Beach was great! Service was AMAZING (as expected). Better off to pay for the Concierge Room; ours was double beds/ocean view - cramped, dim, no mirror other than b-room; no space. There is a public/commercial WaterPark across the street which is LOUD (closed Mon.) Rooms are right off main road and can be loud unless you're on the balcony or your A/C is running ... HOWEVER, we had a nice patio and asked for xtra chairs; NOTHING prevented us from having a great stay (your attitude about the place will make a difference). We loved the beach; the grounds are very well kept; the staff amazing!!! The BAYSIDE had good food each night. Dining was not "5 star", but good - no complaints at any of the 3 restaurants; in fact, we found the service at Beaches Negril/servers mediocre to say the least - not friendly. There is no swim up pool bar at this property and jacuzzi/hot tub is closed from about 5 p.m. on as its location shares the stage area for entertainment (which was fair most nights but not amazing). We were advised this property is currently leased, not owned by Sandals/Beaches, so understandably some of it is not up to par if you are familiar; however, NOTHING prevented us a great vacation. It was the first time we could take both our kids with us and they had a ONCE IN A LIFETIME experience; it was really, really great. The staff, service were just wonderful; the beach is quaint (get there EARLY for a palapa!!!), and quiet for the grown-ups while also providing a plethora of activities for the kids (younger and older - ours were 16/18). NOTE: The RED LANE SPA is TIINNYY (go to Beaches Negril if you want a high-end, or "THE" spa experience); however, if you are into supporting those who care the most/a more genuine/caring spa adventure stay with these folks - Winsome and Teresa were just awesome!!!! It is less expensive than Beaches or Sandals Negril - the beach is great - views are great - while it can use some updating (which is pending), the experience was still well worth the money. We would go back!

Beaches Sandy Bay really exceeded my expectations. It was the first time my 9 year has been to an all-inclusive and even though he says he is too old for Elmo, he loved it. The staff at the resort went out of their way to make sure all of the kids were happy and even knew their names by the 2nd day. The restaurant staff was very accommodating to my family due to our special dietary needs. The restaurant manager and Executive staff met with us to make sure our needs were met. I was overwhlemed by the friendliness of all the staff from the General Manager and Hotel Manager walking around the resort checking on all of the guests. I asked my son who was his favorite and he said Ms. Eileen who made the kids smoothies and seemed like she was part of the family by the end of our stay.

The Beach was absolutely beautiful, clean, with the evening Sunsets The resort and gardens were very pretty and well maintained. The restaurants had a special kids menu each night, but my son's favorite was the Sundowner and the Grilled Pepper Shrimp. The rooms were very comfortable, always clean, even though we were really messy. Our son enjoyed Cooking with Cookie Monster, making pizzas, the daily activities, and the evening shows that he was able to be a part of. Oh, and another favorite of his the Kid's drink menu with special beverages just for them.

This was the first vacation that I was able to relax and did not come home tired. I could keep talking about our stay all good things unfortunately must come to an end.

When we came home my son said he missed vacation. When I asked him what he missed he said; Beaches Sandy Bay.

After reading the recent poor reviews, I feel compelled to review our stay. There is more detail in my June 2007 review. This year was just as good.

This was our second trip, and we fortunate enough to get the same room as requested. We were in room 6201. I have not seen the smaller hotel rooms, but our one bedroom beachfront suite was great. No, it's not up to US 5 star standards, but it was clean, everything worked just fine, and we love the wrap around balcony.

The staff that we met last year remembered us this year. We have gotten to know a few of them, and appreciate them not only as staff members, but as individuals with families and a life outside of the resort. Several went out of their way to accommodate our requests and made us feel welcome and pampered.

The guests this year were fantastic. We met people from all over that we plan to see again. As one of our new friends commented, "it's like going to summer camp". That's one of the outstanding qualities of BSB. While the size may be put off some, it fosters a sense of community. If you want to, you can get to know your fellow guests and enjoy the party.

Oliver took us to some wonderful spots to snorkel. There is a large variety of fish, and you just have to relax and enjoy. It's not the most scenic reef we've been to, but if you relax and watch, you'll see a beautiful variety of fish. If you have all experienced snorkelers in the group on the boat (no beginners or poor swimmers), ask to go to the caves. You should set this up in advance as it takes a bit longer.

I guess there are two important things to remember when traveling in the Caribbean (or anywhere for that matter). You are on Caribbean time. Relax and let it happen. The other is that if you treat the staff with respect and decency, they treat you the same. At least that is our experience.

We will return to BSB. Maybe not next year as we've been there 2 years in a row (we never have done that before!). We want to see some new places. But, we won't let this place go forever. Our kids are already asking if we can go again next year. Until we return, thanks to Kenneil, Kerron (who is leaving to study in England), Chris, Oliver, Bobby, Alex, et al for another great vacation.

We cleared customs and easily found the Beaches lounge. Skycaps took possession of our bags and, while the Beaches staff made a point of saying they weren’t associated with the resort, they were clearly working together (the skycaps work for tips). You don’t need anyone to take your bags to the minibus a few feet away but they really don’t give you a choice. The minibus driver also doesn’t work for the resort and will expect a tip.

There have been many comments on the “scary” ninety minute drive from the airport to the resort. While not up to American safety standards, it wasn’t as bad as I’ve had in some other countries. More terrible by far was the Celine Dion DVD the driver insisted on blasting through the bus’s AV system the whole way there, ignoring the cheers from the riders when he briefly reduced the volume (to be fair, he might not have been able to hear them). If you can tune the driver’s choice of soundtrack out, it’s a fascinating drive, and a dose of reality before you disappear behind the resort walls. You’ll see gorgeous bays and lush mountainsides, as well as how the people of Jamaica really live, which ain’t that romantic (I suspect the real reason so many people have disliked the drive); worth keeping in mind as you head off to paradise.

We arrived at the resort in the early afternoon and were told our room wasn’t ready and, preemptively, that check in time was 3:00 (this said as if our arrival time was our fault); we should check back in a half hour. We had expected that and kept swimming clothes with us, so no big deal. We checked back in an hour. Apparently the “finishing touches” were still being put on the room (who knew it was such an involved process?). Check in is at 3:00. Fair enough. At 3:30 I checked in at the desk again. Still not ready. I joked to my wife that there must be a plumbing problem. At about 4:30 we finally had our room -- small, a bit dirty, and run-down (the crack around the entire door frame would glow at night from the light shining through from the outside), but adequate, with a very nice view of the bay from the balcony and a heroic wall AC unit that battled the humidity and mostly won 24 hours a day. And there was a plumbing problem -- no running water, so no shower and no functional toilet.

I called down to the desk and they said someone would be right up. We waited. Half an hour later I called again and was told no-one would be coming, the entire resort was without water. As evening approached we went out to the public areas to get dinner. And noticed that there was running water. When I asked about the whole resort being out staff laughed. Apparently the front desk’s idea of a joke. So I went to the desk and asked to see the person who had spoken to me before. There were only two people on duty and I was pretty sure I was talking to the right one, but of course she refused to own up (“a lot of people work here”). I eventually got hold of a manager (by now we were approaching 9:00) and let her know that if the issue wasn’t resolved by 9:30 I’d insist on being moved. She said she’d “see if she could do anything,” her tone clearly suggesting she wasn’t intending to do much. Eventually we got a maintenance person up to the room and got our water running, but we were already pretty frazzled and disenchanted.

The tone had been set, and while we didn’t experience quite the same level of mishap again (thankfully), our initial experience was pretty indicative of the way the staff are here. They are cheerful enough when doing what they planned to do anyway, but if you ask for something else, forget it. “No problem” really means “not my problem.” Speaking of which, you hear a lot about hawkers approaching constantly. They did a pretty good job of keeping outsiders off the property (at the Negril property they wait literally at the property line and pretty much jump you if you cross over it -- a valuable lesson in stranger danger if your child is with you, as they will approach hand outstretched saying things like “don’t you remember your friend Jimmy?”), although you are constantly being buzzed by jet skis at the beach while you try to take a peaceful swim. On land, I was really only approached by hotel staff -- security guards specifically -- one of whom offered me drugs (this in the presence of my five year old), and another who told me that the resort was waste of money and that if I would spend five thousand a week with him instead, he would arrange a great vacation for me next time I was in Jamaica.

We settled into a pleasant-enough routine. The resort is at its best in the morning. Breakfast is the best meal -- it’s pretty hard to screw up eggs. Beach and pool for the morning. Lunch at the beachside grill. Nap or read in the room in the afternoon while it rains (which it did every day). Eat dinner, walk the beach at sunset, and go back to the room. The evening entertainment consists of Sesame Street soundtracks, staff “talent” shows, and the predictable pick-up band spewing hackneyed Bob Marley covers -- I recommend you miss them all, take some drinks back to your room, and bring some good reading. By the way, Verizon customers need to know that roaming voice service is available but not data. If you have a wifi-capable device bring it -- for $40 a week it will work in the (non-air-conditioned) lobby -- but otherwise you must rent a clunky and expensive internet kiosk by the minute to get your email.

The beach is truly fabulous, the saving grace of this otherwise sorry resort. It’s clean and spacious, and the clear, warm, calm water makes for excellent swimming. Truly world-class. Though the kids liked it, I wouldn’t bother with the pool, which is the same as you might find at any Holiday Inn (we visited the Negril property one day, and their pool complex is a lot better), and the “snorkeling reef” and other tangential activities are lame -- make the most of your time on the beach. But get your beach time in early because by afternoon the thundershowers settle in until dinner time and there’s nothing to do.

I hinted at the quality of the food before and now it’s time to say it; it’s bad. We hadn’t expected much so we weren’t disappointed, but make no mistake -- you’re eating cafeteria food, and not necessarily according to state of the art food handling practices. It doesn’t matter whether you’re eating in one of the “restaurants” or the buffet, they all serve a subset of the same food. I was amused to see, for instance, what looked suspiciously like lunch meat left over from the buffet show up on the “antipasto bar” at the resort’s “upscale” restaurant that night, and desserts apparently going the other way the following afternoon. Other than breakfast, we found the jerk chicken at the beachside grill to be the best thing going. It’s not totally unhealthy if you take off the skin (although of course you’ll want fries to go with it!), it’s at least partially cooked to order, and it’s pretty tasty if you like some heat.

When it was time to check out we received written confirmation that our bags would be picked up at 7:45 and we could catch the 8:45 bus to the airport. At 8:15 our bags were still sitting in our room so I called down to the desk and was, predictably, told that someone would be by soon. Fifteen minutes later I started hauling them myself. After I dropped off the first large suitcase the person who presumably was supposed to be looking after these things told me tersely that he would get the rest. I told him not to bother. At 9:15 the 8:45 bus duly left for the airport.