Full Review of Our Stay at Beaches Negril
March 15–21, 2026
Overall: 9.8/10
It was absolutely amazing for our family of 4, including our two boys (22 and 20). We are from Scottsdale, Arizona, and this trip was a huge win for us.
We loved our stay at Beaches Turks & Caicos in 2023, so we came into this trip with pretty high expectations. I can honestly say Beaches Negril was just as good — and even better in a few ways.
We stayed in a 2-bedroom Butler Suite in the Savannah building on the 3rd floor, with a pretty great ocean view.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
There really is something for everyone. The property just works for families. Whether you want beach time, pool time, good food, entertainment, gym time, or just relaxing with a drink in hand, it’s all there.
BUTLERS
Royland and Chafae were the best. Seriously, they were such a huge part of what made the trip special. By the end of the week, it felt like they had become part of our family. Absolute legends.
FOOD: 9/10
The food was very good across the board. We were pleasantly surprised by how consistently solid the restaurants were. Here is feedback on some (not all) of the restaurant options:
• Stella’s – We ate there twice for dinner and twice for breakfast. Clearly we were fans. Loved it.
• Kimonos – Hibachi grill that was a fun experience and good food.
• El Mariachi – Probably our least favorite overall, but the ribeye steak was good.
• Jerk Shack – Great lunch spot. Great chicken. Everybody in our family liked it.
• The Mill (buffet) – We’re usually not buffet people, but I actually liked it for some of the healthier options.
• Yaku – The Peruvian food was good, but the real stars were the desserts. They offer three, and they were a true 10/10. We loved them so much we got them two more times during the week and brought them back to our room.
• Bar-B-Q Park – Good pork sandwich and short ribs. It stays open until 3 a.m.
• Chick n Dippers – My 20-year-old son basically made this part of his regular routine. He’s a chicken tender connoisseur, and this passed the test.
• Café de Paris – Great lattes and pastries morning, noon, or night. The crepes and ice cream were good too. They also have a coffee station for a quick coffee to go.
There were a few places we didn’t try, but we heard from another family that Soy was really good for sushi.
STAFF
The staff were so friendly. We actually felt like the staff at Negril were even more outgoing and conversational than at Turks — and we thought Turks was great too.
One difference we noticed at Turks is a lot of the staff are from different countries, while at Negril almost all of the staff were Jamaican. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but Negril definitely felt extra warm and personal. It may also just be because the resort is much smaller, so it feels easier to connect with people.
BEACH
Turks probably has a slight edge when it comes to that postcard-perfect water color, but overall we liked the Negril beach better. We loved being out there every day, even on the two rainy days. The beach just felt easy, relaxing, and really enjoyable.
ROOMS
Turks rooms are more updated overall. We stayed in the Italian Village 2-bedroom Butler suite there in 2023, and found that room was “nicer.”
But honestly? We really liked our room at Negril too. The beds were comfortable, maybe a little firm for me personally, but still very good. Our rooms were quiet, comfortable, and worked great for our family. The grounds were also beautifully maintained.
If you stay in Firesky or Eventide villas, then they are newer and really nice… but also definitely more $$$.
One practical bonus:
Each building has free washers and dryers on the 1st floor, but you do need to bring your own detergent.
NIGHTLIFE/ENTERTAINMENT
We all enjoyed all the evening shows. They started at 8:30 p.m. and lasted about 45 minutes. One thing we liked was that because the resort is smaller, you recognize the staff and performers. You see them working during the day and then performing at night, which gives the whole place a fun, connected feel.
That said, our family is pretty content to call it a night around 10 p.m. and hang out in the room together, so we weren’t looking for late-night action anyway.
GUESTS
There were all ages there — little kids, grade schoolers, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college-age kids, and every adult age group.
Everyone we talked to seemed to be having a great time. A lot of families told us this was their 3rd or 4th trip to Beaches Negril, and we heard the same kind of thing when we stayed at Turks which says a lot.
GYM
The gym was solid. Not massive, but definitely enough to get in a good workout. Nice facility overall.
It had:
• free weights
• machines
• treadmills
• stair climber
TRIP TO SANDALS NEGRIL
One evening we took a van/taxi to Sandals which is about 5 minute drive from the Beaches resort. It was $20 each way. We ate dinner at Sundowner, which was very good.
As for the overall Sandals vibe? Honestly… not that impressed. The beach was nowhere near as nice as Beaches, and the overall feel of the resort just wasn’t as lively. Ultimately, I’m glad we went. Since our sons are over 18, our whole family was able to visit at no extra cost and enjoy drinks, dinner, and the resort just like at Beaches.
Airport transfer / drive from Montego Bay
We paid for the Club Mobay VIP service ($340 for the 4 of us) for arrival and departure, and it was worth the money. The departure option was a game changer because it allowed us to use a separate security line (lightening speed) and access to a nice lounge for the 2 hours we had to kill before our flight. We departed on a Saturday so the airport was PACKED. The Club Mobay fee includes snacks and drinks while you wait made the airport experience much better.
Now for the drive to Negril…
It’s about 90 minutes, and the best way I can describe it is that it felt like being inside a real-life Mario Kart game. It was actually kind of fun. You get to see a lot of the local scene, which we liked, but wow — the driving is a full experience. At several points it felt like the cars in front of us might as well have been hood ornaments on our van. Lots of honking, lots of pothole dodging, lots of “well this is happening” moments.
And yet somehow, we totally trusted our driver. I’m not joking when I say he was actually a good driver. Aggressive? Yes. Memorable? Absolutely. Safe enough that we made it while laughing at all the near-misses? Also yes.
That said, the 20-minute airport-to-resort drive at Turks is much better than the 90-minute drive to Negril. That’s probably the only real negative for me. Once you get to the resort, your room, and that beach, you get over it pretty quickly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We would absolutely come back to Negril, and we’ll probably go back to Turks too.
Beaches really has a great thing going, and we highly recommend it.
If you want to splurge, butler service is awesome. That said, I actually think the butler service is more valuable at Turks than at Negril, mostly because the Turks property is noticeably larger.
What impressed us most was that staff told us Negril was 98% occupancy during our stay, and it still did not feel crowded. According to several non-butler guests we met, it was also much easier at Negril to get pool chairs, beach loungers, and just generally move around without feeling packed in.
Bottom line:
If you’re choosing between Beaches Turks & Caicos and Beaches Negril, you really can’t go wrong. We loved both. Negril felt smaller, warmer, easier, and incredibly family-friendly. For us, it was an amazing week.
