JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar

This trip was a 50th birthday vacation with from husband. He booked the Oceanview Butler Suite. You are provided a day and evening butler, we had Rennardo as our day time butler for the first few days and Valentine for the remainder. Our evening butler was Omar for our entire stay. They communicated with you each morning and evening through WhatsApp, letting you know what restaurants are open for the day and entertainment schedule for the evening. They were always easy to reach using this method and very attentive. They even saw us on the beach and stopped to make sure all was going well. Our room was large with a sitting area, large bathroom with a jetted tub, separate sinks and a walk in shower. There were 2 closets for each of us. We also had a beach bag in the room for our use during our stay as well as slipper/flip flops. We did not have enough hangers so we reached out our butler and he brought us plenty more to supply us both. The balcony has a sofa, table, a hanging chair and a rack to hang wet swimsuits so you don't hand them over your balcony. They provide nightly turndown service. The resort itself is grand and regal. The landscaping is beautiful, a very tropical feel. All staff we encountered were kind accommodating. Your room key is on your wristband which is great, you never have to worry about forgetting or finding your key. There are two other Iberostar resort next door that you can visit and use their accommodations, however they cannot use ours. If you are staying here, I'm not sure why you would want to go anyplace else. They do not take reservations for restaurants except the Japanese restaurant. We found there was a wait most days unless you get there on the earlier side. They ask if you have food allergies. On our third night, we were checking into the restaurant one of the hostesses asked about food allergies and the hostess next to her answer, she remembered my husband's food allergies. I wish I remembered her name, I was so impressed that she remembered, it wasn't even a restaurant we had eaten at before. The towel booth has sunscreen so there is no need to bring any unless you prefer to have your own. There were always beach chairs and palapas available but there were people who would put towels out early to reserve the prime spots in front. We preferred the sunbeds. Staff came to the sunbeds to see if we wanted a drink. You could spend the entire day there, and we did. Beach is nice, it isn't the best I've been to but the service is unmatched. There were activities by the pool during the day and entertainment every night. If you have not been to an Iberostar resort, I suggest downloading the app before you get there so you know what activities are available during your stay. There was a white party event during my stay. If I didn't have the app and checked before I came, I wouldn't have been prepared for this event. I had such an amazing time at this resort, I will definitely be back. Read less

As a rule, we generally do not return to the same vacation destinations over and over. There are too many new places to try and even a great experience is usually not the same the second time. The Iberostar Grand (now Joia) Rose Hall is where we make an exception. We just completed our third visit since 2019, and the hospitality of this place continues to exceed expectations. The feeling of hospitality extends from the moment you arrive. Exuberant Michael handled our bags at both check-in and check-out and Basiene handled our registration. I had communicated with Basiene prior to our arrival about dinner reservations for our larger family group of seven and he was exceedingly helpful and professional in that regard. We received a complimentary room upgrade to a beautiful oceanfront butler room and there was a “Welcome Back” sign on the door when we arrived. The room was in excellent condition and the bed was extremely comfortable. Travis, our primary butler, communicated with us every day and was helpful with a number of tasks – from restaurant arrangements to finding my wife a comfortable pillow, to assisting with golf reservations for our sons. Twice daily housekeeping services were consistently timely and complete. We relaxed at the beach and the pool each day and enjoyed both thoroughly. It was never an issue finding lounge chairs at either location. The beach is beautiful, with calm, almost waveless, blue water. They clean the seaweed thoroughly each day, though there is seagrass in the seabed starting about 15 feet from shore. Pools are clean and well maintained. Our kids really appreciate the dedicated pool volleyball area, where they could go and play whenever they wanted (unlike similar resorts that put the net up for an hour as a designated activity and then take it down). All kinds of other activities are offered throughout the day, and the activity staff is full of enthusiasm. Andre and Travis keep the rum flowing (and the party going) at the pool bar and drink service at both the pool and beach are consistently attentive. You can do as much or as little as you want. We tried all the restaurants during our stay. I will stop short of saying the food is great, overall, but there are plenty of options for a week stay and it is generally well-prepared and served warm. Jerk chicken and a Red Stripe at the beach shack is pretty tough to beat. Pretty much every restaurant has a grilled Caribbean lobster option, and I made sure to sample all of them! Service was consistently excellent. Nobody bats an eye if you want to order two appetizers or get an extra desert for the table to try. Our best meal was at the surf and turf restaurant, on the night where the hotel lost power for 45 minutes. The staff did an amazing job of keeping everyone’s spirits up, drinks filled and bread on the table, while we waited for the lights to come back on. It became like a house party and when the lights came on and the steaks arrived, they were cooked exactly to order. Finally, I want to make a special note of appreciation to Michele (pronounced mee-KAIL-ay). His primary job is to train other bartenders and assist managing the resort’s beverage program, but he also sets up a cocktail bar in Hemingway’s on weekend nights. He is a true craftsman and one of the most interesting people you will meet. We had such fun drinking and talking with him on Sunday night that he offered to come back and open the bar, just for us, after the end of his workday on Tuesday. Exceptional customer service! He also does mixology and wine-tasting classes. If you enjoy craft cocktails and good conversation – seek him out. My suggestions for improvement are to open the buffet restaurant for dinner on more nights and turn down the music in the lobby bar late at night. People who want the disco will go to the disco, so give the rest of us a quiet place for an after-dinner drink. Otherwise, though, we had a relaxing and welcoming stay and will definitely return. Read less