I just returned from a wonderful week in Negril, Jamaica. While there, I stayed for 3 nights at Beaches Sandy Bay and 4 nights at Beaches Negril Resort & Spa and also did a property inspection of Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa. Here are some highlights of the resorts and the opinions of myself and my family.Beaches Sandy Bay is approximately 1 hr. 20 minutes from Montego Bay Airport - great airport lounge with cool drinks, cool towels and clean bathrooms. We were called for our transfer to Beaches Sandy Bay approximately 10 minutes after we arrived in the Sandals/Beaches airport lounge.
Beautiful ride to Negril along the coast, I do advise my clients to tip the transfer driver since he is not an employee of Sandals/Beaches and the “no tipping” policy begins when you arrive on property. Beaches Sandy Bay is a small property that I quickly learned to love since the staff was wonderful! The entertainment staff was very personable and had my daughter and her friends up dancing the first night even though they tend to be a little shy! The accommodations were very clean although it is certainly not a brand new property. The food was fabulous in the buffet and also the specialty restaurants which did not need reservations, the grill by the beach/pool was also good and the kids loved it. It grill opened up in the evening and stayed open until very late for late night snacks. There is no concierge, butler or room service at this property. The resort had a small, intimate feel with a lot of families with smaller children and a lot of families that were doing everything together. You have Sesame Street on property with great shows and also a shuttle that runs between Beaches Sandy Bay and Beaches Negril every hour during the day and evening up until 10 pm - approx. 5 minutes by shuttle or you can walk - approx. a 20 minute walk. Beaches Sandy Bay and Beaches Negril have full exchange privileges and I did see a lot of guests using the facilities and restaurants at both resorts.

Beaches Negril Resort & Spa is a lot fancier and bigger than Beaches Sandy Bay with five restaurants and lots of food and bar options including a swim up bar. There are concierge and butler categories at this resort. The beach is a little bigger than Sandy Bay and all watersports are included at both Beaches properties. We did the banana boat, aqua trikes, floats in the water and it was nice not to have to pay extra. The girls did Jet Ski which was a very reasonable price and easy to do since there are guys walking the beach advertising parasailing and jet skiing. The waterpark here was great, both for children and adults alike! Two slides, one enclosed and one open and a lazy river which was very nice and not crowded at all. This again, felt like something we should be paying extra for but was totally included. Since the resort is larger, we didn’t get to know the entertainment staff as we did at Sandy Bay but there was always plenty going on including a disco that opened at 10:00 pm for the “Tweens” and 11:00pm for the adults but a lot of young adults (18+). I noticed a lot of older teens at this resort and families doing their own thing as opposed to Sandy Bay. Wonderful food, drinks and staff!

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa is a short walk down the beach from Beaches Sandy Bay, beautiful beachfront resort and not a bad room category to be had. Again, food and drink options are plentiful with no reservations necessary. Lots of beach chairs and shade umbrellas with food and bars very close to the beach. The new River Suites at this property are breathtaking; I took pictures which I’d be happy to share. Again, all your watersports are included and no wristbands at any of the Sandals or Beaches properties.

I would be happy to share my experience in more detail, just send me an email.

Please contact the agent below to book your perfect Jamaica vacation!
Thank you!
Cindy McCabe
Owner/Agent
Bethany Travel/Dream Vacations
PREFERRED AGENCY OF SANDALS & BEACHES!
302-933-0955 or 302-537-7188
TOLL FREE: 800-806-TRIP
www.dreamvacationinc.com

Accredited Cruise Counselor, Sandals & Beaches Specialist and Walt Disney Specialist

Tags: all inclusive, Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Beaches Resorts, Beaches Sandy Bay, caribbean, family friendly, jamaica, negril, Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa, SANDALS RESORTS

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 1:35 pm and is filed under Hotel Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.