My fiance and I met up in Atlanta with our friends from Florida and traveled together to Sandals Negril on July 7th through 14th. I have to say it was an enjoyable first vacation without the children, but I was glad to go home (which had nothing to do with the resort itself - well maybe a bit).

Upon arrival to the airport - we didnt' have much time in the Sandals Lounge area because they were already pushing us out to the bus. The porter takes your bags - they are not affiliated with Sandals - and a good thing too - because when Mark went to tip the porter, the porter looked at him and said "only this?" and kept his hand held out for more. I found it extremely rude that he was so greedy - especially when he was being tipped by several people - not just my fiance. We let it go as just he was a rude person and got into the bus, and got ready to go.

First off, you read about the drive to the resort. It is long, but I enjoyed attempting to take photos out of the fast bus (most didn't turn out too good ha ha), and seeing how the people lived, which is kind of devastating. Yes, the Jamaicans drive like lunatics, but we found it amusing.

When we got to Sandals, they rushed us up to the concierge office (we booked a concierge room so we could get the free weddingmoon package). We were the VERY last ones to get a room. We went and ate, had a drink, and went back up - and our room STILL wasn't ready. Our conceriege Kaidia was telling us about the resort and the services she as a concierge could provide.. . .I will touch again on this later on.

Our room was beautiful - room 7101 in the Palm block. If I were to do it over, I wouldn't get a concierge room - the only thing I felt was a bonus was the wet bar that was stocked with bottled water (we drank a ton of it - the tap water and the water they serve in the restaurants has some to be desired - even though it is safe to drink), Red Stripe, and champagne. We never did drink any of the hard liquor or the juices provided. We used room service twice while we were there - and once we found out the Beach Grill was open late at night - we just walked down there instead of ordering room service - because that is where the food for room service is cooked. So is the concierge worth it? For the Weddingmoon it was.

The Wedding was beautiful - very simple - just us and our two friends, and that was it. The little reception you get for free is nice, but the wedding planner and photographer hovered near by why we were eating and trying to unwind - so it kind of made us a little nervous that we were being watched. The photographer did take beautiful pictures - we did buy 5 of them (I am posting two), although some of the poses she put me in were undesirable, and I ended up getting my dress VERY dirty which didn't please me too much.

The photographers are pushy as heck too - not just the wedding photographers either - they're EVERYWHERE!! It's like you're being stalked by the stalk-a-ratzi down there. Every time we turned around a photographer was asking us if we wanted to have our picture taken. Sometimes a gentle "no thank you" wasn't enough for some of them. We got to the point when we were on the beach we would see them coming, and we would act like we were asleep in hopes they would leave us alone. Same thing with the spa people. They stalk the beach. . .asking if you made an appointment for the spa yet. I just kept telling them I was going later in the week (which was true - I was going to have a manicure for the wedding) and then after the wedding - Mark and I would just tell them we were all ready at the spa - and that our massages were great. Yes, we lied, but it got them to leave us alone while we were trying to shoot pool/relax on the beach/have a walk on the beach.

I think the photographers, spa people, and the people on the jet skis that keep zooming up and down the beach trying to sell you everything from a carved giraffe to jet ski rentals to drugs were the most annoying part of the whole trip. The other annoyance we had was with our concierge. . .which after initally seeing her at check-in, we never ever heard or seen her again. (she left a note in our door, but I am not counting that). When I went to find out what I had to do for my pre-paid Jeep tour - she was no where to be found. The concierge in the office said they would take care of it for me, took my voucher, and went back to the lady she was initially taking care of. How sad we were the next day, when we went to get on the Jeep Tour only to find out we couldn't go, because the concierge NEVER booked it. It was paid for, but we weren't allowed to go. They offered to give us another day for a tour, but we were going to be going with our friends, and they were leaving the next day (Friday). They promised a full reimbursment, but we have yet (over a week since then) have seen anything on our credit card. If you decide to do a tour - wait until you get down there to book it - go to the tour desk in the main lodge (closest to the beach grill) and book it then. Then you don't have to worry about losing out like we did. Our friends said the Jeep tour was fantastic - and felt very bad that we couldn't go with. They bought us the RIverwalk Tour for a wedding present - and although it was fun and beautiful - it was a very long - tiring trek up the river - and not very enjoyable for those that can't swim (like me). My fiance enjoyed it though.

The food was very good. . .I enjoyed the selections of restaurants. We never did eat at the Barefoots or Kimonos - although Kimonos got rave reviews from everyone that talked about it. We ate our last night at the Bayside only because they have Blackened Tiger Shrimp and Lobster Tail on the menu - and Mark wanted to have Lobster before going back home - so we picked it for our final meal there. We were surrounded by several other couples - two of which were from rooms with butlers. We enjoyed our appetizer, and then the waitstaff informed us there was NO lobster - all we would be getting was the shrimp - they were all out of lobster. You can imagine how we felt when the two tables with butler service got lobster. I felt it was very unfair that they had it on the menu - but only served it to couples with butler service. They shouldn't even advertise it, as far I feel. If we would have known the service would have so biased, we would have eated at the Sundowner or at the Four Cs (which was my favorite - they had a spinach goat cheese salad I could have ate forever!).

I can't tell you anything about the watersports because I can't swim - so I was too scared to go snorkeling even though they told me I would be safe (just too afraid of the water). We did book the glass bottom boat tour twice - both times it got canceled because of the rain - it rained everyday around 4 (except the day of the wedding). . .so if you want to do any watersports - don't schedule them around that time.

The only tips I can give are these - make all tour arrangements yourself, don't order the Blackened Tiger Shrimp and Lobster tail unless you have butler service, get very good at saying "no thank you", act like you're asleep if you don't like to have your picture taken, and don't hang out too close by the buoys because the guys on the jet skis will harrass you about buying something. Also, unless you really do want to eat the snack mixes in your room - don't even look at them. We had a charge on our room for Tropical Fruit Mix for $7 - which we never ate or opened for that matter. We were so ticked off by the time we got that bill, we just let it slide. If I was in a more of a fighting mood, I would have probably went and took them on over it. I just had way too much "chill" in my blood.

Omar, the bartender is great if you meet him, and Vivian at the beach grill is fabulous - he's a hoot. And should you get lucky like my friends did, you will have Dwayne as a concierge or a butler (which is what he was training for). Dwayne wasn't even our concierge, but he was always helpful and stopping to chat.

I loved the resort and the people on the resort - staff and other couples that we met along the way (Mike and Kelly from the OC, and Lloyd and Jaimie from Atlanta). I found the resort clean - older buildings - but I found that part of the charm. Mark and I are pretty laid back people - and were just soooo happy to be away from the kids, and getting married (finally!), that even the daily rain couldn't ruin our vacation. We were sad to go, but you can't go back to Jamaica, unless you leave.

Go with an open mind, and don't forget to pack your chill.

After booking this trip all the way back in January, my wife and I finally made it to Jamaica. To be a little disappointed it is the rainy season in Negril this time of year. We weren't bothered by this because we are from Louisiana. However it only rains for an hour or two. Our last full day it didn't rain so we had a great time and saw it as an omen!! ON TO THE REVIEW!!
Upon arrival at the airport we had to pass through customs.This took about an hour and a half, so be prepared. After getting through customs, we got our bags and headed to the Sandals pickup area. There is a great room with Sandals reps there. Fresh fruits, cookies and juice were waiting for us. I got a sip of juice and a cookie and the shuttle was ready to depart.
My wife and I rode on a shuttle bus along with 2 other families that were enroute to a Beaches property (Beaches Sandy Bay and Beaches Negril are family resorts) in Negril. I fell asleep during the ride but only because i had minimal sleep the night before. The ride there was ok. I have read complaints from other reviewers that the roads are bumpy, they aren't. This is a scenic drive around the mountains of Jamaica. Don't bother to break out your cameras though because the drivers are crazy. They pass each other up and don't think twice about it. I didn't see any rules of the road signs anywhere so maybe that, and the lack of police are the main culprits.
Once we got to Sandals Negril we were treated like royalty. I am a southern man and am used to getting my own bags, moving things around, you know that sort of thing. Well i reached down to grab my bag, and the bell man almost slapped me saying "No Mon' you are on vacation now, let me take care of your bags!!" I said ok thank you, and that was that.
From then on I relaxed. The views we had of our room, 2nd floor of the main buildings beachfront suites overlooking the beach/ Carribean Sea were just breath taking. Everymorning when me and my wife woke up we had a great view.
I will post pics later and a video if I can get it on here. The service was excellent. Be respectful of their culture. Ask questions if you need to. The Jamaicans that work here are very respectful, even when you aren't.
One Love to Vivian (Beach Grill Cook). This man makes an awesome jerk sauce. Grilled quesadillas and jerk chicken.
Also, Andrew the (pool bar) bartender. Great Miami Vice and Hummingbird frozen drinks. I DO NOT DRINK and i drank about 4 or 5 a day, and didn't care for any other drink there.

We stayed at Sandals Negril from June 21-28th for our honeymoon! We had originally booked the honeymoon concierge suite but upon our arrival we were upgraded to a Riverfront/Sundowner suite (Building 6) which included our own personal butlers. We were given a cell phone to contact our butlers, Kenrick and Duroney, at any time during the day for any reason which was a little difficult to get used to but so nice. Having a butler suite awarded us the privilege of having our very own lounge chairs reserved on the beach each day complete with a name tag, a stocked cooler, and fresh towels. Kenrick would often unexpectedly show up with frozen drinks (try a Miami Vice, the Hummingbird, Purple Rain, or a BBC) and sit and chat with us, answering any and all of our questions about Jamaican culture.
While at the resort we enjoyed a couples massage, a private candlelight dinner on the beach, and a bubble bath with champagne -- part of the "Romantic Love Nest" package that we purchased before the trip. Little did we know that the bubble bath and champagne is complimentary to the guests staying in the Riverfront suites courtesy of the butlers. The candlelight dinner was a crap shoot -- the 6pm time slot followed too close behind the afternoon storms that drifted in each day, causing us to have to postpone our dinner two days in a row. So, skip the dinner or opt for the 830 time slot and forfeit the view of the sunset to ensure a dry, on-schedule dinner.
We made sure to take full advantage of the complimentary room service, especially in the morning, oftentimes having breakfast out on our balcony in our Sandals bathrobes. Don't be surprised if you order Blueberry pancakes and they show up sans blueberries -- it's Jamaica -- no worries, 'mon!
Our favorite restaurants were The Sundowner and The Barefoot by the Sea (try the shrimp & crab quesadilla for lunch -- yum!), and Kimonos, the Japanese steak house. At our request, our butlers would have a table reserved at the restaurants, so we never had to wait for a table. Kimonos requires reservations, so be sure to pick a night and schedule that right away -- come with an empty stomach because it's a lot of food!
As for excursions, we only made time for the Riverwalk/Mayfield Falls, which was a 1/4 mile walk up a cascading river (be sure to pack water shoes ($5 at Target) and a waterproof camera). It took 1.5 hours to get to the river through the towns and countryside, on narrow, winding roads up through the mountains. We definitely saw a different side of Jamaica -- poverty stricken and polluted -- very different from the luxury of the resort.
At the resort we took advantage of the snorkeling hosted by Sandals very own, very high energy Mackie or Crusty the Crab on the infamous glass bottom Saucy Sue. The snorkel gear is provided on the boat, but we think purchasing a cheap pair and packing them might be a good idea. We wished we had at least one pair to use while we were swimming at the beach just to see what all was lurking in the water. We often saw sting rays (don't worry they were harmless!), needle fish, starfish, skate, and sea urchins. The diving center will not rent out snorkel gear for swimmers and the gift shop sells the masks for a whopping $28 a pair.
Be sure to come prepared for an upgrade -- cash for tipping the butler at the end of the week -- we're lucky we brought enough cash. Having been spoiled for a week by our butlers, we would find it hard not to book a butler suite on our future vacations with Sandals -- it was well worth it!
The staff at the resort are very friendly. Our experience with Sandals Negril was excellent. We hope to come back in the future around the same time and see our new Jamaican friends, as well as the other great couples we met.
If you're planning a romantic honeymoon or a relaxing getaway to Jamaica, Negril is the place. And if you end up at Sandals, be sure to tell Kenrick, Duroney, and our favorite photographer, Dainya hello! And, the local spear fisherman, Evan, that brings back his daily catch to sell at the local market -- tell him hello too!

I've also read the reviews and most are pretty accurate. My husband and I were married there June 17th of this year. Now we had a difficult time getting there. We missed our flight and didn't get another one until two days later which means we missed two days of our vacation and our wedding day. However, we finally got the right person on the phone at Sandals reservations and he fixed everything for us. They extended our vacation so that we could stay two days longer and they move our wedding. Now get this my dress was damaged before we left so I had to get a dress once we got to Jamaica. The wedding consultant made arrangements for us to go into Montego bay so I could find a dress. The director of entertainment there went with me to show me around and for safety. They didn't have to do that. It was different to say the least in the heart of the city. Next, we had a Honeymoon Beachfront walk out Concierge room as well it was nice. We would wake up early to look at the water as well. We could just walk out to the beach from our room.The staff was phenomenal, the food was different every night and you had choices. We also had 24 hour room service which was a different menu altogether. They did keep the bar and refrigerator in your room stocked. Our bathroom was fine no problem there but you must remember like the other person says it's a poor country. They were always working never just sitting around doing nothing. The drive was long to Negril it's around an hour plus. We got there late so there weren't many people in the lounge. They drive really fast there. We are in the 35-36 age group too and didn't feel as though we were surrounded by 20 year olds. It was a mix of age groups to me or we didn't notice. My husband new every person there before we left. We found the people to be very friendly that stayed on the property with us. They all congratulated us as we walked by on our marriage as I stated before my husband had met everyone there & told them that we were getting married. It's so hard to be brief so much happened. They also had great entertainment & brought my husband on stage sang Happy -Bday and got him a cake. You can switch out your stay to any Sandals in Jamaica or just visit during the day. There's a lot to do no time for it all on or off property. You must do yourself and see!