Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa

This was our first Sandals vacation and first trip to Jamaica. We have stayed at other AI’s but our friends stayed several years ago at Sandals South Coast and wanted to try another Sandals. Overall, it was a good vacation but I’m not sure the Sandals price tag was justified. We had a nice time but have also had a great time at other resorts that offered just as many, if not more amenities, for less. Arrival: We arrived around 2pm on a Tuesday. We did not have Club Mobay but do not feel like the time we spent would have been decreased by much. I felt customs and immigration went quickly. We arrived at the Sandals lounge and they took our bags and got them all tagged for us. This was a bit of a process since there were 8 of us in the group but they handled it swiftly. We enjoyed a bit of time in the lounge and had some beers (Red Stripes) and snacks. I was really hoping for some rum punch but there was none available. We were in the lounge for less than 10 minutes before we were called to board our bus. The bus ride was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. There did seem to be quite a bit of traffic which contributed to the longer ride. The driver did offer to stop about halfway but we all declined. We arrived at Sandals and they unloaded our bags and had everyone identify their bags. We were then separated because most of our group had Club level, but we did not. We had completed most of the check-in information online, so the check-in went quickly. We were offered drinks and completed the rest of the process on an iPad. Our person then escorted us to our room and gave us a quick orientation about our room. Our luggage was delivered a short time later. Room: We were in room 3214 which was a Caribbean Luxury Honeymoon room. Honestly, I was worried about this room and the lack of a balcony, but it was a great space. We had a large room with a wonderful bathroom space. The shower had both a rain head and regular shower head which had great water pressure. We only experienced one morning where we did not have very hot water. It would have been nice to have some hooks for hanging up towels. I’m all for reusing towels while we are there, but this is made difficult with nowhere to put them. Our mini fridge was stocked but we did write some requests down that were never actually fulfilled. Also, we never received a bottle of wine in our room. Not a big deal but if it’s part of the room, it should be there, and you shouldn’t have to go searching. I do realize that snacks are not part of the Sandals room experience, but I do feel like a resort of this classification should have a few snacks in the room along with the beverages. Our room location was near the road, but we didn’t have too much of an issue with noise. Occasionally, during the mornings, I would hear some traffic but didn’t feel like it was a huge issue. We found the bed comfortable and the furnishings in good shape. You can tell that the room has been redone in recent years. Beach: We thought the beach was awesome and spent almost all our days hanging out there. The beach has experienced some erosion due to recent storms but there are several places where there is quite a bit of beach. We didn’t really struggle to find beach chairs (and we had to find 8 each day) but someone in our group did usually go out early to get them situated. The sand was soft and beautiful, the water was a wonderful blue color, warm and crystal clear most days. We were not overly bothered by the vendors on the beach. They were very respectful and didn’t bother if you just said a polite, “No, Thank You”. We honestly were more bothered by the Sandals staff coming around and trying to get you to upgrade to various experiences (snuba, pictures, etc.). They were friendly but at times just wouldn’t stop conversing and just move on. I kind of feel like they could inform you of the “extras” and let you go to them. I don’t need the hard sell when I’m on vacation. Pool: We had one pool day. We noticed that usually during the week that seemed to be where the games and activities were, so we wanted to enjoy one day. We were able to get chairs easily and loved the swim up bar. However, the water was COLD (you did get used to it, but it was super chilly!) and the activities were pretty hit or miss. We only experienced them playing a game of bingo (and they only did three rounds). They also didn’t play music for very long which was also disappointing to our group. We would have liked a good afternoon of fun and games! Food & Drinks: The food was good all week. Honestly, I never really had a meal that I was disappointed in. For breakfast, we ate at the buffet most mornings. This had an abundance of fresh fruits, pastries, and hot cereal. There were also eggs, sausage, potatoes, etc. each morning. It would have been nice if the variety would have been a bit different each day but what was available was good quality. We also ate at Barefoot two different mornings. The fruit plate at Barefoot was great and we would recommend the eggs benedict. I am still missing my daily cup of Blue Mountain coffee! That stuff was delicious! Lunch options were also plentiful. We visited the Beach Bistro, enjoyed a couple of pizzas, and hit up the lunch buffet throughout our week. The jerk chicken was very flavorful. The pizzas were okay but not very consistent. I ordered the same pizza that my friend did the day before and she warned me that is was spicy (which I was looking forward to) and it wasn’t spicy at all, in fact, it was bland and boring. The wait time on the pizzas does get a bit long so I would highly suggest ordering them long before you get hungry! I did enjoy that the lunch buffet at Bayside had a different theme each afternoon so you could visit there every day and not get bored. I really enjoyed my nachos by the pool! We had the opportunity to eat at all the evening restaurants except Barefoot by the Sea. Our best meals overall were at Sundowner and Cucina Romana. The meal at Bayside was our most disappointing of the week. While there were some hits, the Tarte Aux Champignons appetizer is still the best thing I ate all week and I NEED to recreate it, our service was very slow and took away from the evening. Also, several people ate the French Onion soup and were disappointed, it wasn’t what we were used to getting and left them wanting more. They also missed the mark on the Crème Brûlée which was runny and not prepared correctly. I did enjoy that most of the restaurants were outside and near the beach. It really feels like vacation when you can dine outside in the beautiful weather and enjoy the views. Drinks were plentiful. We all enjoyed the mojitos, but they ran out of mint quite often throughout the week. Entertainment: The evening entertainment was not overly entertaining! The shows seemed to be something similar each night and not engaging. Also, the space where the entertainment is offered is shared with the Bayside restaurant and is not conducive to watching the shows. There are large columns that block views and the seating is just not set-up to watch. We did go to the Piano Bar most evenings but that was hit or miss. Only one night was there a piano player. They offered karaoke two of the nights we were there, but they would also shut it down early, even if people were enjoying themselves. They also had a DJ with dancing a couple of nights but again, would shut down early even if people were enjoying themselves. The daytime entertainment activities were pretty hit or miss. We found that the daily schedule that was provided in our room each night usually did not match up with what was going on for the daily entertainment. So if you want to participate in things I wouldn’t rely on that for my information. We did enjoy some of the water sports and that staff was awesome. We enjoyed paddle boarding, the glass bottom boat tour, tubing on Big Mabel (lots of laughs) and snorkeling. The snorkeling trip was awesome and we wish we would have done it every day. We saw lots of fish, coral, and jelly fish. Spa: We did enjoy a couples massage while we were there. This was easy to book and we enjoyed it immensely. We had received a $250 spa credit with our booking so our massage came at a reduced price. Customer Service: We did find the staff friendly and helpful. Lots of smiles! We adhered to the no tipping policy except for our transportation staff. It did bother me that I saw people tipping when it’s explicitly stated that no tipping is allowed. Resort Overall: The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. I enjoyed the ambiance of the small resort and the ease of getting everywhere. The resort was also near capacity when we were there, but it never felt crowded. In conclusion, it was a nice vacation, but I don’t feel like it was worth the higher price tag. I have enjoyed better experiences or near identical for much less money. I had been wanting to go to a Sandals resort since I was little and saw their ads, but I was not blown away. Maybe less money on marketing and more money on the actual resort experience for guests! There were a few staff members that did make our stay more memorable. Shout outs to Chris and Marlon at the piano bar, Kenroy and 8 Ball (Emile) on the water staff, Jamie at Bayside for always having a smile on his face. Read less

My husband and I spent the most amazing luxurious, fun, romantic, and life-changing six nights ever at Sandals Negril! We arrived the day the world began to shut down from COVID-19 and sadly only got six nights out of our intended nine night stay (March 13-March 19, 2020). But, despite the stress of trying to figure out if/how to leave early, our trip to Jamaica was absolutely magnificent. I highly recommend this resort and we will be back! We stayed in the Paradise Honeymoon rooms and enjoyed room service nearly every morning looking out over the ocean! We played daily beach volleyball, tanned in the sun sipping cold sauvignon blanc, and I even got up close to a few rays while snorkelling! The sunsets were unparalleled and the food was absolutely delicious! The staff were so wildly fun, knowledgeable, professional, and energetic and gave us the most incredible service and memories. We have a bunch of thank yous to the staff who made our trip so enjoyable! Thank you to Iesha, Leshan, Sasha, Anna Kay, Glenville, Vanesia, Damon, Pooh Bear, Jemarie, Phillip, and the amazing water sports team! We will definitely be back! We have been to many Carribean resorts and the views and beach here were like no other. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Read less

We scheduled a honeymoon visit at Sandals Negril that was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid-19. Sandals has refused to offer us refunds after many attempts at calling, we have been hung up on by associates on the phone, overall a horrendous experience. Hopefully somebody at Sandals has the heart to see this and offer some sort of compensation for a young couple that is now out thousands of dollars. Read less

We had a wonderful experience, but our favorite was with Emron of the scuba dive team. We were only certified for Open Water, and he instructed us through our Advanced Open Water certification. It was the perfect place to get this, since there are 5 dives needed, and what better diving location to do it in than the Carribean! The resort was narrow and how locals walking up and down the beach offering to sell anything from scarves to "smoke." They weren't a nuisance but they would walk up and down the beaches frequently. Sandals did have on-site sales allowed where people had various art items for sale; all kinds of wood carvings, paintings, and jewelery. All the restaurant and bar service was top notch. Read less