Jamaica: Beaches Negril
Date: April 5 to 12, 2008
Reviewer: Tourist from Michigan, USA
We left the cold climate of Michigan to enjoy the warm sunny climate of Jamaica and to attend our daughter’s wedding on the beach at Beaches Negril resort. We stayed seven days at the resort and were reluctant to leave at the end of our stay. While there, we attended our daughter’s beautiful wedding on the beach coordinated by Beaches wedding coordinator. Beaches Negril has two large pools, the water is wonderful and the swim up bar is great. We also swam in the ocean in the roped off swimming area. The ocean was actually warmer than the pools. Snorkeling is also available and included. They took us out to a coral reef where the water is about ten feet deep, we put on the fins, mask, and snorkel supplied by the resort, and swam around for approx. thirty minutes observing the ocean creatures. Very enjoyable and recommended. The five restaurants, which were included in our all inclusive package, all had very good food and we enjoyed them all. Be sure to try the Seville restaurant. It is adult only, has a dress code, has great food, and is a delightful experience. Our room was the Honeymoon Deluxe Seaside. The room was clean and neat and very comfortable. Overall we had a great vacation and would be glad to do it again.

Where can I begin? We booked this trip mainly because we wanted our daughter (2 yrs old) to be able to enjoy the trip and they have Sesame Street. Anyway, I went and read reviews from other people and was disappointed by some of the things I read but booked it anyway, a little scared. WHAT were they talking about???

Our welcome was amazing. Tavia (our concierge) made us feel like royalty the moment we got there. By the way, our driver, Steve, was so cool. The room was clean and comfortable and we kept our balcony doors open at all times to get that fresh caribbean breeze. The morning after we got there, we had the sesame street breakfast with our 2 year old and she was just delighted. The beach was just amazing, and sooo warm. The pools (especially the lazy river) were fun, and we loved the jamaican patties they had at the restaurant by the water park, we had one every chance we got. The food was good and the staff at the restaurants just made you feel so welcome, they were great with my baby. Everyone there knew her name. We took our daughter to the sesame street shows at night and had a blast. We got to pick dinner from 5 different restaurants every night but mainly ate at the Mill (buffet), since it's easier with a kid. The chef, Dennis, cooked a special plate just for my husband and I the night before we left, it was amazing and very thoughtful of him. THANKS Dennis, you're the best! Ok, I know this is gettting kind of long, but there is just so much to say about this place, but I will cut it short and say that this place is so amazing mainly because of the people there. Lindlay, Zoe says hi! I wish we were still there and we will definitely be back.

Hi, my husband, 5 yr old son and I just got back from Beaches Negril (we were there from April 12th - 16th, 2008). Because of all the mixed reviews that are available on the internet about Jamaica as well as the resort, we weren't really sure of what to expect with the cleanliness of the resort, the people in Jamaica, the weather, the mosquitoes, the food etc etc. I will try to be as honest as possible in my review.

First of all, after an 8 hour flight from Calgary to Montego-Bay, we were pleasantly surprised to be directed to a Sandals/Beaches lounge at the Mo-Bay airport that was stocked with fresh fruit, drink and beer while the porters took our luggage to the bus. We were then driven to our resort Beaches Negril (1.5 hour drive from airport, but very scenic and comfortable in an air conditioned bus!). The check-in process was very efficient and we were upgraded to an ocean-view room (without even asking for it). The room had 2 twin beds, was quite spacious and well decorated. The bathroom was clean although not quite up to the standards that we see in Canada/America. No complaints though, as it was clean (I'm picky so I'd tell you if I wasn't happy!!).
The pool at Beaches Negril is beautiful although it isnt temperature controlled, so if you go in a cooler month then it might be a challenge to get in the water :) We were lucky to have great weather....29 degrees C and there was a wind blowing constantly so it was just right! The people at hte resort are EXTREMELY HOSPITABLE, so I'd rank it as a 3 or 4 star resort with 5 star (or 7 star) service! The restaurants are quite nice although you'd probably get bored with them after 3-4 days (we feasted on the spicy Jamaican food at the Mo-Bay airport on our way back to Canada as the resort food is more 'tourist friendly' :) The ITalian restaurant at Beaches Sandy Bay is really nice and we went there twice for dinner (5 minute bus ride, and there's a shuttle from Beaches Negril every 30 minutes).
My husband and I loved the snorkelling experience (our first time)....the ocean was so nice and warm and the brightest aqua/teal color possible! HEAVENLY! My husband took the resort scuba training $70 and went on the scuba dive (30 ft) the next day but he got very sick and his ears couldnt adjust to the pressure.....he says he'll never scuba dive again! :)
Our 5 yr old son LOVED the kids camp. They had different activitities every hour and some of them included splashing around in the kids pool, cooking with cookie monster, art and craft, aerobics, learning about alphabets etc etc. He loved camp, although one of the other parents was complaining that the staff aren't as careful as they need to be (her son walked out of camp towards the pool and no one noticed,,,,luckily she and her husband were right around the corner luckily to stop him from walking straight into the pool)!!! The staff members were very apologetic of course.
My son loved the Xbox garage....really nice and airconditioned with 20-30 Xbox consoles...each with a different game.
The spa was nice, although the hot stone pedi on the rocks was over-priced in my opinion. I paid $95 USD + $10 tip for something that woul;d've costed me $60 or so in Canada. I LOVED the West Indian Massage though.....they use a lot of stretches and overall I thought the massage was better than any massage I've received in Canada! Again over priced at $180!! If you want to get your hair done at the spa, NICOLE is excellent!
Most of the watersports (that are included) such as banana boat etc are not for kids under the age of 7 yrs, so my son couldnt really benefit from any of those. He just seemed to be really happy in the pool, making sand castles on the beach and at camp! They have a really nice swim-up bar in the pool and since we don't drink alcohol we enjoyed their milk shakes and fruit drinks (mostly made with fresh fruit such as pineapple, papaya, banana etc or fruit nectar if its off season). Very nice.
We had to purchase benedryl for our son's bug bite, as well as Advil and both were well priced at the gift shop..only $3 or so higher than Canada.
Every night there was a different show in the auditorium....circus, reggae dancing, sesame street characters etc....our son loved the shows.
During hte day, there was pool aerobics in the water, beach volleyball, billiards, table tennis etc etc - never a dull moment.

Overall, I LOVED my experience at Beaches Negril. I wasn't that impressed by Beaches Sandy Bay though as its a smaller resort so I'd highly recommend Negril instead.

Jet ski's etc - there were locals (not employed by Beaches) who were willing to make deals as low as $25 for 30 minutes on the jet skis! Also, we strolled outside the Beaches security gate on the beach and there were locals offering braiding services for $25 (as opposed to $80 in the spa) and even quick foot massages for $10-$15. They were harmless and we felt very safe, although I would't go there after dark.

If you have any further questions re Beaches Negril, feel free to email me at trupti_21@hotmail.com.

Enjoy :)

In the weeks that lead up to our trip to Negril, I regularly read the reviews on this site and was startled at the number of negative entries. After having prepayed a substantial sum for this journey, i feared the worst based on the mixed commentary.

After having just returned home I have reached a solid conclusion - that there are far more wining, sniveling people in the world than i ever imagined. I simply can't fathom how anyone could create a negative experience out of this beautiful place and hospitable staff.

My wife and our four boys (ages 13, 11, 7, and 5) have not stopped talking about the week we spent there. My older boys made fast freinds with band of like-aged kids and collectively made their own fun most of the time (even taking themselves to kimono's for lunch without adults one day). The younger boys went back and forth between the beach, pools, water slides and lazy river non stop and literally fell into bed every night after dinner.

The beach is every bit as amazing as many of the reviews made it out to be. We water skiied, sailed, and kayaked every day, with the exception of one where it was too windy and the waves were a bit rough (which provided great fun for ocean swimming though)

O.k., let's talk food. Jean-Georges it's not. What it is is thoughtfully prepared, high-quality, locally influenced cuisine that is served in a variety of settings. I really liked the buffet setting, outdoors, under a roof alongside a large pool. At every meal there were piles of fresh local fruit and vegetables (try the steamed kalaloo for breakfast and DON'T miss the fresh mango). The Jerk chicken and pork were not like any American version I've ever tried -just awesome. And hands down, Blue Mountain coffee is the best I've ever tried.

Most of the food complaints on this site were written by people with little imagination or sense of adventure in my opinion. If you spent your vacation eating pasta and chicken fingers, too bad for you.

Lastly, the service was awesome. To my way of thinking there is an unwritten contract in this regard. Go to Jamaica and imerse yourself in the natural beauty and soak up the naturally hospitable culture. Show a sense of respect for all that makes it special. In return for the right attitude, visitors are treated like freinds visiting good friends. For me, the staff at this resort went beyond the call of duty to make sure I was comfortable, safe, and most of all that my family and I were having a blast. What more could I have asked for?