Sandals Negril...the best part of Seven Mile Beach and a top notch experience all around!
Feb 4, 2026 O4971NLchrisc Kingston, Canada
We visited Sandals Negril (SN) 16-26 January 2026; our third Sandals, and second time to SN, and zero regrets! We were to have been at Sandals Royal Caribbean (SRC) but Hurricane Melissa had other plans. We must first express our most sincere gratitude, appreciation and respect for not just the incredible Sandals team, but also the Jamaican people…
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We visited Sandals Negril (SN) 16-26 January 2026; our third Sandals, and second time to SN, and zero regrets! We were to have been at Sandals Royal Caribbean (SRC) but Hurricane Melissa had other plans. We must first express our most sincere gratitude, appreciation and respect for not just the incredible Sandals team, but also the Jamaican people overall. Their resilience, outlook in the face of adversity and optimism despite the disaster they survived is noteworthy, and every Jamaican we spoke with thanked us for visiting so we certainly felt welcomed everywhere!
We had a butler room at SRC but could only get a LX room at SN for the same dates, which didn't faze us, as our first trip there we had a similar room and we liked it - we don't spend much time in our room but it was clean, nicely appointed and well looked after - we left one note with our minibar refill person and they looked after us perfectly, as did our cleaner. The resort itself is well laid out in a linear fashion so you're never more than a few dozen yards from Seven Mile Beach - and yes it is an amazing beach. We found the water pleasant, some sea grass in spots, but we use the provided float discs when in the Sea, or our own we brought, so seagrass didn't bother us. Weather while we were there was tremendous - rained twice, but through the night and another time but we were in the spa getting a massage. A good time of the year to visit Jamaica weather wise.
For those considering Club MoBay, don't just consider, do it; you will be glad you did! It isn't a necessity on the way in, though we do enjoy being whisked to the front of the line to breeze through Customs. Going home, its a fantastic lounge to relax, eat and drink in, with super staff and it makes waiting pleasantly bearable and peaceful.
The food at SN was excellent every place we dined. We ate at each restaurant at least twice for dinner, (less Kimonos since we've done that before and being hard of hearing the overhead fan drowns out my hearing aids), the buffet for most breakfasts although a couple a la carte at restaurants, and either the buffet, the pizza place or La Perla for lunches. In all cases, fantastic. The food is delicious, perfectly done and plentiful with a wide variety on the menus. Well done to those that design the menus and the chefs who prepare it. Of course, the staff at each restaurant also enhances the dining experience with their kindness, knowledge, friendliness and diligence. Of special note was Phillip, one of the hosts at the Sundowner, who really stood out for his quiet professionalism when faced with a full house and a somewhat loud and inebriated group who were quite demanding - he maintained a respectful composure throughout, but smiled a great deal when we pulled him aside to compliment him. As well, Shantae served us a couple times at the Sundowner, and was bright, fun, and an attentive, highly personable server who added to the dining experience. Judith was often a hostess at Bayside Buffet when we'd go there, and she always greeted everyone warmly and sought their input on where they'd like to sit and directed staff to assist patrons quickly when required. Shauna, the wine concierge, found out I didn't drink alcohol and went out of her way THREE times to ensure a chilled bottle of non-alcoholic wine was sent to the restaurant we were dining at that night (zero cost) - if that isn't amazing, personal service, I don't know what is.
We also attended the Loyalty Dinner - some folks don't go - why? It's so much fun - you meet other Sandals folks, some more staff, key folks in your resort, managers, etc. and all over a great meal with a special menu for the night, and you get to learn more about where Sandals and the Foundation are going. It's there we found out about the new airport which will eventually be built within 30 minutes of SN, which will surely shorten the usual 90 minute transit - we don't mind it as we get to see the local area, sites, etc. Dawn Marie was the Gift Shop manager and sat with us - she was fun, friendly and answered any and all questions we had. It was fun going up on stage to "graduate" to Sapphire level and the loyalty system is something we truly enjoy about Sandals, in addition to their social awareness, inclusion and diversity among the staff - incidentally, based on the introductions we saw, more than half the managers at SN, including the resort manager, are women - well done Sandals!
Entertainment at SN is "off the hook". Constant, fun, ever changing, and just so very good. In 10 days we saw two different fire shows, both of which were mind blowing and up close on the beach, the Silver Bird Steel Orchestra (SUPER!) and full on water show with amazing singers "adrift" on "lily pads" which was of extremely high quality. Special mention to Oniquekio, King James and Ashley from Entertainment - an amazing singer who could really connect with guests in large groups or one on one and two terrific dancers with great energy and skill. In all cases the Entertainment team wears many hats but at all times they seem to be the most joyful and fun people in the resort - kudos to them all! Every day and night the entertainment was an 11 out of 10 - for a small resort to have the amount, diversity and quality of entertainment is noteworthy.
Michael at Loyalty was so enjoyable to deal with, as were all the Loyalty staff. He was so friendly, highly personable and quickly determined our likes/dislikes and helped guide us in both adjusting our Grenada trip in 2027, and booking an SRC in 2028 (still shocked at the low price considering the room we're getting!) He even had the presence to stop by our chairs one day to triple check that we were happy. What a nice young man and a great Sandals representative.
Every bar in the place is awesome and filled with fantastic staff. We tended to hang out down toward the Sundowner/Piano Bar beach area and pool most days. Chris at the Piano Bar was the best. After one day serving us, he would automatically make us our fave drinks without asking. He was fast behind the bar, friendly, fun and skilled. His mojitos were the best. Tardo at the Bar near the lobby in the evenings was hilarious and made great drinks with a little "Cocktail" flare too.
We did the Couples 90 Minute Scents of Love Massage. We're so glad we did. Not only were Miss Eunice & Princess at the Red Lane Spa superb massage therapists, they made this into a very meaningful, touching and emotional event. Our only mistake was not booking earlier to remove all the cold and winter travel stress. The entire spa experience was well worth it and something that we will add to each Sandals stay. Sasha was my wife's attendant for a mani/pedi and she was fun, engaging and did an excellent job.
Orlando was a butler, though we didn't have one. But we point him out because he exemplifies the "welcome home" and supreme friendliness we've come to greatly appreciate. While looking after his guests, on our first full day, Orlando made a joke in passing, which turned in to a funny conversation with us. Thereafter, even though he'd be doing something else, he never once passed us without exchanging a kind word/handshake or high five and laughing about that joke. That's the deep personal connection Sandals makes. Another example of this was O'Neil, a photographer. He stopped by our spot one day asking if we'd like some pictures taken but we advised him we'd already made an appointment with another team member. Regardless, O'Neil just began chatting with us, which turned in to an interesting and most enjoyable conversation, covering numerous topics, leaving us feeling happy. None of this felt forced but simply natural and well intended.
Of course, photos were great. We'd booked Jeffery for our shoot but were advised at the time that he was still occupied with guests, but Kiron arrived in his place. What a fun time we had with him! Easy to smile when he's keeping you laughing. He quickly determined what we wanted and so as to not waste his time or ours, he took us to three excellent spots and we had all we needed within 15 minutes - VERY happy with the outcome. Maxine in the PhotO Shop was a an absolute joy to deal with and we didn't feel pressure in the slightest.
On our check out day of 16 January, at approximately 9:00 am we visited the front desk to ask if we could stay in our room a bit longer, as our flights weren't until 7:30 pm and we weren't being shuttled until mid afternoon. We forgot their names but there was a young lady and young gent working the desk - they were so kind and understanding and told us we could stay another couple hours. We carried on with our day, eventually taking a beach walk. The young lady, in her office attire and shoes, came out on the beach to find us to inform us later that sadly things had changed and they needed our room, but told us we could shower in the spa later, before departing. She could have left a note or phone message with our room but chose the personal touch - no wonder we love Sandals.
Sorry to go on - it's long but we wanted to give all the credit necessary to those referred to and named above. We will be Sandals folks for a long, long, time - best Caribbean resorts, ever. THANK YOU SANDALS NEGRIL!
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