My husband and I had an awesome time away in Negril, Jamaica. We stayed at the Riu Negril and it was fantastic!
Overall the hotel is lovely, clean, spacious and food was good with plenty of variety. The beach is nice, the pools refreshing, the hotel staff were super accommodating and professional. The service was very good no matter where you were...the hotel bar, hotel shops, beach bar, jerk chicken bbq station on the beach, the spa - please get a message, it was incredible!
The l[... read more]ocal residents were also so kind and friendly...big shout out to Cliff and O'Neill you guys ROCK!
It truly was the perfect chilled vacation break we needed and we would definitely go back!
Sincerest heartfelt thanks to everyone!
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Sherrie -
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Riu Ocho Rios: Amazing!
My husband and I stayed at the Riu from Jan 6th to Jan 13th. This was our first tropical vacation and it did not disapoint! The hotel was beautiful. It was very big and expect to do a lot of walking, but its all worth it. There were 4 a la carte restaurants and a buffet. We tried all of the restaurants and liked them all. The french cuisine place was unique but very tasty. The italian was half buffet (salad and appetizer bar and desserts) while the main courses were served. The steakhouse w[... read more]as delicious. We went there twice. The japanese restaurant was a buffet which was disappointing but it was really good food. You do not make reservations but if you line up around 6 it is quick to get in. They have a buzzer system too for those who do have to wait.
The pools and grounds are very clean. The staff were all friendly, even the ones trying to sell you drugs (which is common in Jamaica).
The entertainment staff was stellar. We loved all the night shows. They have a foam pool party and a beach party each week. The jerk chicken hut near the party pool is delicious. My only "conplaint" is the long ride from the airport. I would recommend getting a private transfer so you can go straight there,otherwise you are stopping at numerous resorts on the way which takes at least 2 hours.
I give this resort a 5/5!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Great for families with young children
Hotel tired and worn , dark hallways and rooms ...a lot of stairs everywhere .. staff accommodating but you must dig the information out poor communicators... food quality and selection good .. alacarte restaurants hard to book...buffet management staff very rude ... beach area poor small crowded entertainment scattered pool bar service good did,t help It rained onand off over4 days
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BMSA -
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JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Was an amazing resort
This was our 4th time to this resort. The staff do not disappoint. They are friendly, pleasant and accommodating. I love the people. What has changed over the years is the beachfront (it is getting much smaller) and the solicitor trying to sell cannabis on the beach. In past years they were never walking the beach but this year they are. At one point there was actually an altercation between a solicitor and a guest and then police. This is unacceptable. I even saw a security guard sleeping when [... read more]he was “workingâ€. I love this resort but they need to get their beach back to the way it was. A large beachfront and not having guests bothered day after day. I am an IBerostar prestige member and may reconsider returning here.
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Private -
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Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall: Our 4th year at Hyatt Ziva! Best people, food, and hospitality.
Loved all of the services. Clean resort. Fun staff. Chillaxed uninterrupted. We’ve visited other resorts in Jamaica, and this is our favorite. If you’re undecided, book this one. You won’t be disappointed! Close to airport. 15 minute drive versus others that are up to 2 hours drive to and from airport.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Beautiful â¤ï¸
Everything was wonderful. The only criticism I have is bar staff can be bold requesting tips. But everyone else is super friendly!!
Our room had a smell that improved with the daily cleaning but was back by the evening
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LizKeen -
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Riu Montego Bay: Everyting Irie
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The buffet was good, Italian restaurant (beef) was excellent, the steak house was also excellent. Entertainment was as expected. Areas were well maintained and clean at all times. Assistance was provided to us when we wanted to leave the resort and we were well taken care of. The only negatives were the house wine selections were only good in the Italian restaurant, and a coffee machine in the room would be nice. If we go back to Montego Bay we w[... read more]ould stay there again.
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KerriinCanada -
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Catalonia Montego Bay: Wonderful Resort !
this was our first experience to Holiday Inn resort Montego Bay Jamaica and it wont be our last - it was super convenient to be so close to the resort maybe 15 minutes in the shuttle i honestly cant say enough about the staff they were lovely to deal with very accommodating !
rooms are clean and typical of an all inclusive "star" rating
resort WAS absolutely wonderful and was very accommodating to families and "adult only" areas so we could have some quiet times...
buffet and restaurants had[... read more] great choices for everyone and the grills were in my opinion perfect alternate for food. drinks were plenty rum punch yum yum Creme Rum was delsih!!
my personal love was the snorkeling at this resort and the jerk after dark and going into Montego Bay with Ward a personal driver you can get from the resort for $ fee and very reasonable!
we were very close to many excursions off site if you choose to wander off resort we golfed at both Cinnamon Hill and White Witch it was a beautiful experience.
the only bad experience we had was for a few hours we had no water but they quickly took care of that and it was funny because we heard one of the workers say in Jamaica we have no problems only situations mon...LOL so that made the SITUATION even funnier and bearable .
all in all it was a lovely experince and we would venture again to Jamaica mon!
missing redstripe and jerk chicken already !
CHEERS!
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Private -
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Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Amazing
Rooms were decent, the resort itself was beautiful, the staff was 100% top notch amazing, beach extremely clean, amazing family resort, we would go back in a heartbeat. Water park inside is very good and fun for everyone.
Again the staff made this trip even better!
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Private -
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Sandals Dunn's River: Fantastic
I’ll keep it short and sweet! All I can say is from day one to booking our trip , everything has been amazing , my first trip on top of that , couldn’t of asked for better service , everyone at the resort was amazing to work with and always greeting you with a beautiful SMILE !! :)!
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Jim and Camille -
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Grand Muthu Runaway Bay Club Caribbean: THE Best Vacation Ever!
We wanted clean, quiet, relaxing, and great food. We got all that and more when we chose to stay at Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Runaway Bay! From our own Bungalow to the clean beaches and friendly staff, we were so satisfied! We enjoyed everything so much that we plan to return next year!
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Resort with Character
We visited this resort for our wedding. The resort was accommodating with friendly and helpful employees. The layout of the resort allowed everyone to get comfortable very quickly. The many activities, entertainment and amenities kept things interesting at all times. We enjoyed every minute.
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Private -
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Sandals South Coast: Nice Resort
For a Sandals resort, I was pretty disappointed. I would have thought for 2x the price of a regular 5*, the food quality and the service would have been much better. We waited for 1.5 hours for an al la carte breakfast one day and decided not to try Eleanor's again. Our dinner (fish and pork chops) were cold at another restaurant and our waitress at Schooners was completely and utterly rude! The description mentioned beach and pool service. Being at the pool and the beach every day, no one serve[... read more]d at the pool and only 2 days did we see beach service (1 person) and only for a couple hours in the afternoon. Every day there was glasses and towels left over from earlier in the day or the previous night.. just not clean. One last thing, even though we paid Sandals prices, had a Beach Walk Out Room, we didn't even have Room Service.. disappointing...
On the bright side, the weather was fantastic, the Glass bottom boat was included and a fun 30 min, the beach and water were gorgeous, Latitudes (the over the water bar/ hammocks) were absolutely fantastic! We did have some great wait staff for some of the dinners and the people cleaned and stocked our room were fabulous! We had a beach walk out room and I would absolutely recommend - it was so nice to be able to walk out to your terrace and then walk a few more feet right to the beach, water and see the sunsets - amazing! The 2 pools with swim up bars were good and there was also a quieter pool which was nice too. Always lots of chairs available.
Overall, I would not recommend.. Sorry Sandals, you have some work to do..
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Terri -
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Sandals South Coast: Not worth the hype
Location was beautiful however the “Sandals†Hype was disappointing. Restaurant service was terrible, long waits and mediocre food, lucky if it was hot. This being said, it was NOT busy and no need for extended wait time. Dinner turnover was 2 hrs plus on 3 occasions, missed show, breakfast was an hour and 1/2 for eggs! Again, not busy. Where were the managers??The no tipping rule was likely a factor as staff just did what was required, no above and beyond. Glasses were left on tables around[... read more] resort night before and were still seen in morning. Tables not cleaned off. We saw the same performances repeated on day 5 for entertainment. Cigarette butts were thrown from balcony above us littered our beach walkout area, called hotel to ask them to resolve issue, butts were not cleaned up and no follow up was done. Really disappointed to splurge on a holiday only to feel ripped off. Take some lessons from Moon Palace resort. True 5*! Trip Central agent Did not get back to us on numerous inquiries including how we redeem our $150 excursion bonus. hotel knew nothing about the 12 days of Christmas bonus even though it was on Sandals website and our booking confirmation. Our inquiry was finally resolved by another agent on day 6. Did not have time to book anything due to timing, lost out on voucher. Managers of the resort need to step up and actually manage. Our travel agent should have followed up on our questions, numerous emails and voice messages sent with NO reply’s. Will not return to trip central or Sandals. Big disappointment.
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Terri -
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Sandals South Coast: Beautiful location but save your money
Location was beautiful however the “Sandals†Hype was disappointing. Restaurant service was terrible, long waits and mediocre food, lucky if it was hot. This being said, it was NOT busy and no need for extended wait time. Dinner turnover was 2 hrs plus on 3 occasions, missed show, breakfast was an hour and 1/2 for eggs! Again, not busy. Where were the managers??The no tipping rule was likely a factor as staff just did what was required, no above and beyond. Glasses were left on tables around[... read more] resort night before and were still seen in morning. Tables not cleaned off. We saw the same performances repeated on day 5 for entertainment. Cigarette butts were thrown from balcony above us littered our beach walkout area, called hotel to ask them to resolve issue, butts were not cleaned up and no follow up was done. Really disappointed to splurge on a holiday only to feel ripped off. Take some lessons from Moon Palace resort. True 5*! Trip Central agent Did not get back to us on numerous inquiries including how we redeem our $150 excursion bonus. hotel knew nothing about the 12 days of Christmas bonus even though it was on Sandals website and our booking confirmation. Our inquiry was finally resolved by another agent on day 6. Did not have time to book anything due to timing, lost out on voucher. Managers of the resort need to step up and actually manage. Our travel agent should have followed up on our questions, numerous emails and voice messages sent with NO reply’s. Will not return to trip central or Sandals. Big disappointment.
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Strick59 -
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Grand Decameron Montego Beach: Terrible Time
Where to begin anymore....
Me and my wife stayed for 9 days..
A week before we arrived there was a storm.. It damaged the beaches and boardwalks.... They worked pretty hard to fix them up.. and honestly I looked passed all of that it was out of there hands. My family has stayed here several times and even rented the big suite on the roof. So it was very highly recommended.
Let me say.... the pool... entertainment and outside bar staff ARE AMAZING..The best I've ever had from a resort.They mak[... read more]e you have fun NON stop and take your mind off a bad time your having in your room.....Let me explain.. After we checked into our room I noticed a weird smell that I couldnt place... I also noticed the lock on the door over looking the main drag montego bay was sketchy... It didnt let my wife feel safe. But we said "Hey we are here!!! Nothings going to happen anyways..." We then went out to our balcony sat down only to have a broken balcony gazebo in our view.... it looked as if it had been broken for a while.
I said well this sucks... will just stand I guess and we laughed....
And then...
Before dinner my wife went to have a shower.... 2mins into her shower the water pressure is gone.... like I mean GONE.....and zero hit water (we took videos) she had to play with it for 10 minutes just to rinse her hair out....
I said ok this is insane... When we head down for dinner we will get someone up here to fix this..... When we went to the front desk we said we asked to speak to a manager... We were told the manager wasnt in but they would send a maintenance guy to check the water and our other issues stated above... We went for dinner came back to the room and noticed our view on the balcony still blocked and the smell was still in the room. I never checked the water pressure because well I was exhausted after a long day.
They next morning we went back downstairs. I asked if my room was going to have things fixed... they assured me it would all be done today....
At the end of the day we came back to the room to get ready for dinner... the view on the balcony was still blocked and the room had an odor of sewage... I'm like great...as my wife was in the shower for only 5 mins I could hear her yell "ARE YOU FRIGGIN SERIOUS RIGHT NOW" I ask what was wrong? She says theres NO pressure. I called downstairs asked for a manager to come upstairs... They told me to hold for several minutes then hung up... I called back down and asked what was going on... I was then told a manager was coming... my wife continued to get ready as we waited... before we headed down I called and asked if a manager was going to come.about an hr had passed.... I was then told he did come but no one answered the door.... This was a false statement because all we were doing was waiting for him..... We confirmed the room number they said yes... We went downstairs and I asked to talk to him... Only to be told he was gone home for the day again... even though he was just... here....
I left a msg to be seen in the morning...
In the morning by then we are on day 3... I asked to talk to the manager and was told he wasnt in. And they would send maintenance up when we went back up to our room.. So that's what we did we called and maintenance came up..
We showed him all of our concerns.....
- The smell of sewage (I'm told by the cleaning lady can only be controlled by keeping the bathroom door closed and fan on) like for real?
- My view being blocked on the balcony
- The lack of lock on the door
- And the water pressure....
The maintenance man said he was busy but it would he fixed...
We left for the day visited a school and hospital came back late went to shower and again.... No water pressure and nothing in the room has been addressed... I said ok he said he was busy... Theres always tomorrow....
Next day we confirmed if someone was still coming we were told yes... I said good I was getting sick of showering on the beach.... they laughed I didnt...
At the end of the day guess what.... nothing done....that was day 4...
The next morning we left for an excursion... before we left we had cold showers with dribbling water pressure. I told the woman at the front desk nothing had been done yet. I asked for the manager.... She called litterally 5 different numbers no answer until someone finaly picked up and she said someone will be there to fix it all today. Again...no manager....
We went out for the day came back to our room and NOTHING WAS DONE. Of course theres no manager because its "too late sir".
The next morning I emailed my agent... I gave her the rundown of everything that had happened thus far... I sent her pictures of my room and things we were dealing with... She was blown away and "disturbed" from what she was seeing... She then told me to find the transat agent with a blue binder and they should be able to help me....
I asked the front desk where I can find her... I was pointed to the road "bus pick up is over there" I was like... WTF?!?!?
My agent then gave me contact info to report emergency while at resort. I then copy and paste my email off then I sent my agent and continued to wait...
A few hrs passed and my agent told me where I could find the transat agent...
When we went to see her instead of asking if we were ok or what had happened.... me and my wife were bombarded with "YOU SHOULD OF SEEN US SOONER" "WHY DIDNT YOU TAKE OUR BUS YOU WOULD OF GOTTEN OUR PACKAGE" I said I booked my trip through an agent... I never needed a ride...or help.... until I got here....
I said I tried dealing with this myself for 5 days and it's gotten no where....
The transat agent I talked too said theres nothing she could do today.. as shes filling in for the other agent... and the GM Mr. Montague isnt in today.. (the same GM I've asked for several times that is never around)
I'm told to deal with it again another night.... the hotel and sister hotel are over booked... I'm told to come back in the morning and talk to the GM and regular woman working as Transat agent...
I emailed my agent back informed her what was happening and waited till morning.
So now day 6 my birthday the main reason for making this trip..... what a great time 🙄
I go looking for the agent... I introduce myself. I start telling her my situation (you could tell from her body language towards us she knew all about it and was annoyed to be dealing with it)..
She also then continued to be easily offended by what I had to say about our experience...
She then starts accusing me of making things up because I didnt come see her sooner. I tried telling her what was going on..
I told her I didnt even know there was an onsite agent person here and I tried dealing with things myself... but enough was enough... she then says "No one else here has complained ... I'm being told they cant move the awning... and they have no idea what your smell issue is they don't smell anything ... and theres nothing wrong with the plumbing" from what shes being told..by the way who have you spoken too can I have names?!"
I said listen I'm on vacation... I've been dealing with bullshit for 6 days... I dont care for anyone's name I can point them out to you... but no one seems to care anyways. Do you want to come see my room? Want to come smell it?
She replied "No sir"
Well then here and I pulled the phone out showed pictures and played a video of my wife with shampoo in her hair... I said is this acceptable? I'm on vacation man and this is my birthday and this is just bullshit....
She left for a few minutes came back told me to check out of my room and they would give me a new one today....
Btw I still have yet to speak to the GM of the hotel..... NEVER SEEN HIM IN 6 DAYS NOW.
Later that day we were relocated to a different room where we spent the final 3 days... the room was exceptionally better..
Funny part of this... that afternoon I'm at the pool... I look up at the room we checked out of and someone already in there...
THEY FIXED NOTHING.... AND PEOPLE JUST GOT PUT IN THERE LIKE GET REAL!
OTHER ISSUES
VENDORS
This hotel allows 4-5 different vendors to set up a day in the resort. The idea is awesome. Until you gotta walk by these people... THEY DONT STOP HARASSING YOU!!!
Your walk to your room and you're just bombarded "Come check out my stuff" "I have kids I have to pay for" "I'll make you a deal" "what's this worth to you?"
When you say no man I'm good... THEY GET WORSE!!!!!
"Take this... take this" "just give me what you have" "why do you support this guy buying from him and not from me?"
If people wanted to deal with this they would go out the front gate and be harassed. Its unreal they allow this....
I had to walk by them everytime I left and went to my room... I'm not kidding when I say this... one day I was harassed 15 times by one area... 15 TIMES MAN. even after I said NO I GOT NOTHING TODAY..
FOOD
BUFFET: or should I say lack there of? The meat options are terrible.... in the morning you better line up at 6am to get a peice of bacon...because they dont want to refill the small tin of it.. (told by a cook)
So unless you want lamb or pork almost every night you have almost nonother selection.... They have more bread options then protein...
HOURS: If you have a long day and get back and want to eat.... well you better be back by 9:30pm or ur not eating till 11:30pm theres no food in between. I was told to check out the bar area for food... I went over to soggy sandwich... like come on I'm paying for this...
STAFF: You know what's cool? Taco night.... you know what's not cool? As a cook is making your tacos staff comes from the back and starts making there own food beside urs on the grill... pick it up.with napkins and start eating it around the cook making your food... like are we for real here???
Terrible place wouldnt reccomend
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Cher's thoughts -
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Couples Negril: Awersome for some relaxing and recharging!
This smaller resort provides excellent service and all the amenities needed to truly relax and recharge. A beautiful beach with plentiful chairs, high-end liquor and beach butler service, multiple restaurants and all the included water sports (catamaran, snorkel, water skiing)! Rooms are very clean, air conditioned, and bar stocked with your requests. I loved the ability to order the small continental breakfast to your room with coffee to have a leisurely time getting out the door (also include[... read more]d in the price). We met many nice friendly guests (including regulars who go back every year) and enjoyed the piano bar sing along, beach party and more. This is my first “no tip†resort experience and it certainly made it enjoyable. Transfers were efficient and started with the “Couples Lounge†area experience at the airport. We will go back!
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Private -
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Grand Palladium Jamaica: Great resort!
This was by far the nicest resort we've ever stayed at. Buildings and grounds are well maintained. Rooms are spacious and clean with a nice balcony, showing a bit of wear in spots but I understand they are planning to renovate rooms on the Jamaica side this year.
Beaches were ok. Infinity Beach is a little more crowded than the Sunset Cove Beach. Get there early to stake out a chair. Sunset Cove a bit quieter and easier to find a chair. Both of those beaches have bars and food nearby. A[... read more]ll of the water sports were at Sunset Cove. We never went to Coral beach but it looked to be without any extra amenities and didn't seem to have many chairs around but if you're looking for quiet and fewer people, it would fit the bill.
The beaches are private so you don't have people constantly trying to sell you something. There are resort people pushing the travel club and the spa though.
Main pool was impressive. I heard many people complaining about the pool water being cold but I thought it was fine. You need to get there early to get a chair around the pool. Both Jamaica and Lady Hamilton also have smaller pools with their own bars if you like something quieter.
Lots of activities to choose from during the day. Fitness crew put on some great aquafit classes. Evening entertainment at the theatre was ok but seemed to be basically the same dancing and singing but just with different music each night. Evening entertainment at the Infinity Bar was good, especially loved when they had live music.
As far as food, the a la carte restaurants are fabulous. We ate at the steakhouse (twice), Italian, and Japanese for dinner and Poseidon for lunch. Hibachi at the Japanese restaurant was a great experience. The Jerk Huts at the beaches were good for a quick afternoon bite to eat. We spent a lot of time at the Sports Bar playing pool or grabbing a snack or meal from either their buffet or off the menu. Breakfast food at the two buffet restaurants is tasty and they have a decent selection but both seemed to serve the same thing and not much changes from day to day. Lunch at the Blue Lagoon buffet was good.
All in all, a great vacation and would highly recommend this resort.
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Private -
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Bahia Principe Escape Runaway Bay: Loved the Luxury Bahia Principe Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica
My only suggestion would be to choose your room wisely. We had a "garden view" there was no garden to view, just a very noisy highway. You may also want to bring a reusable plastic/metal straw if you like the slushie drinks. No straws on the resort. Otherwise the people, resort and food was excellent.
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Krissy N -
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Riu Negril: No problem mon!
We enjoyed just about everything about this resort. It was very clean, and easy to get around, we were in the first building so close to everything and steps from the beach and beach bar. There are 4 buildings so if you have a hard time walking, ask to be closer to main building. The beach was really nice and saw lots of fish snorkeling. The vendors walking up and down the beach were not pushy at all and very friendly. There's not too many of them either so you don't get bothered all day or anyt[... read more]hing.
The restaurant's were pretty good and the a la carts were also great, with no reservations needed, first come first serve.
The only complaint (and wouldn't even call it a complaint) was that the nightly entertainment could have been way better. The performers were very talented and did a great job, but the shows themselves could use some work. Just an example would be their cultural and history dance show was too modernized...more traditional dances and costumes would have made the show 100 times better.
-a few different gift shops with basics needs stuff and souvenirs, prices reasonable but sunscreen was almost $20/ bottle so bring lots
- on site taxi service (quick too)
- Scotiabank atm machine just a quick cab ride away if you want to get cash, USD or Jay's, use credit card or bank debit cards, you can also exchange foreign currency at the front desk for Jamaican dollars, but most shops etc in the negril area are marked in USD so it's much easier to deal with
I don't usually write reviews but I really felt that this resort and the people working there deserved an awesome review because they made our vacation awesome. Too many people only write reviews when they're not happy, and sure, no place is perfect, and people do have bad experiences no matter where you go, but half the people writing these bad reviews are bad experiences on their own and aren't happy no matter what!
So don't think you're making a mistake