Beaches Negril Resort & Spa Reviews
Norman Manley Blvd, Negril,
80%
First, I want to say that we have stayed at this resort before many years ago when my son was quite young. As he will be going off to college soon, we wanted to revisit some of the fun things we did, but he was too young to remember. Beaches
more +Negril at one time was spectacular! I can no longer say this.
First upon checking in, we were not greeted warmly, did not receive the welcome drink, nor did we receive the warm towels. We sat for some time before someone came over to us. We were taken to our room by a very nice bellman. He asked if we had been there before and asked what room category we were in...when we got to the room both he and my family were shocked at the room. While the room was nice, it was not what we had expected. We over looked some sort of water treatment facility. He assured us this was not the correct room category and advised us to contact the front desk. I immediately went down and spoke to a manager. He said there was nothing he could do. The hotel was at capacity. Maybe in a day or two. I explained that I was "repeat guest" as well as booked through a CSS agency. Both entitled me to an upgrade. He informed me that no one was getting an upgrade...not one person.
My husband and son are usually fairly easy going and "live with" whatever we get. So I asked if they wanted me to pursue...I received an enthusiastic definitely. I finally was able to get a manager to the room. He was very condescending to me and basically would refer all of his answers to my husband as if I was being unreasonable. I was in the travel community for 18+ years. That you don't do! He said he would see what he could do and get back to me. What a surprise he never did!
The next day I went back down and there was someone in front of me that they received an upgrade but didn't' want it. She wanted the room category they booked. Needless to say, this infuriated me. Several of the managers told me no one was entitled to an upgrade due to the property being oversold. During the course of the week, I spoke with several other "managers". They wanted me to name our bellman so they could "reprimand" him for what he said. I wouldn't do that. He did come up to my husband later in the week to explain his fear of loosing his job, but he wanted to assure us, we did not get the category we booked.
Now to the "ultra" part. They advertise no tips....well, if you want service you had better tip. They do not hesitate to accept! Also, just about everything my son wanted to do was an "extra cost" They advertise these activities and it is not until you go to sign up that they spring the added cost. No mention of this in the adds in the daily program. This is after you tell your child they can do it! Then you become the bad guy when you say it costs too much! They advertise you don't have to pay for anything
Restaurants that are advertised as open, often time were not in the evenings. Entertainment....what a joke. Unless you come with a "large" group, that makes their own entertainment, you want find anything that is actually entertaining. We have been to other resorts that have truly good entertainment.
Made service was sketchy at best. Sometimes our room was not done until 4:30 or later when we were returning to the room to get ready for dinner. Turn down service...they have that? We only had this once during our stay. Not one time did we have the "towel" art that we had on our previous stays. All of these things made this resort worth the added cost.
Speaking of cost...we were unaware that if you stayed at Sandy Bay you had full use 24/7 of Beaches Negril. Since both hotels were at capacity, this put quite the burden on Beaches Negril. The pools were overcrowded, chairs hard to find and restaurants beyond capacity. We paid substantially more than the guests at Beaches Sandy Bay for a reason. But to be overloaded with hotel guests that paid for the lesser property did not sit well. We paid the extra, we should have not had it taken away by those that did not. We are not snobs, but we saved for this and to have it being abused by guests from another resort was hard to take.
The restaurants, especially the Mill, had horrible service. We would be seated, but then no one would come around for coffee/water. If you got up to get it your self (self-serve is not what I paid for), they would tell you to sit down and they would bring to your table. Then, you would not see them again...darn, we must not have tipped! Several times, the yogurt had already expired and most of the time, the hot items were empty. Waited over 1 hour to get into the Tex/Mex restaurant at lunch. We finally rearranged some furniture on the patio area and conned a waitress into taking our order...with a tip of course! Wouldn't have gotten anything if we didn't.
Most of the water toys were broken most of our stay. The boat that pulled the banana boat and skis was down the first three days. The water trikes never had more than 1 working at a time.
I could continue, but it would be a book! They do have a beautiful beach and the Dive Center is very good and very well run. Also, the photographers take great pictures and worth buying. I wish I could say this was my view only, but we spoke to many resort guests and they felt the same way. For the money, if I were to ever go to another Beaches, it would be Turks. However, we have decided, we will never go to another Sandals/Beaches property....
Date of Stay: 03/19/2011
Children in Party: 1
Tots (0-2) Kids (3-6) Kids (7-9) Tweens (10-12) Tweens (13+) Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
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Great vacation for all! My husband, 7 year old boy/girl twins & I traveled to Beaches Negril for my children's Spring Break! We had an amazing vacation! This is the 2nd time we have been to this Beaches, the first time was in 2004, when the
more +children were only 9 months old. The beach is beautiful....white sand picture perfect....what's not to like? The only warning are the vendors that walk by & contiually ask you to look at tghis, buy this, get a massage, etc. If you are able to ignore it, you're good! The ocean was warm, calm & shallow....perfect! We stayed in a 1 Ocean Front Suite & had plenty of space. This is a GREAT vacation for the children! The children were so busy with activities, playing on the beach, playing in the ocean on the floats or snorkeling, in the pool or lazy river. My husband & I were actually able to sit back & relax knowing they were safe & having a great time! The staff was wonderful with the kids, continually playing with them & keeping an eye on them. They loved the independence!
There were some cons of this resort, especially factoring the price, customer service & food not great! Again, this is the kids! If you want 5 star you need to head to the Ritz, where the parents will be happy & the kids...not so much! The cabana rental is worth the $$$$$. The service is wonderful! My daughter has some food allergies & the Pastry Chef, Rayon, always watched out for her & made her special desserts! He was amazing! Also, Dorette ( a nanny) took care of our children when they were 9 months old & actually remembered them is wonderful! So warm & loving! When they were babies all she wanted to do was hold them, she still did even now them being 7. When they were in the nursery we had 3 nannies to our 2 children & all they wanted to do was love & hold them! We could see babies still getting that same treatment, which is so reassuring! I can not say enough about the child care & activities staff! My children want to go back for that sole reason!
Date of Stay: 03/26/2011
Children in Party: 2
Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
Our stay at Sandals Negril was nothing short of a vacation in paradise.....!!!!
We think about the time we spent there every day, since the day we got back, and we have told all of our friends and family what a wonderful experience it was.
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We would like to say a few words about your staff members and a few special ones too...everyone at Sandals treated us with the most profound respect. The entire staff were very accommodating, friendly, courteous, and a true friend. They all made you feel as if it was a pleasure to them, that we were in Negril and at Sandals. Michael Jackson, who commandeered the ski boat for all of us was a prince. He taught us the proper, and very easy way to be able to get up on our ski's, and have a truly enjoyable time on the water. He was concerned about everyone that gave a try at water skiing. He was adamant about anyone who failed to get up on their ski's, to come back and try again. And, they did, and guess what.........they eventually succeeded, and got up on their ski's to enjoy all the fun.....all because of Michael Jackson from Sandals. Keisha Drummond is another staff member dear to our heart....we miss her alot. She was magnificent with her duties at the Bayside Cafe. We looked forward to seeing her smiling face every morning and afternoon and each evening that we dined at the Bayside Cafe. She is a sweetheart, and a very hard worker. Joleene at reservations where we re booked is another gem within the staff at Sandals Negril. She was solely instrumental in our decision to rebook for 2012. But, we are now planning to come back in 2011 and also 2012, that is how much we loved our stay at your fabulous resort. Derron was the first person from Sandals that we met as he helped us with our bags Saturday when we arrived. We saw him, it seemed, almost every minute the first three days we were there. He was so busy helping all the guests that were arriving or departing. Derron would stop for a few minutes each time to talk to us and make sure everything was fine with our stay at Sandals Negril.
My wife Robin, and I, and our children were completely blow away with our stay at Sandals. My daughter Jessica told me this evening at dinner that she had a fabulous time and she learned so much about the people of Jamaica. She mentioned about the friendliness, and also about the hard working traits of the Jamaican people. They made a difference in her life, in such a short period of time.
We, the Adam family, would love to thank you for giving us such a pleasurable and exciting vacation, it is an experience that is very dear to our hearts and something we will never forget.
Date of Stay: 08/10/2010
Children in Party: 1
My 12 year old son and I had a wonderful time at Beaches Negril. Beaches was the perfect vacation spot - the perfect mixture of relaxation and fun activities, all wrapped up together.
My son discovered a love of snorkeling - we
more +went on the snorkeling cruises/trips every day. The best part, as a parent, was that snorkeling (and all other activities, food, and drink) are included in the all inclusive resort so there are no additional costs to nickel and dime you to death once you arrive. We also had tons of fun in the water park; and all of the staff at the resort were fabulous!!
Date of Stay: 08/25/2009
Children in Party: 1
When I was trying to think of a title for my review, I struggled between the one above and this one: It's A Happy Day When Daddy Puts His Wallet Away! One of the great things about staying at an all-inclusive resort is that you pay in advance- ONE
more +TIME. This means you don't have to watch money go out of your pocket 10 or 20 times a day. For our family that is HUGE! My husband had more fun on this vacation than he has ever had! I do feel a large part of that had to do with not having to constantly pay for things.
Beaches Negril was amazing from the time we got there! The people of Jamaica are some of the happiest people I think I have ever encountered! They are welcoming, laid back, and happy all the time! No worries is a phrase I heard over and over! After a while at Beaches Negril, you buy into that mindset and you have no worries!
The rooms were very nice. We didn't spend much time there though- there was too much to do! We all had fun on the water slides and lazy river. The swim up smoothie bars were a big hit with our kids. We rarely let them order virgin daiquiris because they cost so much- here they could get as many as they wanted. The bartenders even let them make their own concoctions! There are self-serve soft ice cream stations, hamburgers, hot dogs, nuggets places.
The water sports are alot of fun. We snorkeled several times (they do different areas each day so go more than once if you,like it!) We did the banana boat- lots of fun! They even had a photographer there who posed us for a great family photo that we cherish(we did pay for that when we checked out)! They aren't pushy at all there though like in the theme parks.
They offer massage- my husband and I did a couples massage. It was great! They will do massage on the beach under a cabana. My daughter had a hair wrap right there on the beach. Everyday they had different people out on the beach doing things with the kids. One day they were opening coconuts and sugar canes and teaching the children about how to open them and drink the milk. Another day, a lady was teaching them how to weave palm leaf baskets and hats.
We went on several excursions-deep sea fishing, a trip to an open-air flea market, Riverwalk/waterfalls, Horseback Riding on the beach and in the water! It was all sooooooooo much fun! Again, the people are what makes it so much fun there. They were delightful! I think any age would have fun at Beaches Negril - don't let the Sesame Street Characters fool you into thinking it's a juvenile type place- it's not. We had a tween and a 13 year old and a 9 year old at the time we went.
The only criticism I have is the food at the resort restaurants. It was just okay. Nothing to rave about- but good. We all agree that it was our best vacation ever!
Date of Stay: 10/10/2007
Children in Party: 3
Kids (7-9) Tweens (10-12) Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
My family and I love This Beaches resort. We also went with my mother-in-law and friends. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite. The room was amazing. Steps from the white sand beaches and AWESOME water park. This resort had everything for everyone. Not
more +only did both kids like the Sesame Street activities, but we loved the family activities. The disco and piano bar was great for the adult time. We also, got a nanny. My kids loved her. We had dinner at the Teppanyaki grill. We loved our chef Martin. The small kids still remember him. All in all, we always recommend this resort. It has the best people, service and beaches. In fact, we are planning our next family vacation to Beaches for 2011.
Date of Stay: 09/27/2006
Children in Party: 1
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