Let’s start with saying that Beaches Negril exceeded the already high expectations we had. This was our first visit to Jamaica and to a Sandals owned resort. In the past, we’ve done a few other resorts in the Caribbean and in South East Asia.
Overview:
The resort is well maintained, up to date and the grounds are beautiful. Beaches Negril is small (less than 200 rooms) and has a more intimate atmosphere than many larger hotels. There are always enough loungers on the beach and around the pools. Restaurants that require reservations are easily booked but the other restaurants are just as good if not better, and no worries about lining up or missing out. Plenty of space for all. The staff is exceptional: friendly and helpful. The children’s centre is very clean and well staffed. The rooms were first class with up-to-date décor, very comfortable beds and bedding.
Beach / Water Sports:
The beach at the resort is one of the best we’ve been on anywhere in the world, and that includes other Caribbean beaches and beaches in Australia and the Far East. The shallow water and gently waves make it perfect for children. There are lots of chairs available, many in the shade. Towels are more than plentiful. Almost all sports activities like tricycles, kayaks, paddle boards, sailboats, water skiing and knee boarding, banana boats, snorkels, are included and readily available and serviced by very friendly staff. The resort also makes available, free of charge, several daily trips on a glass bottom boat.
Food:
The food was amazing. Breakfast options at the buffet were plentiful, and one of the restaurants offers a beach front, a-la-carte breakfast. The evening dinner at this restaurant was also very nice. The buffet restaurant offers excellent daily lunch and dinner options too, with a wide selection of options, all very tasty. All of the food in all restaurants was exceptional. My wife's and my own favorite was the evening dinner at the Jerk Shack, which among other options, offered a Surf and Turf dinner. My daughter’s family loved the Mexican restaurant for dinner (cowboy steak) and my son’s family really liked Soy, the sushi restaurant, which we visited twice. Lunch at Mariachi (Mexican) was delectable. The Jamaican Patty at the BBQ Shack (noon – 3am) was also a favorite. They also serve very good burgers and other BBQ favorites like pulled pork and fantastic short ribs. Three food trucks serve food all afternoon; the chicken strips were my grandson’s favorite. One of the trucks serves various salads that were excellent. A must-do at least once was Kimonos Japanese restaurant which offers a Hibachi experience that was very tasty and entertaining. Ask for smaller portions for children as all servings at all restaurants are very generous. The Peruvian restaurant was another not to be missed experience. Most of the restaurants also serve from a children’s menu but all of them are accommodating if you bring something in from the buffet to feed the kids while the parents (and grand parents) try out the menu at the specialty restaurants.
We never experienced any of the sand flies at the beachfront restaurants that others have complained about. These restaurants have been elevated on wooden platforms which has resolved that issue. The resort boasts a Café de Paris staffed by great people making crepes (including my favourite Crepe Suzette) and serving ice cream and all sorts of coffees including ice coffees and my favorite: frapuchino (espresso with icecream). Yummi. The Yoyo Café had ice cream machines with many flavours and toppings were served by very friendly staff: definitely the favorite of my grandkids. In addition, there were a few self serve soft icecream machines placed strategically around the resort.
Entertainment:
The entertainment staff was terrific, especially in their interaction with the kids. The shows were very entertaining. The Fire Show was the highlight for adults and kids alike.
Bar Service:
Both the alcoholic drinks for adults and the non-alcoholic drinks (for kids and those who prefer something without alcohol) are very good, made with premium liquors, and the bar tenders, as was common to all staff throughout the resort, were very accommodating. There are plenty of bars with enough staff so there never was a long wait time.
Overall, Beaches Negril is a fantastic destination for families but also for adults, as the kids were well behaved and not as noticeable as we’ve seen them at other family resorts. The small footprint of the resort (less than 200 rooms, small acreage and not crowded at all) also meant that it was easy to navigate. It also meant that all rooms were within easy range of all restaurants, bars, the beach, pools and the activities center. The most important attribute of Beaches Negril was its staff: everyone was so nice, friendly and accommodating. No exceptions. Hats of to them and to management for their hiring and training practices.
Thanks to poor Air Canada planning and management we missed a full day and a half at the resort. Getting our departure flight extended to a later date was like pulling teeth with Air Canada. The Air Canada Rep for Negril was missing in action. On the other hand, the resort manager, his assistant and an employee of Island Routes (owned by Sandals) were extremely helpful in our interaction with Air Canada (although even they had a hard time getting assistance from AC’s Montreal office). They also assisted us in getting extra days booked at the end of our stay to make up for the lost days at the start. Many thanks for their help! Without them we would have been 2 days short changed by Air Canada. Needless to say, we’ll never fly Air Canada again, anywhere. But it didn’t lessen our enjoyment of Beaches Negril: it was first class all the way.
