Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Had a Beautiful Time..”
I got married at Sandals Negril on August 31st, 2003. My husband and I stayed at Sandals for 7nts. We had a wonderful time. The beach was beautiful and nicely kept. The people who worked on property were very friendly. I would suggest to anyone to upgrade to Conciege level, so that room service is available. That way you can eat anytime you want and don't have to make reservations at a restuarant or eat off the buffet. We also had a bar that was stocked everyday with beer, wine, bottled water, sodas, and juices. The concierge told us we could request any type of liquer we wanted and they would try to provide it. We requested Absolute Vodka, Appleton Estates Rum, and Couvesior- it was NO PROBLEM MON. My husband had so much fun taking part in the many watersports the hotel had to offer. The only thing I would say is this..I went expecting our room to be lavish..it wasn't. It was clean, in a great location and colorful, also the air conditioner worked which is a neccesity when it is as hot as it was in August..the service and the great food more than made up for any disappointment I might have had in the room. My only regret is not venturing out more to enjoy all of the many things Jamaica has to offer. Being a honeymooner and all we didn't get out much :) We plan to take another trip next year, hopefully it will be at Sandals. I would suggest this hotel for anyone..
— Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Even a whiner can't find fault with this place! Our experience at Sandals Negril.”
We spent 7 nights at Sandals Negril in May 03, and can't wait to go back! It was an utterly fantastic honeymoon (4 years past due!), and they took care of our every wish. The only real mess up was I upgraded at Expedia to a suite and that message was not relayed to Sandals, but I didnt realize it till we got home, and the money was promptly refunded. We began with arrival at the airport, and were greeted with singers, welcoming us to Jamaica. Customs was a breeze and within minutes we were at the Sandals desk, who had expected us. Because we were Concierge level guests, it came as a surprise to us that we were entiitled to a free flight to Negril on Air Jamaica, courtesy of the hotel. It was dusky and there are no landing lights at Negril, so we opted to ride the bus and use the free flight when we returned. We were escourted to a van, and our luggage loaded, while we waited a short time for 2 other couples. The 1 1/2 hour ride to Negril was a bit bumpy but I thought it was fun, and we got to see the countryside. The driver stopped half way at a local bar so we could stretch and buy a beer or rum punch. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by our Concierge and check in was smooth. We were given a cute kit of regular size shampoos and such, in a colorful plastic case and taken to our room immediately. The room was good sized, spotlessly clean, and overlooked the sea, on the 2nd floor with a balcony we could eat at. There was a place to hang wet suits on the rack outside, and the above the door air conditioner worked wonderfully. The room was bright and cheerful and all the little extras were thought of and included. We even had robes. Our room had a safe and a refrig and fully stocked bar. The fridge contained cokes and every juice to be thought of, as well as the local beer. The bar was complete with wine and champagne, and the whole business was restocked every day, sooner if you needed. The resort is well run and very clean. The beach is raked twice a day, and there are hammocks for couples and beach chairs everywhere to be thought of. They provide foam rafts, and towels at the pools and beach, and pick up your dirty ones, so you can simply get all you need. Beach is white and water is crystal turquoise blue. Hot tubs are roomy and next to pools and swim up bars. It appeared they had every type of sailboat and paddle boat to be thought of, free for the asking. The attendant was on duty to see to your needs from morning to late afternoon. We walked to the diving area and it appeared well run also, although we didn't dive. Schedules are clearly posted and a different boat takes you snorkeling, another diving. There is a seperate pool for diving certification,which they also include. Equipment looked well maintained. As for food, the Concierge was happy to schedule our reservations at Kimono's, the only restaurant which required them. We were able to dine there on the requested evening with no trouble. I found the food there way too spicy although it was fun to watch it cooked, while the chef crooned old Elvis songs way off key as he worked his magic with a flourish on the meal. The 4 Cs is supposed to be for calorie counters but dont let them kid you! The desert table here is anything but non fat! We found the best food here when our week was nearly through and repeated it twice. You choose from a huge array of meats and veggies and bring it to your table raw, and then it is taken away to be cooked and returned. Yum! There are 2 other restaruants, both on the water, and the service and food are great, with lots of choices which change every day. At least 3 times during our stay, a bountiful buffet was erected, once right on the beach, complete with intricate ice sculptures fire dancers, and a dessert table that indicated someone had hired the best pastry chefs from a wonderful school! There was even a real live mermaid on a table, surrounded by fruits! Every morning there was a huge buffet and pastry tables, of anything your heart desired from traditional breakfast foods, to fruits I'd never tasted before. The line of steam warmers and coolers for each buffet was longer than I cared to explore, so I dont know how anyone could starve here! As for the bars, I found nothing watered down about the drinks! The bartenders would pour until you said whoa. Rum was used in just about everything but they had anything you desired. At 2 of the bars, there were self serve machines you could top off your glass with strawberry or pina colada frozen stuff, yum! The beach grill was handy for late night or anytime snacks, and we also had 24 hour room service and we tried it out by ordering at 3 am several times, and were never disappointed by the service or food quality. We shared our room service breakfast (omlettes made to order) with a friendly crow, on our balcony at the table. Also at night, when we returned to our room, the bed had been turned down and twice during the week there were heart shaped rolled up towels and fresh flowers and petals on our bed when we returned from dinner. The bed was also made with 2 top sheets, and a thin blanket sandwiched between, which felt oh so luxurious to crawl in to! We could hear the bands downstairs as we drifted off to sleep, but never felt it was a bother. While at Sandals Negril, we went on 2 extra tours, which our Concierge was happy to arrange. For $200 per couple we had a half day of deep sea fishing. There was one other couple on the boat, which met us at the grill at 7 am. We didnt catch any fish, although the other couple caught a tuna. It was beautiful none the less and we didnt even care! Also for $40 per couple we went via Taxi with another couple to the market shopping and the duty free shop where we got our Rum to take home, and some real bargains, then to Ricks Cafe to see the sunset. The taxi driver stayed with us all day and we bought him beer. (He was only allowed to drink 2 while on duty and he stayed at his limit) The cliff divers were fun to watch. It was obviously very dangerous as we saw many deeply bruised tops of legs on those who had not hit the water just right. The coral reefs looked very sharp below. It was crowded and overpriced, but we bought some tokens and had a couple of drinks. The Marley-like band was very good and we left after the sunset to return to our paradise at Sandals where everything was included! The only other time we ventured off was to walk down the beach a bit. Sandals had guards posted at both ends of their beach property, to keep the guests from being harrassed by locals selling everything from ganja to beads to wood carvings. You had to show your hotel ID card to check out or back in, and once off hotel property we were fair game for the ganja man, who did take no for an answer and gave us a smile. (okay so maybe we did get a little ganja from the market but hey, its Jamaica! Use it all up here though, dont take it back) There were rows of ladies who wanted to bead our hair and give us aloe rubs. We returned on our last day and had our hair braided by our favorites of the ladies. They did a great job although it took a couple of hours to get it done. I paid them $40 US to do the braiding, the hotel wanted $50 at the salon and the hotels didnt look as good. I bought some more souveneers on the beach. They ask an inflated price and expect you will haggle. I got a great hand carved set, made from shell. The necklace, earrings, and anklet were $40 US, and each bead was carved so it looks like a white fish on the front, but a heart when you wear it backwards. I paid $5 for beaded bracelets and necklaces, and $12 for a really nice wall type wood carving. I would not venture there at night, and I'd suggest you stay together even during the day. I never felt in danger, I just knew I'd better be careful and I left my jewelry in the safe. Sandals does allow a few select sidewalk craftsmen in, several days a week, but the prices are way less down the beach or at the market we went to. As for entertainment, Sandals has some laid back entertainment every evening. We saw a Tina Turner wannabe that was quite good, and a couple of bands. It seemed geared more for the 30 plus crowd, and I think the younger people might want to find one of the nightclubs with more action, but we had fun. There is a (possibly the worlds smallest) disco, and a piano bar, with several slot machines, a life size chess board, and karaoke. The playmakers try and keep you busy (if that's what you want, if not thats fine too) , with dance lessons, water tennis, and contests. They have on average 5 weddings a day there, I was told, but they handle it all effortlessly. I don't know how they do it! The people at Sandals even honored our honeymoon request for the free china, even though we'd been married 4 years! We got Wedgewood shipped to the house when we returned! I am sure I left out a zillion things I wanted to tell, but if you have any questons drop me a line. I did want to counter the bad reviews I saw here, because I don't know how even a whiner can find fault with this place! Perhaps another competing hotel may be at the bottom of some of them? Anyway, we are trying to get back to Sandals Negril in late Novermber, because I'm hooked now and can't stay away! If you plan on being there in November, or early Dec, give us a shout, maybe we can sip a rum punch under a palm somewhere and say hi!
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “so so”
we went there for our hineymoon in December of 2002.We booked a Concierge room(not the cheepest and not the most expensive)with 24 hr room svce. Did not regrent we did that b/c apperently there is no 24 hr food at the restaurants-they only have specific times for brekfast/lunch dinner and nothing in between.the service was good, but prob b/c we had a more expensive room.the view was nice and the food was good.THe property was old, so some things were worn.we had a fridge in the room and they stocked it with bottled water and other drinks daily. on a scale from 1-10, i would rate it 7. I expected somth "wow", but was like"ok", i get it.we took a day tour to the black river safari and it was fun(i recommend it). there is nothing else to do there. Thankfully my husband and I play ping pong, so that's what we did every day before and after dinner.The resort activities are lame, but one night they had a staff talent concert, it was cute. They have unlimited use of water sports-use it to your advantage. My huband went sailing every day and he loved it. My co-worker went to Ocho Rios and she loved it. Next time we are going to Jamaica, will try that. Hope it was helpfull.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Loved Sandals Negril!”
My husband and I spent the week of Aug 30-Sept 6, 2003 at the Sandals Negril Resort and we had a wonderful time! I also was nervous after reading some of the reviews here but was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. The resort was beautifully landscaped and the beach was beautiful too. We did pay the extra $200 for the concierge level suite which we would highly recommend; it is more than worth it for the stocked fridge, 24 hr room service, and concierge; we called them alot and they were extremely helpful, they couldn't do enough for us! We are not the world's biggest drinkers but we did find if we asked for a double shot or a premium brand, they were happy to accommodate us. The food was excellent except for a few things, but there was so much to choose from it would have been impossible to not find something you like. However, we had our best meal at Beaches Negril; take the $10 round trip 5 minute cab ride there and eat at their Seville restaurant, it was awesome! We also explored a bit and took a cab (free if you call them) to a restaurant called Kuyaba, about 10 minutes away; it was very romantic and right on the beach. There are many cool looking restaurants and small resorts in that area that we wished we knew about before so we could explore; our waitress said a lot of people from Sandals come up to walk the beach.We took advantage of all the water sports and my husband got the diving certification and went out for 2 dives; he loved it! We also went off the property a bit and paid for parasailing and jet ski's from the natives; we found the Jamaicans to be extremely sweet and friendly. You do have to be firm with the hustlers/vendors and they'll leave you alone; I never felt scared or nervous around them.The only bad thing I can say about it is it was HOT! I had no idea it would be that warm and humid, but duh, it is the Caribbean in the summer! We loved Jamaica and plan to go back again next year, and we don't have any complaints about Sandals either. PS We went to Hawaii last year on our honeymoon and stayed at a 5 star resort and actually liked this better! Jamaica was far less commercial and more laid back.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Sandals is number 1”
I have stayed at Sandals Negril 4 times, my husband and Myself will be making trip # 5 this October. For the people who are scared of the roads, I suggest they do not travel to any foriegn country, it doesnt get any better. We have also stayed at Grand Lido Negril, and Beaches Turks , the service and friendliness of the staff can not compare to what we get at Sandals Negril. You will never find any Carribean resort that has glass for windows, and it is hot where ever you go on any of these islands! Jamiaca does not require that you Drink bottled Water, and if asked they will get your beer of choice.. To all those who are unhappy with their Sandals experience, I say good luck on your next vacation, it doesnt get much better than this....
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “One of the worst in the World!”
To describe this "vacation" as a nightmare would be kind! I think the positive reviews must be from people who never traveled before or were the ones too drunk to see how this place really was! We were told we would be upgraded from a garden room to something better "No Problem Mon" but it never happened! We were stuck in a room with traffic just behing a wall 15 feet from our patio which with all the horns blowing all the time was not just annoying but disheartening! The rooms were dark, no refrigerator in the room, no bottled water - only tap water! The service since we were not in the "Concierge" Room was nonexistant. We had a light bulb out for three days after telling 4 people about it! We finally took one out of an outside light and got reprimanded by one of the staff for taking it out. Maids and room service carts clattered down the enclosed hall way outside our room from 6 a.m. until well after midnight echoing enough to wake the dead! The drinking was rampant by some, which I am sure led to the two major arguements we listened to from the beach by "Newlyweds" who swore, broke things and went on and on for more than 15 minutes with no one from the resort trying to slow them down! We went to the "gym" which was not air conditioned and heard music with lyrics that would make a rap star blush! To get a raft or a towel you had to get up at dawn. The workman were tearing out plaster on one of the stairwells three flights up and dropping plaster everywhere without any warning signs, we saw several people almost get hit. The bar drinks are mostly local rum, they give you only Red Stripe - local beer and then only 4 oz plastic cups. We finally went to town - there really are only a few stores as this is out in the middle of no where - but we located some Corona beer since it was not served at Sandals. We got it, brought it back and realized we had no place to cool it down other than the bathroom sink. No refrigerators were available and no ice chests. We also discovered after repeated requests that no bottle openers were available and we had to walk to a bar to get the bottles opened! Finally, on the next to the last day of our stay we received a can opener to be used to open our bottles after 4-5 requests, but interestingly the ice can that had been across from our room for the whole stay disappeared, so we had no ice to chill the beer down with. We called the front desk and talked to the maid and were assured it would be back in a short time, it was not brought back, we took the beer to the beach bar and got the bartender to ice down our beer. We went down to snorkle and were told to be there 15 minutes ahead of time which all the people scheduled for the trip did. We got our gear and got on the boat, at the appointed time no one showed up, then 5 minutes later a man came and told us he needed to take the boat to get pictures taken and we would have to get off. We all got off shocked, he left saying he would be back shortly for us to go snorkling, about 15 minutes later he showed up. The snorkling was about as exciting as swimming in the bath tub, the reef is not colorful, there are not that many fish and nothing much to see. We were told by the travel agent and Sandals that we could change locations to any of the Sandals if we wanted to, so after getting fed up about 5 days into our trip ask to transfer to Ocho Rios or Montego Bay and were told we could not that they were overbooked and that they were sending people over to Negril. Two days later we took the trip to Ocho Rios and stopped at the Sandals for lunch and liked the club alot, we asked if they had room for us to stay and they said yes, so all we can surmise is the Nigrel crew never even contacted them. We did not transfer because it was a 3 hour bus ride back to Nigrel and would have been another 3 hour ride coming back and then another one to the airport two days later. We went to the store at Sandals and bought post cards, we asked for stamps and they said they were out but they would have them tomorrow morning, so we bought the cards anyway. We went over to the store the next day and they still had no stamps, it was two days before they got some stamps, our post cards still have not arrived here and we have been back since Sunday night! I have stayed at Club Med and other resorts and have never had such a bad experience, I am an experienced traveler and know you have to roll with the punches but this was a waste of my time and money and I will NEVER book another Sandals vacation! Hope you find something better to do with your free time, wish I had read an honest appraisal of the Sandals system before wasting my 11 days of vacation.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Great Experience in Sandals Negril”
Like a number of others, we fell victim to reading some of the whiny reviews on Sandals Negril posted on this site. This is a good lesson in that you just cant please everyone regardless what you doand unfortunately those are generally the people that are likely to want to bitch about how bad of an experience they had.My wife and I were celebrating our 10th anniversary and we couldnt have asked for a better trip. The Sandals facility was great and the service was much more than we ever expected. I dont know where they get their Playmakers, but this is tireless group that works extremely hard to make sure you have a good time. Its amazing; they learn your name, where you are from, teach you too much about Jamaican trivia, all in the spirit of creating the Sandals experience. I would caution you, that once they do learn your name you may find yourself singing late night karaoke to some very distant Neil Diamond songsnope not pretty.We had heard negative comments about the food..here again; we found that to be completely unfounded. There were a couple of native Jamaican dishes that I wouldnt necessarily need to have again. I am thinking specifically of the salt fish omelet with some kind of green sea weedy thingmy guess not a big seller.but hey I was trying to grab on the local culture I could. We would recommend also hitting some of the restaurants at the nearby Beaches, which is a $10 roundtrip cab ride away.If you beer is your drink of choice, be prepared for the many choices you will have. Lets see.you can choose from Red Stripe, Red Stripe, Red Stripe and then finally Red Stripe. Hey, nothing wrong with promoting Jamaicas home grown product, besides it helps you get in the Jamaican spirit.Activities were great. If you dive, the reef is not overflowing with sea criters, but still worth while.Sandal Negril is greatdont waste your time in reading the negative reviews. It would be a shame to miss out on such a great experience.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “What a trip”
We read a lot of the reviews on this site before and after booking our trip to Sandal's. We continued to read new ones posted up until the day we left for our vacation. Being that it was our 10 year wedding anniversary, we wanted everything to be just perfect. We were a little concerned about some of the reviews but were very excited and went with an open mind.Good thing for us we did. From the second we landed in Montego Bay, our trip was perfect in every aspect. Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted and treated like royalty. We were upgraded in regards to our room without even having to ask. Our room was perfect for what we needed it for...sleep. It was clean, the AC worked great, the cleaning crew did a awesome job cleaning up after us everyday. No biting bugs and plenty of room to store our clothes and souveniers. We did not feel cramped at all at anytime in our room (5103). We were very, very, very pleased with the room.The staff and food are also way above par, excellent in fact. The Seafood buffet Saturday night was great. The restaraunt, Sundowner was great and the food was excellent. Kimono's and the 4C's was also just as good, although Sundowner's turned out to be our favorite. Robin at the Beach Grill will serve you up anything you want when the main grills are closed, I reccomend the jerk bacon cheeseburger, it is awesome.The "PLAYMAKERS" do an awesome job keeping everyone busy if they so choose. If you choose to just lay around they do not bother you either. They are always there if you need them, willing to drop what they are doing to assist you. The bartenders are great and will make any drink you desire, stronger, weaker, smaller bigger, all you have to do is ask.In closing I think many of the people who posted reviews that were less than admirable are just the types who are to hard to please. If you can't find peace and solitude in a place like this, something is very wrong with you. All I can say is go see for yourself. At the end of your trip I am sure you will agree that it was $$$ well spent.Enjoy your trip, we sure did!!!
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Major dissappointment”
My new husband and I went to this resort for our honeymoon in April. We stayed for five nights, and by night three, we were ready to see Hartsfield Airport again. The brochures were UNBELIEVABLE! I was so excited about this trip, since we had never been outside the U.S. before. The trip from the airport to the resort was about two hours of pure hell. I was absolutely afraid for my life. The roads were winding and some unpaved, and the driver drove on no particular side of the road, honking around curves, hoping not to collide with another van. At first, I was thankful to stop at a shop where we could get drinks, until the driver guzzled two Red Stripes before climbing behind the wheel for the last hour of the drive. What a relief to finally arrive...safely!!It was miserably hot, and the front desk is open air, HOT HOT HOT. Since we were concierge guests, we were finally escorted to an air-condition office for check-in, which took about 30 minutes. When we made it to our "luxury" room, we were astonished to see that the A/C was a window unit over the door, but even more surprisingly the windows were only covered by screens and wooden slats, no glass??? So it never got very cool in our room. You could walk by other rooms and actually hear what was going on in there!?!?The food was terrible, and we so longed for a good steak, or a bad steak, but mostly seafood was served. We finally found Kimono's a Japanese Steakhouse, which we spent our last three dinners at.The scuba diving was awesome, though. We had never dove, but had a blast our first and second times. The snorkelling was also great.The staff was very nice, and the drinks were so-so. I have definitely had better. The grounds were kept beautifully, very plush and colorful. The beaches were also very gorgeous, but don't venture out past the property line, especially at night. We made the mistake of walking about 100 yards down the beach to the Beaches property for dinner, and although the food there was so much better, the walk was terrifying, with men following us try to peddle "gonja."Our trip was good, but only because we were together. You could get a great trip to Hawaii for less than the cost of this Sandals trip, and we regret not doing just that. Definitely a lesson learned.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “No Probelm, Mon!”
My husband and I went to Sandals Negril in February 2003. This was our third trip to Jamaica, and our third trip to a Sandals. I was very surprised to read the negative reviews about the resort. I feel that the Jamaicans are some of the friendliest people you can meet. We stayed at the Sandals in St. Lucia three years ago, and although the resort was fine, we did not find the St. Lucians to be as warm and friendly as the Jamaicans. For those who have complained about the resort itself, all I can say is that you are mainly paying for good service and LOCATION! These are beach resorts, you can not expect the rooms to be PLUSH. The atmosphere and climate is not conducive to it. We always had a great time at Sandals. We never found the food bad or the drinks watered down, and NEVER felt like we couldn't get/do something we wanted. The best advice I can give to someone who goes is that if you are unhappy with something, YOU MUST SPEAK UP, and it will be taken care of. Our trip to Negril was delayed three days due to the Blizzard of 2003. We did not have travel insurance, but Sandals refunded us for the two nights that we missed. For this reason alone, I will stand by this company and patronize their resorts. We spoke with people in the airport who stayed at other resorts who would not give refunds for the snow delays. This proves the Sandals commitment to customer satisfaction.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Will never go back to this Sandals”
Just returned from Sandals Negril and was very disappointed as all the other Sandals I have stayed at have been much better. The entertainment was fair, playmaker involvement nil, and the drinks were not good. The "seven mile beach" is not that pretty and once you venture off west of the property it became down right scary from the thugs that would hang out there peddling drugs. The food was OK but we both became very very sick our last three days from spoiled food from the Beachside grill. The food sits there all day in the open. It was bad and we spent a lot of time in our rooms just trying to get out of bed. We snorkled and I scuba dove and I can say that the reef there is all but dead. This Sandals is definetly way worse than any I've been to and I'll never go back.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Great time at Sandals!”
We just got back from Sandals Negril, and highly recommend it. The beach is beautiful - the sand is incredibly soft and free of junk (they actually clean and rake it twice a day). Plenty of chairs, towels, floats, and most importantly, space of your own. Someone comes around and takes drinks orders so you never have to get up. The scuba diving was also good. They do at least two dives a day, to different locations, from 30 - 90 feet. Don't overpack - if you are not planning to go offsite, you only need a swimsuit and coverup for breakfast and lunch ( men - t-shirts, ladies - sarong skirt or other coverup). Dinner can be a little dressy if you like, or just shorts if you prefer. One restaurant, Kimonos, requires a collared shirt and covered shoes for men (though golf shirts and sandals with slcks was accepted). We reccommend going to Kimonos early in your stay. It is Benihana style with communal seating. We met two other couples that night, and they made the rest of our evenings out more enjoyable. Drinks were generous, and there was plenty of variety with the food. Nightlife is a little low-key, but after diving and sailing all day we were too pooped to dance. A great way to get away from work and kids.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “9 times and going back again”
We have been to Sandals Negril for the past 9 years and can't wait to get back again. We have never had any type of problems . Anyone who has not had a good time there does not know how to . The only bad thing I can think of is the beach is eroding , which they have no control over.
Negril: Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa: “Not worth the $Money$”
Went to Sandals Negril, Jamaica in April of 2002, and overall was a bit disappointed in the Resort. We are a middle-class couple in our late 20's, and we don't get an opportunity to travel as much as we would like, and thought this 'advertised 5-star' Resort would blow our socks off. Unfortunately, I came home thinking that I just dropped over $3500 for an average week in Jamaica.
Ill begin by saying that the Plane ride to Jamaica went fine, no delays. Customs was a 15-minute wait, and was very simple. The Sandals hosts at the airport were very friendly, and allowed us to use the facilities before departing on the 1.5 hour ride to Negril. The bus/cab ride to Negril was pretty cool. I was worried about the ride, but it really went fast. We stopped 45 minutes in for a cold Red Stripe and Pina Colada. The ride was along the coast, allowing for fabulous views of the Caribbean along the way. One negative was the poverty that a majority of the Jamaicans' live with daily, which was expected. Once arriving, we were greeted by the staff very nicely. We were offered Champagne and cold towels, which was nice. 15 minutes later, we were taken to our rooms. The room itself was an Ocean-Front, 2nd level cottage. The room was average at best, and somewhat small. Nothing to complain about, but felt it would be a little larger? There are 2 pools on the property, the main pool which has loud music playing most of the day, and a 2nd (smaller) pool on the other end of the property. Considering the number of guests staying there at the time, the pool could get pretty crowded at times. We spent most of our time on the beautiful white-sand beach. The turquoise water was absolutely gorgeous, and we captured some great photos of the sunset. In regards to the food, the Japanese restaurant was the best. We ate there 3 nights during our 7 night stay. Otherwise, the restaurants were nothing more than average. Breakfast wasn't bad, with made to order omelets. The drinks were good, all made with the local Appleton Rum. I think I could get addicted to those drinks and am thankful that I can't remember the recipes. The excursions offered were OK, some seemed a little pricey also. We took the shopping tour, which was about what I expected. Over-priced beads, poor quality-T-shirts and people offering dope. We didn't do this for the shopping, we just wanted to get off the resort and see some more of Jamaica. We also took the so-called Booze Cruise (Jolly Mermaid). It was $40pp, and was glad when we finally made it back. They took us to a place called Rick's Caf�, which is the biggest tourist trap, this side of Estes Park. Ricks sits on a cliff and has cliff-diving for some experienced, and not-so experienced. It's a wonder nobody has been killed there? Or maybe they have been? Ricks operates on the 'token-system'. You have to buy tokens to buy anything, beer, appetizer, t-shirt etc. But nobody seems to sell these tokens? By the time I was able to get some, and guzzle my $5 Red Stripe, it was time to go. The weather was fabulous, probably in the 80's every day with only a 20 minute shower on day 3. All in all, our week was fine, no complaints. I liked the all-inclusive, simply because you had to dust-off your wallet before leaving. I just felt that the room was no nicer than a Holiday Inn Express, and that the food was like eating Applebee's' quality. I also think that for the price of nearly $3000 for lodging/food and booze, it was a little pricey when you break it down per day; it comes to about $430. I think where they are making their real money is on the Food and Drink. Let's say that the room portion cost about $200-$225 per night. If I was paying for Food and Drink, there is no way that I would have spent more than $100 per day, even at tourist prices.