BEST FAMILY VACATION EVER!!! We are a Sandals/Beaches family and firmly believe in the brand and the value. This was our second trip to Jamaica this month. We had just two days between visits to repack and jump on a plane. Beaches resorts does not disappoint. Like Sandals you can expect incredible service!!
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon at Beaches and were greeted by staff! Hilroy took great care of us and escorted us to the concierge lounge (Beaches version of Club Sandals). The staff was ready to take our drink order right away. My wife and I had the Mesmerizer I highly recommend this drink. Our girls were offered virgin strawberry daiquiris Della the hotel manager greeted us and was wonderful and so accommodating. We spent our first afternoon at the Piazza Pool where there is a swim up bar and close proximity to the waterpark and slides. Our first stop was the lazy river. It’s a great lazy river with water features and a nice current. It’s about 4ft deep and both my 5 and 7 year old could touch. This gave us peace of mind to let them float a little ahead of us giving them some independence. The Pirate Ship Water park was perfect for both kids. There’s a giant bucket that pours gallons of water over the park and the kids really liked it. There are smaller scale waterslides that were perfect for the kids as they got reacquainted with swimming and being in the water. Our first dinner dining experience was at The Mill. It’s an a la carte menu with a different theme each night. There’s a salad bar that Beaches has done a great job reinventing the experience due to COVID-19. This is a great time to mention that there are hand sanitizing stations throughout the property. Each time you enter a building, restaurant, or even go on the water slide they ask that you sanitize your hands. It’s part of Sandals/Beaches Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness. I felt safe throughout the entire stay. Every staff member wears a mask. When you approach the salad bar after sanitizing your hands a member of the kitchen staff hands you a plate and walks with you as you point out to them what you’d like. It’s safe and makes complete sense. Maybe something to look at in the future to cut down on germs. The breakfast experience is the same at The Mill. It’s all la carte complete with a omelette making station although if you like fried or scrambled eggs they will make it for you! Our first full day included starting our day with breakfast at Stew Fish. That’s where we met Astina. Be on the look out for her she’s phenomenal! When taking our drink order our girls really wanted a smoothie. She walked from Stew Fish to the other side of the resort to The Mill to get a smoothie for them. This is the type of service you will expect to see at this Beaches location. The girls are always addressed by the staff as princesses. Stew Fish breakfast is a sit down style right on the beach. You can take your shoes off and enjoy the sand beneath your feet. I had Eggs Benedict at every meal. The crunchy French toast and sugar cane pancakes are a must have. After breakfast we walked right over to some beach chairs and started swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. The beaches in Negril are amazing. The sand is soft and the water is warm and shallow. It’s perfect for our little ones who are not experienced swimmers. They could enjoy the shallow water for about 50 meters off shore. Beaches in Jamaica and public so there are vendors who ask if you would like to buy their handmade items or to get your hair braided. The strategy we used was a polite no thank you and the vendor continued their walk down the beach. Beaches has security staff walking the beach and they will act if a vendor continues to talk with you while on the beach. The vendors are NOT allowed on the property and we never experienced or saw one get close.
Our second day was filled with drinks, beach, and pool time. We wanted to make sure our girls had the best time on their terms during out stay. With that in mind Beaches has a phenomenal safe and friendly kids camp with a variety of activities they can do throughout the day. There are certified nanny’s that will watch the little ones or older ones for parents to enjoy some alone time. We didn’t use those service but left the decisions whether to do kids camp or hang with us up to them. The staff was amazing at the kids camp! Be on the look out for Pollyana, Beatrice, Krystal, Monique, Samantha, Kareen, Patreena, Alecia, Safiya, Tashana, Anna Kay Patrice, Claudia, Janilleve, Melicia, Shanice, Nichkesha, and supervisor Kadia. They are all wonderful and hosted a variety of crafts and activities for our girls.
Every morning I would wake up early to walk on the beach and would stop by the pool on my way to visit with a lifeguard names Ceon. He’s always cleaning and sanitizing the lounge chairs and cleaning the pools. It’s nice to know Beaches takes our health and safety so seriously that the chairs are sanitized.
The entertainment at Beaches does not disappoint. Adrian and his team of entertainers play games at the pool host family bingo night, and put on fantastic shows. Each night there is a different show with a different theme. Every Thursday night Beaches has a Sesame Street theme parade complete with a marching band Our girls had so much fun being in a parade and watching the marching band perform.
On our last day the staff really comforted the kids as we prepared to say goodbye. Della met up with us to say goodbye and our friends Adrian and Basil stopped by to say farewell. Kimberly at the front desk made a little going away card for my girls and presented it to them right before the door to the shuttle back to the airport closed. The overall experience on our Beaches trip was amazing, incredible, and memorable. I would encourage anyone looking for a fun family vacation that offers a mix of everything to book Beaches Negril. We love this place so much that we are planning a trip again February 2022 and may even do a quick trip in April or May for 3 or 4 days just to get away and enjoy the fun, food, and relaxation.
