Just got back from a fantastic 2 week stay at the RDCC, Runaway Bay. Originally planned as a two week chill out, we decided to renew our Wedding Vows over there as whilst we were away, we celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary.

My advice to anyone who is planning to do this, or indeed get married, is to contact Diane Fairchild directly at the RDCC. We found that travel agents fees for this service were a lot higher than that which the RDCC charges and you get more of a personal touch by dealing direct with Diane.

Back to the hotel....

We paid an extra £500 to have a room with an Ocean View. Waking up and looking out onto the Caribbean Sea every morning was fabulous, but be aware that the rooms are very basic.

However, the rooms are comfortable enough, with daily maid service, satelite tv showing movies throughout the day, an overhead fan and air conditioning. Our main drawback was that there are no fridges in the rooms which would have been a welcome addition. We also experienced problems with ants but bought some insect spray from the local supermarket which did the trick.

All other areas of the hotel are very clean and well presented and the staff are very friendly.

On the subject of staff, keep an eye out for Fras, Frisky, Miss Spice, Sunshine and DJ Fresh (aka Chris). In fact, you won't be able to miss them - they are the hotel entertainment team and the holiday would not have been the same without them. Every one of them made us all feel extremely welcome and were a lot of fun. Activities included aerobics in the pool in the morning, beach volleyball, poolside quizzes, a weekly beach party and a whole lot more. There is also a show at the poolside every night and there is even a resident band called the Reggae Charms!

Also available was a glass bottom boat trip which is not for those who suffer from sea sickness, believe me! You can also take out a kayak or pedalo and sometimes, weather permitting, the banana came out too!

As far as day trips were concerned, my advice would be to stick to your travel operator when booking these. There is a desk at the hotel where you can book trips but they are basically the same as what First Choice offer and only a few dollars cheaper, but without the added peace of mind of insurance (all First Choice trips included insurance).

Dunns River Falls is an absolute MUST - absolutely fantastic, but you DO need either an old pair of trainers or a pair of water shoes as the rocks can be quite tricky to step onto at some points up the falls.

*******IMPORTANT DUNNS RIVER FALLS INFO*********

If you do the DRF trip, please take note:

As you leave the falls, you are directed to the exit which is via a small alley of shops selling local crafts. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LEAVE THE FALLS VIA THIS ROUTE. You can leave the way you came in. If you take this route out, you will be pulled into shops and almost forced to buy craft items which you probably don't even want. People will put necklaces on you then demand payment; carve your name into wooden figurines then demand at least $20 and it can really be quite scary. Another way they lure you into a false sense of security is by making a mental note of your hotel armband, then saying that they recognise you from said hotel because they are a member of the barstaff. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THIS AS I WAS!!!! Thanks to receiving this same advice from another holidaymaker - it saved me a small fortune.

One thing I would tell you to buy though is the DVD of your walk up the falls - they cost $40 (about £20) but are well worth it!


So back to the RDCC...

The food is great - especially the breakfast which was our fave meal of the day. Personally, we didn't like the Pan Asian restaurant - we preferred "Nyamings" which served Jamaican food but the PIckapepper Buffet restaurant was great; with different themes most nights, from Jamaican, to Mexican, Chinese and Italian.

The barstaff are fantastic too....the Jetti Bar was right outside our room (Rm 12) and the cocktails were REALLY strong there....much stronger than the ones served by the pool! Try a Pina Colada - mmmmmm, lovely!

Throughout the day, the Mento Band also play at the pool and you can have a hat made from palm tree leaves by Albert! Look out for the Crab Racing on a Thursday night too - lots of fun!

I should also mention about the Kids Club too, run mostly by a lovely young girl called Sunshine. My daughter spent most of her holiday in the kids club and had a fantastic time. Thank You Sunshine!

Keep an eye out for the land crabs as well - lots of them along the beach but even more in the gardens of the hotel grounds!

Overall, it was a brilliant holiday and I would definately recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of travelling to Jamaica.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the RDCC for 2 weeks from the 19th June until 3rd July.

When we got to the hotel after about an 1 and a quarter on the bus, the check took literally 5 minutes, and we were given a glass of fruit punch which was very refereshing as the heat really shocks you at first! After we were checked in we were taken to our cottage (136) and our bags were carried for us. The room was lovely, with a huge bed and couch, walk-in wardrobe, dressing table and a nice bathroom with a massive shower.

The beaches were all lovely, staff were around all the time to take away empty glasses and sweep up seaweed. We spent most of our time on the beach next to the massage huts which was lovely and quiet, really relaxing, and the water was really clear and there was no rocks. There was lots to do if you got bored, kayaks, snorkelling, glass bottom boat, pedalos, tennis, basketball, football and there was always some sort of game of show on at the main pool.

The food in the buffet restaurant was lovely, there was always a good variety of things, and I always found something to eat even though i am quite fussy. At breakfast they had a good choice of hot and cold foods, with stations making eggs, omletes, pancakes and french toast fresh. At lunchtime there was loads of choice too. Most days we went to the beach grill which was in the Jasmine Delta, and it was lovely. Great burgers and pizzas. The dinner at night was really nice, a different country every night. The Jamaican restaurant was fantastic but we never went to the Asian one as we heard it was too spicy and im not a great fan.

The drinks were really nice, loads of cocktails. Definately try a Frozen Strawberry Daquiri, its lovely and really refreshing, especially during the day. The Jetty Bar was great fun, the bar staff were really nice and always up for a laugh, and if you want to get away from all the noise at the main bar then this is the place to go.

I know this has been a really long review but its worth reading because i cannot tell you enough how nice this resort was and i would reccomend it to anyone!

It has taken me until now to write my review due to trying to get over this horrible experience. We got married there instead of making it the most happiest day of my life, staff at this hell hole made it the worst, and they kept going. The wedding planner should be sacked and staff there had a problem with people of their own colour. Everything from start to finish of stay had me in tears along with my family. We had to book another holdiay to get over this experience, I'll never go there again. Rooms ant ridden, dirty, smelt, staff rude, made my wedding guests feel like dirt itself. So much so, straight after we got married they felt bullied to leave.

We arrived a little concerned obviously about some reviews but we were so so wrong,,,,

We were shown to our cottage which was wonderful, great to have no neighbours within 20 feet. The staff were all absolutely brilliant and friendly and more than welcome to introduce us to their favourite cocktails! We were in garden cottage 122 which was no more than 75 feet from the beach and within a minute of the bar! The food was varied for all tastes and the Thai restaurant had the best view of the sunset. The Jamaican restaurant was lovely, although with a bit of a wait for the food.

This was our first time in Jamaica but the fourth time in the Caribbean and this was possibly the best yet. We booked our tours through First Choice and were spoilt for choice with the options. We booked the Canopy Tour, Blue Mountain Bike Tour, Dunns River Falls (an absolute must!) and the YS Falls/Rum Factory Tour - yum! The tour guides/drivers for each were great fun and fully deserve any tip, which they won't pester for but greatly appreciate - the average wage can be as little as $52 a week, so $15 makes a massive difference.

Jamaica itself was the perfect tropical island, even more than what you might expect. The Jamaican people are so friendly and even for a small island there is so much to do we couldn't possibly cover it in two weeks.

The resort itself had a really happy vibe, snorkelling trips, pedalos, canoes and water skiing are free on a daily basis.

The snorkelling, although it might not look up to much on first impressions, was great, saw a barricuda on the third day.

All in all, a brilliant holiday, we enjoyed every single minute and haven't stopped talking about it since we got home!

If you are looking for a classic taste of the Caribbean, you cannot go wrong with this resort.