JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar

This was our second time at the very same Hotel in the last two years. The place has not changed much,except for the food quality which has lost quality! Two years ago all the dinners were great,not anymore …For breakfast and lunch it was find. That is really too bad. Also we had a room on the fourth floor which in the hallway it really had a bad smell!!! That awfull smell came from close to the ice machine maker.Though in the room it was ok,except for really bad humidity smell,,which even all of our clothing came back with it!! Though this hall way smell problem should be resolved and i am sure that they know about it!!!! So,beside that ,the staff were really really nice all the time,and the place is always super clean,,bathrooms everywhere too!! Our room was always well cleaned too. Music in the Hotel Bar was very very nice. I really loved that little,coffee shop early in the morning i went every day,great coffee,and great services!! Though on the pool ocean side,gees please have a talk with these young staff about that rave music,or the music very very boring,we would have liked more Bob Marley and maybe some Hollidays music because it is a week from Christmas… The beach ,well this also took a negative side because of all of those ocean weeds!! Are we comin back to Joia even though Jamaica is our favourite Island that we go every year,,,I don t t think so. We still had a great time in Jamaica as usual even though with some humm not so great things in that Hotel. Read less

We have visited Iberostar GRAND for the past 14 years ( and more recently twice a year). I've posted previous reviews on this resort and all were EXCELLENT except for the one I posted in April 2024 and this one. They're under new management and I don't see it being a positive. I know what Iberostar has been like in the past and it's going backwards, not forward, as far as I'm concerned. The only constant has been the PEOPLE/STAFF and now many of them are leaving. I absolutely love the people/staff. They're like family to me and being truthful, that's why I went back this time. CONS: There USED TO BE NIGHTLY SHOWS IN THE THEATRE. Now they have a PAID show (in an all-inclusive resort). This resort is not inexpensive; therefore, I will NEVER pay for a show when they used to have excellent entertainment. The entertainment , STAR FRIENDS, was superb. Most of them have left except for BUBBLES and SMILEY! Michael Jackson show was AWESOME and some others (can't recall all the names) are now gone. They have a new show which is supposed to be about magic. Not a real magic trick anywhere and it's sub-par at best. Even the shows they have are outside instead of the theatre. PRO: They have excellent entertainment in the lobby so that's the only thing they haven't screwed up as yet. A variety of people/entertainers. The BEST EVER is the Saxophonist. I was certain I would remember his name and now I can't recall it. CONS: Eating alternatives. Previous to April, you could make dinner reservations at any of the 3 properties; however, some brilliant person in management has eliminated that option. You take your chances running around in the hope you'll be lucky enough to get into a specialty restaurant at the time you prefer to eat. My first experience was getting ready to have dinner at one of them and find they had a special party that evening and wasn't open We then had to find an alternative at one of the buffets. ALSO another CON: The options were even more limited this time as only ONE buffet was open between the 3 properties which was the lowliest one. The Suites was been renovated and the GRAND buffet was open ONCE during a Saturday to Saturday stay. Unfreaking real! The buffet should have been open at least 3 times during the week seeing the only other option was the one at their least expensive property and with children everywhere. They need more buffet options at the GRAND and SUITES since we can't make reservations! PRO: We were fortunate to get into ...the Italian and the Steakhouse restaurants at the Suites and they were both excellent. The Surf & Turf at the GRAND is the only excellent restaurant there. The menu and the service has improved greatly this last time. The SMOKEHOUSE at the Beach (WAVES) was a very good alternative as well. CONS: They no longer provide STRAWS NOR NAPKINS when serving cocktails on the beach or inside the resort. They say it's eco-friendly but it's money. How are you supposed to drink a pina colada or Jamaican smile without a straw? CON: HOUSEKEEPING...Was definitely a hit and miss this time. Either they didn't service the room or didn't leave the proper amount of linens in the bathroom. Thank God for the butlers. PRO: Thank God for my butlers! They immediately rectified what they could to assist us with housekeeping issues. CON; Under new management, ALL rooms don't come with butlers anymore. Another bad decision. That has always been an excellent perk FOR THE GRAND. NOW AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, I visit because of the staff. Let me mention a few by name and of course, I'm going to miss someone and pray they forgive me. THIS TIME AROUND MY BUTLERS WERE SUPERB...ALAINE, ANDRE, CHRISTOPER. Anything they thought I needed was provided and was only a call away, as with the housekeeping issue, ready and willing to assist. GUEST SERVICES TEAM...Are the greatest ever...ROMELL, BASEINE, NADIKA, and another young lady but I don't have her name. These are people that continually keep a smile on their faces even when they're being inundated with complaints every second of the day. Yes, that there's job and they do it well. THE TEAM WITH A SMILE and they take care of business, too. NONE BETTER. FRONT DESK TEAM...This one I'm going to get in trouble because two of the young ladies I don't recall their names; however, old timers LOL: BARRINGTON and TYRESHA are still standing strong at the front desk handling all the reservations. Just know that the front desk is ran like a well-oiled machine. BARTENDERS/BEVERAGE HOSTESSES: All I can say is the new owners haven't screwed up the drinks nor bartenders as yet. Old timers still keeping everyone laughing are Gary, Clive, Kerry (Mgmt), Andre, and Shevaughn (makes the BEST EVER brandy alexanders). BEVERAGE HOSTESSES IN LOBBY are fantastic as well...NATASHA, ALEXIA, AMANDA and Bar Manager (might not be proper title), Kacyan is the greatest. She still keeps a smile and things rolling. POOLSIDE has a new young lady, Sherica that's going to be a great asset to the team. TOWEL SERVICE REMAINS TOPS: Theolyn, Aniska, Shadea, Paul, Seon'(?sp?). RESTAURANT MGMT - DOVIA has been promoted recently so can't keep up with titles but she's the greatest at keeping the restaurants moving. Also JUDY (formerly Cornwall buffet) is now in a new position at Gourmet. Iberostar should be proud to have them. GARDENERS: I love the PINK flowers on pool deck but they really attract BEES and apparently, other biting insects. I have NEVER been bitten but this time something outside by POLE 32 literally had my legs for dinner. The bites were very, very, very itchy. INCESSANT scratching has caused scars on my legs. It has taken days for the itching to subside even when using anti-fungal creams. Got a prescription medicine and the itching seems to have subsided today. I don't know the answer to this one MAYBE ADDITIONAL SPRAYING OR CHANGEOUT FLOWERS. The grounds overall are beautiful! I've covered a few things and just maybe UPPER MANAGEMENT will listen to their patrons' concerns/issues and not continue to mess up the Iberostar brand Also listen to your employees' ideas, suggestions and concerns. Yes, you can continually hire new people but believe me, you aren't getting the same caliber/quality. Read less

Very clean and beautiful resort, rooms, lobby, public bathrooms., everywhere. Our room was very humid and had musty smell… should have some deshumidifier in them. The service is excellent, happy staff, best service from Novalee at breakfast and at the beach by Mayogal. The only disappointment is the food, I expected better. Just cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo wine, not good at all. Asked everywhere for merlot, never available. It was our 2nd trip to this hotel, not sure to be back. Read less

We just returned on Friday after 10 days at the Grand. The Grand is the +18 portion of the resort and cannot be accessed by the guests at The Suites or Beaches. The Grand resort is beautiful. From the entrance at the front desk, to the pool area, gardens and accommodations. We were in a ground floor room facing the pool. We were two rooms from the entrance off of the pool area. The patio area does not allow direct access to the pool area. The patio is huge. It had a large wicker swing and a separate daybed type seat. It was all very clean and well maintained. There is also a small pull out system for drying your swim suits on the patio. There was access to the breakfast buffet, the Steak house, the Japanese and the French on the ground level. The Italian is on floor two. You have access to the Suites resort through a hallway connecting the Grand with access to Beaches which is next to the Suites. We were disappointed with the gym. It is located between the Suites and Beaches. It is a short walk. However, of all the treadmills in the gym, only one was working. Also only two elliptical, one stair climber, so with most of the treadmills down, options were slim pickings. There are bikes and spin classes as well as a few others that are offered. There is a daily Aquafit class as well. The lounge chairs on the beach and the pool area were plentiful. There are many umbrellas and cabanas for shade too. There are buffets in the evenings, but only for three evenings at the Grand. If you want buffet in the evenings on nights not offered at the Grand, you have to head over to the Suites or to Beaches. We were not overly impressed with the buffet we attended at Beaches one night. The lobby area is the “happening” place in the evenings at the Grand. They have various entertainment in the evenings as well. The guests tend to gather there before heading to the various dinner options. There is no need to make reservations for dinners except for the Japanese restaurant. However, once it fills up, you can be put on a wait list but there is no guarantee when you will get in for dinner. The entertainment team are a wonderful energetic group. They work long hours trying to keep guests entertained and busy throughout the day. They also entertain in the lobby area too. The only drawback we saw with entertainment was the fees looked for for two of the presentations. The cost is per person and in US dollars. This was the first time we have come across this at an all inclusive resort and chose not to participate in either if the shows. There was also a water ballet show done, which was very entertaining, however, these were entertainers brought into the resort and not members of the actual entertainment team. We would love to give a shout out to Alrick and Twinkle who both took time to ensure that we were OK everyday. As a heads up, this is a type of Timeshare program and you will be approached to attend a 2 to 3 hour presentation. We were aware what was going on with the send from the front desk to meet our Concierge and then the invite to have breakfast in exchange for a massage at the spa. It is too bad that now, when you attend an all inclusive resort that you have to deal with timeshare programs. But, we were told that this seems to be the new norm. We purchased an all inclusive, luxury package through Air Transat. We feel that we did get our monies worth. Alcohol was all top shelf. One thing to keep in mind, if you tend to enjoy the “slushy” drinks you need to bring your own reusable straws. We did tip the bar staff, restaurant staff and our housekeeper. We did not note any difference with service whether you tipped or not. We did not note many excursions offered by our carrier and therefore had to figure out another way to get an excursion done to our likes. It was enjoyable and informative and we were actually glad we booked our excursion with TCJ Tours . They also handled our private airport transfers and we highly recommend them to anyone coming to Jamaica we were extremely pleased with there communication and service. We learned alot from them !!!. Our room was clean upon arrival and kept clean by housekeeping daily and by the nightly turn down service. There were no leaks, odours or insects in our room. We did meet another couple who had a problem in their room. The management quickly resolved their problem and moved them into an upgraded room. We would definitely visit this resort again in the future. Hope that this review has helped anyone with ant doubts or questions. Read less