Beautiful beach, average facilities and food

My family and I stayed at Beaches Negril the week of Feb 13/2023. We booked a concierge room with "beachfront views". Upon arrival to our room in the Santa Cruz block we found our "beachfront view" obliterated by a construction site where a new building is being constructed. There is another new building being built at the other end of site property in front of the Montpelier block similarly blocking the ocean views - no where on the Beaches website does it indicate there is any construction goi [... read more]ng on which I would consider as almost dishonest. One of their nicer restaurants shown on their website, the Venetian, is closed for renovations and instead they allocated a portion of the seating in the buffet area of the Mill for diners wanting to partake of the Venetian menu. Again, not one mention of this on their website. As for the food experience, it is just OK, certainly not 5 star gourmet dining. By way of example, the scallops served on the resort ( had them twice) are the size of the nail on my pinky finger, and the PEI scallops are the smallest I've ever seen served at a restaurant. The beach is beautiful, the pool and kids waterpark is very well done, the grounds are well maintained and most of the people working there are lovely. Overall we had a good time, but this is NOT a 5 star resort as they promote themselves (it's maybe a 3.5 out of 5) - they need to be more truthful about current conditions on the property so people can make informed decisions about booking their vacation.

The best

Alright so this is about to be a super lengthy review please brace yourselves ! I love to get into extreme details about every single moment I can remember from the second I land in the airport lol to even thoughts I had before I arrived so here we go. Before choosing Beaches I did extensive research on the most family friendly resort in Jamaica and beaches came up. Between the two diff locations I gravitated mostly towards Negril because as a single mother travelling with a 1.5 year old it  [... read more]appealed to me more. The bus ride from the airport to the hotel was also shorter than the other hotel so I took that into account as well. I also loved that the beach in Negril is more famous and looked amazing from the pics. I mainly chose this resort solely because it’s partnered with Sesame Street, has nannies/kids camp and is geared toward families and small children in general. Literally. I revolved this trip around my son and what would benefit him the most. Even from Canada when I would call to get more info about shuttle service, car seats, strollers on transport etc they were super helpful and reassuring. The only thing that bothered me is the price I paid I found it super expensive and it was half the price in September. I just got back and it’s May. I figured maybe it’s cheaper because September is hurricane season ? And it happened to fall on the week of mother’s day which might have explained the price hike. I didn’t buy the tickets directly from the website although the cost was similar but definitely cheaper booking it through trip advisor. In hindsight I should have booked 2 weeks because to me the money was so worth it in the end and I felt like it ended too soon. Ok so once we reached the airport it was super easy navigating to find the beaches set up area. They informed me that it would cost me a small tip to the people taking my bags so I gave my money to somebody who was there working and he said thanks only to find out it was a different guy taking my bag and he still required a tip. I wondered why the original guy didn’t say “hey I’m not the one getting your bags” since he was the only one around when the lady told me. They said it’s not their business why I gave my money and I still have to pay lol it was pretty petty but I didn’t end up giving the money again out of stubbornness and totally felt bad after because it’s not the mans fault he didn’t get his money just because his other employee wants to be greedy and dishonest he still did the work and a little $5 tip is really nothing but to me it was just the principle. They should tell you exactly who to tip goin forward to avoid confusion. Anyway so I went to the waiting area where there were refreshments and I shrieked out loud when I saw red stripe on tap ! I was in heaven. Like you can actually drink before boarding a bus ? Wait you can even bring beer on the bus ! Canada is way too strict. They even offered more beer outside. They had plenty of free snacks too so I took one of everything for the bus ride. I did end up tipping the driver and some other person who I thought was the original guy who brought out my bags but he informed me it wasn’t him so I still felt bad about the initial mix up. The bus ride was nice loved the music. Good driving. Made stops to eat drink and use the bathroom. So far so good ! By the way I didn’t bother bringing a car seat , the seats are tight anyway for space don’t see how one would even fit. The laws are much looser there it’s just whatever you’re comfortable with. My son was loving being on my lap and looking at the view freely. Now to the arrival. Was warmly greeted and helped to my room - which happened to be at the extreme end of the entire resort. I wasn’t too happy about having to climb up 2 sets of stairs to reach my room knowing I would be doing this multiple times a day with a baby and a stroller. That proved to be a major pain in the butt most days but I was lucky enough to have spontaneous help here and there. Sometimes I resented the walk to the other end but by the end I loved the placement because it was close to stew fish and kids camp anyway. The resort is not very big but it’s just perfect. If it was any bigger it would be more of a hassle in my opinion. My son would sometimes want to climb the stairs and it’s generally safe for a toddler as long as you keep an eye out however on the balcony of the room I could never leave him freely to explore without me there watching closely because there are gaps at the bottom he could potentially slide through. But for the most part the room is pretty baby friendly he never hurt himself once walking around and I had the wooden room don’t know how else to describe it. The room was nice. It was just what we needed. The double beds were nice I would use one bed to put stuff on and the other to sleep (they put a bed rail on one end to prevent the baby from falling since it’s not against the wall) which was super comforting and helpful. Everything was clean. The bathtub was pretty big. I loved the room personally and didn’t have a mosquito problem either like many people have been echoing- never had to get it sprayed once. I understand that the rooms have the ability to adjoin through a connecting door and although it was closed I could hear literally everything the people next door were saying (thank god they would sleep early) because if they were up all night it would definitely affect me. I found generally everything is audible even people outside and that’s because the bathroom window has open shutters and it’s only a screen. But luckily my floor would be dead quiet at night and my son sleeps early so again I’m glad I chose a family resort for this reason. (No disruptive partying or loud music from rooms just families on schedules for the most part). Cleaning service was always good (they spray the room when they’re done cleaning so it literally even smells fresh). Just some days were above and beyond than others. For example some days there was a towel animal others it was just regular. I told a lady once I would leave something for her at the end and she informed me it’s a new cleaning lady everyday. Tipping is not required but if you feel generous keep in mind to leave something small everyday for the different people if you wish. The do not disturb sign works wonders because I wasn’t aware they come to your door and knock first but sometimes let themselves in to give you like a newspaper at a certain time toward night time which threw me off so I started using the sign more when I knew we needed privacy for breast feeding or napping. The fridge and amenities are stocked daily. If you have food in the room you’re done with you can just leave it outside and when they get a chance they will remove it. The channel that’s already on the tv when you turn it on is nice. I didn’t know there is a bar card so go ahead and ask about it because no one will tell you. They can stock your room with champagne and wine courtesy of the resort but you must ask. I have no real complaints about room or room service. They always help when you call the front desk. Some of the cleaning ladies are really sweet friendly cool and nice. Also I never had an issue with my key card. The view was nice too. Only thing that was odd for me was that I was generally really cold so I never needed the AC but all my clothes would seem almost moist because of this. I was told it’s because of the room location. Also laundry services are advertised but the price isn’t so just know it’s $70!! The beach was wonderful. Absolutely no complaints. Except the people selling bracelets can get kind of annoying although the ones advertising boat services don’t directly approach you as much just walk by shouting. Not gonna lie I felt pressured to buy something at least once lol. The beach chairs were for the most part plentiful and all working condition. I had special help on one day from a kind man who’s name I forgot to have a roof over the beds for my son and I. The cabanas seemed nice but a tad pricey for me. Service on the beach would be nice though so you don’t have to keep getting up to go get a drink especially with a toddler but I mean the bar is literally near by. Only problem I found was my stroller not working in the sand. That got very frustrating too. I would recommend a heavy duty safari type one that withstands any climate as I had more of a light weight buggy one. Other than that it was still a good easy choice. But dragging it through the sand had me aggravated although most times nice people would offer to help. I loved the water. It’s quite shallow but great 👍 I wasn’t going to go too deep anyway. Very clean. I literally don’t remember any litter. Many lifeguards around. I did not try any of the water sports however I took a glass bottom boat to ricks cafe for $250 USD from one of those people advertising on the beach. Sometimes the chairs would be over crowded but I was cool with it because I had a beach mat anyways. The beach size was just enough and the sunsets were beautiful. The beach was definitely a highlight. The swimming pools are amazing too ! One is smaller than the other but never over crowded. They are extremely clean and love the multiple free beds floating around. Someone was always working hard to clean the pool while everyone was using it which was nice. The swim up bar was cool although sometimes I found it empty when I wanted service with no one there to acknowledge me. The lazy river was cool but maybe needs more of a current to push you forward as I found myself trying to put in the work and the kids water park was nice too just wasn’t my 1.5 year olds preference as the buckets spilling were too powerful for him. Love that they have set kids drinks at the bar. But one thing the swimming pool beds are almost always taken unfortunately except the bigger pool by the mill has a little section with mostly empty chairs. Either that or at the smaller pool you can go high up for more empty beds but I couldn’t really bring my stroller and stuff up there. The restaurants and the food was the personal highlight of my trip. When I first saw the bbq park I was absolutely thrilled !!!!! That’s my kind of joint. That’s when I knew this place was gonna be wicked. Everything I tried from there was amazing and best believe I tried the whole menu. Service varied. Sometimes really good others would forget stuff. The Mexican one next door was delicious too (the enchiladas are to die for). I didn’t like certain things on the menu (like the pulled pork quesadillas, chilled cucumber soup, fish sandwich was ok) but most stuff was good and the nacho bar was cool. Special shout out to Annique for always taking care of my baby and I every time ! Such a sweet heart and paid extra attention to us making us feel special and catered to. Some other servers were good too I just forgot names but she was above and beyond. She also helped us at Stew fish which we went to multiple times for breakfast but never for dinner which I regret. The French toast sticks were my absolute fav!! Loved this place and my son liked the oatmeal and fresh fruits. One night we ordered to go from the kids menu and they even helped bringing it to my room which they didn’t have to. I appreciated that and the food was delicious also. Now onto the mill. I ate here many times and loved various items this place was kind of my go to. Very diverse and rich in selection. Great service too for the most part and was even offered bug spray ! I found to get a lot of bites here. But breakfast was always good - the omelette station was good and so was the man making them very friendly and nice. Loved the fruit selection. Just everything about the food and this resort was top notch to me. I tried the Venetian one night but I did not enjoy the calamari or lasagna. I also found the bocconcini with tomatoes to have too little cheese. But my son liked his little pizza roll. I wish I had time to try more items but my son wasn’t behaving so we had to go. It really is a fancy fine dining spot so make sure you dress up a lot. Good service though. We also missed the Japanese restaurant unfortunately. I would definitely come back just for the food to be honest. And yo-yos was really good too. Oh and how could I forget the pizza station ! This place was awesome. My favourite was the pineapple and ham pizza. I found the jerk chicken one to be too spicy and I wasn’t really feeling the 4 cheese one. Takes a while to get the food though understandably. Ok service there too. I would say overall the service at each restaurant was generally good. Some people stood out more than others and really did go out of their way but everyone does their job at the end of the day. And again I cannot remember some names unfortunately. The cafe de Paris was amazing too - I LOVED the coffee and the crepes but I wasn’t too big on the coffees with liquor in them just the original blue mountain from the side that you get yourself. I ended up buying pictures from the photo shop because how could I resist. Keno was a really good photographer and super nice as well. Another lady working there was awesome too but I forget her name. I found it extremely pricy but bought them anyway. I was happy with them all. Again with the pressure to buy from vendors outside the photo shop and other places at the resort made me uncomfortable at times because I wanna support but don’t want to get their hopes up so sometimes I feel I couldn’t even really look at what they’re selling. Some people had a super easy going approach and it made me want to give them my money. But the ones that point you out and go on and on are the ones where I feel put on the spot. After a while you just don’t want to make eye contact to be honest and feel bad for even walking by. The gift shop had some really nice things. I bought many things from in there. The reception is helpful. I also tried out the massage. I LOVED my lavender full body massage by Natasha she really worked hard on me and I was thrilled with the experience. I also purchased a foot massage. The ladies there were super nice and friendly. I even had a broken nail they gave me glue to fix. Randeno was very informative at the booth where you get the Jamaica pamphlet for all activities and he was very friendly as well. One thing I can say I was not fully happy about was the music. Some days I heard nice songs especially when there was a live DJ and other days I heard a repetition which always included shaggy and then a bunch of songs that are not reggae and dancehall. As a hard core reggae listener I was kind of taken aback when I heard back street boys but I get it that Jamaicans are diverse and listen to music from all walks of life - plus this is a family resort so maybe dancehall doesn’t cut it but I would just prefer to hear only reggae to be honest. I did hear soca which I liked and some days weren’t bad it was getting better toward the end of my vacation but other types of music and songs made me wanna wear ear plugs lol. Especially at some of the restaurants. I would just rather not hear rock or pop or top 40 or country or literally anything that isn’t reggae but that’s just me. And not just shaggy either. But some times I would hear buju and sanchez which put a smile on my face by the pool - plus they had a dancehall/reggae history lesson one day which I really liked also. So it wasn’t a huge deal and not like I didn’t like the music the entire time just sometimes it was annoying that’s all. I could barley make it for the night shows but when I did see it one night I enjoyed the steel pan band. Also the steel pan players on the beach were cool too. Another problem I had was that I arrived on Thursday and no one told me there is a Sesame Street March at 5:30 and it only happens on Thursday’s meaning if I miss it I won’t see it again. So of course I missed it even though I was in my room doing nothing and I just wish someone had just given me a heads up. Matter of fact I didn’t get a tour or anything or welcome of some sort with a description of the activities to do and what not maybe it was on that newspaper but I just arrived so I didn’t know any better or what to look out for. I was really disappointed to miss the march but at least I saw the characters walking around on other days and they interacted with my son which he LOVED. he wasn’t able to pay attention to the night shows at 6 where they perform again so we never got to experience those but I can see how a toddler would love it. The day care was awesome. Left my son 3 times and felt totally comfortable. They never had to call me and were always reassuring when I would call. Very safe and legit. Would highly recommend. He loved playing with all the toys and most kids seemed really happy. That was another highlight for me the fact I could leave him if I chose to. Overall this resort is worth every cent. The food is great. The service is great. And the experience is awesome. Just wear a lot of bug repellent and you’re good. Also do research on the way it’s set up and if you have a baby try to get a ground level room if possible. It’s perfect for families. I had an amazing time.

Paradise vacation

We loved it here! The kids enjoyed seeing the Sesame Street characters every day as well as swimming at the beach, having fun at the water park and playing at the Xbox lounge. What can we say, but we were spoiled! The grounds are beautiful and the staff are friendly.

Beaches Negril

One of the best vacations we have ever had! The water park was smaller then the other two locations but service was spot on. We traveled with a 6 year old and he loved Pirate Island and the slides. Kim worked with us from the very beginning and was always available to answer our many questions! We did have to use the medical facilities there and were well cared for. Food was fantastic with lots of great options. We were so happy with the vacation that we rebooked for next year!

Life changing experience !

The resort was beautifully laid out, the staff was amazing, the food was excellent and the beaches were spectacular. I would recommend Beaches Negritos Jamaica to anyone, in fact I already have !!! Thanks again to the wonderful staff who were always happy and helpful, the made my stay something I will not forget !!!

Great Service

My Daughter had her wedding here---didn't know what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised -----even though it was a Family Resort with a lot of Kids it was well spaced out with activities for and venues for the children and adults both---- Te Staff were more than accommodating and friendly all the the time. Lucky the GM was very helpful when we did have a small problem and more than rectified it with a complimentary cruise to Ricks Bar for our wedding party. The beach the food the [... read more] grounds the staff all top notch . I will definitely be going for another Sandals Vacation. Well Done

Won't be back

The good part was the entertainment at night was great, they tried hard and did a very good job with the fire show and Michael Jackson show. The beach was nice, ocean was clean and water is warm. The food was good overall, although the wait time to get your meal at Venetian restaurant was a big long. The cons: -We had put in a request for a quiet room on second floor but we got 1st floor and next to a noisy road. -There were only a few restaurants that were air conditioned: Kimono, Venetian [... read more] and Soy. For a high end hotel we expected the lobby and most restaurants to have air conditioning. -90 percent of the cabanas are for rental only, leaving a lot of people fighting for the tents at 6 a.m. We witnessed people arguing over who got to the tents first. It should be like Beaches Turks&Caicos where there are LOTS of little huts, not just a few reserved ones. -There were sand fleas that bit us once it gets cloudy or when the sun starts to set. In conclusion, we will not come back as we expect more from a high end hotel.

Best family resort on the best beach in Jamaica

the beach is big and never crowded, the staff is very friendly and go out of their way to make sure your stay with them is a memorable experience. the food is very good, always something on the menu for every taste. rooms are due for renovations.

Fantastic Resort

Where do I start. March 1st to the 11th.This was our 1st time to this resort and it was truly remarkable. The staff The food The pools slides and lazy river. We cant say 1 negative thing. We were always treated like royalty by the staff.. We ate at all the restaurants. Fantastic!!! The kids really enjoyed the slides and the lazy river basketball mini golf and the beach of course. Honestly we never had time to check out the kids clubs. By the time we were done playing in the pools then dinner and [... read more] off to the sesame street entertainment. Shelly is fantastic in what she does with the program. Our room was 424 over looking the lazy river splash park and play structure. remarkable view. Room was kept very clean all the time. fridge was always full and the sculptures on the beds at night. our kids just loved them. We do travel every year mexico, cuba and Jamaica This was the best so far .My kids are 7 and 11. Well guess were we are going next year. Thanks Carol at Trip Central and a big Thanks to Beaches Negril Staff.

Amazing family vacation

This was our second time to beaches negril, we came back because we really love it. The beach is amazing, all the kids activities during the days, evening Elmo shows were perfect for our toddler. We especially enjoyed the staff at the resort, they all knew our daughter by day 3 and were very good to us.

Poor safety and dishonest practises.

I believe most parents will agree that the top priority of any trip is to ensure the safety and timely travel to the destination for our children. For this reason the travel providers have failed us on this trip so I will not travel with Westjet, Westjet Travel, and Beaches. Before leaving my wife emailed and called Westjet Travel and Beaches to confirm a car seat for our toddler. When we arrived there was no car seat for a 1.5 hour car race to Nigrel with my baby in my arms. On the ride back t [... read more]o the airport I asked twice for a car seat back to the airport and the folks at Beaches managed to provide a seat only to tell me that I needed to install it in their vehicle as they did not want to take on any insurance claims. When attaching the seat the main anchoring strap was missing so I had to brace the chair the 1.5 hours to the airport so once again no use. We get to the airport only to have Westjet tell us that there is a three hour delay to our flight due to weather in Toronto. The weather in Toronto was sunny and 4 degrees. Nothing wrong with the weather in Toronto. Speaking to the agent at Westjet, I questioned what type of weather issues is causing this delay and he tells me that Westjet just had a later flight planned about a month ago. I purchased my flight only a couple weeks ago so Westjet Travels sold tickets knowing they would not fly at 4:30 and would consolidate to a later flight at 7:30pm. My ticket purchase was with the understanding that I would pay more to get my toddler in at a normal hour. I decided to leave names out as I will provide that to the Ministry of Transportation when I make a formal complaint. I will not go back to Beaches and will not fly Westjet if this is how they want to conduct business.

Absolutely incredible

This was our first family trip and it was truly a dream vacation. Shelley at Tripcentral made sure every detail was covered. The staff at the Beaches Negril resort made our trip perfect in every way. We have a special needs child and I didn't have to worry about anything for him. It was the perfect ending to a very long year. My heartfelt thanks to Shelley at Tripcentral for arranging the dream vacation for us. The resort was incredible and every staff member truly cared about your wellbeing. Fo [... read more]od was amazing and you can't beat the sunsets. ❤️❤️❤️

Good resort but not worth the extra money

The beach is great and the resort is focused on children which is great for families. The resort also has many nice extras like free watersports (including scuba diving, water skiing and banana boats), free spa spending (that no one tells you about) and beach/pool towels available without cards. However, the food, the room and the entertainment are not any better than other 4 and 5 resorts that are much cheaper. The a la cart restaurant are actually worse than other resorts. The service and the  [... read more]staff friendliness are not the greatest. I have seen better in Jamaica.

Family loved it!

It was a great vacation. My husband and two children (3 and 5) had a fantastic time and did not want to leave. The kids club is great. I felt safe leaving the kids there with the certified nannies and they had a great time. My husband and I therefore and a few lunches to ourselves which was nice. The people who worked there were very nice and great with the kids. It was a relaxed atmosphere with kids having fun around you. The beach is nice. I did not use the pools, although my kids and husband  [... read more]did. The kids loved the shows. For an all-inclusive, the food was good. It was a great place to go if you have kids. I would not chose to go there if I did not have kids with me though as I thought it was really geared towards them. We go on vacation two or three times a year and my husband said it was one of his best vacations.

Good time for families

First, the people of Negril are fantastic. So nice and accommodating! The room was great and clean. The pools were ok, not much to write home about. The restaurant on the beach and the Venetian restaurant were fantastic and the grill by the pool with the water slides had amazing fries and jerk chicken!! But the best part, the absolute BEST, part was the beach. Miles and miles of the softest sand and the most incredible water. I'd go back just for that!!