Royal Decameron Club Caribbean

We arrived at the Club de Cameron to a warm welcome and a glass of punch.
We could find no fault with this place at all. The cottages are lovely and it is so nice to have that space to call your own. There are five bays, one which is used for water sport. They are kept clean of seaweed by the very hardworking staff.
A trip in the glass bottomed boat is a good way to spend an hour away from the hard job of sunbathing.
The Food.
There are two restaurants that can be booked. We never got round to it as the food in the main buffet restaurant was fantastic. We both find it quite difficult to eat in hot countries, so the buffet was great as we could chose the amount that suited us.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner the quality of the food never changed it was of a consistently high quality. A touch that we found really useful was the staff continually came round with water. There is no need for anybody to become dehydrated there. They also topped up your wine glass constantly as well.
There is also a beach snack bar that sells burgers, pizza, and jerk chicken open till 5pm.
Burgers and hot dogs are available at night 11pm till 2am
The drink
The drink at the bar was fine sometimes it got a bit busy and there was a queue but hey this is Jamaica. The drinks were given out in little plastic cups that at first were a shock but after a fortnight it was just one of these things, the bar is in the pool area so I suppose there is a health and safety issue there. I wouldn’t let it spoil my holiday.
The staff were cheerful and friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. Some great cocktails and I believe the barmen have their own specials. Had one -wow blow your head off.
Entertainment
This was Ok depended a lot on audience participation. The de Cameron dancers were very good.
The entertainment team did work really hard to keep things going.
What we really enjoyed was the band that played throughout lunch and dinner. Three elderly played “plinky” music while we ate. We found it so relaxing to listen to.
Trips.
Our first trip was to Negril as I had heard it was THE place to see the sunset in Jamaica.
We booked this at the tour desk at the hotel. We were at a disadvantage here as there was only two of us. They would only do the trip if there was four. Fortunately I had overheard a couple in front who requested the Negril trip.
The trip left at 8am and we were taken to a beach club in Negril where we spent the day sunbathing. We had full use of their facilities. There are water sports available.
Negril beach is seven miles of pure white sand and clear turquoise water. It is the beach of your dreams I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
There are people going up and down the beach trying to sell various wares and “substances” but a polite no was enough.
At four our transport arrived and we were taken to Rick’s Cafe for the sunset.
This is where the mad people go. There was tourists jumping off the cliffs. There was locals diving off the cliffs. There was one who had clearly escaped from somewhere who climbed a tree, swung about like a monkey and eventually when enough money was collected dived from the tree.
The sunset was ODD It was lovely as the sun was going down but as soon as the sun hit the horizon the colour went and it was just the round sun disappearing then it was gone . I expected to see beautiful colours afterwards but no it was gone.
Our next trip was one we organised ourselves. As it was our thirtieth wedding anniversary we wanted to mark it with something special.
We booked our own taxi and got a deal because we combined two trips in one day.
We started the day by visiting Nine Mile the mountain home of the late Bob Marley. This is a very special place and you can see why he used it to escape to for peace. A guided tour of his house gives some information about his life and inspiration of some of his songs. It ends with a visit to his mausoleum.
After that we went to Dolphin cove where we did the dolphin encounter which consisted of touching a dolphin, singing, dancing, and kissing a dolphin. We were also given a talk on dolphins. Got the cd and it is really amusing to watch and keeps our grandson amused.
We organised two trips with Thomson.
First was a visit to Appleton rum factory where we were given Rum punch and sandwiches while we watched a video. We then went on an informative tour of the factory and finished with a tasting session.
We then went on to Y S Falls. I can only describe it as a place of natural beauty. It is possible to do a Tarzan jump into the water but we gave this a miss. Lunch was lovely at a place organised by Thomson then we went on to the Black River to spot some crocodiles. We saw three. The Black River was well worth seeing it was like looking at a sea of black ink.
Second trip was a bamboo raft trip down the Martha Brae River. An hour and a half of total relaxation on a raft with an informative captain who points out interesting trees and fruits. Our last ten minutes on the raft were spent with him singing away to himself. Total Bliss.
We then went on to Dunn River Falls. I was told you have not been to Jamaica until you have climbed them. I have some arthritis so was not sure if I could manage it and spoke to some of the guests who said it was not too bad. So off we went. It was manageable for me although I did ache a bit next day. But I would not have missed it for the world.
It was so much fun with the guy who did the video really going out of his way to keep things going. It was also really exhilarating and such a feeling of achievement to get to the top.
We also wanted to go to Kingston and because of the quality of guide on the Thomson trips we decided to go with them. The trip consisted of a tour of lower Kingston. It took us to Spanish town and pointed out various points of interest. We visited Port Charles a former fortress then we toured Upper Kingston which seems to be the richer part.
This ended up a hill for a panoramic view of the city. After lunch we went to Hope Street the Kingston home of Bob Marley. This has been turned into a museum and houses his recording studio which Ziggy Marley still uses. A tour of the house and a film of his life were part of this trip.
A final word about the trips. As I said Thomson trips were of a high quality with the most informative of guides who are eager to give us information on the island. They will break into a song after a story at the drop of a hat. They had little snacks prepared for us and one even stopped at a stall and bought us bananas.
I can’t thank them enough for making our trip to Jamaica so special.

Having stayed at the Decameron for 10 nights I cannot fault it, the staff worked tirelessly to please you.
The place was spotless. Food good. And our rep. Maxine was a gem. Bless her.
I found the whole experience visiting Jamaica and stopping at the Decameron magic.
I will definitely stay there again.

1 reader found this review helpful

We went for 3 Weeks and took 19 guests to witness our marriage in the Decameron.
I have been back nearly 3 weeks and there are 21 People still talking about how brilliant it was.
The location, Cottages (especially with a Sea View), Staff. Activities. Other guests that we met, Dunns River Falls, and Cocktails were absolutely fantastic. So needless to say we had the perfect wedding and the perfect honeymoon all in one.
Seriously if you want to get married this is the place to do it, if I had to do it all again, there isn't a thing I would have changed.
Diane and Davian are excellent wedding co-ordinators, in fact they were so good that I was relaxing in the sea a few hours before hand without a care in the world!
George of the jungle in the swing bar is a really top bloke, friendly, funny, and a real asset to the hotel.
Bad points ... evening entertainment needs a bit of improvement, but then hey we were there for 3 weeks!
This was one place I was really sad to say goodbye to... so all I can say is go and check it out.

What a fab holiday. We loved every part of it.
The cottages were great, our children stayed in there own cottage next door. The huge bed and large shower area were kept clean and the air con always worked.
You have ample choice of food, and 2 a la carte restaurants that you book daily, you are not limited. The New Year Gala was lovely, every fish food you can think of. Christmas day was great Father Christmas coming in on the hobie cat.
We did not know that all water sports were included; water skiing, banana boats and glass bottom boat rides. That was our first holiday that we did not have to keep putting our hands in our pocket. Towels are also provided.
When we were on holiday they offered us an upgrade to a hotel in Montego Bay, they had overbooked but they did not say that. We did know someone who went but they did regret leaving as our complex was smaller.
You have four beaches to choose from, sandy with no stones and then one with lots of coral.
Lovely holiday overall, would go back tomorrow if I could. Have a lovely time if you have booked.

Can I just say what a truly wonderful holiday we had again at this hotel. It was our forth time here we love it - piece of paradise.
We take our kids who are 11 and 9, they cry when they come, so do I. We have made such lovely friends here and we keep in touch with them by phone or email - they are like our brothers now.
We want to say to George on the swing bar we love and miss you and we see you in Sept 2007 again cant wait. We never see our kids the whole time were there, they are kept entertained all the time.
They are fantastic people and don't be afraid to go out of the complex, after all you wont see the real Jamaican way of life. We normally take sweets and toys to the village for the kids they love it .
The food is just amazing and don't go if you are on a diet. Us Brits could learn a lot about Jamaican culture, so chilled out and if you are a fisherman like my husband take a rod and fish off the swing bar great! What a laugh.
Snorkeling good when the weather is OK.
We have never had a bad word to say about the reception, they are good especially Judith.
Over all, from the gardeners to the management, all really lovely people so please don't be put off about what you read about it, mostly our American cousins complain.
But hey, its a three star not 5 star plus - just go chill out and enjoy yourself say hi to George on Swing bar for me - Ire Mon!

Just got back from 2 weeks here and it was a really good holiday. Hotel is lovely the grounds are very well kept. We had a garden cottage and were lucky enough to have a patio.
Rooms are kept very clean, but are a bit more basic than we are used to (but then it is only 3*). Spent most evenings at the Jetti Bar (swingy bar as we called it) where we were well looked after by George and the others. Entertainment at the main bar could get a bit loud.

1 reader found this review helpful

The positives:
The resort was beautiful, my photos of the beach were just like holiday postcards.
The staff were all very hard working and extremely friendly.
The kids club was well run.
The food choices were excellent. The restaurants were clean and you had 3 to choose from - although you didn't have the choice of all 3 every night. Jamaican night (Fridays) was especially good.
The men didn't have to wear long trousers at dinner.
The all inclusive drinks included international brands.
The evening entertainment was OK - not fantastic, simple but entertaining.
The sport choices - both water and land based - were good, although you did have to get up early (by 8.30am) to sign up for the most popular choices.
The grounds were lovely.
Areas for improvement:
The pool didn't open until 9am and closed at 5pm. It could have been kept open longer.
The beach was quite narrow. (Not sure how you can improve on this though)
There was lots of seaweed and in the evening the jelly fish came in as the sun went in.
The rooms were very basic but clean - and it was only a 3 star hotel.
There wasn't a pool table available for the children to play on.
We would definitely go back there again.

This hotel is fabulous! Don’t listen to anyone that’s says otherwise! Trust me I am a clean freak and a picky eater and I have to say this place ticked all the boxes for me.
It was so clean and there was such a range of food I could have sat there and eaten all day! The cottages are so quaint! The beach was beautiful and the staff were great really friendly. They made us laugh so much
And First Choice are definitely the best tour operator to travel with as the plane journey was great!
I would come to this hotel again without a doubt.

We stayed at the royal Decameron Club Caribbean and had a truly stress free time except for the transport from the airport that is something from the wacky races, it seems that it is the only thing that Jamaicans are not laid back about, they over take on both sides and it is an experience
But after you arrive at the little piece of heaven that is RDCC you very quickly forget all about the transfer.
We were checked in very swiftly and a porter ushered us and four extremely heavy cases to our to garden cottages, one for my two teenage children and one for my husband and myself, these cottages are set in the most beautiful well tended grounds I think I have ever seen at a resort from first thing in the morning until last thing at night they are pruning, cutting, brushing - but they will always smile and stop to tell you about the wonderful fauna and flora, they have wonderful butterflies and hummingbirds nesting in the trees heaven! And the gardeners and a fountain of knowledge about them and the surrounding area.
The rest of the resort is just as great the main pool area is where we spent most of our time as we have teenagers, the pool is not huge but then again it is only a small resort and we found it great to cool down. The entertainment crew should be given medals, they are around from first thing in the morning until last thing at night, they are never miserable, and always great fun to be around. Can we just say here we love you rocky and we will be back to see you again. The bar staff are out of this world they again are so happy and upbeat and always eager to please George at the jetty bar is just a dream, you never have to ask for a second drink it just appears he is always singing and is just so entertaining to watch we love you to George!
The beach although small is lovely immaculately clean and although the coves are rocky you can wear water shoes and there is no problem, hey I live in the south west of England 5 miles from the coast and trust me I know where I would prefer to be and it isn't here! (The south west I mean).
We went out on two trips while we were there you see I told you that you forget about the roads! We went swimming with the dolphins at dolphin cove an incredible experience that although is not cheap is one of the most amazing things I have ever done those animals are just wonderful.
The second trip was the horse riding in the ocean again truly amazing, it had been years since I had sat on a horse and was a little nervous, but they are laid back Jamaican horses and every thing is nor problem mon! Most of the hoses were rescue horses and to see them doing a job that they are so happy doing is just wonderful, and they are so well looked after
My husband got friendly with a guy from Cornwall who was working in Kingston but staying at the RDCC and went to Kingston for the day with him which he said was an experience!

We reserved a cottage 3 months in advance. When we got to the hotel we were told there was no cottage for us and were given a room on the second floor of a building that was across a gravel parking lot and behind a dumpster and the service entrance. Our window view was one of empty milk crates on one side and the top of buildings and wires on the other. A warm bottle of water sat on the cigarette burned dresser, no fridge, clock or radio. The TV was all static.
I complained daily in the lobby and they did absolutely NOTHING to make up for our trouble. We were told on our last night there that we could have a cottage but then they backed out of it and said there was no room us that day either. They would not give us any money back so we were forced to stay there. It ruined the entire trip and I doubt that I will ever go back to Jamaica. Daily we walked by and smelled the nasty dumpsters and looked at trash. This was not an isolated incident as I kept meeting more and more people in the lobby who didn't get the rooms they reserved.
The food is poor. It is hard to find something good to eat.
Not a nice beach. The sand is not the white that you would expect to see and the beach is small and rocky. The cottages might have been nice but I never saw the inside of one of them. I could have rented dumpy hotel room anywhere. This was not what I came 2000 miles for. They were trying to send quests to the Sunspree.
I did not care for the undignified, unfriendly service at customs in the airport either. I felt like I was a in a woman’s prison was I got patted down and was asked to turn around so they could feel my back pockets. This was while I was forced to put my hands over my head lol, their requests were orders. I was so glad to get back to the states were people were friendly and actually smiled.
Unique Qualities:
The unique characteristic of this resort and that are not willing to do ANYTHING to make up for their overbooking mistakes, even coffee bought up in the morning would have let us feel they even gave damn that we were stuck in a nasty room.
There were snorkeling excursions once a day at 1p but you couldn't book them in advance. You have to be there at 8am to try and be one of the 14 people who got to go, 14 people out of how many? Several hundred at least. glass bottom boat rides at 1 but with a passenger limit and there is only one ride per day.
The bartenders were nice and our room maid was great. The lobby people were tired of getting yelled at by guests and one of them flatly lied to us about getting a different room and then refused to discuss it. I hate the Royal Decameron.