HELP - Upcoming Site Visit - Why ROR????

We are making a site visit in a month to Jamaica and are trying to decide our itinerary as well as a place to stay during our time there. While I am pretty set on finding a villa for the wedding, I have to ask why so many here are going to ROR? I haven't checked into it yet, so there may be some fabulous deal that I haven't yet discovered. Can you give me the straight scoop on the ROR wedding deal?

 

If there is something to investigate at ROR, we might stay there during our upcoming site visit. Thanks in advance for your help!

Well, I know originally we chose it for several reasons. First we weren't sure if we would have any children coming with us, second we knew we wanted Jamaica, and third because we checked comments on several hotels and weighed our options. We loved that the Riu was large enough that when we wanted time to ourselves we could easily do so (several of our guests and my in-laws stayed the entire time we were there). The Riu is generally known for great service as well, so this also helped. They do have several wedding packages that help, but we really chose there because of the hotel as several places have wedding packages now. Hope this helps. (And by the way, we LOVED it there, the only other place we went by on the way into Ocho Rios that looked comparable was the Gran Bahima sp?)

I think a lot of people here feel safe going with the ROR just out of the sheer volume of people that have gotten married there on this forum. And almost all with a good story to tell about the place.

 

We have heard so many good things about it that we chose ROR for our vacation that is coming up in two weeks. It sounds like a great place to vacation, get married, lay on the beach, or whatever else you want.

My hubby and I had always dreamed of going to Jamaica, but didn't think it was affordable from Canada. But we looked into it and were pleasantly surprised! We needed a resort that would have something for everyone, since we were having a couple of very young children, a couple of "tweens" and then adults on up to my 82 year old grandmother. We really liked the convenience and affordability of an all-inclusive resort for us and our guests. My hubby had heard really good things about the Riu chain, and as soon as he found out there were liquor dispensers in the room, he was sold, LOL! It also helped that it was one of the most affordable resorts in Jamaica at the time, was fairly new, and got really good reviews everywhere I checked!

I have absolutely no regrets about our choice, it was an amazing, beautiful resort and every one of our 40 guests enjoyed it!

We picked Jamaica b/c of affordability and the # of flights between Atl and Jamaica daily. Then I wanted to go to Negril, simply b/c i think the word sounds more romantic than Ocho Rios but then when i saw how much there is do in and near Ochie I changed my mind. Then the clincher for the ROR was the free wedding package. I didn't even research other resorts after that. We really had the best time of our life and I would recommend the ROR to anyone.

I didn't even find this forum until way after i had selected the ROR but then i felt way more confident to see so many other brides had great experiences.

A big thanks to all of you for your info on why you chose ROR. We are choosing Jamaica also due to the number of flights from JFK or ATL to Jamaica(my FI is a Delta airlines captain). Villas are also all-inclusive, so I am also committed to chosing an all-inclusive place.

 

The only reasons why I haven't really considered checking into a resort hotel is because I wanted alot of privacy for the ceremony and reception, and didn't like the thought of some dude in a speedo that was way to small gawking at me or my guests When I think resort, I think huge amounts of people. I guess I am a person who is more private and normally I don't like to be in the spotlight, especially around people I don't know. Maybe I am just weird

 

Also, I was concerned about arranging trasportation from Montego Bay airport the whole way to Ochos Rios. What is the real deal with respect to how long it takes to get there? I have heard horror stories about hours and hours on the road.

 

Thanks for all your advice and help with this - my FI and I need to book our hotel for the site visit trip and this info is very helpful to us!!

The transfers from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios are No Problem these days Mon! The highways have been completely re-done, they are smooth, paved, and better than a lot of roads I've seen in Canada and the US! Our bus travelled non-stop to the resort and we had no problems or delays, and just enjoyed looking at the scenery!

Thanks for this info! How long would you say it took for the transfer?

I can't remember exactly, but I would say it was between an hour and 90 minutes. It really goes by quickly though, you're just so excited to be there and look at the scenery and enjoy every second! The bus drivers are usually very entertaining also and tell you all sorts of stories. It seemed like it flew by!

Oops!.............. I never saw this post before posting teh same Why ROR question......oh dear....