Beaches Negril

Good luck trying to feed young picky children at this place everything closes before dinner time that they would eat at. Basically the whole time you’ll be eating pizza. Very disappointed. Also we thought jerk chicken was white meat. Yeah think again it’s dark meat on a bone. Talk about nasty.

Update: housekeeping really stinks here and I tipped the lady too yet somehow I still had to ask for toiletry items to be refilled. Currently we have tissues for toilet paper. Smfh.

I called concierge and asked a question about the RN on staff. I was told I’d get a call back with an answer. NO ONE EVER CALLED BACK.

Jamaica is only 3 star nice at the resort and 1 star everywhere else. Very dirty with trash everywhere and run down huts. A better vacation for the money would be The Hilton in Honolulu. This ain’t it. – via

We have a 10 month old and a 3 year old and this was the perfect place to go. It was big enough that the kids were never bored, but small enough that it was comfortable. Our girls loved Club Sesame and the ladies took such great care of our kids, it allowed us some adult beach and Gym time, which helped keep us sane. Thank you to the ladies: Janille, Pollyanna, Tanille, Patrice, Keyan, Juline, Kareen and Sherika – you really put our minds at ease that our kids were in your caring hands! XO – via

Nice rooms, great beach, shallow water, waters ports were plenty. – via

Another winner! The staff is warm and everything was wonderful. Highly recommended! – via

Great place to stay! Staff is great, rooms and property are beautiful. Loved it.

Food is mediocre, and our beds were noisy and not super comfortable. Would recommend to friends for sure despite these two minor things because everything and everyone else shines through them. – via

I’ve never felt more ripped off in my travel life – and I’ve literally had money stolen off of me traveling. To start, the “Beaches” lounge has third party workers “tag” your bags while they’re in your hands and drop that they’re working for tips. Then you’re handed to someone else to walk you 100 yards to the bus, also asking for tips. Then you’re handed off to the bus driver, also asking for tips, and taking significantly longer to get to the resort than advertised. (I’ve traveled a lot, I’m no stranger to tips for service, but really??) When we finally arrived (with two littles in tow) we were seated and barely greeted, while everyone else got helped before us – no refreshments, no info on what’s happening, etc. When we checked in they gave us no info on the actual resort beyond a map, but thank goodness our guide could point to the microwave and coffee maker to let us know what those were. Then the resort: This resort hasn’t been properly updated in probably 20 years. The wooden decks were actually wobbling because 1/3 of the screws were missing. I had two faucets disconnect completely from their wall/sink. There were patches, poorly installed items, etc everywhere. The rooms were so small you couldn’t actually lay down a full size suitcase. The cleaning was mediocre at best. There was mold on the pillows, the electric went out numerous times and fried some electronics, the drain didn’t work, the toilet had to be constantly fixed by us, just to name a few items. The service ranged from great (a few people!) to a large portion showing absolute disdain at being asked for things like sprinkles on the ice cream (…..in the ice cream shop.). We were never offered pool service, the bar drinks were meh. But WORST of all was the “kids club.” I literally booked the trip for this, and it was a joke. Of the two times I took them there: Only 1 of the 6 scheduled/posted “activities” happened. They didn’t let me children do the t-shirt painting and then lied and pretended to give me a shirt that they said my son did. (Spoiler: he didn’t). They told my kids they couldn’t play with the toys. One woman got frustrated with my (almost) 5 year old when he didn’t understand something they were telling him. Basically they just put a movie on, ordered chicken nuggets for every meal and avoided any type of work at all. My kids bawled when they saw me come to pick them up. I was disgusted at it. And worst of all, there was no point in complaining because the majority of the service didn’t give a hoot. So happy I could pay $8000+ for this and then not be able to utilize things like daily dives, quiet time, or golfing because I wouldn’t put my kids through that. This resort and experience should have cost 20% of what it did when it comes to value and what you can get elsewhere. Will never book with Beaches or Sandals again. **Oh, and as for excursions – I called and emailed numerous times beforehand trying to book and didn’t get any response, and then the Rep at the Island Routes counter was snarky to my husband when he mentioned he was waiting for his wife/kids to go to the dolphin excursion because “You’re not on my list. You can’t make it there in time. Who are you going with? Etc….” I don’t normally write reviews, I have traveled around the world and had some crazy experiences, but this honestly was just terrible value for your money. Spend it somewhere else. – via

I want to start by saying I’ve been to Beaches Turks & Caicos twice pre covid & used those perfect experiences as my measure. Our butler’s Nikko and Shanique were out of this world. They were friendly, attentive & helped with everything we needed. Our housekeeping staff was also great. Breakfast buffet good with good service there, but unfortunately that’s where the good experience to Beaches Jamaica Negril ended. If you really care about service – then you need to investigate this resort and what it’s doing to your reputation. I’m so beyond disappointed. I spent over $26,000 just on logging for 8 people and I will never come here again. Here’s just some examples:
We rented a house.
1. Everyday, someone called on the phone to sell us another trip
2. Walking through the resort, you were accosted by the red lane spa and the photography people to get service. Upsell, upsell, upsell.
3. On the beach was worse, I don’t know who tried to upsell you more……weed, parasailing or the spa people again. All day every day
4. where the house is located, you could only go out as far as your knees because we were on end curve – may I suggest a square rope so others can enjoy going out further than their knees.
5. The bartenders were miserable. Not one of them smiled, not one of them seemed like they wanted to wait on you ever! 3 examples: 1. I asked for a frozen drink, it came up in right away, I didn’t hear the blender, why you ask, because he gave me someone else’s melted mistake. It was a melted mess. I said, I’ll take a new one please. 2. A person in front of my husband asked for 2 waters, bartender got out 2 nice cold ones from fridge. My husband asked for one, he went to grab one from the package sitting on the counter. he said, no I will take a cold one like you gave the customer in front of me. 3. My daughter ordered a frozen banana, the bartender said are you kidding me, that’s what your ordering 10 min before we close – so she didn’t get what she wanted because of horrible service.
6. Every restaurant we went to (outside of buffet) never got your order right. Always missing something. ex: bbq place. I ordered a burger, I didn’t get the spicy aioli on it. My husband went up to ask for it & the waitress said it doesn’t come with he and he pointed to the sign. I got the aioli.
7. At bbq place a beaches worker eating lunch at table in shade, customer had to sit in sun. Don’t workers have a lounge to eat.
8. No fun Jamaican music playing anywhere – pool for 2 hours if lucky. Employees didn’t say hello or acknowledge
9. The worst of all was our first full day we went to gift shop. 2 girl employees and another beaches employee – they made fun of us and insulted me and my husband. I left the store and refused to go back (my husband did speak to the manager about that) – that was really bad. I wouldn’t have spent any money again in that store, but my son kept going in for cigarettes. Me & my husband didn’t spend another dime
And the total kicker was the resort was only a 1/3 full. I couldn’t imagine the service you would receive if any if it was full. I reached out to Beaches personally and they never got back to me. So I’m helping others not to waste their money. – via

I had an awesome time!!.the staff and service was wonderful.food was great!! – via

We had a candlelight dinner on the beach celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. Our waiter was Jervin and he had decorated the whole area beautifully even the sand! Our steak was cooked exactly the way we asked and the presentation of all dishes were top notch. We couldn’t eat our dessert cause there was so much food so Jervin delivered it to our room. He went above and beyond being just our waiter, he was truly wanting to make our experience the best possible. And he succeeded. – via

All in all the trip wasn’t bad, great location on the beach and all of the facilities were wonderful. The food was on par with a cruise, but you really shouldn’t expect more from an all inclusive. Biggest issue was the service. Upon arrival at the resort the porter just announced in the general direction of the large group getting off the bus extender vague instructions. To anyone that asked clarifying question, or that tried to grab their luggage on their own, he would say “do you speak English?” in such a condescending way. Add to it, they didn’t deliver the bags to the room as they said, hence us not being allowed to get them ourselves. After the hours called the front desk only to be told they don’t know where the bags are. Walked to the front and they’re sitting right where they were placed coming off the bus. When I asked what their plan was, they said they just wait until the guest with missing bags calls. So why did you initially say you didn’t know where they were? The ac in the room wasn’t working when we did finally get let into our room, had to sit on the room for an hour waiting for phone call updates, and it wasn’t fixed until 730 the next morning. Not a great way to end 13 hours of travel.
Amazing beach and awesome pool and water park, though. Still had a blast and not trying to dissuade anyone from booking here, just keep your expectations low for the service from this “5 star” resort. – via

Live in paradise! Service is fabulous and everyone is extremely friendly and accommodating. Food is fabulous at every place we ate, but soy and mariachi were by far our absolute favorite places to eat. The bars in the pools are all covered and are an amazing way to stay cool and keep the drinks flowing! Beautiful resort and beach is combed every morning. The coffee shop has great coffee options both traditional and boozy! The night parts are fun, and the performers are incredible. Absolutely worth going to the night events!

Granted it’s a resort that includes kids, but as adults without our own kids, we had a fabulous time – via

The Beaches resort itself was tremendous…nice rooms, good food, gorgeous beach, friendly/helpful staff, and lots of activities and amenities. Transportation to and from the resort was horrible, to the point that I don’t think I would return. 2 1/2 hr wait at the airport through immigration, then 2 1/2 drive to the resort where you felt as if you were risking your life. Considering the scale of tourism in Jamaica, one would think that the experience upon arrival and departure, and the ground Transportation system would be more inviting. – via

Beaches Negril is simply fantastic. The staff were exceptional, the food was delicious and there was something for all tastes, and the beach is breathtaking. This really is the perfect resort for a family, with so much on offer for the children and a beach that is shallow enough for them to paddle in without having to worry too much. The efforts that the staff put on to stage events like the super bowl and valentines day were way above anything else that I have ever seen…this is beyond a 5 star review! – via

This was amazing. Got married here with the wife. Would definitely come back. Adrian was fun, Have to go see Ricks cafe and swim in Bob marleys cave. Big Dave is cool guy. He gave me aloe as the Jamaican sun burned me. Kid friendly. – via

I would NOT recommend.
First the good stuff- weather and beach spectacular, but that credit goes to Jamaica and not Beaches.
General condition and cleanliness of the resort – looked clean and well maintained except for the items mentioned below.
Our Room – see attached photo of the view from our “beachfront” accommodations. broken door latches, sink leaks, hot water runs out every day around 4:30-5:00.
Poolside bathrooms- urinals backed up, sinks backed up. Stench of urine. See photo.
Hot tub- controls don’t work all week. Foot rinse area broken.
Construction – 4 projects, left and right new dwellings, crafts hut, Venetian restaurant. Obscured view from our “beachfront” accommodations. Gas leaf blowers at 7a. Incessant noise from . Pneumatic, electric, hydraulic Hammers, saws, chisels all day long, everywhere. If I wanted that much racket, I would have stayed in New York.
Food – very good to excellent except desserts, gluten free options outstanding. Coffee selection is weak- they don’t carry any type of cream, only milk. If you want cream, they will open a dozen tiny packets of coffee mate!
Sweeties self serve ice cream dispenser broken often.
Ferrel cats roaming the restaurants for food scraps at every restaurant and at every meal. unsanitary and annoying. Ferrel cats screeching at 3am- oh what a joy.
Staff mostly extremely friendly – a few treat guests w disdain.
No real fruit (lime) at any bar.
Music – virtually no Reggae!!!
Beer – Red stripe only! I thought this was a “luxury” resort!
Security on the beach-try walking down the beach and security guards will hassle you if you don’t give them name and room number. But then half the time there’s no one in the guard stand so you can’t sign out. Not allowed to leave the resort beach after dark- pirates? bandits?
Bottom line- will never go back here. – via

I was incredibly disappointed with the construction all over the resort. We planned this trip for almost a year and we were really looking forward to our ocean view room. When we arrived at resort we were escorted to our room which looked out onto construction which included bulldozers and noise that goes on from 7am-11pm every night. When we complained we were told they could downgrade our room or leave as the construction was ongoing throughout resort. This was our 5th time at resort and unfortunately we won’t be coming back after how we were treated. – via

I have stayed at a Sandals resort before and had a great experience so we decided to try out Beaches Negril for a family vacation. I will not be back.

The Positives:
• Nice beach and we were able to cobble together enough beach chairs for our large group, but we had to be out early to do so. • The beach drink servers were all really nice and fun.
• The members’ thank-you event was really nice.
• The Sushi Restaurant – Soy – was very good.

SHOUT OUTS
• Laci at Travel & Leisure was a ray of sunshine.
• Victoria took time to chat with us and get to know us and provided fantastic service at Soy.
• Delly & Dershea brought the FUN to the entertainment team and knew our entire group’s names by the end of the first night.
• Fabian & Alex in water sports were fantastic guides. We loved their stories, music, jokes, and smiles which made our excursion very special.

Now to the Negatives…
• We booked 4 rooms, requesting 1 room be wheelchair accessible since grandpa is wheelchair-bound. We arrived to the hotel around 7pm to find out all of our rooms had stairs leading up to them. The resort was fully booked so we were out of luck on the accessible room.

• Another one of our rooms had a non-functioning shower (no water would come out), a broken safe, and a major ant problem. In total, on our first evening, we had to wait in our room for maintenance for 3 hours because we were told we had to be there in person for the safe repair (even though the safe was empty). The solve for the ants was to spray chemicals all around our room at 10pm, so we ended up having to stay out until 1am after a long day of travel to allow the smell to dissipate enough to sleep. It still gave me a headache and did not solve the ant problem.

• Drinks were pretty bad and they were out of simple mixers like piña colada mix and grapefruit juice for a Paloma. We relied on Appleton rum to get us through (the only decent liquor they had). Food was just okay, except for the sushi restaurant, Soy, which was a highlight.

• The pools and one of the hot tubs (which were more like lukewarm tubs) were pretty gross – oil slicks and dirty bubbles collecting on the top. We stuck to the ocean and only hit up the water slides.

• Beach towels would run out by mid-day and no matter how many times we’d ask for towels, we would never get them.

• Lisa-Lee at the front desk was very confrontational and rude any time I came up to report an issue or ask a question. The other front desk workers were very nice and helpful.

• Some of the nighttime staff members (bar and entertainment staff) were acting inappropriately with clearly underage guests. We had teenage girls with us so we took notice the first night and kept them close the whole trip. One of the bar staff even asked my sister-in-law to go for a walk with him – past midnight. When she said she was married he responded that that wasn’t an issue for him. We all felt very uncomfortable with the situation there…

• We booked the sunset boat ride to Rick’s through the resort, and while this was one of the highlights of our trip, we felt it was misrepresented. We were told grandpa in the wheelchair would have no problem getting on/off the boat but that was 100% not true. He ended up not coming with us due to the lack of accessibility. They still charged us for his spot – no refunds. Given the circumstances, we didn’t feel that was fair.

• In the end, the GM, Javed, was aware of all our issues. He seemed very nice and interested in making it right and offered us a points credit for our sub-par experience but months later, I still haven’t received any points in my account. Feels like he was just trying to placate us…

• We do have another trip booked through Sandals, and while we did have some good memories of our trip, it’s hard to focus on the good when we had SO MANY ONGOING ISSUES DAILY at this dated resort. It felt like the cost did not match the quality of facilities, amenities, and service. We will not be back to another Beaches resort. – via

This was my first time at this beaches property after previously staying the Turks and Caicos property in 2019. I travelled with my family which consists of a 9 year old and we had a blast. The food options are varied and very good. The buffet often isn’t very busy and has really excellent breakfast and lunches, for Dinner we usually ate at the a la carte options with our favorite being Stewfish! Soy was quite good as well and Kimono’s was so much fun! The water park is on the smaller side but it’s never too busy and it was really fun for the little one as attested by slide after slide. The resort grounds are beautiful and very well maintained and they have a truly excellent piece of beachfront with more than enough loungers that are shaded. The staff is incredible, the entertainment staff works tirelessly and interacts so much with the guests. They work all day and all evening until their final shows, this is one thing that really stood out here, more so than any all inclusive I’ve ever been to! We stayed in a concierge King and the room was lovely but this is where the 1 star deduction comes into play. If you’re reading review you likely see comments on the construction. Let me say I have no gripe with the construction, what they are doing is going to add to an already amazing resort. The pain point for me is they are allowing guests to pay a premium for Oceanview rooms and then sticking them right behind construction that blocks the view and goes from 7am until 6pm. The reality is we don’t spend much time in the room, but I wasn’t able to enjoy my typical evening beverage while reading on the balcony. This whole situation can be rectified by being more forthcoming and offering some resort credit. So thinking of staying here for a family vacation? Do it, the drinks are excellent and they don’t hesitate to pour the good stuff, the customer service is amazing, the facilities are wonderful, the pools are fabulous, the beach is amazing, the food is great, and it really has a vibe! The beach vendors can be annoying but just say no thanks and go about your day, they aren’t persistent! One final note the transfer from the airport took two hours as we hit traffic in Montego Bay, but the transfer back was 90 mins. It’s a bit of white knuckle ride, but it goes by quick as you take in the scenes along the way. – via