Hotel Beaches Sandy Bay Negril

Let me start by saying that this trip was the first vacation my children have had in 10 years and I was apologizing to them as soon as the plane landed. I wanted this to be something for them to always remember, especially since my oldest is going to be in college in another year. I can honestly say they will NEVER forget this vacation. The food was terrible. I hate fast food in general, but it would have been much better than what was available at the buffet and grill. You couldn't get into the "real" restaurants because they were booked from the moment we arrived. I had paid for an upgrade in advance on the room, so we would not have to climb 3 flights of stairs. We were escorted to the 3rd floor upon arrival. We couldn't be moved til after 330pm the next day. The rooms were not worth the money paid, as with everything else. The watersports guys were very helpful, but it was very limited and over-booked. You are constantly harrassed by vendors, even when you are laying out on the beach. When booking my trip, I was told that we would not have to check out of our room until time to catch the bus back to the airport. NOT! We received an envelope under the door the evening before our departure, saying that check out was at 11am. Our flight wan't until almost 5pm. But we were welcome to change in the public bathroom by the pool! After spending from 7am til 1045am at the front desk on my last day, we were finally ALLOWED to stay in our room until 1pm. To top off this disasterous vacation, my youngest daughter started feeling bad on the way home and spend 3 days in the hospital with Salmonella. The only place she could have gotten this was from the food at the resort. The buffet is in an open area which welcomes flies, birds flying in and out and any other creature that can fly or crawl. My advise, go somewhere else. I wish I had spent my money renting a beach house in the states. It would have been cheaper and more enjoyable. I wrote to the resort and was answered with an offer of a free two night stay vocher at any Beaches Resort. No thanks.

BSB is a smaller resort located between Beaches & Sandals Negril. This as it turns out is one of the best features. BSB is currently undergoing renovations, painting of all the 5000 section. This was quite a nuisance, unless you dont mind sharing your balcony with a friendly Jamaican at 7:30 in the morning for a few days. The food, service and rooms seem to have taken a downturn since my last visit. The single bar is often at full capacity and the lack of a separate soda fountain makes the lines very long. The sports bar has no day time hours. The improvements should have centered on the rooms interior not exterior. Showers and toilets of many of the rooms have problems. The staff tries to address them but they just seem overwhelmed. The resort was at near capacity, so the unlimited activities were very limited and disorganized. The water sports had a two day waiting list for most activities. Sign up right away for the restaurants, especially if you plan an evening at Beaches, Negril. The closeness of the beach to the rooms is a great feature and quite a difference from BN. The pools are small but kids seem to love BSB, a three foot deep section of the pool allows the younger kids a swimming area (its 43 at Beaches, Negril). The child care staff is great and one of the best features of the resort. This allows the parents a quick walk down to Sandals for an upgraded evening; also the better food & family entertainment is at the other Beaches and is worth the bus ride. This resort can not be compared to most of the Beaches or Sandals resorts. In the past, I believe it matched the saying you get what you pay for, now the value has declined and better value may be found at another resort.

Let me start by saying that BSB has a lot of potential. It's a small, older, charming resort that caters well to families. If you're looking for big pools, plush rooms and have a New York/New Jersey attitude you'll hate it here.......because if you're looking for flaws, you'll find them. If you're into activities, like to stay busy, aren't into crowded (Disney Type) resorts, don't think you're a food critic, and like the water.....you'll probably like this resort. I've stayed at a number of world class hotels and resorts, and like I said earlier, if you're looking for flaws you'll find them. But hey, just chill, grab a cold drink and head to the beach for a nice sail. This is a laid back resort for laid back people......if you want a taste of what a few extra bucks will buy ya, go to "Beaches Negril" (they have a free shuttle) and wait 30 minutes to get a burger, then wait another 30 minutes to get in a sail. Oh, one last thing, if you think you're any good at ping-pong, you may want a game with one of the grounds keepers......he's the tall, lean, bald headed guy (sorry i forgot his name......gimme a break, I was there in Oct 02) anyway, he'll kick your sorry butt......as he did mine.

This letter is regarding our recent trip/wedding at Sandy Bay Beaches in Negril, Jamaica, both good and bad BAD 1.Upon arrival in Jamaica, we proceeded to the Beaches counter located in the airport. All room vouchers were given to the representative. There were only 4 rooms for 5 couples. All parties had to remain at the airport for 20-30 minutes while the problem was SUPPOSEDLY being rectified. (We booked over 9 months in advance) 2.From the airport, take your own bags to the shuttle. If not, the concierges will take your bags and will demand a tip, as was the case with our party. Be patient on the trip from the airport to the hotel. Youre looking at a good hour and a half to get from Montego Bay to the resort. The poverty along the way is distressing. 3.At the hotel, after the ordeal at the airport, we were delayed once more because the problem we initially encountered was not rectified. After waiting 20 more minutes, the four couples traveling with my wife and I received their room assignments and my wife and I had to wait an additional 30 minutes until a room was being cleaned. 4.We finally received our room and were thrown in a room with double beds, in corner of the hotel area, facing a road and work-out center. This was not acceptable for a couple who were going to get married at this resort!!!!!!!!!!!! Any time we had a problem, nobody ever gave us a straight answer. In talking to other couples, MANY, no lie, MANY of them had difficulties with the rooms. It seemed as though everyone we talked to had some sort of problem. We had problems with the T.V.s in both of the rooms we were given. The first had green people, and the second was faulty and had to be replaced. 5.As I understand, couples getting married on the resort receive a complementary bottle of Rum and a fruit basket. We never received this and when it was told to the manager in charge, the response received back was just a puzzled look!!!!!! Nothing was ever given to us. Our wedding itinerary was also placed in someone elses room. We had to retrieve that from them. We did not receive this wedding information until late in the evening the night of our arrival which stated that we would meet with the wedding coordinator early the next morning. 6.Beaches has an exchange shuttle between Sandy Bay and Negril. There are not too many shuttles at night and when we went over on the 7:30 p.m. shuttle, we couldnt get into a sit-down restaurant, so more buffet food. If you go over at 4:00, the shuttle doesn't come back until 8:00. However, it is only 2 miles away. BUT DO NOT WALK BACK ALONE, IT IS NOT SAFEGOOD 7.The wedding and subsequent reception after went off without any problems. In fact it was beautiful and well done/organized. I recommend not purchasing a picture package with the resort. Instead, work out something with the photographer. One thing you might want to be aware of if you are getting married there is that you will choose 1 complementary 5X7 photograph and purchase any additional photos for $10. each. We had 5 to choose from. When purchased, they enclosed them in an envelope and HOLE-PUNCHED the negatives that we did not purchase so we couldnt reproduce them later. When we got home and wanted to enlarge our pictures, but we had a problem. The lady that hole-punched the pictures punched the wrong one, and we had to spend more money to digitally enhance the negative of the picture we bought that had a hole punched through it. 8.The food was excellent!!! However, if you go to a sit down place for dinner instead of the grill or buffet, do not expect to get drink orders too fast. They have nice employees, but in Jamaica there are two speedsslow and slower. Not accustomed to that with a fast-paced lifestyleit gets frustrating. It is also hard to remember when things open and close. You simply cannot get a drink at all hours of the day as the all inclusive makes it appear. 9.The grounds are clean and the people and the food at the Sundowner restaurant were fantastic. Can't speak highly enough of their employees. Reserve earlyWe will never go back to a Beaches or Sandals Resort and will not recommend it to anyone interested. Nothing but the wedding went well, Im sorry to say. Not what we expected considering it is the quote best-all-inclusive resort 4 years in a row. Id like to have some input on the voting!!! It simply did not live up to the hype. Save your money.

My wife and I were looking forward to our vacation at the wonderful resort "Beaches Sandy Bay". That dream was destroyed as soon as we checked into our room. We had a 1 bedroom suite overlooking the ocean.

The room was in need of pest control, as ants were taking over the kitchen. The bathroom was never "clean". In terms of the resort, I agree with the previous poster about the food. The 2 non-buffet rest.

were booked before we even arrived, and the buffet was awful. There was some good to the resort however, as the beach was great and the snorkeling trip was awesome. The boat captain was very helpful. I would not return to this resort however. Price is too high for what you get.

The experience at BSB was very unpleasant and my heart goes out to each and every person that chooses this establishment for a reaxing vacation. My encounters with other guests only served to strengthen my belief that you have to make the best of a bad situation. Upon arriving at SB you are directed to sit on a couch (pretty pictures of it on website) The individual would leave and another person would come by to hand you an old dingy once-the-color white face cloth for your to wipe off the sweat from the lack of air conditioning that you just endured from your 1 and a half hour drive from the airport. After sitting for almost 45 minutes a guest is informed that their room is not ready and welcomed again. No offer of a drink the enttire time waiting. There is no food to be found in you all-inclusive vacation unless it is during specific hours where you get up and serve yourself the same boring buffet food day in and day out. Unless you book a reservation very early on at the two restaruants you will be preparing your on plate.

Workers will drill you on the amount of utensils you will need at your table even though the table is already pre-set. None of the waitstaff around the food smile and are very put out by any request. Again no food is available unless it falls between certain hours. There is a grill that serves "nachos" which are taco shells whole. The ran out of half he menu the entire time we were there. It was a hot dog and burger grill, this type of food is not worth the money you are paying. Also, they let you serve yourself popcorn all day to make up for the fact they only serve food at certain times. The pool is terribly small. We were so thankful that you can use the Beaches Negril resort. The pool is 25 times bigger and the food was by far much better. The food slection was never ending at beaches negril and the staff was also very nice. Back to Sandy Bay. The resort was not built by Sandals or Beaches but was an older Inn that Beaches purchased and put there name on. Its a shame really considering Sandals is so wonderful as is the other Beaches. The exterior of the buildings are all a mess and there are maintenance people banging and repairing this old decrepid building during your quiet vacation. There are a limited amount of chairs and floats on the beach causing guests to stake their claim and argue with each other about who had the chair first. There is tacky music blaring at various times during the day for these "weddings" they host.

Therefore do not plan on napping quietly from 10:00am until 10:00pm because at any given time you will hear the theme to Titanic for the umpteenth million time as loud as can be. The place is for people that don't get out much and enjoy chaos and "free" food regardless of the menu. Please note that there are several little rules that you will be reminded of daily as the staff is certain the caliber of people there need constant reminding. Someone is getting very wealthy off of the money you dump at this "resort". If the cost were half it would be worth it. However, you can stay at a 5 star private resort for the exact same price as this turn and burn money pit. As far as the positive reviews on here. I am shocked. Many guests approached me and asked me how I liked the resort to share in their dissapointment.

However there were a few nice couples that loved the place. One was a truck driver that had not taken a vacation in years and was enjoying the hot tub and hot dogs along with the lovely waitress he brought from a small town out west. There was also a nice lesbian couple that was so happy the resort was a family place where they would be welcome.

Another sweet couple was from Texas that just paid their trailer in full and came to celebrate their status as debt free. They loved all the "free" food and the pool. So maybe I am just a bit spoiled in that I like peace, quiet, food and service when I dump 5 grand into a vacation. I emplore you to explore the Beaches Negril and any other resort other than Sandy Bay. One other positive note: the kids facilities were fabulous if you want to dump the kids off for the day.

But overall I give this place a 2 star, it was nasty.

Just got back yesterday from our trip, which was an incredible time.

The resort was pretty and our room was about 30 feet from the water.

Even with our balcony doors closed, we could still hear the surf. We were married there and brought along 8 of our family and friends. Its definately more of a family resort, and after about 11pm all you can hear are crickets and the surf, but with the right people and resources (which we had), you could definately find yourself a wild timeif thats what you're looking for :). I got the impression that the other guests at our resort were waiting for something outrageous to happen, but were too chicken to start it up themselves. If you decide to eat the buffet at anytime, don't get up from your table and fill your glass with water. Let the staff do it, and if they are a little slow (which is rare) just wait. I was very thirsty one day and I could see our server was busy so I tried to sneak up and fill my own glass, which to me was no problem. She saw me and came over in a panic asking me not to do that again because they get fired over that. I felt bad. Snorkeling was great, we kayaked over to beaches Negril and to Booby Cay, which the government recently shut down. We still hung out there, though. Theres a drink called the Hummingbird at Sandy Bay. Try it you'll instantly get addicted. The beach and the waer were amazing, but don't swim close to the robes in late afternoon. I did, and got stung by a jellyfish.

They have an onsite nurse that treated my wounds,and I killed the rest of the pain with some booze so it was no problem mon! Also be sure to bring some sinus and cold medicine. Between te heat outside, the airconditioning inside and the salt water, you're bound to get a little stuffy or runny. Feel free to e-mail us with questions.

Beaches Sandy Bay was my first all-inclusive resort, we went in March. If you do decide to stay in Nigril, the stay at Sandals for couples or Beaches Nigril for families. These resorts are much nicer, since you can visit the other resorts we explored each one. The Beach is beautiful and the water clear. The service at Beaches Sandy Bay (at all of them) is very good, the food is less desirable at Beaches Sandy Bay, the seafood resaurant is the best, but not open when the italian restaurant is. The buffet food is not good at all. Just eat fruit, you might get sick off the other mystery meat. The other resorts have a nicer buffet and restaurants. If you don't care about the food, then this is your place. Our room as well as most others had an ocean view, and was cleaned everyday. The staff is very nice as well. I wished I spent the extra $$ and stayed somewhere else though. If you need a ride anywhere around Montego Bay or Nigril we had an Excellent driver David Samuels from Juta Tour Co. His number is 876-357-8259. He is very reliable and honest. We did not travel much outside of the resort, just to the main tourist bars, the water sports are decent. We did snorkel one day but there was not too much to be seen, except a few Sting Ray here an there. I probably would not make the trip back to Jamaica.

My husband, children (ages 8 & 10) and I just returned from a Thanksgiving trip to Beaches Sandy Bay. Although my husband and I have stayed at more sophisticated resorts, BSB was perfect for our family.

The resort is not very big (only 130 rooms), so we felt comfortable letting our kids do their own thing. We liked the compactness of the place. The kids were more interested in the pool than the beach, and hung out there most of the day with their new found friends. Husband and I were able to lay on the beach with no worries. The activity directors keep the kids busy with sand and pool volleyball, bocce ball, shuffleboard, dance lessons, talent shows, ping-pong, billards, etc.

We were in the least expensive room, and my only complaint is that the flooring needs to be replace, the ceiling painted, and more drawer space needs to be added. However, we were only in our room to sleep, so this was no big deal. All of the rooms have an ocean view, and we were only steps from the beach.

The evenings were entertaining by the pool area, where there is a stage. The house band was wonderful, and there was something every night... talent show, magician, beach party, fire-eater, or music.

Food was adequate...nothing fancy, but good and plentiful. Our kids loved the beach grill where they could order hamburgers, jerk chicken, nuggests, fries, etc. whenever the wanted.

The water activities were great. Included were snorkeling, glass bottom boat, water skiing, scuba diving, sea kayaking, and water cycles.

The beach was much nicer than were we had been previously in Ocho Rios. Of course the best part of Jamaica is its people. Everyone was very pleasant and helpful, from the General Manager down to the housekeepers.

All in all it was a great place to vacation. I would highly recommend Beaches Sandy Bay!

This was our 1st trip to Jamaica (April 2002),We were celebrating our 8th annivesary and Chose Beaches Sandy Bay because it was family resort as well as all-inclusive. Being our 1st time to Jamaica we were a little sceptical and wanted something safe.

Beaches Sandy Bay turned out to be a very quaint mid-sized resort. There were several familes with children but many singles and couples of all ages as well. They offered many water sports and had arranged events during the day as well as the evening for both familes and singles to enjoy. They have a video arcade for the children or adults if that is your thing!!

The beach was very nice, and offered a small grill and bar next to the beach if you wanted a snack or a drink. Their main restraunt was buffet style and had very good food and excellent deserts. They also had a fancy Italian restraunt.

Beaches did allow you to leave the Resort and walk the beaches of all other resort they were next too. Not all resorts allow this! The security is very good and do a good job of keeping track of when you leave and return.

The resort also is willing to setup any tours you may want to do off the resort. I would encourage you do to one of the tours as the Jamaican people are very freindly and you will learn much about their culture.

There was a few instances of topless woman on the beach, but they tend to stay at one end of the beach to avoid contact with the children.

Beaches Sandy Bay is not a fancy resort, but it is easy to find your way around, but big enough to find a corner for yourself if you want to be alone. I would definetly go back, and would feel comfortable taking children.