamaica, there are plenty of sea urchins! The resort has shops that sell them.

-After you check-in, you will get approached by staff to do a tour of their new luxury property, decline if you are not interested. They will hand you a bracelet after speaking to them, we wore it for the remainder of our trip. Doing so, kept them from approaching us about it again.

What could be better:
-The resort pool area runs out of towels by the middle of the day. If you don’t get towels early in the day, chances are you won’t have one. The resort can work on this since it can be a huge inconvenience for many.

-The resort should have more flexibility when it comes to same-day dinner reservations. There were times in which the restaurants weren’t full, yet they didn’t allow people without reservations to dine there. It would provide a better customer experience if the resort had more flexibility in these circumstances.

Overall:
Putting the little hiccups aside, the resort was great and we would definitely be returning. As we always say, knowing about a place ahead of time always creates for a better experience. When reading reviews, dissect what people say to what you find important and don’t allow people’s bias to keep you from experiencing something for yourself.

Additional Helpful Information
If you are looking to go on tours, you need reliable transportation from Montego Bay Airport to your hotel, or you just want someone to take you around town, we recommend contacting Junior Julious with Real Vibes Tours. Junior took us around Runaway Bay to Ocho Rios and around town. He was on time, knowledgeable and extremely reliable. Please keep in mind you are paying for private transportation, you are not sharing it with others. Prices into tours, etc are quoted separetly and you can always ask him for quotes. Be respectful of his time and business.

He is available on Whatsapp so it’s really easy for you to communicate with him even before you get to Jamaica. Let him know Suzzstravels referred you.
Name: Junior Julious
Number: (876)426-4064
Email: Junior.julious@yahoo.com

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