Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa

Here's the good: The staff are very, very friendly, and they try very hard. We loved the smiles, the general positivity, and they seem to really care. Orlando, in particular, is AMAZING. He is a butler for the cabanas when you rent one. I highly recommend doing so because they're right by the water sports area, and they're really comfortable. You can go paddleboard, hobie kat, water bike, kayak... all right there. Also, the building where you sign up for snorkeling trips, scuba, and snuba is right there, and the bathrooms are close by and clean. Honestly, we rented a cabana for one day, and that was the best part of the whole trip. The resort is clean and well-maintained. The grounds are lovely. Tovia at the Barefoot by the Sea restaurant was FANTASTIC! She made sure to bring me things she thought I would like... she was precious, and the food she brought me was really good and safe for me to eat. The fish she brought me was the only fish we tried there that didn't smell/taste fishy. So, shout out to Tovia and Orlando. :) Now for the bad... Food: This was the worst part of the whole trip. The choices are very limited at each restaurant. If you have Celiac's like I do, even if you state in advance that you have the condition, you have to make a meal plan while you're there to plan your food, which is difficult because it forces you into a schedule, so you can't just relax and enjoy your trip. With so many people now suffering from gluten sensitivity or intolerance, you'd think they'd train their staff to understand what people with the condition can and can't have and have a few different options available. Most of the restaurant staff don't seem to understand what gluten is. The room service food is terrible. I mean TERRIBLE. The first night we were there, we got hungry, so we ordered room service and asked for gluten-free nachos and a charcuterie board. The nachos were literally plain stale chips with peppers sprinkled on them and a tiny cup of cheese that had hardened into plastic. When I say tiny cup, I mean, it was about 1.5 tablespoons of coagulated processed cheese. The charcuterie board consisted of 5 slices of watery, salty red meat of some kind and several triangles of American cheese in different colors. Needless to say, we didn't try to get room service again. The gluten-free pizza crust had the consistency of a pencil eraser. I just picked some of the meat off. My husband did say that the jerk chicken was GREAT... however, it's not gluten-free, so I couldn't eat it. Traditional jerk chicken is gluten-free, so I'm not sure if they didn't make traditional jerk chicken or if they just don't know what gluten is and erred on the side of caution and told me I couldn't eat it. Beds: Holy cow, I've never slept on a harder bed. I finally had to ask them to change the mattress out after 2 nights because it felt like sleeping on plywood with a thin comforter on top of it. My husband loves a firm mattress, but it even hurt him, and we woke up every morning tired and in pain. Finally, on the third day, I begged our butler to please help... they piled a bunch of comforters and pads on it, which helped a bit, but it was still really hard. I seriously thought we were sleeping on a box spring with a board on it. I asked a couple of people if their mattresses were like that, and they said their mattresses were fine, so I guess we were just unlucky. Butler suite: We paid top dollar for a sky pool butler suite. It was a really pretty suite. One of our butlers, Wadea, was really sweet. She tried so hard to catch up to us, but we are very low maintenance, so we really didn't need much. She did help with the mattress. Our other butler was not good. We asked him for 2 things--a bag of rice because my husband's phone got dunked in the water, and we also asked him to call the restaurant we were going to one night to make sure they had gluten-free choices for me. He brought the rice... well, maybe it was him. I'm not sure. Someone shoved the bag in my face the minute I opened the door and took off without saying anything. When we asked him to check in with the restaurant, he said he'd have someone else do it. Whenever we talked to him, he was always looking off in another direction like he didn't want to be there. That night when we went to the restaurant, they had never heard from our butler, and they weren't sure if I could eat anything on their limited menu. The butler showed up and blamed us for not making a meal plan. We left that restaurant (the Sundowner) and went to the main restaurant, hoping they would have more choices. We managed to get dinner there, and it wasn't bad. Snorkeling: I'm not sure if the guy who was running it was just having a bad day or something, but he was really, really rude. He talked to everyone on the boat like we were morons. He lectured me about not putting sunscreen on 15 minutes in advance and told me he'd make me sit on the boat for 15 minutes, so I just wiped it all off on a towel. It didn't have anything to do with the sunscreen itself because it was mineral and reef-safe. I think he was just a jerk. haha Swam around for a few minutes and saw a couple of fish... just plain ol' fish. Nothing interesting. But hey, it was included... so there you are. Excursion: We did YS Falls. It was very brown water because of all the rain, and the current was too strong to really get in and enjoy it. It took all of 2 hours to get there, and we spent maybe an hour and a half there, and that was too long. Everyone who went on the excursion agreed to leave early and regretted going. Bottom line: We changed our flight and came home a day early. You pay a LOT for all-inclusive, but the quality doesn't match the price. The water in Mexico is much prettier, and the food in Mexico is much better. Get a good hotel on the beach and budget to pay for meals yourself--it will be cheaper in the long run, and the food will be MUCH better. We will never do a Sandals again. Read less

I was hesitant about booking Sandals because our stay at Sandals Southcoast (previously Sandals Whitehouse) was horrible two years ago. But we booked this because going to Ocho Rios was too far and MoBay locations were closed. We wanted a nice stay at a nice resort. From arrival at the airport lounge to departure from the resort, we enjoyed the service. The Negril property is smaller than other Sandals resorts and the accommodations are average compared to other brand resorts in Jamaica. Quite frankly other brand resorts, even less expensive ones, have nicer accommodations and better curated grounds. What you pay for is the service. The staff helps you however possible. I asked for various things and the staff provided solutions which made the stay great. I believe the helpful attitude flows from the top down because the General Manager (Ms. Clark) is very hands on. It was a holiday weekend but she was there daily greeting guests and talking to her staff. The entertainers are also top tier! The singers sound very professional. Thumbs up to Izrael, Kenroy (Kenny), and others who helped me. I even learned how to finally take great pics on my iphone. I showed the photographer walking around how to do it too. There is a nightly performance at 9pm at Bayside restaurant. That’s not told to guests but they should inform guests upon arrival. We had no clue and wondered why the place looked dead around 8pm so we chilled in the room the first night, not knowing what was to come at 9pm. It is also a slightly older clientele, say mostly couples in their 40s and up. The hibachi was the best restaurant; they give you a lot of food and it was cooked well. Sundowner was just ok. Caribbean food but not authentic Jamaican. No buffet for dinner. So for a good variety, try the buffet at Bayside during lunch. In room dining options are all American. Can request to order 24 hours in advance. Overall, I liked it and would stay there again. This experience was much better than our last at Sandals Southcoast. Read less

Just returned from a week here and loved it! The Jamaican people are so friendly and welcoming, especially despite having just been through a hurricane. Monique, Kish, Delton, Moses, Orlando and so many others made our stay fun and memorable. We didn't get any eye rolls, or the lazy attitudes like at some other Sandals properties. All the restaurants were great. We had plans to go eat at Beaches but never needed to. The water wasn't always clear near the beach, but we snorkeled and saw some beautiful rays. The beach is apparently eroding, and they've lost quite a bit of it over the last year. We stayed on the longshore side, and it was very quiet. Friends stayed in the beachfront building, and it felt like the water was on their front doorstep. We felt it was livelier in that area. We walked off property during the day for some local massages and to check out the resorts along the way to beaches. The highlight of our trip was a boat cruise to snorkel the caves and jump off the cliffs at Ricks! We would love to go back someday:) Read less

We are already fans of the Sandals brand, having stayed at their Ochi property 4 times, and shoutout to Ochi--we were just looking to change it up this week. No comparisons. Sandals Negril was a fabulous time. Not a lot of time for a long break down, but food was excellent and reservations no trouble to get. Plenty of beach space, sun and shade, though we did the "early morning get coffee and take two floaties to reserve chaise lounges in the shade" thing on the days that we didn't rent a private cabana, (which is a treat worth taking). Great fitness center, coffee available at 6 am, lots of places to chill with a book. To quote my wife, Sandals Negril "isn't a lot of work." THAT'S what you want on vacation. The entire staff is amazing, but wanted to shout some extra-fabulous folks from our week there (in no order): Anne-Marie, concierge extraordinaire Fab servers: Patricea Daniel Anneika Toni-Anne Silena--cabana queen! Get this woman up to butlering! Oneil--great photos! Melesa and Alex and Shantol--bartenders extraordinaire Shaday Britney at Crema Cardella--amazing massage therapist at Red lane Spa You just can't miss at this site--it's an easy choice and we'll be back there for sure! Paul and Elizabeth Wright Read less