This was our eighth trip back to Sandals Negril and I must say our best. The last few times we've been we've felt that the resort was in dire need of sprucing up- well, the grounds looked fantastic and they've brought in some sand to increase their beach- which they keep losing due to the storms that they get. They've gone through a change in management and you can really tell that the employees are now happy with who they have running the resort. Everyone was very accommodating and friendly. Food excellent and dive crew lots of fun! But I think the best part was, even though the resort was booked to capacity, our fantastic TA came through with an awesome upgrade from a beachfront honeymoon concierge room to one of the butler river suites! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. The room was huge, always clean and the butlers, DeRonney and Kenrick, were very good at their jobs. And from here on out, I'll never book another trip on my own. All my vacations are now in Amy McHugh's hands ( Dream Makers Vacation Services)- she is a godsend!!!!

Just returned from 7 days 6 nights at Sandals Negril Jamaica. I must state first and foremost I have been reading reviews for many months prior to the trip. And I was getting pretty nervous, since I hadn't been in over 2 years. I was the "coordinator" for a group of 24. This was also my third trip to Sandals Negril. Some people need to take a chill pill. The rooms were well kept and cleaned on a daily basis. With the rain and humidity you should expect some moisture damage.The grounds were beautiful and cleaned daily as well. We booked our rooms in the premium category which is listed as Garden View. Many of the couples in the group kept questioning my choice, and I explained that the Travel Agent had requested an upgrade for all of us and to wait until we arrive and see what we get before they start dishing out more dough.... All 12 rooms were upgraded to Ocean View which pleased all couples. We were not there for any special occassion just traveling with family and close friends.. One gentlemem proposed and they are now planning their next years wedding around the group vacation so that they do not miss out on any great vacations. Sandals exceeded all of our expectations. As a group we were given our own private cocktail party and private dinner .... WE ALL were impressed with the food and service that was extended to our party. I had also arranged for the group to have dinner at Kimonoes the only restaurant requiring reservations. Again WE ALL were impressed with the service and attention to detail that was extended to us. Special thanks to Manager Clayton and Manager Elizabeth who both made sure our every need was met. After the first night everyone began asking where are we going next year... Maybe will we try Sandals St. Lucia 2009...So those of you in doubt just let your hair down and relax it will be a vacation of a lifetime.

We stayed at Sandals Resort & Spa in Negril, Jamaica from June 15 - 22, 2008. From the moment we got off the plane we were treated like a king and queen. There were sandals staff at the airport directing you where to go and drivers ready and waiting to take you to your resort. We arrived at the hotel and were offered a warm cloth, offered a drink and were brought upstairs to a private room, In our case, they sent for our butler and we were escorted to our room. Our room was immaculate, the view was gorgeous(overlooking the pool and Caribbean Sea). We spent most of our time relaxing and enjoying the beach, pool, food and drinks. We went snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, to the spa, shopping, and horseback riding. All the trips were well planned by our butlers and were a lot of fun. We took a ride to Ric's Cafe to enjoy the sunset, cliff divers and to enjoy the entertainment. The music and dancers were fun to watch. On Sandals property there are 6 restaurants. The Barefoot Cafe is a place to try at night because it has a better selection of food. Kimonos Japanese restaurant had delicious food but be prepared to be there for 2 hours. The Beach Grill has good sandwiches and fries for anytime and the Bayview Restaurant is good for their buffets. The Sundowner had good food the one time we did go there and the 4 C's has wonderful Italian food. The room service food was very good. We ordered different breakfasts every day because we liked it so much. Their late night menu had a nice variety too. I found their chicken sandwich and fries to be awesome. The variety of drinks we tried too were good. I would suggest knowing some drinks they serve before going because they have no drink menus. We did drink some Mai Tai's and tried others but found 2 drinks we really liked - the hummingbird and dirty banana. There was security at both ends of the property. One of their roles is to make sure that when the Jamaican people come on the beach to sell things, that they don't bother the guests. They did great. Eyon(a day guard) was always right there for the guests.
We knew the day after getting there that we would go back again. The water and beach were beautiful and the sand really is white. I can't say enough about our butlers - Jerry and Christopher. They were on top of everything. They were always there when you needed them. They were always respectful, nice and willing to do whatever you asked. Every morning they prepared our beach chairs with our towels, decorated them with hearts, put a reserve sign on them with our name and had a cooler with drinks there. For our lunches and dinners, they made reservations for us, had the reserve sign on there and decorated the tables with rose petals. We even had a surprise rose petal bath in our room planned by Jerry the butler. Christopher the butler arranged for me to have a cocunut drink that you couldn't get at the bar. Further, I would have to say the people we met was the best part of my vacation. They were all so nice ALL the time. Everyone said, heh mon or hi and asked how everything was everywhere you went - on and off resort property.
We will definitely go back to Jamaica. It would be hard for us to try someplace else knowing how nice it was at Sandals Negril and if we knew we could get Jerry and Christopher again as our butlers.

My new husband and I traveled to Sandals Negril for our honeymoon, and also to serve as bridesmaid and groomsman for my brother and his fiance, who were married at Sandals on July 2. I will start from the beginning of our trip and try to keep it short!

We arrived at the Montego Bay airport after a long day of traveling and had to wait about 45 minutes to get through customs in an un-airconditioned area. Once we made it through that, we were looking forward to having a drink and relaxing in the Sandals waiting room. However, it was swarmed with people, and we were immediately bustled onto a bus where we had to wait again for about 20 minutes for the driver to appear. It took about 1 hour 30 minutes to get to Sandals Negril, and I thought the driver was pretty safe. The check in process took about 30 minutes, although we were served refreshments as we waited.
Main point: The whole process of customs, buses, and check in was long and exhausting.

Our room was a Deluxe Beachfront Honeymoon Suite in the Paradise Building on the 3rd floor. The room was nice but ordinary. The view was spectacular! I would reccomend the 3rd floor in this building for the best view and being within a stone's throw of the beach! The Paradise building is also centrally located in the center of the property. Our shower had bad water pressure - we complained once and although it was better for a day, the next day it was back to weak again. We didn't complain after that. It wasn't a huge deal to us. Housekeeping was awesome! Everytime we came back to the room-- 2 or 3 times a day -- they had made the bed, restocked the fridge and brought fresh towels.

At first we loved the food. After a few days though, it all starts to taste the same. It is plentiful and satisfying, but not really anything special. Our best meals were at the Italian restaurant, Sundowner, and the Beach Grill Buffet night. The drinks were great -- you can ask the bartender to make them as strong or as weak as you want.

My brother and fiance had the basic, no frills Sandals wedding. However, it was still very well orchestrated, beautiful and special. The Sandals people have the wedding stuff down to a well oiled machine! They had a cute little reception afterwards, with cake, champagne and hor dovres. Some great pictures too!

We took one excursion- an all day tour in which we took a river boat to feed the crocodiles, visited YS Falls, and toured the Appleton Rum plantation. We really enjoyed the tour. We were a little bored by the end of the week and it felt good to get off the resort property. Ava, our tour guide and Steve, our driver did a great job taking care of us. One passenger got motion sick on the windy roads--- take your Dramamine! We also went to Rick's Cafe- a must see- I reccomend you just have the front desk call a taxi instead of Snadals transportation. Sandals charges $20 per person, but a taxi charges $40 for a roundtrip. If you can get 4 people together, that's much cheaper.

As for Sandals service- it was so-so. The bartenders at the swim up bar were the friendliest people we met. Also, the cook at the grill was always "on." Many of the others however never smile or make eye contact.

Overall, we had a great trip! We enjoyed the romantic setting, seeing my brother and his fiance get married, and visiting a foreign country.

Also, as for the other travelers that were at Sandals.... it was an extremely diverse crowd. I read other people's reviews stating that it was mainly a young crowd, but I thought all age groups were pretty well represented. I was also happy to see all body types there-- big and little-- it made parading around in a bathing suit less intimidating! Sandals is not just for beautiful people!