I really don't understand the negative reviews. Sandy Bay was FANTASTIC!!

I arrived and found flowers, as well as a cheese and cracker tray in my room.

The staff was AMAZING -- many recognized me when I would walk up and multiple times a day they asked how my vacation was going and if anything could be done better.

There was very little nightlife after 11 p.m., which I thought would drive me nuts, but it didn't. There was so much to do, morning to night, that it didn't even matter.

The only thing that really bugged me the whole trip was the lack of a vegetarian option at the Sundowner. There is a quiche, but I don't eat eggs. They didn't offer to make anything special. That bothered me, but it was not that big a deal as I had the soup and headed downstairs after to eat in the buffet. Also, the Sesame Grill didn't have veggie burgers or veggie patties like they were supposed to, but had a rockin' veggie pizza!!

The italian restaurant was a fantastic atmosphere for dinner after my best friend's wedding. It was very nice.

The bartenders (Richard, Bobby, everybody!!) were sooooo fun. From the first night, they made our trip spectacular.

Going during their slow season was awesome -- we never had to wait on activities and got to do so many things. The banana boat, waterbikes, windsailing, and snorkeling were all awesome experiences! Access the Beaches Negril was a bonus too. The waterpark and pool bar were so fun, we went back a second time -- the adults!!

I didn't do any off-resort tours but the people in our party who did LOVED them!

This resort is well worth the money. The drinks are made with fresh bananas and believe me, you'll quickly eat, drink, and experience your money's worth! The guests and the staff are genuinely friendly.

My VERY FAVORITE thing was the Monday night beach party. A buffet served on the beach, hilarious games and dance contests, and an amazing crew of dancers!!

The fitness center was so nice, I actually regretted forgetting my tennis shoes. It was good sized and private.

I almost felt bad no tips were allowed. Those staff members deserve every cent they get and more. They work so hard to make sure you have an awesome time!!

Thank you Beaches Sandy Bay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liz Perry
Omaha, Nebraska

Beaches Sandy Bay
06/02/08-06/09/08

Just another relaxing trip back to BSB before our kids REALLY grow up! We chose BSB again since we all agreed in 2005 that this was a very good place to sit back, relax, and regroup. The resort is small in comparison to the other Beaches resorts that I have either been to (only Beaches Negril) or read about. In our case, size DOES matter and we aren’t into the “amusement park” atmosphere. We have passes to Six Flags that we rarely use. I hope I cover most everything here to help others; if not, just ask J!

Flight to MBJ
Very uneventful. Traveling on a weekday has its plusses, I have found. We usually travel from Saturday to Saturday but this time chose a weekday for both cost and busyness of the airport. I think it’s a good idea and will continue doing it whenever possible. Both flights were at least 10 minutes early getting in. US Air, Louisville/Charlotte/Montego Bay was our route. In Louisville, the ticket agent did try to charge us for our second bag per person. I had to tell him, twice, that our flight had been booked well in advance of the new regulations. I would think there would be some sort of notation on our tickets alerting him to that, but I guess not. Our arrival to MBJ was smooth. We hurried off of the plane, straight to immigration. The line was long, onto the ramp but moved very quickly. We cleared everything and were on our way to the Sandals/Beaches lounge in less than 20 minutes. After arriving at the lounge, our bags were tagged (I love hearing “Welcome home!”) and we were told that we would board the bus in 20 minutes. We used the restroom and were told the bus was now boarding. Cool, going to get there sooner! Not this time; we boarded and waited for other arriving passengers for about 20 minutes. The bus trip to Negril was about 1 ½ hours with a stop at a “sports bar” for refreshments and the restroom. It was raining mid way and our bus driver drove safely, so this might have contributed to the time.

Check in at BSB
We arrived at 2:25 pm and were greeted quickly with cold towels and offers of refreshments. This was the first time this has happened as it never happened at either of our previous stays at Beaches, or Sandals Montego Bay. Check in appeared to be going smoothly (we met my nephew from Chicago, and his girlfriend, at Sangster and rode the bus to BSB together). They were taken to their room within half an hour. We checked in online so I thought we would be shown to our room soon as well. Time was passing and I was hoping we were being upgraded, which would cause us to be delayed. Finally, shortly before 4:00, a playmaker passed by and asked how we were doing. He must have sensed a little agitation, left and came back to tell us that our room was ready and someone would be with us shortly. Personally, I think we were just forgotten about since we were not upgraded and no explanation was ever given for the delay. And I didn’t ask. We were shown to our room very soon after that.

Front desk
Vary helpful, for whatever reason. We tried to get the WiFi to work on my daughter’s laptop and for whatever reason, still unknown, it didn’t. The person helping us tried for well over an hour and called her IT dept several times but still was unable to get us connected. I think it was the laptop. They do have a kiosk in the lobby to use “pay per minute”. I think its $1 per minute, good enough to keep a daughter in touch with her boyfriend or whatever. I spent at most $25 dollars and my kids were satisfied.

I had also left my sandals and found them immediately at the front desk. Change for large bills can be made as well.


Room 5201
Our room was exactly what we had booked, Beachfront One Bedroom, and we were happy. I had heard twice during check in that the resort was at only 40% occupancy (school was still in session at many places) so I’m not sure if we were even considered for an upgrade. I did specify that any upgrade had to be beachfront, so this might have been a factor. The room is so close and central to everything and still there was no noise from the restaurant or bar. During the day, you could hear the activities by the pool when a playmaker had the microphone. A covered walkway got us to the Bayside (or any of the other 2 restaurants), beach bar, lobby and just about everywhere else we needed to go. The view from the balcony was very good with only a palm tree here and there, depending which way you were facing. It also overlooked the ping pong table and it was fun watching kids try to master the art J. On a sour note, I saw several European boys, from a family reunion or get together, unsupervised, spitting slushy drinks through their straws all over the area and each other, for a very long time. Later on, when I was going back to the beach, flies were just everywhere. This was my only experience with bug problems. So I guess this could have been avoided.

The only minor problem we had was our toilet in the bedroom. I had asked on the second day to have maintenance look at it, that the “flapper thingy” would not go down and it kept running, loudly. Maybe they looked and didn’t know what I was talking about but they never fixed it until the day before we left. Every day, I would take the lid off and lay it under the sink so I could put the “flapper thingy” down after use; housekeeping would put it back on. It became sort of a game until I put it way away from the toilet. That was maintenance. Housekeeping was different. I found it somewhat sporadic. We are big on coffee before we move in the a.m. Some days, no coffee was left, other days, only decaf. I would think that if the decaf was not used and regular was gone, decaf is not our usual choice and please leave regular. I would take my large insulated mug to the Bayside and have it filled. This seemed much faster, and we got about 4 cups, since the 2 cup coffee maker took (and I am not kidding) 45 minutes to brew. This, of course is not housekeeping’s fault. A couple of other days, no water was left. When it was, we had four bottles a day, which was fine, one for each of us. Plenty of juice and both Coke and diet Coke and Sprite. We had turn down only once, the first night, after that they came after 10 pm. Too late, we were usually in bed, at least some of us.

The cable only worked half of the time or less. That didn’t bother me but it was during the Belmont Stakes and we really did want to watch the race, being from Kentucky.

This room can also be joined with the room next door via the master bedroom and you can enter/exit to the stairway via the master bedroom as well. One thing the décor lacked was it had only one Caribbean print in the entire room. I missed not having them on the walls. The room definitely needs updating but it was just fine for us. It was clean and mostly comfortable. The mattress on the king bed needs to be flipped but the pull outs were comfortable according to my daughters. There was an area near the main bathroom where the tiles need replacing and some caulk in the master shower but that’s all. But hey, the toilet works now J.

Restaurants
Vista Sul Mar, we did not eat here. My husband forgot closed toe shoes, way to go!
Sundowner, really wanted to eat here but closed most of the time for painting the new deck rails. It was open two, maybe three nights but we had other plans. The deck rails look good and we enjoyed talking to the painters while they were on the beach side and our chairs were directly below. We just can’t tell you about the food…

Bayside, it seemed to me that they had downsized it quite a bit since our last visit, for all meals. There was always a variety but not nearly as much as in 2005. Most likely this had to do with low occupancy for the time of year. Another thing I had noticed was that most nights were theme nights and not just a basic buffet. The macaroni and cheese was the BEST and I had only seen it once but looked for it every night. Otherwise, it was very good. As a side note, Veronica, the omelet lady, had her last day on June 4th. She has moved to West Palm Beach, FL to be near her mother and was so excited! We wish her well.

Sesame Grill (beach grill), this is a great fast fix. The only issue I had was when we tried to order after 11 p.m. Many times we were told they were out of whatever we wanted. I think they were getting ready to close (supposed to be open until 1 a.m.), and just basically didn’t have the equipment set up, for example, turned off the deep fryer. During the day everything was very good.

Beach Bar, I can tell you that they DO NOT water down the drinks! Order accordingly, lol. They also don’t have stools or anywhere to sit. This is really annoying to me. I stand all day at work. While on vacation, I want to sit. How much can some stools or tables and chairs cost? The bartenders are so funny if you get them going. Bobby, Alfonso, Alex, Richard, just all of them! Very entertaining! Eileen, their manager, I feel for her, LOL! She has her hands full. We met some great people here, Canada (Ian) and his wife Natalie and their gorgeous little boy, Frank and Irene from California, and Jamaica (Andrew, a local living in NY) and his wife Tania. They were so much fun!


Water Sports
The only sport that we did was snorkeling. As usual, very enjoyable. While you don’t see too much of a variety of sea life, the trip itself and the guides are fun. A resort photographer will be there so be prepared to pose. One thing to know, last time we were there, there was maybe 4 floats. This time, there are quite a few but you have to sign them out at water sports. We never took them back; they picked them up. Just try to get them early.

For other water sports, we went “next door” to Ray’s, where we were well remembered from 2005. Beverly came to me and commented how much my girls had grown, asked if they remembered her because she definately remembered them and Winston (gotta love him!) was glad to see us again. DH, Ian and my nephew, Russ had Winston take them on an early morning fishing excursion. Two big tuna were caught. The cost was $200 for all of them for 3 hours. They gave the fish away.

Jet skis were $50 for 40 minutes. One rider or two on each ski, $50. They start with 30 minutes but make you think they’re giving you a deal and adding 10 minutes.

Para Sailing
We didn’t do this and I really LOVE it. I could parasail all day. The cost is just too much. I understand that gas is high but I don’t want to pay what it costs. Ray’s charged $90 dollars/2 riders/12 minutes. This seemed to be the going rate after talking to others on the beach. We jet skied twice by not doing this.

Spa
I’m still thinking about this. I have only been to one other in my life, at Sandals Montego Bay, so I’m not sure what to really expect. SMB definitely has a better atmosphere, this is like a back room sort of place. I was originally booked at Beaches Negril but the BSB ladies on the beach convinced me that they were as good and I wanted to stay near the resort and DH who was not getting around very well. They really should find a solution to the atmosphere; it’s not very relaxing. One example is that the lights do not dim. On is on. Period. The masseuse put a towel over my eyes after I flipped over and it was sort of like being blindfolded. It just felt weird to me. She was very good, however, and I still came out somewhat relaxed. Also, if there was any aroma therapy going on, I didn’t notice. Basically, they need to make it more relaxing.

Kid’s Camp/Nannies
Mine are too old but the children that I did see with nannies seemed very happy. They keep them smiling and were always doing something creative or with the characters (who are present but not in your face constantly). The kids will have a good time. If mine were of that age, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them. Be aware of the photographer again, here. You are bound to see pics that you will want to buy.

Miscellaneous
We did a tour with TOTT, Soloman and Sienna, to both YS Falls and Appleton Estate. Both of them are such sweethearts and so knowledgeable. I will be sure to look them up again! Sienna picked us up on time for our tour, we stopped to pick up Soloman on our way and we learned so much from them. They will answer any questions you might have. As far as the tours themselves, both were good. We got more out of the Appleton tour since YS was very strong and muddy from all of the rain. Keep this in mind when you want to see it. Also, on the particular day that we went, there was a school group or something similar so the ropes were for the most part occupied by them. Still, it was a very nice place. Appleton was very interesting to see how it used to be made, how it is now made and such. We tasted the molasses by product (not bad but not good, just funny looking). I would recommend this tour if rum or distilling or any kind of factory making interests you. They will open several bottles at the end, have you try them and hope you buy them. Some people got silly with this.
On our way back, we stopped at a roadside jerk stand and the food was awesome. Many locals just sitting around chatting, kind of like Jamaican Mayberry, lol (I want to live like that!). This was very near Appleton. The entire day (and we were gone 8+ hours) was only $65 per person. Better than the cost of a jet ski and far more interesting. Not just the tours but being with Sienna and Soloman and learning from them, especially A stop at Rick’s Café was also included but it was raining, my husband had too much walking for his feet and we were all tired so we went back to the resort. Sienna told us to call her and she would take us to Rick’s when it was convenient for us, no extra charge. We didn’t call her since we were leaving in a few days but the offer itself was very thoughtful J

I know that there’s more, I just can’t think of it all now, so if you have any questions at all, just ask. BSB is still a great place to be and we highly recommend it!

We stayed at Beaches Sandy Bay for a week and it was lovely. Upon arriving and getting our bags at the airport we found ourselves in our very own Sandals/Beaches section to await transportation to the hotel where there was a soda machine, beer and coffee available. I thought that was a nice touch. The airport porter brought our bags to the bus/minivan taxi and I didn't realize that I was supposed to tip him as Beaches is all-inclusive with gratuties already included. This was an airport porter, not a Beaches Representative, I wasn't thinking. On leaving Jamaica we made sure we carted our own bags to the check-out counter as we didn't feel the need to have someone carry our bags for us (cheap, I suppose). The ride to Negril from Montego Bay is actually an hour and a half, not 50 minutes like it says in the brochure. The drive was typical for another country - not like what you are used to.
Arriving at the hotel was pleasant, we were offered a couch and drinks while we gave our paperwork to the porter who did everything, including showing us to our room. Everyone was relatively pleasant - sometimes there was a falseness, but hey, they're people and I would rather have someone be neutral and/or slightly pleasant than fake and over the top. The food was neutral with no overly offensive flavorings. If you're a vegetarian there isn't a whole lot of variety, but they do try and accomodate by providing beans at breakfast, usually a bean salad at lunch and dinner. There are eggs and lots of steamed greener - swiss chard - that they like to call callaloo - it was pretty tasty. Also, if you eat fish, it wasn't too bad, sometimes a bit fishy tasting but on the whole edible. Don't be expecting world renowned cuisine because you won't find it, the food is edible and it serves it's purpose. I'm not a big drinker, so I can't really comment on the quality of drinks but I found that the few I did have were watery. I think it was my fault for expecting some sort of milkshake with alcohol as I wound up with crushed ice, sweet flavoured alcohol. The room was pleasant and clean. The fridge was stocked with 4 water, 2 diet coke, 2 coke, 2 sprite, and an assortment of 6 small cans of juices everyday. There were several soda machines, with water, located around the resort. The beach was beautiful, awesome sand, warm clear water - really and truly fantastic! Lovely views of the ocean from practically every room - even the least expensive rooms had great views. There are two pools - the main one has a very shallow end that comes up to your thighs - good for big kids. I never went in the other pool, because the beach was so nice. There was a shuttle service to Beaches Negril every hour except during lunch and supper where it didn't run for two hours. Beaches Negril is a much larger place and is quite a bit grander than Sandy Bay. It had a wonderful children's pool that was fenced off and contained the little ones quite nicely. Finely a moment to sit without having to run after someone! I really liked the exchange priviledge, but it was nice to return to the smaller resort. The staff at the Sesame Camp were very nice and well trained. My little one enjoyed going and didn't have a problem staying for a couple of hours. This is a kid who has never been away from mom, so it must have been okay.

Some things that were negative:
1) The tiles around the pool and on the walkways were quite slippery, especially for toddlers. Even I had to be really careful walking around as I was afraid of going to fast and losing my footing.
2) Slight lack of vegetarian options - I didn't starve, but I would have liked a bit more choice.
3) Some of the staff were a bit rough around the edges and sometimes it was difficult to understand their accent. They have a tendency to mutter and not speak clearly. I tended to ignore what they were asking and just said yes most of the time. It usually worked - but I always felt like the muttering was intentionally done - it was like they couldn't speak clearly and I was the idiot for not understanding them.
4) There is a slight run-down feel to the place. It feels like It is due for an upgrade. For example, the paint is fading, the air conditioners look like they've seen better days, nothing really other than slight cosmetic touches.
5) The music during dinner in the evening was too loud for my liking. It really bothered my child, who was almost 2 at the time. I couldn't talk to my partner, I couldn't hear the wait staff, it really was too much. It just didn't fit in with the whole Beaches Family Resort theme.

All in all we had a really nice time, it was very enjoyable and we have booked another vacation with Beaches for next year.

The last thing I want to mention is that I choose Beaches because it is family friendly and has fantastic facilities for children of all ages. I feel that if you don't have children vacationing with you then you are better off at Sandals. I want my child to have fun and I want to have fun - that's why I choose Beaches - if you don't like children or don't want them around then go somewhere else!

I was pleasantly surprised with my recent stay at Beaches Sandy Bay! My wife had booked the hotel and she kept saying Beaches so I thought it was the big brother to our hotel. When she gave me the confirmation and Isaw that it was Sandy Bay I looked up some reviews on Tripadvisor and became a little nervous at the mixed reviews.
After about an hour trip from the airport we arrived with the family which includes twin toddlers. The staff greeted us nicely, and told us that we had a room on the third floor. We were disappointed ,who wants to lug two toddlers up and down steps with bags and belongings. So we expressed our concern and our room was changed immeadiately to a ground floor. The room was nice and clean.
The next morning was breakfast which was not a big variety but was good, you could not ask for anything more. After eating the girls were ready to hit the beach. They absolutely loved it they were on the beach from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. our entire trip. The beach was immaculate, there were people getting married and you never got the feeling that you were on top of your neighbor our intruding in someone's wedding pictures.
The resort itself is small but quaint, the staff is definately accomadating, the drinks flow and there is never a shortage of food, just order it.
The children definately had a treat as at least one character was seen during the day , and at night time the cast of Sesame Street came out to a fabulous show for them.
They offered a childrens camp but we did not need to use it. We did go investigate it and it was appropriately staffed depending on how many children they had for that particular day.
Would Igo back again , definately even if the kids grow out of the Sesame Street stage they can still enjoy themselves.