Sapphire falls restaurants:
Drhum club - it's a pool bar, drinks were OK, I liked the Colada drink that had rum and Kahlua. It was pre-mixed, comes out of a machine THe bartenders were friendly and talkative, we didn't eat there, just had a few drinks.
Strong Water Tavern - fantastic! Beautiful place, big tv to watch sports if you want, staff are knowledgeable and friendly. If you don't know what to order, they will make suggestions. Drinks were very good, hand-crafted cocktails, all made with fresh fruit juices, very tasty. We didn't do the rum tasting. The MaiTais were a favorite, I also liked a drink I had with passionfruit juice, I don't recall the name. We ate there twice, sampled a number of the tapas. We had chicken, seafood, pork, beef, and veggie. All the dishes were beautifully arranged and delicious. 2 to 3 dishes per person is about right for dinner, maybe more if you sit a while and drink. This place was never crowded, the service was very attentive and friendly. Our favorite place in the resort. It was never crowded, I can't figure out why, it is outstanding.
Dutch Trading Company - we got coffee here some mornings, grabbed some snacks our first day, and once got some baked goods. Everything was fine, a bit over-priced, but adequate. They also have soup and a few sandwiches, we didn't have any. There's a counter you can sit at, but most people were getting stuff to-go.
Amatista - this place has issues. Biggest problem is that the staff don't seem to know how to get guests seated and served. We had a late dinner there once, it was good, we had breakfast there twice, my husband went alone for breakfast once.
The issues - we walk in, more than half the tables are unoccupied. The host says we have to wait for a table, they are cleaning up the tables. About 5 other groups are also waiting. 3 staff members are at the hostess stand, one is in charge of taking names, the other 2 lead guests to the tables and get things started. But they are all waiting for the one person who is cleaning and clearing tables, one at a time. Waiting 15 minutes for a table in a busy restaurant is no problem. BUT - 15 minutes waiting for a half-empty restaurant to figure out how to get tables turned over to the next guests is a little crazy. I could count 8 empty tables, and I couldn't see all the restaurant from where I was standing.
There were similar problems every time we ate there. Such a big resort, and the one restaurant was never crowded - but there was always a wait to be seated. When my husband went alone, it was early morning, he didn't wait to be seated, but sat for 15 minutes before a server came to the table. Overalll, It seemed like there were probably enough staff, they just didn't have a system that was working. There was no sense of urgency, staff seemed very laid back, like there was no hurry to serve anyone, and the staff were standing around waiting for each one to do their individual jobs. They need to hire someone from an IHOP or Denny's to teach the staff a system to get tables cleared and guests seated. Or hire people who have actually worked in restaurants before.
At dinner, I loved the pork flatbread pizza.
At breakfast, I wasn't hungry enough for a $22 buffet, so we ordered off the menu. That is a mistake. The special Caribbean French toast was $13, but juice and coffee are $4 each, so the buffet is a much better deal. The French toast was a TINY portion. I liked the pineapple topping, but it was seriously like 4 French toast "sticks", ONE slice of French toast, cut in four pieces. Like I said, I wasn't very hungry, I'm not a big breakfast eater, but normally a serving of French toast is 4 slices of bread, not just one.
The next day we had the buffet, which was decent. bacon, sausage, eggs, an omelet station, pastries, yogurt, fruit, muffins and croissants, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, some frittatas. nothing outstanding, but everything was good. coffee and juice were included in the price. Unless you just want a bagel or oatmeal, get the buffet. Eggs are $12, so with coffee and juice, it's practically the same price for the buffet anyway.