Beaches Negril: A Great Family Vacation Destination
Written: Nov 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gorgeous property, very well-appointed rooms, lots to do, water park
Cons: seems like some staff needs more training, some rooms need to be updated
The Bottom Line: This is a great all-inclusive resort for families. Discriminating travelers may want to book a higher category room, to ensure better service.
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| Candice923's Full Review: Beaches Negril Resort And Spa |
I'll be honest with you. When I had the opportunity to go to Beaches Negril for yet another wedding that I planned, I was reluctant. Don't get me wrong-- Jamaica is fantastic. However, it is the traveling that kills me. To travel about eight hours to stay somewhere for about 36 hours, then travel home is really beginning to get to me... And this is my third trip to Jamaica in the past five weeks.
I have never been to Negril before. My bride and groom wanted to have their destination wedding at Beaches Negril, and I was thrilled to plan it for them. As a Destination Wedding Planner, I've got five more weddings at Beaches Negril by January 2011. I must admit, I was a bit excited to be able to see the resort firsthand. There is nothing like experiencing what you are booking clients on in the travel industry.
After going through Customs at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, we were greeted by a Sandals and Beaches Representative. No private car this time-- Ebony (my travel companion) and I were instructed to wait in the lounge until our shuttle was ready to leave. We were told it would be about 25 minutes. So, I grabbed a drink of pineapple juice and sat down. Right after my first sip, guests heading to Beaches Negril and Beaches Sandy Bay were paged to board their shuttle. It wasn't even five minutes, let alone 25 minutes! Ebony and I grabbed our luggage and headed to the shuttle.
The shuttle ride was only about an hour from the airport. I was under the impression that Negril was further away. We did make a rest stop, which I felt was completely unnecessary, then continued on shortly thereafter. It was a quick and comfortable ride.
After dropping off the guests at Beaches Sandy Bay, the rest of us headed over to Beaches Negril. While virtually all gratuities are included for guests at any Beaches resort, it is not included for the shuttle driver. I handed him a couple of bucks, then headed into the grand lobby area to wait to be checked in.
I won't lie-- It was LOUD. There was some sort of Sesame Street activities going on right behind us, and it was quite noisy. There was music, laughter, shrieking... Kids having a great time. I was even able to snap a pic of Abby Cadabby as she stopped to post with Ebony. I sat and listened to the familiar Sesame Street songs, thinking about my babies at home.
We were soon escorted to the Concierge Suite Check-In area, where is was very clean, comfortable and quiet. A plasma screen TV played the Steelers game without sound, and three concierges bustled around, trying to get us checked in properly. Unfortunately, this proved to be a little more difficult than expected.
First, I was asked for a credit card so that they can take an imprint of it. Another guest (who works for Unique Vacations, the parent company of Beaches) was also asked. We asked in turn if an imprint was required-- Especially when we weren't going to charge anything to the room. We were told that we didn't have to leave an imprint, and that was that.
Second, Ebony and I were told that our room was not yet ready, and to go have lunch. We were escorted to The Mill restaurant for a buffet style lunch. We were both starving, so we were happy to be able to eat. Unfortunately, the food at the buffet left much to be desired. There was actually a bone in my roast beef sandwich. If you are going to eat here, pass on the buffet and have a freshly grilled hamburger. It overlooked the main pool, and we were able to see lots of families having a good time.
We then headed back to the Concierge Suite Check-In location, where everyone that we had spoken with earlier had left. There was a new person there, who seemingly didn't know what she was doing. I told her that Ebony and I needed to take the 2:30 shuttle over to Beaches Sandy Bay for a meeting with the Sales Manager and tour of the property. She told me that it was 2:08, and we would be able to make it. She then asked me for a credit card. I informed her that I was told that it wasn't required. She responded, "Well, I don't know who told you that..." I told her the names of the people that had been there earlier. She picked up the phone and called someone. She hung up and asked me for a cash deposit. I told her that I would give her $40, since i planned on using the internet for two days. (The charge for internet is $13.99 per day.) She picked up the phone and called someone again. After a few minutes, she got off of the telephone and told me that a deposit wasn't necessary. She wasted so much time, however, that we missed our meeting at Beaches Sandy Bay.
So, she escorted us all the way across the property to our room, which is a Honeymoon Suite (category JS), only to realize that she brought the wrong key. Needless to say, we were frustrated, hot, irritated and just wanted to get into the room. Fortunately, someone from housekeeping was passing by. They were able to open the room for us. However, we had to wait in the room until she came back with our key.
The room was absolutely gorgeous. It was a Honeymoon Suite, which is a category JS. It was a spacious room with a large king beg, pull-out double sofa bed, comfy chair, large entertainment unit with big plasma screen TV, mirror and wall table, two sinks on a big vanity, toilet, bathtub, shower, and two dressers. The decor was warm and inviting, not to mention contemporary. The balcony was all wood and large, complete with a round table and two chairs. It was a terrific room. It was truly the best part about my experience at Beaches Negril.
Unfortunately, not every room is decorated like the room that I stayed in. Ebony and I were fortunate enough to have a tour of the other room categories, and some of them had a tacky tropical motif, which was as loud as the resort itself! The furniture was nice, but the rooms definitely needed some updating. If you decide to book a room here, make sure to request one of the newer rooms-- Or have your Travel Agent request it for you.
The restaurants that I visited were disappointing at best. The chef at Kimono's (the Japanese restaurant) was more focused on his performing than his cooking. The food at the Last Chance Saloon was consistently undercooked, with pink jerk chicken and a rare stake that was requested medium. The food at The Mill, which is the buffet restaurant, lacked flavor and was sometimes inedible. Paired with the fact that flies were constantly circling and landing on food for guests, The Mill was my least favorite place to eat. Unfortunately, we weren't ablle to eat at The Seville or Carnivale. Hopefully, those restaurants are better than the three that I tried. There were, however, snack stands where guests could get hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, fries and other snacks, which seemed to be a hit with kids.
Speaking of kids, there are several areas for kids to have a good time! Camp Sesame is for little ones, which features all sorts of Sesame Street characters. Scratch DJ Academy is a building where guests (kids and adults) can learn how to scratch and mix music. The XBOX Game Garage offers an oasis of new, old and favorite video games to play on the XBOX. The room is filled with screens, joysticks, and other game accessories. For teens that just want to hang out, there is Trench Town Lounge. There is even a waterpark! With all of the options, no guest will ever be bored.
The Red Lane Spa is a fantastic retreat, but extremely expensive. Ebony and I had a total of three services: a pedicure (Pedi-Colada), facial (Hydration station) and Feet First treatment, and it came to a total of $265. If you happen to book a room and get a spa credit, it is totally worth it.
The service overall at Beaches Negril was also disappointing. Our first wake up call never came. The wake up call the next day was 40 minutes late. Fortunately, I set the alarm on my cell phone, just in case. Staff members were just plain rude. Something that really bugged me was how staff members talked in the native language of Jamaica in front of me, and I couldn't understand what they were saying. I find that incredibly rude and distasteful.
The wedding was phenomenal. Amber, who is the Wedding Coordinator at Beaches that I dealt with to plan the wedding, was fantastic to work with. At Beaches Negril, I worked with Nikisha and Andrea, and they were great. The wedding went off without a hitch, and it was absolutely beautiful. The bride and groom were absolutely thrilled.
Overall, Beaches Negril is a great resort. Based on a five star rating, this is how I would rate everything:
Food: *
Service: **
Beauty: *****
Activities: *****
Room: *****
Staff: **
TOTAL: ***
There are definitely some things that could have been done better for my stay. I don't exactly want to go back there, and I won't be bringing my family until my twins are at least 10 years old. However, I can see how a family that is less discriminating than I am would have an amazing time here. There is quite a bit to do and it truly is a beautiful resort. I know that my clients will have a great time when they go there.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Candice923
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Location: Brookhaven, NY
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