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Club Ambiance 11/18/02
Reviewers Rating:  Great
Club Amibance was really nice. I think that for the price and what we received for it, the deal was fantastic. Our deluxe room was very spacious, with a sitting area, king sized bed, french doors to the patio, view overlooking the sea, etc. So here is the lowdown on what we liked and didn't about the club . . . We liked: - Mainly European, adults only. My wife and I are fairly quiet and were looking for some relaxing times away from the US. Club Ambiance offered both. - The snorkeling was unreal. Why they don't mention this more, I don't know. There is a shipwreck just out from the club (maybe 100 yards) in about 20 feet of water. It was really something to explore! Also, there is an abundance of sea life, including sea turtles, beautiful fish, coral, squid, octopus, etc. There are also fantastic, colorful and large coral reefs with canyons and holes just 30 yards or so off the beach. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the trip. It was truly amazing. - The food was good and varied, we especially enjoyed the lunches on the terrace. We enjoyed the variety of foods, and the quality was good. - A waiter will claim you during your first few meals and will cater to you at every sitting in hopes of a nice tip at the end of your stay. This is nice because there is always someone to take your picture, learn what drinks you like, etc. - The bar was nice, it was easy to get a drink, and the drinks were well made (not at all weak). - The people were for the most part friendly and helpful, with only a few minor exceptions. - Some of the entertainment was really fantastic. Fire-eaters, limbo-ers and dancers performed on different nights, and the house band was pretty good, although we noticed toward the last couple days of our 6 nights that we were hearing a lot of the same stuff. What we didn't like: - We ended up buying our own snorkelling gear because the equipment they had was out to other guests almost constantly, was leaky, or broken. We bought our own after our second day of trying to get equipment. - You really can't leave the resort. I took a few walks, but I was taking my life into my own hands, I think. In the resort's defence, this situation is very common in the very poor nation of Jamaica, but after 6 days, we were getting a little claustrophopic. - One remarkably annoying occurance were the events that didn't necessarily happen, although they were scheduled for certain times. I showed up for a guided bike ride that didn't occur, even after inquiring at the front desk, and my wife twice tried to do pool aerobics but no one came to lead this activity. Along with this, we paid an extra charge on our last night for a lobster dinner which was to be set out in a special area, with other food that was bit nicer than the usual (which was still good, I'm not trying to imply otherwise). The night previous, we had witnessed this and it looked very nice for those enjoying it. However, on the night we chose, they didn't set anything up, and instead served us a dinner in the main dining room which was fine, but we were a little disappointed. - The beach is extremely small. I would say it was smaller than an Olympic-sized pool deck. It was fine for lying on, but there is no taking a walk. - We noticed some people having trouble getting beach towels; they were either out to other guests or not clean yet. We didn't have this problem, but saw some people getting quite upset. - There was no currency exchange at the hotel, although they indicated there was. - No sailboats. Many resorts have one or two, we would have loved to sail around a bit, but this wasn't heartbreaking. The snorkelling made up for it. In conclusion, we enjoyed Club Ambiance, and through Expedia paid about 30% of the cost of a similar trip to a couples-only mega-resort, and we probably got 150% of the service we would have received there, and 85% of the amenities. The price more than made up for any trouble we had, and all in all the vacation was remarkably nice. The things that really mattered were great, and I would recommend this resort to anyone. If you would like to see our photos at any time we have them on ofoto.com, and would be happy to share that album if you send an email address for the sharing. We have a number of resort pictures that will give you a better idea of the resort than the brochure. Enjoy! Matthew
Matthew Bane
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