Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa

We love Negril, and we love Jamaica, so we chose this location for our free week, and our last Sandals vacation, as we are moving on from the brand (so much more out there with better rooms, better service and better food). But I digress. We had butler service and the same room category as our first visit 3 years ago (P1) Sundowner penthouse, although we didn't get the room we requested, which was a bummer. But, we at least got a room with a decent view (as opposed to the first two rooms on that level which overlook Barefoot, and there's zero view - 6202 & 6204). The room was 'refurbished' a year or so ago, which basically means it got a fresh coat of paint to cover the dark furniture. That's about it. Everything else was the same, which is kinda dated, but it was at least clean. Kudos to the cleaning staff for keeping us in plenty of fresh towels each day and a clean room. They forgot to supply toilet paper one day, which caused me to search out someone to help, and after being dismissed by someone who basically told me the cleaning crew aren't on duty yet (no offer to help), I finally found Clive (who wasn't our butler) who immediately offered to helped me. He could have just ignored me and walked away, but he didn't. That's what one expects at a 5 star resort. Everyone is willing to help you! He was our "temporary" butler on the day we arrived and he is just the sweetest guy. He always made a point to smile and say hello when he saw us. Our two butlers - Myron and Floyd - were outstanding. They didn't let us go more than an hour without a fresh drink every day (especially earlier in the day - during the afternoons they got a lot busier, so that slowed down, but we totally understand). On the day of our snorkel tour, Floyd was waiting on the shore with two cocktails for us both which really, really surprised us. No butler has ever done that for us. THIS is the kind of "outstanding service" that is expected (and rewarded). Securing chairs on the beach/pool and making dinner reservations is standard operating procedure. That COMES with the room/service, so it's not "above and beyond" as one would define the term, but it seems like some think it is. Anyway, they were just terrific and as good as the butler team we had in Curacao, who consistently went above and beyond. All the other butler teams we've had over the years were just ... ok. Did what they had to do and nothing more. Vandame did a fantastic photo shoot for us and we bought more photos than we've ever purchased before. They were that good. If you find him on the beach, BOOK HIM! You won't be sorry. To recap: Food & drinks were great as always. Brava is our favorite. We didn't go to Barefoot except for breakfast one day and it was horribly overcooked, so we didn't return. Breakfast buffet was always hot and fresh at Bayside. Perla had some good lunches, as did Sundowner. We only had one dinner there and it was ok. Beach was great (although very eroded). They've lost 15-20 feet of frontage, easily (look at the resort's pic on this page ... the beach is now about 10' away from Barefoot, where in the pic it's 20' at least). There are many PVC pipes that used to be under 5' of sand that are completely exposed on the beach now. They're not only unsightly, but a danger to walk around, so I hope they fix them soon. Staff were outstanding as usual. Just love the Jamaican people as they always have a ready smile and a pleasant "good morning" to offer. One tip? The ladies at Barefoot tend to get chatty in the morning when they're setting up for breakfast and can be unknowingly quite loud. There are many rooms nearby who might be trying to sleep in past 7am, so it would be appreciated if they kept their voices down a little to respect that. We were woken up a couple of morning by the talking. And, Sandals - can you please get more comfortable chairs for the beach? There's gotta be some padded chairs you could buy (like those at the pools) that aren't so uncomfortable. I saw people taking 8-10 towels EACH to pile up on their chairs to make them more comfortable, leaving the towel rack empty for most of the afternoon. As I said in the beginning of my comments, this is the last Sandals vacation we'll take (most likely). It's too bad, as we really like the brand, and hubby is a diver and thinks your dive teams are stellar. However, the room we were in just now is almost $10k for a week, and it needed a lot of love. The shower only had ONE standard shower head (heck, even at home, I have two in my master bath), where most other rooms we've been in had the rainfall showerhead as well, and the water pressure was spotty. The hot tub in the room had some hard brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the tub, making it unusable as it was pretty uncomfy to sit on, and the jets and tub drain were rusted and old. For $10k a week, I expected more. That tub has been in that room for 30 years, easily. Time to get a new one! Also, please put a fan on the balcony! It's so hot up there. I thought for sure we had one in the last room we were in (6214), but we didn't in this one (6206). That's an easy addition and really would have helped make being outdoors on our deck more pleasant. Thanks for the memories, Sandals ... we've enjoyed our time with you, but feel we need to move on to places that offer better value for the $$. Read less

Our first time to Sandals Negril and it did not disappoint. About 1 1/2 hour transfer from Montego Bay Airport. Quick and easy check in. Stayed in Paradise Beachfront Walkout room which was ideally located and quite central to everything. Very quiet (other than the usual sounds from Tree Frogs at night). Rooms cleaned and the fridge re-stocked daily. A smaller number of restaurants than some of the Sandals resorts but never had a problem getting reservations for any of them. The 'Sundowner' was my favourite (Phillip was very helpful and professional), and my husband's favourite was 'Brava'. We tried all of them and couldn't fault any. The service and food was very good throughout. Sileta and Terry Ann in the 'Bayside' welcomed us with huge smiles each morning at breakfast and again at lunchtime. Willis at the 'Piano Bar' was entertaining and remembered how we liked our drinks. There was regular beach service for drink top ups, even though the bars are not far to walk to. We tried the drink of the day everyday, and a special shout out to 'Janel' who hasn't worked there very long, but came by and chatted to us each day with drinks ready. Keron and Vandam took plenty of photos of us around the resort. We didn't book a photo shoot, but there were plenty of photos to pick from that they had taken throughout our stay. Great to have a laugh and conversation with, and very good at their jobs. Entertainment was good and didn't go on too late into the night. Finally, the loyalty and travel team are very helpful and professional. Shadae, Anna-Kay and Chavelle, we can't thank you enough for all your help in getting our 'free week' certificate confirmed! In all, we would recommend this resort to anyone wanting a relaxing time to do as much or as little as you wish. Small, colonial with the calmest sea we have ever come across! Sandals Negril has the most amazing employees throughout the resort. Everyone wore a smile and took the time to wish you a good day. They are all a credit to the 'Sandals' brand. We will return in the future. Read less

We have returned from our 46th trip to Sandals Negril. We are Ambassadors and upon arrival we were welcomed as if it was our first time at a Sandals. We got out of the car and there was no one in the lobby. A staff member finally walked over and told us to sit down and someone would be with us shortly. After 5 minutes one of the girls went to get the General Manager. She came out of her office to see us. She handed us the ipad to sign in. I stood there doing the checkin while she was talking. As Ambassadors we are supposed to have in room check in. Upon arrival to the room and for the first time there was no welcome home sign . We had to call a few times due to not being re-stocked with wine. We had no hot water one night…cold showers suck!!!! No wifi on the beach by Longshore rooms and one day with no electricity. All this was referred to staff …….no apologies. Also the hot tub was cold for a few days. The food was just ok and the pizza was horrible….mostly rubbery dough. In a positive note, Negril has one of the best staff in the chain. They are always smiling, happy and caring about the guests. We have known a lot of them for over 25 years. Service in the restaurants and bars was great!!! Read less